So last week we finished up Gros Morne National Park. There was more there that could have been done, such as the boat ride into the fjord, but we did that the last time we were here, and the weather wasn’t ideal this time, so we figured we would press on. This week we'll finish up the Northern Peninsula, and make it across to Labrador! But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
First we visited Cow Head, within spitting distance from our camping spot in Shallow Bay. They have a nice trail network on their remote point (or “Head”) which is connected to the town via an isthmus. The trails are all connected and proved to be an enjoyable hike before beginning the trek north. Next stop was the unassuming but quite interesting Arches Provincial Park. The arches were huge and very accessible, and the large rounded stones on the beach were both colorful and interesting.
As we were beginning our trek northward, we thought you might want to get a sense as to just how “boggy” virtually all of Newfoundland is. So we took a couple photos of what they have to do to secure telephone poles in the ground. And that is to build a “crib” and fill it with rocks, as the peat is not strong enough to keep the poles upright. We’ve seen these everywhere we have been. OK, so the weather was getting windier as we pulled into Port au Choix, and while they have a nice archiological area to explore, it just wasn’t a day for walking around outside. So we went to the end to see the light house at Point Richie. Wind gusts must have been 60-70 MPH! And in addition to briefly seeing the lighthouse, we were able to visit with a small herd of roaming caribou! They were not bothered at all by the cars stopping along the road to take pictures. Still no moose sighting, however!
The weather continued to deteriorate, so we boondocked at a picnic area where we had a usable cell signal and checked the forecast. We wanted to wait for good weather to visit the Viking settlement in L’Anse Aux Meadows. And that turned out the be the next day, so we booked it up there and arrived soon after they opened. We had a great tour by a local resident who has lived there all his life, and was an 11 year old when they began the archeological dig in 1960. He said he visited the site regularly, and watched what they were doing over the years of exploration. In short, they found the only archeological “proof” of Norse/Viking presence on North America, in what appeared to be four separate encampments over a decade or so about 1000 years ago. They used this location probably as an intermediary point for further explorations to the south into what is described as Vinland in the Icelandic Sagas. Here is a wikipedia link for those who are interested in reading a bit more:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Anse_aux_Meadows .
That visit took most of the day, and they have a nice trail that loops around the point. It was interesting to be able to actually see Labrador quite easily (it is only about 30 nautical miles away), and know that is ultimately where we were headed. But still lots of cool villages and trails to check out along the way before heading back down to the ferry. So we stopped at the Pistolet Bay Provincial Park; no services, but we had a nice campsite. We asked if there were some local trails we could try and were directed to the Burnt Cape Ecological Reserve. It sounded right up our alley, but the description given to us did not match the road conditions, which were such that I did not want to risk driving to the end, so we got out and started hoofing it. Quite a long way. Uphill. Finally we spot a car coming back and flagged them down to see how much farther … and they said “lots”, plus then you begin another 3km in and out hike. Well it might have been great, but we decided to turn around, discretion being the better part of valor, and all that jazz. But our reward for such discretion was a beautiful sunset back at our campsite, and we’re still married ;-)
After that we decided to make our way to what passes for the “big city” in the Northern Peninsula, and that is St. Anthony. Hey, it’s got the only Tim Horton’s for miles and miles, and that’s our criteria. Anyways, driving through we saw lots of signs for the Grenfell Centre, so we pulled in. Dr. Grenfell was a missionary doctor from England that devoted much of his life (and was knighted by King George V for his work) to helping Newfoundland and Labrador fishing communities that were ice blocked and isolated for many months of the year. Here’s is a brief video regarding his contributions to these people:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD-i_86GDGI His center was stunning with all of the flowers coming into bloom just when we arrived. We’d seen nothing like this since coming to Newfoundland, so of course, we took lots of pictures ;-)
That night we found a boondocking spot near the Lamage Point Trail and had a nice candlelight supper ;-) The next morning, I took this trail and despite somewhat wet conditions, saw some interesting “art” and did a little ocean meditation (and a short video in case you are in the mood ;-). Weather kept improving and we went off to a handful of the small fishing villages around St. Anthony — the signs in the pictures will guide you through St. Carol’s (how appropriate ;-), Great Brehat, Goose Cove, and then back to Fishing Point Park in St. Anthony, which has a network of nice trails and vistas. You’ll see us tackle Daredevil Trail and its 476 stairs. For the record, Carol picked *this* trail as the one she wanted to take (that’s my girl ;-). I then strolled around the four inter-connected trails that loop around the point, got some vicarious dog thrills, and after finishing up, found a 5-star boondocking spot overlooking the bay with our panoramic windows facing a sunset. Not too shabby!
So after all that adventure, we decided it was time to grab our Timbits and head to the ferry. Sure enough, we made the last crossing, but not without a scare. As we are lined up to get on the ferry, when the loadmaster signals it’s my turn, I turn the key and — nada, zippo, zilch — not even a peep when I turn the key. I was able to quickly conclude it wasn’t the feared fuel pump issue, but something going on with the battery, likely a loose terminal. Grab a hammer, and give'r a few raps, and she started right up. But now we are in the “penalty box”, and it’s not clear they are going to let us on the ferry. Finally, second to last vehicle, they load us (I figure to ensure we don’t potentially delay the *un*loading after we get there). But no issues since (and none before). Quite a fluke, and I later cleaned the battery terminal and tightened the connections.
After a 90 minute ferry ride, we are in Labrador! The roads were just about as bad as we had heard. In the short 30 miles or so that we drove that night we had good pavement, old broken pavement, pot-holed-but-patched pavement, unpatched-pot-holes (the worst), good gravel, and washboard gravel (the slowest). I don’t know why there is such variety for such a short distance, but it does look like they are making improvements, however piecemeal. We we’re scouting for a boondocking location, and Carol saw a sign for the First Pond Municipal Park (shockingly, I did not photograph the sign ;-). But it had a nice pond, we got there in time for sunset and … blackflies! We may get our PETA card revoked, because we’re officially now blackfly killers. Oh well, FWIW I do feel badly about it.
We awoke to some rain, and so we decided to head out and see if there were non-hiking things to do along the road toward Red Bay, our next target. The visitor center near the ferry terminal had been closed when we got there, so we were flying somewhat blind as to what might be interesting. When I saw a sign for L’Anse Amour I thought we should give it a try. Sure enough we found the oldest recorded burial site in North America, and continuing on, came to the tallest lighthouse in Newfoundland-Labrador. And what a massive, well-built structure it is. Still standing and being used, without any reconstruction needed. Built entirely out of limestone, the walls are 6-feed thick at the base, and it sits directly on bedrock. It was constructed and began operation in just 3 years, in 1858, and after 3 more years was covered in cedar shingles to protect the mortar from the harsh climate. It is an impressive structure, and the most modern and sturdy structure we’ve seen since we have been in the province. (BTW, what's in a name? L'Anse Amour means "The Cove of Love". But the original same-sounding French name was Anse au Morts, or "Cove of the Dead", due to all the shipwrecks that occur there! How's that for a PR name change. ;-)
So that finishes things for this week. We made it to Red Bay, and are currently boondocking outside the town office and using their WiFi (it's getting harder and harder to get to the internet; I know I should be happy for the break, but I do like to stay connected). After considering the roads we’ve traveled so far, our current thinking is we are going to “go for it” and try the Trans-Labrador route back into Quebec, and from there, home. It will take a long time, and use a lot of gas (did I mention I average a whopping 8.5 MPG?). But hey, that’s all part of the adventure. So until next week, let’s see if we change our minds ;-)
