Farewell to Quebec! Hello Labrador!

Robinson Adventures – Part 2  “Farewell to Quebec! Hello Labrador!!

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2018

This was our final day in La Belle Province de Quebec. Happily, we spent the day in Baie Comeau, our last stop before heading northwest to Labrador. We have been pleasantly surprised by Baie Comeau. It has many services to offer. The main area of the city is filled with interesting shops and cafes. We have been successful in finding two very fine restaurants for meals. We also visited an expedition about glaciers that featured the finest interactive multi-facetted presentation either of us has ever seen.

Baie Comeau, like Cambridge, Ontario, is an amalgamated city. Two sections of the city are literally miles apart. The one in which we stayed is a more industrial area and the other end of town (about a 15 minute drive through a forested area) is a more commercial and tourist area. Cruise ships that travel the St. Lawrence come into Baie Comeau throughout the summer months. It is evident within a short distance from the port that the economy has flourished because of the cruise ship passengers. Inviting cafes, upscale clothing stores, souvenir shops and tourist activities have been developed to meet the needs of short term visitors.

One such facility is called Le Jardin des Glaciers. It is housed in a former catholic church and the architecture of the church is well utilized in the display. The exhibition begins with a multi-media presentation that occurs in 3 different locations throughout the church building. The first part focuses on the surface of the glacier and is presented in the former choir loft high among the rafters. A 3-D movie is shown about the melting, the motion and the fissures in a glacier. The second component of the presentation focuses on the interior of a glacier – how it was formed, the various layers and kinds of ice that are inside. We ‘travel’ down 4 km inside an elevator into the middle of the glacier where we see multiple screens featuring images of the activity and transitions of the ice on the interior. The final component projects on 6 screens how the continuing melting of glaciers will impact sea levels, climate and life in general. We viewed this portion through a thin shower of rain, representing the ongoing melting of the glaciers. Following the presentation, guides lead you into a display room filled with photos and specimens of items found in glaciers, ranging from seashells to bones to tools developed by early civilizations. If you ever go to Baie Comeau, this is what we would recommend you see.

Some early duties called for our attention as the day wore on. Grocery shopping (at a Loblaws store, of course) for picnicking over the next couple of travel days was necessary. So was doing the laundry. And we even found a Bank of Montreal where we could transact a small item of business.  I spent some time at our hotel working on this blog and our photo book. I even squeezed in a lovely nap.

La Pecherie Manicouagan Bistro had been recommended for dinner. We were pleasantly surprised to find a seafood grocery attached to an indoor/outdoor eatery that served deliciously prepared seafood that was artistically presented. Jim had Coquilles St. Jacques and I indulged in a seafood crepe. Both were absolutely delicious. The ambience was upbeat, the server delightful and the indoor/outdoor areas were separated by a garage door. Quite funky!!!

Time for bed as we prepare for an early departure on our journey to Labrador City.

THURSDAY, JUNE 21, 2018

Happy Summer Solstice!! The sun rose in Baie Comeau at 4:23 am and set in Labrador City at 9:54 pm. It was a long day.

We were organized about leaving this morning so it did not take us long to get ready, finish packing the car and to have a quick breakfast. Two stops were made before heading up Highway 389. Tim Horton’s, of course, and a Shell station for gas … and air miles. And then we turned left off the main road and headed in a northwest direction to reach a province that arguably is east of us.  655 kilometres lay ahead of us.

We noted the warning signs as we entered the highway – sections of the road may be closed in the event of a forest fire; no fuel (or bathrooms) for 200 kilometers; winding and hilly roadway. The first part of the road was quite narrow; the pavement was old and patched; the road was winding and hilly; there were large trucks going in both directions and virtually no opportunity to pass them. It was a slow start to a long drive. The scenery was beautiful though. White birch and pine forests lined the roads. Lakes, large and small, peppered the countryside. Winding rivers and rushing rapids twisted down the hillsides. We never tired of this rugged beauty all day long.

Several kilometers along the road, the road surface improved and shoulders became wider. Some portions of the road were even straight enough to pass a slow moving truck. We started to make better time. The kilometer markers flashed past with greater speed. At about the 2 hour mark, we made our first stop – a motel, gas station, store combination. A rule of this road is never to pass a source of fuel or a bathroom without taking advantage of the facilities. And, so we stopped. The second stop came about 90 minutes later. This time a shop and a bathroom but no fuel. We were in good shape for fuel so Jim’s coffee was out only purchase.

Our third stop came at Manic 5, the fifth in a series of five dams on the Manicouagan River. We approached this dam at is base and it was HUGE, both wide and tall. There were no road services at this stop (we knew this) but we pulled into the Visitor Centre hoping to see displays and maybe a movie about how the dam was constructed. But, alas, tourist season does not begin until the weekend. We were 2 days early.

So we carried on … except at this point the road surface changed to gravel. We travelled on dusty gravel for the next 150 kilometers. Lots of forest and lakes; lots of trucks and lots of dust. One particular highlight in this portion, though, was being able to see the beautiful lake that was created by the collision of a meteorite with the earth. The meteorite is estimated to have been 5 kilometres in diameter. Its impact created a depression in the earth that is 100 kilometers wide. The largest such crater in North America. What a view from atop the hills we were crossing!

And, about that time, pavement reappeared! The road was once again smooth, in good condition, relatively straight with reasonable banked curves. Smooth sailing for a while. We arrived at the mining town of Fire Lake whose economy is fueled by two enormous open pit iron ore mines. Trains of 100 cars were on the sidings with several front end loaders filling their cars with iron ore to be shipped elsewhere for processing. It was quite a sight!

Once past Fire Lake, the road returned to gravel and for a very long time (65 slow kilometres) a caravan of large trucks, small trucks and 2 SUVs paraded along with no opportunity to change our order in the line. Patience and closed windows were both important for our survival. We meandered across the countryside, crossing the same train line at least 6 times. Why didn’t they just build the road beside the tracks? It would have been much simpler!

And then … pavement again!! Which carried us all the way to our next stop along the way, Fermont, Quebec. Fermont is the last community in Quebec. It is also an iron ore town but it is not protected by the forests and lakes that we had seen along the rest of the route. Fermont sat in a vast open plain with no protection from the wind or weather. In response to this circumstance, the town came up with a unique plan. Build a wind break to protect the town. And they did … by constructing an enormous row of connected apartment buildings; adding undercover parking for all of them; locating a grocery store and other shops at one end and a large school (presumably K-12) and a hospital at the other end. Other buildings in town are nestled near the nooks and crannies of this large structure and protected from the wind by their location. Those who live in the large structure have a very long ground level corridor that is completely enclosed. No need to go outside when the weather is really nasty. Fermont may not be the prettiest town in Quebec but it certainly is functional.

Once we left Fermont, we did not have far to go. Our destination, Labrador City, was only 40 more kilometers. We passed through some very pretty countryside and stopped at the border of the Quebec and Newfoundland/Labrador to take a photo of the sign. We stopped at the Visitor Centre a couple of kilometres further along to pick up some information. It was National Indigenous Peoples Day and there was quite a crowd gathered for dinner and a program at the centre. We were just a few minutes too late to have shared a meal with all of them. Alas, we asked where they would recommend having dinner and the answer made us very happy. There is a restaurant down the road at the Two Seasons Hotel that serves very good Newfoundland cuisine. Decision made … dinner in the very hotel we were staying in!! And the word on the street was absolutely correct. The seafood chowder and the bacon wrapped scallops were delicious!

FRIDAY, JUNE 22, 2018

We had a late breakfast at our hotel this morning and then went on a brief tour of Labrador City. We drove through some residential areas (all similar pre-fab houses, generally well maintained, and a few apartment buildings); we stopped in at the tourist centre again to look at the displays about the history, industry and culture of Labrador; we went to the mall where we found a grocery store, Walmart and Tim Horton’s. The drive-through line had at least 20 cars in it, lined up well onto the street. We chose to go inside and get coffee for the road. It was much faster, I am sure.

Then we headed out onto the highway, The Trans Labrador Highway, 555 kilometers in length. About 10 kilometres out, we realized we had not filled up with gas and the next available gas was in Churchill Falls, over 300 kilometres east. Back we went and found a full serve Shell station. Regular gas was 144.95 per litre. We are happy our Rav gets good mileage. And, as it was chilly and raining, we were happy to have the full service.

Back out onto the paved and high quality highway again, we travelled many kilometres without seeing a single other vehicle travelling in either direction. The speed limit was posted as 80 kph but those of you who know me will have already guessed that I was driving a ‘bit’ faster than 80. We had over 500 kilometres to cover and an empty road. So I pressed the pedal to the metal.

And then a car appeared, a car that had red lights on the roof. It was pulled off on the side of the road and I slowed down and passed it at 80. He pulled out and followed for a short while before turning on his lights. Hmmm. I pulled over. He pulled over. He approached our car and I knew I was toast. Nothing to do here but be entirely honest. Apparently he had clocked me approaching from behind him. Caught red handed by the Labrador Police for speeding .... I was definitely well over the limit of 80 on a totally empty highway. Not another car for miles and miles except us and the very nice officer. Registration, insurance and licence please, says he. I gave him the reg and insurance but could not find my licence. While I was looking for my licence, I opened a pocket in my wallet that had some American money in it. I said out loud, “Oh, here is my American money.” And then I thought about how that must have sounded to the officer so I tripped over my tongue trying to explain that I was not trying to offer him money. He laughed. I finally realized I had changed wallets before leaving home and my licence was safely stored in my other wallet in my bedside table in Waterloo. Oops. The officer looked at all my cards and took my health card as proof of identity. Whew!! And, he did not give me a ticket. Another whew!!! Just told me to slow down to less than 90 kph. Thanks, officer. What a relief. Cruise control from hereonin. Meanwhile, Karen has been to our house, found my licence, emailed me a photo of it and will courier the real licence to St. Anthony so it will arrive about the same day we do next week.

And so the day proceeded. We passed through so many forested areas; so many lakes, both large and small; so many rushing rivers; so many sand dunes (yes … sand dunes); so many rock faces, often covered with multi-coloured lichens. We saw beaver lodges in many ponds. We kept our eyes peeled for moose but none appeared.

Finally after three hours on the road through intermittent rain, we arrived in Churchill Falls. It is the home of another gigantic hydro station, powered by the falling waters in the Churchill River. Sadly, most of the water is diverted from both the falls and the river, so there is nothing very noteworthy to see. But the power station is enormous. Impressive because of all the immense sub-station; the innumerable towers and the countless lines that flow out of the station in every direction.

We went off the highway briefly to fill up with gas at the single modest station in town. We drove through the forlorn looking residential area and came to the centre of the community. A large building encompassed two schools, the single grocery store, a restaurant and a tiny souvenir shop. There was also an arena nearby and some playground equipment. Churchill Falls is definitely a one industry town and if you do not work at the power plant, it is likely that you would not stay very long in this town.

Back out onto the highway to begin another 250 kilometres at 90 kph. S L O W L Y toward our destination: Goose Bay/Happy Valley.

And then we saw it …. a black bear crossed right in front of our car and meandered along the side of the road, casting an occasional glance in our direction, as if to ask what we were looking at. We got a few photos of him (her?) before we moved on. Our luck seeing wildlife was changing. Further along the road, closer to Happy Valley, we saw another black bear who trundled out of sight quite quickly. And just before we arrived at our destination, there was a young moose standing at the side of the road. I was lucky enough to see him but Jim was checking the map and missed him entirely. But we are heartened to know that there is wildlife around.

Now we are settled into a delightful room in a small hotel. It even has a tiny kitchenette so we ate in this evening. Jim is very good at finding clean, comfortable and modest places to stay. Our approach has always been to pay a little less for accommodation and remain on the road for several days longer. We are doing well so far on this trip.

SATURDAY, JUNE 23, 2018

Our morning began with a drive of about 40 minutes from Happy Valley to visit a Labrador Interpretation Centre which focusses on the historical, cultural and economic development of Labrador. It was certainly worth the 40 minute drive!! The displays were excellent and we learned so much. We are actually quite astonished about how little we know of Labrador. Neither of us can recall Labrador being a focus of study in elementary or secondary school. It is, indeed, an enormous geographical area in a remote part of Canada. It is challenging to get to, even by air. And, except for fishing, hunting, mining and hydro production, there is very little business or economic development. Even the military base at Goose Bay is virtually abandoned at the moment.

Nonetheless, there is a wonderful blended culture here, a combination of peoples and traditions that have evolved from the Inuit people, the Innu people (Indians) and the white settlers. Together, they have developed language, food traditions, hunting and fishing techniques, survival strategies, games and music, and the will and commitment to integrate their various backgrounds for the good of the community. The Interpretation Centre offered displays, photographs, lifesized models of people engaged in various activities. An historical timeline noting significant events was displayed along one wall. We learned about exploration, government, health, religion, various contributions of individuals, and significant historical events such as the establishment of Labrador as a single electoral district with one seat in the federal government despite its small population. We watched a movie about the caribou hunt and learned a great deal, not only about the hunt itself, but about the respect the hunters have for the weather and survival. Also, no matter who in the community kills the first caribou, the meat is shared with the entire community because that is the right thing to do.

We made our way back to Happy Valley, via the Goose Bay Military Base (Tim Horton’s did not have what we wanted and the BMO bank machine was out of order). We got gas … again!! Never pass by a station without filling up and we went to the full service Timmie’s to fuel our bodies before heading out of town. Our destination today was Mary’s Harbour, a mere 405 kilometers, about 300 of them on gravel road. No services along the way until Port Hope Simpson, only 40 kilometers from Mary’s Harbour. Estimated time of travel: 5 – 6 hours.  You can be sure that I had the cruise control on most of the way.

Along the way, we enjoyed varied scenery. Black spruce forests dominated much of the landscape. White birch intermingled at the forest’s edge but diminished in frequency as we travelled further south. Abundant snow was visible in shadowed rock crevasses as well as covering much of the forest floor. Large and small lakes peppered the landscape and broad rivers carried much water down the mountainsides toward the sea. Many brooks and streams urgently rushed over rapids, hurrying to join the rivers on their journeys. For most of the day, the sun shone and the air was warm enough not to need a sweater or jacket. When the sun went behind the clouds, however, there was an immediate chill in the air. It may be summer according to the calendar but the people who live in this part of Labrador are counting the hours that feel like summer, not the days.

Wildlife count today included one moose that both of us saw. Sadly, he headed back into the forest before we could get any photos. And one bear. But this was a bold bear. Unlike the two bears we saw yesterday who took one glance in our direction and headed back into the woods, today’s bear saw us coming and immediately began to approach the car. We stopped and Jim took some photos out of the passenger window. That is, until the bear got close enough that we became nervous and closed the window totally. By this time, we were stopped on the side of the road and the bear meandered right alongside the car and then laid down on the gravel, clearly waiting for something to happen. We watched her (we think) for a while and then slowly drove away. Our theory is that this bear has interacted with humans many times before and was probably rewarded with food. In our little world, we believe that it is never a good idea to lose sight of the fact that a wild animal is, in fact, just that …. a wild animal with the potential to behave in wild and unexpected ways. It was fun to be that close to this beautiful bear as long as we were safely inside the car.

The dust on the gravel road was brutal. Every vehicle kicked up a dust storm all its own. We had to stop each time a transport truck approached us from the opposite direction because it was impossible to see what was ahead of us through the cloud of dust. Likewise, it was a challenge to overtake slow moving vehicles, mainly campers, that were ahead of us because the dust impeded visibility so much. In general, though, the gravel road was in good repair. It appeared to have recently been reconstructed with the intent to pave it as soon as the budget and season permitted. I am happy that I have substantial experience driving on gravel roads near the Robinson family farm.

After several hours, when we reached Port Hope Simpson, we again stopped for gas. $1.56 per litre. Ouch! We also found the necessary room in the general store (it has been a long journey from Happy Valley.) and then took a few minutes to peruse the merchandise. It was indeed a general store with a little bit of anything that someone might want. Food items, hardware items, toys and games, clothing, tools, Christmas decorations (yes … in June), cosmetics and personal care items, fishing gear, camping gear and so much more. It was the only store in town and the only store since Happy Valley, 365 kilometres away. What an interesting place!

It rained a bit after we left Port Hope Simpson. It was a welcome reprieve from the dust on the road. But there was also something else …. Two rainbows in the sky. One looked almost like a sundog, not the arc of a typical rainbow. But the other reached toward the sky in a arc filled with the vibrant colours of a rainbow. What a glorious sight. And then the clouds cleared and the sun reappeared as we headed for our destination.

And, soon, we arrived in Mary’s Harbour and easily found our hotel. I think it is the only one in town. A modest structure, clearly well worn, and a gathering place for the men in the community. It is a Saturday night after all. Our room is very modest, very clean, comfortably large, and has a river view (not beautiful but you can see the river). The menu for the restaurant is quite appealing. Sadly, the restaurant closes at 7 pm and we arrived about 7:15. The choices for dinner were a quick trip for pizza, sold by the slice from a warming oven in the local supermarket, or boil some water (we have our own kettle) and make a package of Asian noodle soup. Add some leftover chicken and it was almost gourmet. The gin and tonic helped as well.

So here we are. We have never been here before and will likely never be back. But it is all part of this grand adventure to explore a part of Canada that we have never seen.

SUNDAY, JUNE 24, 2018

This day was a quiet day for me, less so for Jim, so we will each contribute our story of this day through this blog.

My story first: Basically I took the day off. I have to admit that I am tired. We have been travelling hard and driving long distances for the last 10 days. I just needed a break. And I am falling behind on some of the peripherals of travel that are important to me, namely this blog and the creation of a photo book that illustrates our adventure through the photos on its pages. So, even though Jim had a more robust program in mind, I stayed at our hotel to relax and do some work on both these projects.

The morning passed gently. I worked on selecting and uploading photos. I may have even drifted off over the keyboard for a short while. I was certainly more refreshed than when my eyes closed. The internet is a bit wonky in Mary’s Harbour. So patience is a critical factor in all undertakings that require transmission of data. Nonetheless, I manage to move quite for forward in my book creation. And I also caught up to date in writing this blog.

I paused in the early afternoon for some lunch. The lovely lady in the kitchen took a few minutes to prepare me a dish known as Labrador Poutine, predictably fries, cheese curds, and gravy but this dish also had dressing in it. Really, I think it was sprinkled with herbs used in making dressing. I could not find the dressing at all. It was basically poutine in all its glory. Not my favourite dish for sure but we have already left Quebec without having any poutine and we are down to our last two days in Labrador. It is a local food on the ‘must have’ list. (As a side note, have I mentioned that in both Quebec and Labrador, poutine is on the menu at Tim Horton’s.)

Meanwhile, Jim was off on an island called Battle Harbour. Here is his account of his experience:

In Mary’s Harbour, I boarded a 12-passenger ship as a day tourist, accompanied by two other tourists from Quebec City via Albuquerque who were going to spend several days on the island.  Off we went on a 75 minute voyage, passing several icebergs on the way to Battle Harbour. (Battle Harbour sounds very warlike, but the most likely source of the name is “batel”, an Old Portugese (and Old French) word for boat; modern French uses bateau. So Battle Harbour is simply a “boat harbour” used since the Portugese were here in the mid 1700’s. That said, there were battles between Europeans (including the British) and Inuit which ended with a British-Inuit treaty signed about 40 km away in 1765.)  

Battle Harbour became a fishing station between 1750 and 1771, the natural stopover for ships heading north along the Labrador coast, and soon became the unofficial capital of Labrador. By 1848, it had 350 people and the Church of England commissioned a church and school.

We landed at the waterfront of the fishing station and went to the general store from where the other couple were taken to their accommodations in a restored house; then we all went to the dining hall for lunch of delicious moose stew pot pie, fresh-baked rolls and slices of various loaves for dessert.

On the walking tour after lunch, we learned that the waterfront historically was the setting of much bustle and activity. It was used for the landing of marine resources harvested by local fishers, the processing of cod, salmon, seals and herring, the production of barrels, the packaging of fish products, the mending of nets and the production of saltfish. The flake or fish drying platform at Battle Harbour was the biggest such structure in all of Labrador. The Salt Store, the area's main warehouse for the salt used in the processing of several species, could hold up to 1,500 tons; the salt came from Europe as ballast. We were introduced to Newfoundland/Labrador terminology: for example, the fishing station served a mix of livyers (people who “live ‘ere”), stationers (fishermen who live in dwellings here but go back to Europe or perhaps Newfoundland for the winter), and floaters (fishermen who live on their boats).

Dr. Wilfred Grenfell visited Battle Harbour in 1892 as part of the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen (later the International Grenfell Association). Concerned that such a large population had no medical facilities, Dr. Grenfell established at Battle Harbour the first hospital outside St. John’s.

The Canadian Marconi Company built two wireless towers at Battle Harbour, the only year-round telegraph station in Labrador, which Robert E Peary used in 1909 to wire to the New York Times his claim of having been first to reach the North Pole. After the cod moratorium in 1992, the Earle Freighting Service Company, which operated the fishing station, donated the site to the Battle Harbour Historic Trust, which restored the fishing community’s buildings, wharves and flakes to their original state, and is working to restore the rest of the site. In 1997, Battle Harbour was recognized as one of Canada’s National Historic Districts, the only one where you can spend the night.  This restored traditional 19^th century fishing village was recognized with a Gold Medal by the Royal Canadian Geographic Society in 2002.

Once the salt fish capital of Labrador, my visit to Battle Harbour brought to life the 200 year history of the 18^th to 20^th century Labrador fishery.

Jim returned from his excursion in the late afternoon and, after our daily gin and tonic, we headed the restaurant in River Lodge, knowing that a Jig’s Dinner was on the menu this evening. Jig’s Dinner is a traditional Newfoundland dish consisting of a plate filled with salted pork, potatoes, turnip, cabbage, carrots and served with sweet mustard pickles and pickled beets. It seemed that everyone in the restaurant was having Jig’s Dinner. The server was delivering them to each table as quickly as she could. Along with each dinner, she brought a silver chalice of gravy. Finally it was our turn and the overfilled dinner plates were placed in front of us. She went back into the kitchen and came back with pie andice cream for a table near us. She went back into the kitchen and brought out bread pudding for another table. She went back into the kitchen and brought out coffee and tea for yet another table. With each pass through the dining room, we tried to flag her down but with no success at all. She never looked in our direction. Meanwhile our meals were cooling off and we had not yet started to eat them. A gentleman at the next table, a Newfoundlander, finally called out her name. She immediately went to his side and he pointed out that we had not begun to eat so perhaps we were waiting for something. She came over and asked us if there was a problem. We pointed out that we had not yet received our gravy. Her response was priceless! “Gravy?? Jigs dinner does not come with gravy. How was I supposed to know you wanted gravy? If you wanted gravy, you should have told me!” We were momentarily rendered speechless. I recovered first and simply said, “We would like gravy.” “OK,” she said, “but you should have told me that when you ordered.” I responded, “We are telling you now but there is one more thing. Our plates of food are quite cool now so we would appreciate it if you could take them back to the kitchen and warm them up in the microwave.” “You want me to do that? There is a microwave in the next room and there is another microwave on top of the fridges in the breakfast room. You could do it yourself.” I was working hard to continue to be calm and polite so I replied, “I want you to serve my meal so I want you to take these plates back to the kitchen and warm them up. Then bring them back to our table with our gravy.” “Well, you know, Jigs dinner does not come with gravy. It used to but no longer. There is a difference between a Sunday dinner and a Jigs dinner.” But she did take the plates back to the kitchen, reheated them and brought them back to us with our gravy.

All the while, the Newfoundlanders in the room were quietly chuckling at the whole drama that was unfolding. When the server finally went into the kitchen, I thanked the man who had brought it to her attention that there was a problem. We all had a good laugh about her response to us and agreed that it was indeed quite rude. It turns out that these 3 Newfoundlanders were on a CBC assignment to create an episode of Land and Sea about the island Jim had visited just today. It was fun to chat with them, get some pointers about what to do and see on The Rock and listen carefully to the dialect which at times is a bit difficult to discern.

Having finished our meal, we decided that was enough excitement for one day so we retreated to our room where I valiantly attempted to do some more work on the photo book. But the internet defeated me and I turned my attention to Sunday night programming on CNN.

MONDAY, JUNE 25, 2018

It was a lovely morning, made even nicer by the fact that we were only driving a short distance today to our next destination. (Leaving Mary’s Harbour and arriving in L’Anse au Clair. Total distance 160 km) We were in no hurry.

We left the River Lodge without encountering our server from yesterday (whew!!) and took a leisurely drive around this tiny maritime village. One school, a very tiny hospital, one store, one hotel/restaurant (ours), about 200 pick-up trucks and one fish-processing plant. It is crab season at the moment so we were lucky enough to see the harvest from the sea arrive by boat and be off-loaded for processing in the plant. Surprisingly, the crabs had red shells and, at first, we thought they had already been cooked. But, not so. They were alive when they came off the boat and were carried in large plastic cartons by forklift into the plant. At least 100 or more containers filled with crabs were lifted from the hold of the vessel. That is a lot of crab!!

We drove out of the village to the main highway. The roads in the village were all dirt and gravel and I had forgotten that the main highway, 510 South, was actually paved and newly paved at that. What a treat!! No gravel roads today. I set the cruise control for 90 (the speed limit is 80) but before two long we saw not one but two police cruisers ahead of us, blocking the highway. One of the cruisers had his flashing lights on. Uh oh. We slowed down and approached but they did not appear to be interested in us. They parted company, turned off the flashing lights and continued in opposite ways along the highway. Until the one going our direction pulled off again and allowed us to pass him. Now cruise control was set at 80 kph and not one km higher. And so we went. I could see the cruiser in the distance through my rear view mirror. He was gaining on me but I was stuck right on the limit. The highway we were on is called the Labrador Coastal Highway and about every 10 km, there is a blue sign that names it. We passed one of the signs but I suggested to Jim that we might like a photo of that sign so I would pull over when we next saw one. And so we did ... Jim had his head and camera out the side window when the cruiser went passed us. I was happier behind him that in front of him. But less than a kilometer up the road, there he was pulled off on the shoulder with this flashing lights ablaze. I was not sure what to do so I decided the best course of action was to pull up behind him. We were the only two vehicles on the hightway at that point. And we were very glad to have stopped. Because there, on the side of the road, was the cutest bear cub we have ever seen. All alone nibbling on grass and other plants. Both vehicles sat there for a while. Of course, we turned the car off and turned the cameral on. We remained safely inside just in case momma bear came on the scene. We got some great pictures. Eventually the officer pulled away and continued along the highway. We remained for a few minutes … just one more photo!!! When we left, there was still no sign on momma bear. I really hope she was safely in the vicinity for her sake and the safety of her cub.

As we hit our high speed of 80 kph again, we met the cruiser one last time. He had turned around and was heading back from whence he came. And I did not have to explain why I have a photocopy of my licence and not the real one. Honest, officer, it is in the mail and we will get it when we get to Gros Morne Park on Thursday. Canada Post has promised!!!

The rest of the day proceeded without incident. We travelled up and down the rolling countryside. The Strait of Belle Isle was always on our left, easily seen from most of the highway because there was very little tall vegetation. The landscape was more like a moor with all sorts of lichens and mosses covering the rocky terrain. We crossed many rushing rivers and burbling streams. It is a very late spring here. Only about two weeks ago, there was a snowfall that exceeded 50 cm in places. Thick banks of snow are still visible on the hilltops and along the road side. We also saw two large ponds that were still covered with ice. And the air had a chill in it, to be sure.

We stopped for lunch at Red Bay for the highly acclaimed fish and chips. We were not led astray. The cod tasted like it had just come fresh from the ocean and the French fries were home made in house. Delicious!!! In Red Bay, there was also a National Parks exhibition about Basque whaling. Information about everything from boat building to clothing to whaling techniques was well displayed. We enjoyed a break from the car while we meandered about this small museum. Because of the history of Basque whaling in the area, Red Bay has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Further along the highway, we came to L’Anse d’Amour. It is known for two specific things. Set well off the road is the tallest lighthouse in the Northeastern Provinces. It was impressive. Next to the lighthouse was the site of a shipwreck, a ship that had run aground in the early 1900’s and remained upright for four years after that. Whatever could be salvaged from the ship was taken to shore, and four years after she ran around, the Canadian military used explosive devices to blow it apart and dismantle it. All did not go according to plan though and some of the explosives did not explode. Many have been found since and have been safely turned over to officials. But there is no way of knowing if there are still live devices on shore where much of the ship ended up. There is a platform from which one can view the wreckage along with dire warnings not to enter the area on foot lest you find an unexploded device.

On a lighter note, although Jim saw some yesterday, I saw my first (and second, third, fourth and fifth) iceberg today. The first was fairly small in size but it had the profile of a giant. The sun was shining brightly and the aquamarine colour in the ice was magnificent. As well, because of the way the light struck it, the larger ice below the water was also vividly visible. What a glorious sight.

A couple of days ago we read an article about a young boy named Jax who, with the support of his father, was collecting and selling iceberg ice for a worthy cause. It turns out that Jax lives along the road leading into L’Anse d’Amour and we were able to see his sign marketing the ice along the side of the road. It was too bad that we had no need for or place to store Iceberg Ice or we would have gladly stopped and made a purchase.

We continued along our way, pausing occasionally in a seaside village to see if there was any fish processing going on, or simply to take another photo of an iceberg. We finally arrived in L’Anse au Claire at about 4 pm. Perfect. We unpacked the car, had a gin and tonic and went down to the restaurant for an early dinner. Many options to choose from and polite and punctual service to enjoy. But, in the words of Jim, “Since I can see the sea from here, I am only going to consider the seafood options on the menu.” We shared delicious bacon-wrapped scallops as an appetizer and I had seafood chowder and Jim had cod tongues as main courses. All the food was delicious as was the partridge berry pie we shared at the end. A true Newfoundland and Labrador meal!!!

A quiet evening in our room …and some laundry duties completed this wonderful day. The ferry to The Rock awaits us in the morning. Our time is Labrador has sadly come to an end. We have loved it here!!