Linking up at Marg at The Intrepid Reader
September 2022 - Newfoundland Labrador
September 2022 - Edmundston New Brunswick
This week passed in a blur while we were on the Viking Trail tour!
PAB to Deer Lake NL Saturday
We had a long wait for a table for breakfast, staffing shortages again.
John had a ham and cheese omelet while I went with an egg, bologna, and I had to try toutons, pronounced tout-in. Tout, rhymes with doubt, plus in, rhymes with...in.
Delicious coffee, again!
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And we're on the road again...to Deer Lake NL.
Stolen shots while getting gas.
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For once our room was ready ahead of time. We then took everything from the car and made our final adjustments for our suitcases we will be taking on the bus trip. The weather has been so much warmer than we expected. But St. John's is getting a prolonged rain associated with post-tropical storm Earl. And it looks like we might see some rain towards the end of the week.
Hotel was part of our tour package. It doesn't have a restaurant and there is nothing close by but fast food. We went to Foodland and picked up some salads for dinner.
DEER LAKE SUNDAY a free buffet breakfast was provided, nothing special, however they did cater to GF needs.
We gave our car keys to the hotel as it will be staying here until Friday when we return - $20 for the week, best bargain ever.
We were the only people waiting in the lobby at 11:35 as instructed. By noon, we were wondering where our tour was. They finally called the hotel to say they were late due to the ferry and would be there. At 12:30 we boarded an almost full bus and assigned to row 13 behind a (masked) couple who said nothing.
As we left Deer Lake we had a moose sighting.
We then entered Gros Morne National Park.
Its French meaning is “large mountain standing alone,” or more literally “great sombre.” Gros Morne is a member of the Long Range Mountains, an outlying range of the Appalachian Mountains, stretching the length of the island's west coast. It is the eroded remnants of a mountain range formed 1.2 billion years ago.
And we're on highway 430 The Viking Trail.
Officially known as the Great Northern Peninsula Highway, it has been designated as the Viking Trail since it is the main auto route to L'Anse aux Meadows, the only proven Viking era settlement in North America. It is the primary travel route in the Great Northern Peninsula and the only improved highway between Deer Lake and St. Anthony. It is the main access route to the Labrador Ferry terminal in St. Barbe.
Officially known as the Great Northern Peninsula Highway, it has been designated as the Viking Trail since it is the main auto route to L'Anse aux Meadows, the only proven Viking era settlement in North America. It is the primary travel route in the Great Northern Peninsula and the only improved highway between Deer Lake and St. Anthony. It is the main access route to the Labrador Ferry terminal in St. Barbe.
There have only been three moose accidents in 2022 and 2021 in the park.
Although the next morning those seated on the door side of the bus witnessed a dead moose on the side of the road. Karen thought it had been shot as moose season is open.
In fact when we picked up our car there was a group of hunters dressed in their camouflage from head to toe, with their large gun cases, heading onto the airport shuttle.
We stopped in Rocky Harbour for lunch and met Graham and Allison from the UK when we asked if we could join them. It was turkey vegetable soup and sandwiches for lunch. They provided John with a gluten free chicken sandwich. We had a chopped beef??, egg salad, and ham cheese quarters.
All our meals (breakfast and dinner) were selected while on the bus. Karen would pass around a clipboard with the choices and we signed up below. Dietary restrictions were also noted and every place provided options.
Everything was so efficient!
We will be back in Rocky Harbour later in the week.
In May and September NL churches/cemeteries have flower memorial services. Each grave is decorated with fresh plastic flowers.
We then moved on to Port Au Choix National Historic Site.
On the west side of Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula, you’ll find the crossroads of 6000 years of human history. The sea’s bounty drew Maritime Archaic people, the Dorset people, the Groswater people and the recent indigenous people here long before Europeans arrived. Seals on passing iceflows were hunted by the Dorset and used for food, shelter and clothing. Discover one of North America’s most fascinating archaeological finds amid a rugged coastline of unique limestone barrens, forests and bays. Visit ancient burial sites, settlements and view original artifacts, from slate spears to harpoons.
The first lighthouse at Point Riche, formerly part of the French Shore, was completed by the Canadian government in 1871 to assist steamers transiting the Strait of Belle Isle on their voyages between the St. Lawrence and Europe. The buildings at the station, constructed simultaneous with the ones at Cape Norman, were completed in 1870, but the catoptric lighting apparatus, made up of twelve circular burner lamps and a corresponding number of twenty-inch reflectors, was not installed until the following year. The total cost of the lighthouse, which was hexagonal in shape and measured forty feet from base to vane, came to $10,157.50.
The light at Pointe Riche, which produced a white flash every fifteen seconds, was first displayed on August 26, 1871, and Eugene Roy received an annual salary of $500 to serve as the first keeper. To allow Keeper Roy to hire an assistant, without which he felt he could not attend the revolving light, his salary was raised to $600 in 1873.
BTW all lighthouses in NL are fully automated.
While we were at the museum Karen and Cliff went to the Sea Cove Motel to drop off the luggage by our doors and brought back our room keys. Every motel check in was also very efficient. We would arrive, Karen would hand out room keys (with wifi passwords) and we would be in our rooms in no time.
Dinner was on our own, but part of the tour so included. We grabbed a beer and a scotch in the bar. On the way to the bar we ran into a couple who asked if we were going to dinner, we said no, beer time. She said they just did that. She said she asked what wine they had and the server held up a box and said red or white.
This continued to be the case as we were on the tour. The wine was always Peller Estates. Generally a glass of wine was $8.
It was a very brightly lit dining room as were all the others we ate in. Dinner was always at 6:30 (yikes we only ever got into our rooms at 5:30) except one night it was at *gasp* 7 PM.
We both had the haddock that was delicious and the wine was good too.
John also had pea soup.
John had blueberry crumble and I had a local special figgy duff.
We ended up taking our glasses into the bar as it was local talent night and it was busy and fun.
The couple from Geneva obviously consider themselves to be great dancers as they took to the floor. The locals loved dancing, doing their two step.
Port Au Choix Monday
We had pre-selected our breakfasts and sat with Graham and Allison and met Linda and Diane from Halifax (they will also be ending in Deer Lake).
We took the ferry to Labrador.
Lunch was either on the ferry or at the Whaler's restaurant in Red Bay. The same tomorrow as we head back to Newfoundland.
The ferry is the QAJAQ W - pronounced Kayak. The ride is 1 hour 45 minutes.
We dock in Quebec and then drive five minutes into Labrador.
We head to Red Bay. The sixteenth-century Basque whaling complex at Red Bay in southeastern Labrador is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Karen, our tour director, wears a kilt every day, of varying kilts. Except when we took t rather chilly boat ride!
It was so hot in the museum, we went to the Whaler's Restaurant for a late bite. Iceberg beer.
John had a salad and I indulged in onion rings.
For our preselected dinner I had Artic char (very meaty) and John actually had cod. It was buffet style with soup or salad served first. Then we lined up table by table for your choice and a selection of potatoes or rice and vegetables. Dessert was a delicious cheesecake.
We had a great table. Graham and Allison, Martha and John (BMO and Rustico Resort ex-owners) and the Albertans (conservatives). Politics came up and the whole table turned on them.
L'Anse Au Clair Tuesday
A repeat of yesterday morning as we take the ferry back to Newfoundland.
You are not "allowed" to take liquor between provinces...
The ferry left early so we made an unplanned stop in Flowers Cove to see the Thrombolites.
Then onto L'Anse aux Meadows.
This fenced garden happens to be in front of a house, however roadside gardens are common.
When the highway was put through, the existing peat had to be moved to the side of the road to make room for laying a new roadbed. That resulted in thick layers of peat on the sides of the road.
In a region with thin topsoil, it is perfect location with gardening, as long as you build the requisite moose fence and scarecrows. You just choose a spot, plant and build a fence.
When the highway was put through, the existing peat had to be moved to the side of the road to make room for laying a new roadbed. That resulted in thick layers of peat on the sides of the road.
In a region with thin topsoil, it is perfect location with gardening, as long as you build the requisite moose fence and scarecrows. You just choose a spot, plant and build a fence.
L'Anse aux Meadows (/ˈlænsi ˈmɛdoʊz/ lit. Meadows Cove) is an archaeological site, first excavated in the 1960s, of a Norse settlement dating to approximately 1,000 years ago (carbon dating estimates 990–1050 CE). The site is located on the northernmost tip of the island of Newfoundland near St. Anthony.
With tree-ring analysis of three structures at the site dating to the year 1021 and a mean carbon date of 1014 overall, L'Anse aux Meadows is the only undisputed site of pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact of Europeans with the Americas outside of Greenland. It is notable as evidence of the Norse presence in North America and for its possible connection with Leif Erikson as mentioned in the Saga of the Greenlanders and the Saga of Erik the Red, which were written down in the 13th century. Archaeological evidence found at the site indicates that L’Anse aux Meadows may have served as a base camp for Norse exploration of North America, including regions to the south.
We then stopped at a jam and chocolate shop. I took this photos before I saw the no photos sign.
And we bought!
Fox Point defines the eastern side of the entrance to St. Anthony Harbour, and a harbour light was established on it 1906. This light was exhibited from a lens lantern hoisted atop an open framework painted white and was kept in operation during the navigation season, which typically ran from June to the end of December. In 1912, a lighthouse, in the form of a circular iron tower painted with red and white vertical stripes, was placed on Fox Point. The tower displayed an occulting white light, showing equal alternate periods of 2.5 seconds light and 2.5 seconds dark, at a height of 20.5 metres (67 feet) above the surrounding water. The first keeper of the light was W. Patey.
The air chimes fog horn turns itself on when visibility drops below a mile and a quarter and the light flashing six times a minute, day and night. It was chiming as we were there as that low grey line is a fog bank moving in.
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The Tablelands in Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland, are one of two sites on earth where mantle rock lies exposed on the surface and is readily accessible to visitors. This rock, called peridotite, was forced to the surface in a tectonic event approximately 500 million years ago, and it has weathered into rich orange color as a result of the oxidation (rusting) of the iron in it. The earth's mantle, which makes up approximately 84% of the planet by volume, lies underneath the crust at least 5 to 50 kilometers below the surface and has an average thickness of nearly 2,900 kilometers.
John waiting patiently for the whales to come up again.
Our location for the night.
We all headed to the Liquor Express across the road from the motel.
Some of the wines.
My salmon and it was delicious.
John had the gluten free turkey dinner and said it was delicious too.
He might look familiar, Wade Hillier is a musician, performer, and Viking reenactor based in L'Anse aux Meadows.
We bought one of his CDs. Here is a video of him.
Wednesday St. Anthony we all dressed warmly, including Karen as she didn't wear a kilt today.
We drove to St. Anthony to board a whale watching boat - spoiler alert - we didn't see any.
Two coal silos on the former Grenfell wharf.
John captured this amazing reflection.
Graham beside me. Allison was upstairs with John.
We then went to the Grenfell Experience.
When Dr. Wilfred Grenfell first arrived on the coast of Labrador in 1892, he was astonished by what he found in the remote fisherman community; with a population of 30,000 there was not a single medical doctor. Sir Grenfell quickly committed himself to improve the medical, economic and spiritual needs of the fishermen and their families. Eventually, he would build the region's first hospital and ultimately improve the social, health and economic status of those who populated the area.
We then had a scatter lunch, we stopped at a mall and everyone chose whatever they wanted. John had a salad and I had an egg sandwich from Foodland.
We then had a long drive to Cow Head for two nights.
Our afternoon break stop. In through the convenience store, turn left and the community centre was opened for our use (more bathrooms).
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Tonight dinner is at 7 and we have drink coupons for 6:30 as there are 11 people joining our tour. I believe they may have been on a Viking Tour and now want to continue to St. John's as most of our group is.
We sit with 2 of the newcomers, Tom and Meryl from Brandon Manitoba. Milton and Emily from Richmond BC also sit with us.
My salmon.
Thursday Cow Head
At breakfast we were missing two members, Mike had motion sickness from the boat ride yesterday. Linda was just ill???? Our minds went to Covid.
We stopped at the Jenniex Lookout in Norris Point.
Karen was in the the National Millennium tartan is a commemorative tartan designed in 1999. The 2 are often confused but the the Scotland's National or Scottish National tartan was designed much earlier and launched on St. Andrew's Day 1993. Neither tartan has a particular clan association and can be worn by anyone.
Aboard our Zodiac Northland Discovery boat. We went upstairs and encountered all kinds of weather.
The guides were the best. And it turns out three of them are part of a well known band, Anchors Away, Karen had played one of their CDs yesterday on the bus.
They kept us entertained and educated us on the history and life around the area.
Before we disembarked we were called down to the bar area to officially get "screeched" in.
I couldn't believe that sick Linda actually came along for the tour! If you were sick this was the best day as we were staying for two nights!
The Screech-In Ceremony is a Newfoundland tradition where we give CFAs (Come from away’s) the prestigious title of honourary Newfoundlanders! Think of it as a fun initiation!
Typically, you’re made to repeat some local sayings, kiss a cod fish, drink some Screech rum, and possibly try some Newfoundland Steak. In return, you’ll get a certificate confirming your title as an honourary Newfoundlander!However, we are a large group and because of covid I have no desire to kiss a fish after any others, they chose a "spokesperson" to kiss the cod and dance a jig! We drank our screech and got our certificates. We were also reminded that, as honourary Newfoundlanders, we would be receiving our tax bills shortly.
We disembarked at Woody Point. Cliff had driven the bus the 1.5 hour trip while we were on the boat to save us time.
We had chosen our boxed lunches the day before and they were waiting for us at the Canadian Legion Branch 45. They opened their doors (for a donation) and bar and toilets so we could have our lunch.
I was just finishing in the bathroom when sick Linda came in and dropped a can of coke that splattered everywhere, no way was I helping her clean it up!
Broomstick Brewing - has an IPA Wild Bologna!
After lunch we did a short ride to the Gros Morne Visitors' Centre.
The rain held off until we decided to get off the bus in Gros Morne at the Tablelands.
Unlike most sensible people we got off for the 15 minute walk. Sure enough the skies opened and we were soaked to the skin. As Graham said at dinner "I thought you were smarter".
We then headed back to Cow Head by way of Rocky Harbour with a stop at Lobster Cove Head lighthouse.
In 1889, G.C. Fearn, the member of the legislative assembly for the district that included Lobster Cove, publicized the concern of the residents of his district over the lack of navigational aids in Bonne Bay. Each inhabitant of Rocky Harbour contributed a pint of oil each week to help fuel a light kept by a local fishermen in his own home. Fearn's constituents felt they merited a stronger light provided by the government, and one resident even volunteered to keep it. "A stately old dame," Fearn wrote, "has offered to keep the lighthouse (when erected) free of salary and, said she, 'You may be sure, it will always be burning, for I have my three boys on the banks.' "
Back in Cow Head we again had an hour before dinner at 6:30. Our last dinner, we sat with Graham and Allison, John and Marie (the quiet couple from day 1), Milton and Emily.
John had the ribs (delicious) I had the cod. After dinner we had a glass of wine in the bar with Graham and Allison.
Friday - our final day. There is a separate bus for those of us who were going back to Deer Lake. Joey was our driver and guide.
The others (our group and the other tour combined) are going on with Karen and Cliff to Gander, Clarenville and ending in St. John's on September 21.
Karen came on our bus to say we would be making a stop in Sally's Cove with the other bus.
We bide farewell again and head to a stop in Rocky Harbour and then to Deer Lake. Joey had a stop for one person in Deer Lake, however he drove right by our stop, Holiday Inn Express. We reminded him and we left the others who were heading the airport. John and Martha, Linda and Diane to Halifax, Linda and Trish to Moncton.
We got into our car and were off to Grand Falls - Windsor for the night.
Best fish and chips in NL? Perhaps but I still prefer Hammerhead's at home. The only beer available - Miller's. Really in a province full of local breweries!
But the fries were delicious! John had pan fried cod.
John's hip has been causing some pain, so I got him some medicine.
We picked up salads for dinner and enjoyed just relaxed.
You can also click on any of these links to our trip so far.
A great sounding trip! Great photos - that reflection one was good. I have never seen a Moose - its good? that they have only had 3 Moose accidents? To be fair we have deer that run across the roads here, but I have never seen one of those either.
ReplyDeleteWhen someone says they are ill you automatically think Covid don't you. It is strange really, there are so many other things out there - not to be too negative about it!
I get travel sick so have to sit in the front of cars and be outside on boats etc.
I hope that you all had an excellent time - it certainly looked like you did!
Have a great weekend!
Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog
My post:
https://budgettalesblog.wordpress.com/2022/09/18/sunday-salon-21/
Quite a journey you are on.
ReplyDeleteThat was an amazing historical tour, great trip! I wish I had been with you guys after the disater of our RV trip! The food photos are very appealing.
ReplyDeleteThe buildings, bar none that I could see, are so beautiful and so well maintained.
ReplyDeleteNow I know those chairs have a name, Adirondack.
We had the same issue on the Rocky Mountaineer tour a few years ago. The gap between arriving at accommodation and dinner gave little chance to get organised and have a pre dinner drink, let alone have a shower. It was similar in South Africa but not quite as much. Do they think we will get bored and not thinking we are getting good value if we have a little late afternoon down time?
In Ontario we usually call those chairs Muskoka. Exactly, you are moving every day and need to get organized. No cocktail time. I was thinking they feel they need to give us our money's worth. But then we waste time on lunch and bathroom breaks.
DeleteThank you for the photos and for sharing your adventures. All the delicious food! And it sounds like your service has been very good in these spots. I wonder about the coats. Is it already that cold? Wow.
ReplyDeleteL'Anse aux Meadows is a place I'd love to know more about. I'm glad it has been authenticated and studied.
I'm most intrigued with those simple red chairs. Such a simple things to do, but how lovely to spot one and enjoy the view from one.
Deb, it was not cold at all while on the tour. But when you go out on a boat in the North Atlantic you need to bundle up. The temperatures were in the mid 70s.
Delete