It was mid-afternoon when I left the Arches Provincial Park and I was already thinking ahead to the Labrador ferryboat; perhaps I could still make it in time to catch the last boat crossing for the day. It seemed foolhardy to waste the better part of another day if I could in fact make it to Labrador yet today.
Despite my best effort I missed the last ferryboat crossing for the day by about an hour. It was just past 5 PM, and with over three hours of daylight there was still time enough to make it to Port Anthony (the end of the highway). Having nothing of interest to do in St. Barbe (the location of the ferry boat crossing) I chose to take the hour and a half long route to Port Anthony.
The short trip to Port Anthony was brutal; had I known the crisp Atlantic breeze would be so bitterly cold and so “scary-strong” I would have found a campsite in St. Barbe.
As it was, when I arrived in Port Anthony “chilled-to-the-bone” I was in no mood to go looking for a campsite. Therefore, for the first time since leaving Michigan I found a motel (as well as, a steak and shrimp) for night. The next day, I went to the information center to find out just what Port Anthony had to offer. To my surprise I discovered that Port Anthony was just a short drive away from L’Anse Meadows, the site of Leif Erickson’s 11th century Newfoundland settlement (a full 400 years before Columbus “discovered” America). Of course, I was quickly on the road and heading for L’Anse Meadows.
L’Anse Meadows is a must see sight; declared a UNESCO National Historic Site in 1978, it is like going to a museum (not all that bad) where much or what you see is a reconstruction of what is a well educated guess of the original site looked like in 1000 AD. There is also a short film “The Vinland Mystery” in the museum that lays out the bare historical facts regarding the Norsemen.
Unfortunately, to my shame and disgust I am now forced to admit that I inadvertently deleted one week of photos from Port Anthony, Labrador and (all points in between) to as far as St. Johns in southern Newfoundland. After struggling for over a week all I can do now is stop “whining”, pick up my tracks and go forward. I’m making the confession to explain the lack of photos contained in this blog. ________________________________________
I left L’Anse Meadows in the early afternoon and returned to St. Barbe in time to catch the day’s last ferry across the Straits of Belle Isle to Labrador. The crossing is a short 80 minute ride and from the ferry landing at Blanc-Sablon there is another short 82 kilometers of paved road leading to Red Bay, the site of the 16th century Basque whaling settlement. The pavement ends at Red Bay and from there it is some 1135 kilometers of north-westerly “highway” to Happy Valley-Goose Bay and beyond to Labrador City, all of which is mostly gravel road.
With my late departure, however, I knew that there would not be enough time to make it to Red Bay (especially if I wanted to take any pictures along the way).
Again with my late departure I knew that I would be pressed to find a campsite and set up before nightfall. Fortunately, a shipmate had advised of the location of the Pinware River Provincial Park. Unfortunately, when I arrived at the park it was closed – almost!
There was no one at the gate, but there was also no one to stop me from entering. I proceeded into the park (knowing that I could pay for the site in the morning), found what I thought was an available campsite and began to set up my tent when a park ranger “magically” appeared. He was courteous, but told that site I had selected was not an approved tent site; and directed me to proper location, advising me (as expected) that I could pay for the site in the morning. In my experience park rangers are always a friend to campers in need.
