The End of the Trans Labrador Highway

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I am getting used to the freezing cold and drizzle in the morning, and dress for it. Today was no different, as I set out for to L'Anse au Clair to complete the Highway. The halfway milestone today was a place called Red Bay, where the pavement starts again. More importantly, it was a Portuguese whaling station in the late 16th century, and probably the first European settlement in Labrador. Even more importantly, it has a great seafood restaurant.

The road was gravel. The rain was driving. The helmet wasn't working properly. Hard to drive a difficult road when everything is distorted by fog and drops inches from your nose. I had pulled over at a widening of the road bed to fix my helmet when an RCMP vehicle stops in front of me. I think back over the past half hour with desperate guilt, trying to find some fault he could book me for. "Hey" he shouts "need help ?" . These guys are angels! He hung out and talked for a few minutes while I messed with my gear. Reassuringly he told me that the pavement from Red Bay on was worse than the gravel I was currently doing, and that driving in Newfoundland was more dangerous than Labrador because of the number of moose. They think they own the road and wander on at random intervals, particularly at night. He followed with vivid descriptions of how destructive an aroused moose can be, then said good bye and went off into the fog. OK, thanks.

Red Bay was a turning point. The road now ran alongside the open Ocean. The weather cleared, the pavement was OK, and the restaurant was great! Met two women there, one French, one Quebecois, who had driven up from Newfoundland, but hesitated to go further 'cause of the gravel. They had been doing trips together for years, which made me think of Rebecca and Annie Neff. The exhibit on Portuguese whalers was also pretty interesting. Those sailors were so tough, that the discomforts I was facing paled into insignificance.

The run down the coast to L'Anse au Clair was fun. The skies were clear, and the road tracked the small coves and towns. From the top of the coastal ridge one could see that pack ice had moved into the Strait of Belle Isle, and was blocking access to all the little ports, and perhaps our big port? I was told that the ferry to Labrador that morning had not returned as it was supposed to, due to the ice. Would it come in tomorrow morning for me ? The ferry to Labrador leaves from Blanc Sablon, very close to my hotel. My hotel manager advised that the ferry would attempt a crossing early in the morning, and planned to turn around and head back (with me aboard?) at about 10 am. I decided to get to that ramp really early, no matter the cold.

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Photos

Flags of Canada, and Labrador
Interesting that Newfoundland and Labrador each have their own flag. Newfoundland claims it flag represents the joint province. Not sure what Labradorans think.

View of harbour at Red Bay, completely blocked by pack ice.
It was explained to me that the pack ice drifts down from Greenland during the winter, and does sometime block the ports in the late winter. However, the presence of all this pack ice so late in the Spring is not normal. No-one is very sure why it is there, but its presence is accepted with a smile, as is the rest of the tough cold weather that batters this part of the world.

The light house at Point Amour.
Notice the rough white surface behind the buildings. That is supposed to be dark blue and open ocean. What we are seeing is the pack ice, stretching far out into the Straits of Belle Isle. In fact the ice goes clear over to Newfoundland.

Comments

[Harry]

Sublime
By now you must be used to the views you are seeing. The views of the bike and nobody/nothing else convey the loneliness of the place and what, for you, must be an enchanted voyage. Only you can explain the impact it all has on you. In all these years I have never thought of you Jim as an extremist, but you certainly pick extreme places to view what few others feel comfortable in. I only hope, as Trump would say, that your next venture is not to the South Pole. Now we have to wait to see if you get on the ferry. Keep warm.