Gander, Newfoundland

This is what we did on August 12th…

This morning we packed to leave the charming city of St. John’s. Our destination: Gander, Newfoundland, about 210 miles away. From extreme southeast Newfoundland we traveled toward the north central part of this huge island.

Although there was a bit of fog, it was a beautiful drive. Lakes (called ponds here) of varying sizes are all over the landscape. They all seem to be a deep blue color and with the wind looked pretty rough. We looked for moose at every turn but they were all hiding in the bushes!

We drove through Terra Nova National Park. It is a wilderness area with lovely hills of spruce and vistas looking to the sea. While beautiful, the fog and drizzle prevented us from getting some nice photos.

We arrived in Gander under overcast skies that threatened rain at any moment. We got parked and set up before it let loose with a fairly steady rain. This area and the weather at the moment reminded us of August in Fairbanks, Alaska!

We learned a little bit about the town we are in. Gander is a very young town—what a contrast to St John’s that we just left! During WWII, this area was a beehive of activity surrounding the strategic post of the Royal Air Force Ferry Command. The airport was shrouded in secrecy as fleets of American bombers and fighter craft were transported overseas. After the war, the airport reverted to civilian control and in the early 1950’s, the construction on the town site of Gander began. Today Gander is still an important place in aviation circles as the first landfall for trans-Atlantic flights. On 9/11, 38 commercial airliners were diverted here when US airports closed.

Tomorrow, we hope for better weather. We plan to tour the area and its sites.