Labrador

This is what we did on August 21st….

This morning we got up early to make the 90 minute drive to St. Barbe, Newfoundland. This town is the terminal for the ferry to Labrador. Once again we have bright blue sky and sunshine and locals tell us we are very fortunate!

Tickets in hand, we walked onto the ship for the 90 minute, 18 mile crossing. Nice weather means smooth seas too and for that we are thankful. This is the ferry at the dock with the bow opened so cars and passengers can disembark.

The first place we visited was a burial mound. This is what it looks like—how people figured this was a burial mound is beyond us. However, this is the oldest documented burial site in North America. It dates back 7500 years!

Next we visited Point Amour Lighthouse. This is the tallest lighthouse in Atlantic Canada. It was built in the late 1850’s. Jim climbed the 128 steps up to the top for a panoramic view of the Labrador Straits. It is such a clear day he could see houses on the Newfoundland coast some 9 miles away.

Next, we visited the town of Red Bay. In the second half of the 16th century, whale oil was a rare and highly prized commodity. It burned brighter than the more common vegetable oils, and was used in the manufacture of soap, treatment of fabrics and in pharmaceutical products. By the mid-16th century, European fishermen were pursuing these valuable commodities by exploiting the rich marine resources of the Strait of Belle Isle( the area we are in). Basque merchants and ship owners in France and Spain mounted regular seasonal expeditions to the south coast of Labrador and the north shore of Quebec, to hunt whales for their oil and other products. They favoured the port they called Butus, now called Red Bay.

Underwater archaeological excavation began in 1978 and over the course of the next six years, The Red Bay Project developed into one of the most comprehensive marine archaeological projects ever undertaken in Canada. The discovery of three Basque whaling galleons and four small whaling craft makes up one of the most precious underwater archaeological sites in the Americas. One of the small craft, an eight-metrer whaling chalupa was found pinned beneath the collapsed starboard side of a 200-tonelada whaling vessel. The chalupa was excavated and meticulously recorded prior to its complete disassembly, recovery, conservation and re-assembly. Its 400 plus-year old remains are highly valued.

We did not bring our motorhome over to Labrador since we are only staying overnight. On our way to our hotel we passed through the Pinware River Valley. Steep hills and large trees line the river. Otherwise, most of the areas along this coast are covered by small stunted spruce and large glacial deposits of rock. The picture on the left is of part of the town of Red Bay.

We had an enjoyable day before we headed into the hotel for dinner. Some of our group had caribou roast but we stuck with the cod and it was delicious.

Tomorrow we head back to Newfoundland.