Labrador's Coastal Trail

Red Bay, Labrador

We broke camp in continued rain this morning and back-tracked to visit some "must see" sights before heading for Red Bay and the beginning of the gravel road to Labrador City.

We discovered the Seaview Inn in Forteau and had a wonderful breakfast with them.  The chef and our server were so kind.  They changed the breakfast menu just for us and offered samples of the local specialty, cloudberries, also known as bakedapple berries.  They were delicious!

With our bellies full, we traveled on to the L'Anse Armour Burial Site.  This small mound holds the remains of a child buried by the Maritime Archaics some 2,000 years prior to the building of the Egyptian pyramids.  Archaeologists believe that the Maritime Archaics lived in this area some 9,000 to 3,500 years ago.  The burial site contained the remains of a child about twelve years old.  The child was buried in a ceremonial style, along with a walrus tusk, harpoon head, and bone whistle.  It is the oldest known burial site in North America.

L'Anse Armour Burial Site, Labrador

From here, we traveled a bit further up the road to the tallest lighthouse in Labrador and the second tallest in Canada.  Built in 1854-1857, the Point Amour lighthouse stands 125 feet tall and looks out over the Strait of Bell Isle.

Point Armour Lighthouse, Labrador

Dave in Point Armour Lighthouse Tower

Distant Newfoundland from Point Armour Lighthouse

The cloud cover and rain was relentless as we drove into Red Bay.  Not wanting to begin our journey to Labrador City under such dismal skies, we decided to visit the National Historic Whaling Exhibit in Red Bay.  While considered a major historic site, it is certainly not something to lift the spirits.  The Basques sailed to Red Bay in the 16th century and established a whaling center here.  Over the next decades, they slaughtered 25,000 right whales in this bay, decimating the whale population in the process.  Even today, the right whales have not recovered, with fewer than 400 remaining.  The video at the visitor's center offered a poignant and appropriate ending:  "If man cannot control his lust, nature ultimately will."

Later in a gift shop near the whaling exhibit, we saw a poster of a small boy standing between two enormous cod fish.  Under the photo were these words in black letters, "In Cod We Trust."  On closer examination, however, two additional letters had been added.  They appeared white, lined thinly in black, so that the poster actually read, "In Cod We Trusted."  It was a reminder that this entire area had been fished until cod were also on the brink of extinction, resulting in the Canadian government closing the cod fishing industry entirely in 1992.  Over 30,000 people in the Canadian Maritimes lost their jobs overnight.

The exhibits had been sobering.  It was still early afternoon, and the skies showed no signs of clearing.  We stopped by the laundromat and did a load of clothes, needing our sweatshirts clean before our long trip to Labrador City.  We have been wearing the sweatshirts most mornings and evenings over the past week.  They had been tossed around in the truck and camper so much that they needed a good washing, particularly with the weather forecasts predicting highs in the 60s all next week.

After a tip from the attendant at the visitor's center, we boondocked at the Boney Shore Trailhead just outside of town.  Before taking Rox for a stroll, we spied an osprey hovering over the bay, looking for a meal.  It left us pondering what it means to take only what one needs.

Osprey at Red Bay

Thankfully, the short hike was just what we needed to change our thoughts to happier things.  The camper felt warm and snug as we crawled inside.  Roxanne's legs soon kicked, and she mumbled a muffled bark as she dreamed.  Both David and I are anxious to begin tomorrow's journey.

Newfoundland and Labrador on Dwellable