Last Minute Ferry to Labrador!

Friday, August 2, 2013

Today we decided to take our chances and get on the ferry to Labrador! The sun was shining and we dumped tanks and decided to fill our tanks with boil order water. Greg developed a method of putting a small amount of bleach down the hose and then fill up from the tap. The park said they felt that the water was fine, but had to post a warning anyway. We got into a discussion about the water with Buck, a man close to our ages who is also full-timing in a small motorhome. He is from Colorado and we recognized his rig from Green Point. We exchanged ideas for favorite campgrounds in Florida and then excused ourselves because we had a two hour drive to the ferry dock in St. Barbe. We had no reservations, so we wanted to be there at least one hour early.



We drove back across the barrens to the west coast. Once again we saw no caribou where the herd is supposed to be grazing. No fog, this time though. Just glorious sunshiny weather. Upon arriving in St. Barbe I ran into the ferry office while Greg looked for someplace to park. Other RV's and trailers were parked in odd places trying to find a place and not drive into the ferry lines. The ferry office was also a motel for those times when the weather is bad and the ferry is not running. We arrived at 11:45. By noon we were in line for the ferry and planning lunch! After a quick lunch, the ferry rolled into the dock, unloaded, we drove into the bow and by one o'clock we were up on deck watching Newfoundland recede in the distance.

Another Cod boat hauled up after the 1992 cod moratorium

The ferry returning to St. Barbe from Blanc Sablon

Opening the bow

Enter the Bow, exit the stern

We spent the whole one and one-half hours on deck watching a few seabirds and looking for Labrador. It didn't appear until we were close to shore. It was in a foggy haze. But, as we drove off the sun was shining and we started northeast up the coast. The road was at beach level while we drove through the fishing villages and then climbed to the top of the cliffs on the headlands and then back down again to the next village. We first arrived at Blanc Sablon, which is actually in Quebec. Shortly we drove into Labrador. If we had turned south we would have driven through a few Quebecois villages and then the road would have ended.

Blanc Sablon, Quebec

Forteau, Labrador

Buying diesel at the Ski-doo dealer. Every business had 3 or 4 lines of work

Fog in Pinware

With few campsites available, it was travel to the Pinware River Provincial Park or boondock. We decided that our first night should be in a campground, so after a 40 km drive we arrived at the park and found a campsite right on the beach! There was a seal out in the water watching us, lots of seabirds, a big patch of magenta blooming fireweed, and a sandy beach just over a small vegetation covered dune from the front of the rig. The sun was shining and it was glorious! We could see the village of Pinware around the curve in the beach and big granite headlands along the coast to the south.

Just a few steps from the beach

The sun was out until we got near Pinware. There was a fogbank over the road and the town. The park outside town was in the sun, but all evening we watched the fog roll back and forth across the town and the closest headland.