A beautiful day to travel to Labrador. Travel Tranbrabradorskoe highway. Stay at L Anse Amour, the site of the grave for 7,500 years. The burial site was discovered by a group of students who believed that the nature of the rock was rather unusual. Under the rock, they found a child subwoofer about twelve, face down, painted red, with a flat rock on the lower back. Artifacts associated with the burial include a walrus tusk, a number of stone and bone shells, a bird's whistle, tools for grinding paint, a hanging horn, a rotary harpoon, and a decorated ivory eagle.
Down is the Amur Lighthouse, the highest in the province of Newfoundland. Even his presence did not stop the ships from the treacherous shores. In 1922, the HMS Raleigh, a 12,000-ton cruiser, avoiding an iceberg, ran aground. Its fragments are strewn on shore. During World War II, two ships collided in thick fog in the straits, because there was a submarine warning in the area. Ironically, two more ships were lost in the straits on the same day, but in a different area. Bell Island Strait is not only an Iceberg Lane, but also a Shipwreck Lane.
On the way to the Red Bay, archaeologists still do not know about the first industrial whaling factory in the world. Founded in the 1540s by Basque fishermen from the region between France and Spain, whale oil was used to light up Europe. During its peak, more than 2,500 whalers in Labrador produced about 20,000 barrels of oil annually. Using huts, a boat, and not a sandwich, they harpooned whales and bought them ashore for processing. In the harbor on Sedla Island, archaeological excavations are still in progress. The local museum exhibits many artifacts, including fragments of the debris of San Juan, a whaling ship found near the modern fragment of Bernier, made in the same type of storms associated with the coast of Labrador. Many sites exist on the mainland, but have not been investigated because they are privately owned. The Basque industry died around 1600, due to their participation in the destruction of the Spanish Armada by the British (Basque was on the losing side).
In the Red Bay, an asphalt road ends. A new gravel road leads to Cartwright, opening up coastal cities for tourism and commercial development. After traveling forty kilometers along the road, we parked for the night in one of the many gravel pits used for the construction of the roadway. Mo had a great time studying the nooks and crannies of the stones.
Drive through a gravel road from Red Bay to Cartwright, 312 kilometers or 187 miles. The road is about ten yards wide and very well maintained. The speed limit is 70 km / h or 42 miles per hour. Across the road are broad vistas of pine forest and mountains, something similar to the passage of the Northern Passage through the Adirondacks. Approximately 80 kilometers from Cartwright there is an intersection for the planned road to Goose Bay for another 250 kilometers. They plan to open this road in the summer of 2008. Now you need to take the ferry, Sir Robert Bond, from Cartwright to Goose Bay.
Most of the cities along the route bypasses the new road. There are few services on the highway itself. In Lodge Bay, gas and other items are available at Mona One Stop; no diesel fuel. Diesel is available at Mary Harbor at C & J Automotive. St. Mary's is the landing point for Black Harbor Island and the National Historic District. Known as the “unofficial” capital of Labrador, Battle Harbor was the main base for cod fishing in Labrador in the 19th century. The area looks almost the same as in 1909. Fisheries continued until the 1990s, and then were donated to the people. Before the arrival of the highway this year, the island was rather inaccessible, except by boat. Today, translators in traditional dress lead tourists through a typical fishing village of the 19th and 20th centuries. Accommodation is available for overnight stays.
Fifty km from Mary Harbor Port Hope Simpson on the beautiful Alexis River. There are restaurants, berths, fuel and a hospital. This is the last footprint of civilization over the next 187 k. There are very few places to turn off the highway for recreation. Most people just park on the side of the road. Most of the traffic was associated with vehicles over 50 km. stretch.
The roads in Cartwright are completely contrasted with the highway: they fluctuate and are grooved. We parked with other trailers in the parking lot of the ticket office, located next to the dock, and watched the tide enter.
There is little that can be done in Cartraite. People make hay while the sun is shining, and it will be just a few years. Then Cartwright will return to anonymity. We sat down by Sir Robert (and not James) with Bond Ferry at 4:30 for sailing sports at 7:00. The ship was full of power, everyone returned home from vacation or did best three days before returning to school or work. The ship is far from luxurious. At night, many people who did not have a room with a wardrobe slept on the floors. The strangest thing about the ship is the food service. The cafe was open only until 6:30, an hour before sailing. Only snacks and a bar were open during sailing itself. I wanted to see the Wunderstrand, oriented for miles of a white sandy beach, for Vikings, on a two-day journey from L An Anux Meadows. By the time we got to the coast and Porchipinsky point, the sun had already set. We will have to wait another day to see them.
After a fun night on board the ferry, we docked in Geese Bay-Happy Valley, New York. The boat looked like a morgue, bodies everywhere. If someone was awake in one of the few chairs available, they were on the floor between them or on the side. The best way to maneuver in the area was through the armchairs. There were few people on them, because it was difficult for them to sleep: they were too narrow and did not lean back enough. After the bar closed, I went and tried this area. Several young people were littered on the floor and saddled the chairs, which were on a low cut and on swivels. Having correctly positioned the body, I could lie down and calm down a bit and sleep. We woke up to the typical day of Labrador: cloudy, humid and cool.
Our first stop was the visitor center, which was closed: only Mon-Fri. I think people forget that every day from 8:00 to 9:00 every day every boat comes from a boat, who needs information about the city. We heard that RVs are allowed to park in the parking lot of the town hall. But we did not know where it was, and our map did not show it. We decided to go to Tim Horton, to think that Dunkin was in the states and get the necessary food (?), The Java Cup and some necessary directions. Having received both and some good advice from the locals who were on the ship with us, we went to the door when We heard exclaimed: “CHICAGO?” I was wearing my jacket from Chicago Heights pavement. We turned around and met a couple from Chicago. He works for Serko, weather forecasters at the air base. After spending some time in conversation, he asked us if we wanted to inspect the objects. The Greek choir roared loudly, "YES." We told them that we would be parked in the town hall, about 100 yards down the road. They said they would meet us there in a couple of hours.
Goose Bay Airport was once one of the most significant military air bases in North America. The US built a mega-airstrip long enough to land on any aircraft and once hired 16,000 people as a SAC base until 1991. In the 1980s, one of the space shuttles used the runway for the runway. We were escorted to a weather forecasting tower and visited by cooks at the facilities. The object is divided into three sections: observation, military briefing and forecasting. They are responsible for observing the weather and reporting on the area of 240 K, the size of New England minus Maine. We could not climb to the nearby air tower. The RAF, the British Royal Air Force, planned to begin low-speed maneuvers in a few minutes. A few hours ago we missed the takeoff of the American AWACS. We went on deck and watched Tornado fighters taking off from the runway, afterburners and a thunderous roar on their way; quite an exciting sight. Between takeoffs, the RCMP landed and headed in front of us. Other small commercial aircraft also divided the runway. In other words, Goose Bay is a living thing. In addition, with the use of these funds are the German Air Force (Luftwafte) and Canada 5 Wing. The training is very eco-friendly, given the large herds of caribou and other wild animals when they plan training missions.
The base houses the cinema complex in Goose Bay, where citizens have a wide selection of films from which to choose. This week, their choice was Bad Boys 2. The following week, he changed. On the base there is a Canex, like PX in the States. Here everyone can shop. The uniqueness of this place is a wide selection of products available for Labrador. Special items fly out of Germany and the UK, giving the military and women a feeling of being at home. The German club has a restaurant open to locals, but is closed to them until the tourist season in mid-September.
They took us to the Radar Station House Mountain, which overlooks the air base, Lake Melville, Miles Mountains and a goose bay in the valley. On the way from the base, we stopped at the Labrador Military Museum, the history of the international community using the airfield.
Sunny day in Labrador. We saw several tourist routes in the brochure for the Birch Brook Nordic ski club. The idea that the place was empty, due to the lack of cars in the parking lot, we were surprised to see some young people in the chalet. They were members of the RAF at the weekend for a weekend out of base, spending the night. The trails are well maintained and pass through various types of forest ecosystems. One aspen tree has scars from where the bear has experienced an upswing. On top of one of the hills, called Lookout Rock, we were able to see a picturesque view of Lake Melville and the surrounding area. On the way back we met Betty Ann, one of the members, as well as a teacher on the northwest river. She spent some time showing us different types of berries growing around the path. We chose blueberries, breakfast berries, toki, raspberries, cherry berries, to name a few. Along the trail we saw fresh piles of black bears. We knew that it was a black bear, due to the prevalence of blueberries and crackers in it. They were enough to make jam. NOT !!!
We continued to the northwest river and Sheshitiu further along Lake Melville, about twenty-five miles from the lake. Cities are separated by a river and a precipice of cultural differences. Sheshitiu is an Innui and is a relocation community of hunters / gatherers from Northern Canada. They own a common territory and have a small concept of private ownership and consistency of residences. This is the city where you travel, but do not want to stay. Your property is said to be communal property and therefore valued as such. On the other side of the river live Innuit and Metis. It is surprising that there is no restaurant in the city, but just a grocery store. What the city has to offer are beautiful beaches and trails. There are also two important museums: the Labrador Museum and the Labrador Interpretation Center.
The Labrador Museum is divided into four sections: the lifestyle of hunters and gatherers, the Hudson Bay Trading Company, the Grenfell Medical Mission and the 1903 Hubbard Mediterranean Expedition. Mags was intrigued by medical instruments and an infant incubator on display. We sent about an hour, looking at the exhibits.
In 1997, Queen Elizabeth II opened the Labrador Interpretation Center. A modern building with artifacts of thousands of years from different peoples settling Labrador. The display is a 100-year-old kayak of seals, which still looked pretty serviceable. Mannequins. the models were real people from Labrador. The Center also has a large hall, which presents two films about different sections of Labrador.
On the way home we fell at the Aurora Hotel and tomorrow we found a satellite phone for our trip to Churchill Falls. This is a free credit card service on a 24-hour basis, where you can contact the RCMP in case of an emergency. We have completed our fuel tank and are ready to continue our western journey tomorrow.
Before leaving Geese Bay on our way to Churchill Falls and beyond, we heard about art at the Labrador Medical Center about a hundred yards from us. People were right. The artwork is beautiful. Diane Dabinett, artist from St. Louis. John made a series of dyed silk wrappers depicting various aspects of a Labrador: birds, marine life, animals and landscapes. They hang in the dining room along with a large oil painting of different scenes of Labrador: coastal, waterfalls, trees, lined with mountains. Along the corridors there are folk sculptures made by Innu and Innuits. All signs in the hospital are written in three languages: English, Inn and Innuite.
The hospital seems to have its own priorities. The nearest parking space to the entrance is reserved for a nurse OR on call. Is there anyone more important? Only patient.
With a satellite phone in hand, we set off on a 180-mile adventure along the Rte 500 gravel road. The speed limit is 70 km / h (42 miles per hour). The road is in good condition, but still rough. We saw two-graders working on different parts of the road. The modern road is much better than the old narrow dirt, which sometimes turns its ugly head to the side. View from the black spruce forests with aspen, birch and other spruce interspersed. Soil cover is first of all Caribou Moss; really lichen. Near the eastern Metchin River is the ORMA Caribou Hunting Zone. In the direction of the road you can see the remains of caribou, which were filled for sports: hooves, bones, etc.
We reached Churchill Falls after six hours of driving. We averaged about thirty-five miles per hour. This included frequent rest stops. We did not want to chase through the territory, because of the presence of potholes, etc. We did not hurry. That night is cold, low in the upper forties. Brrr !!
We went on a tour of the Churchill Hydroelectric Plant. This plant is the largest underground plant in the world, the seventh largest electricity producer in the world, using eleven turbines to produce enough 60% of the electricity for Quebec and the whole Labrador. We took the elevator nine hundred feet into the rock, where the rock is over 3,000,000,000 (three billion) years old, one of the oldest rocks in the world. I can not understand this number. A trip to Labrador is worth taking this tour of the plant, an unknown wonder of the world. The reservoir used for production is the size of New Brunswick. For the passage of water from it takes three days to get to the underground turbines.
The city itself is one of the few cities of the company that still exist. All residential and other facilities are owned and operated by CFLCL, with the exception of a single petrol station and a hotel restaurant complex. The library for the city of only 650 people is quite extensive and more open than any library in the province of Newfoundland, including St. Louis. John & # 39; s. The city is a great place to work, but not retirement. Winters are pretty hard: -40 ° F and up to fifteen feet of snow per year. Most people plan to stay only five years, but remain because they fall in love with the North country. Most people buy pick-ups, snowmobiles (one for each family member), canoes, motor boats and other toys for recreation. To get away from meeting the same people during work, shopping, prayers, etc., They build a cabin from the city. Everything is subsidized by the company, including food (the same prices as St. John), housing and freight costs.
The guide mentioned getting a sheet on road conditions in Labrador City, which completely lowered our mind. We did not forget to pick up the next satellite phone, for which we are very grateful. The road to the city of Labrador was an adventure. In some places you could drive 50 miles per hour, but then almost immediately you hit a series of tracks for washing machines, which reduced speed to less than fifteen miles / h. There are graders to improve the road, but there is nothing to improve, since most of the top the layer has already scraped off. We learned at the Visitor Center in the city of Labrador that citizens are trying to force the government to build a small layer of special material that is effective on some roads in the province of Quebec. Not a lot of luck yet.
We were very lucky during our 160-mile trip. We just lost the cap in our sewer line and broke one glass. Everything was covered with a fine layer of dust. We wanted an adventure, and our wish was fulfilled. We could still talk to each other in a rather civilized way — with a little effort.
Мы отправились в тур по Вабушу и Лабрадору, оба города были построены в конце 60-х и начале 70-х годов из-за железных месторождений. Сначала пришла железная дорога от Сент-Ильса, PQ. Позже дорога была построена из Байе Комо. Причина, по которой мы видели столько городов, заключалась в том, что мы искали заменяющую крышку для нашей канализационной трубы. В некоторых местах были части, но никто не имел того, что нам нужно.
Все минные туры закончились в пятницу перед Днем труда. Мы снова задержались на несколько дней. Мы увидели пару взрывов. Шахта Вабаша поставила один в 12:15. Это было мало. Однако шахта ICC отправилась на большой час примерно через час.
