A Fishy Day

Thursday, July 22—Day 25

We get up early and have our last "Thelma" breakfast at the Viking's Nest B&B. Thelma is a wonderful hostess and her husband is a pleasure to talk with, as well. He is a fisherman and all the mornings we have been at the B&B he has come in from his fishing about the time we're sitting down to eat breakfast. Marshal has enjoyed visiting with him and learning more about the fishing in Newfoundland.

After breakfast we bid Thelma and her husband farewell, load the car and head down Route 436 for the last time. We have become strangely attached to L'anse aux Meadows in the three days we've been here. Something about the land and the people who live here welcomes and embraces you. We will miss this little corner of the world.

Today we are heading back to Rocky Harbour in Gros Morne National Park and we decide to take Route 432, the Grenfell Drive, along the French Shore of the northern peninsula. There are very few towns along this 116 km route, but we are looking forward to new scenery rather than following Route 430 along the Strait of Belle Isle.

We turn south on Route 432 when we reach the St. Anthony airport. It isn't long until we notice a change in the trees and plants. Although we are passing along the edge of Hare Bay, which opens to the Atlantic, we are far enough inland that the winds are not as severe as they are long the coast. As a result the foliage is able to grow more quickly and to greater heights. We see a mx of deciduous and hardwood trees—fir, spruce, birch and maple.

As a diversion and a break from the car ride we decide to stop near the town of Roddickton to see the underground salmon pool. We turn southeast on Route 433 toward Roddickton and go about 8 km to the turnoff to the salmon pools. To reach the trailhead we drive 4 km on a well-maintained gravel road. From the parking area we pick up the trail to the salmon pools. The trail is beautifully maintained and we are impressed at the work that someone has clearly put into building the trail. Beautiful wildflowers line the gravel path. The roundtrip distance to the salmon pools is about 4 km. We are in moose and black bear territory, so we pay careful attention as we walk along. It is estimated that there are 3 moose per square kilometer in this area. There are many limestone caves in the area, which attract the black bears. As we walk down the path we see many piles of moose scat.

When we reach the salmon pools on the Beaver River we see that they are limestone caves that the river runs through. As the salmon swim upstream to spawn they swim through the limestone caves. It is not spawning time, so we don't see any salmon swimming upriver, but it is interesting to see the water coming out of the low-ceilinged cave. We walk further up river and see the upstream entrance to the caves. Logs are backed up at the entrance to the cave. It appears that during the winter storms trees fall into the river and are washed downstream.

We begin our hike back down the trail and about 100 meters down the trail we come across bear scat. It is clearly fresh—most likely from earlier this morning. We pick up our speed along the trail. I lead the way and Marshal brings up the rear and both of us keep a careful lookout for bears.

Back at the parking lot we load into the car and proceed to Roddickton to have lunch. The placemats at our table explain the importance of allowing female cod to mature so they can lay eggs. Female cod live about 20 years. At age 6 a female cod is about 1' 10" long and has laid up to 1 million eggs. By age 16 the female cod is about 3' 8" long and has laid 25 million eggs. By age 20 the she is about 4' 1" long and has laid 50 million eggs. In other words, the female cod's most productive egg-laying years are from age 16 to 20 so it is important not to keep the female cod that are caught, especially as they get larger. The placemats are clearly aimed at the local population, but we found them very informative.

Traveling through Newfoundland has given us a much greater appreciation for the ills of the fishing industry and the struggle that the people here face when trying to make a living. Many of the towns that we are staying in are having "Coming Home" weeks where former residents who have moved elsewhere (usually to find employment) come home for a town reunion. I have never heard of such a thing in the U.S., but it might occur in some parts of the country.

After lunch we return to Route 432 and resume our trek to Rocky Harbour. We turn south on Route 430 just north of Brig Bay and drive down the familiar road we traveled going to L'anse aux Meadows.

In Hawke Bay we stop at the Torrent River fishway where a fish ladder has been built to allow Atlantic salmon to swim upriver to spawn. This salmon enhancement program is the most successful in Newfoundland and Labrador. Before 1965 only a small population of Atlantic salmon lived in the Torrent River and they populated only the lower section of the river. A 10-meter high waterfall near the mouth of the river prevented the salmon migration into the larger spawning areas further upstream. Logging on the river had all but destroyed the spawning area for the salmon downstream, so extensive cleanup and habitat reconstruction was necessary.

Providing access beyond the falls has boosted the salmon population, thus improving recreational fishing on the Torrent River. The fishway has 34 gradually elevated pools to allow the salmon to swim upstream. From 1972 to 1976 the Canadian government stocked adult salmon upstream from the fishway. The Salmon born above the falls in Torrent River returned and healthy salmon population was created. The number of salmon swimming upriver to spawn has increased from around 100 to well over 38,000 this year (and the counting hasn't finished for this year).

After visiting the interpretive center we go to the viewing area for the fishway. Salmon are swimming up the fishway. We notice that many of them are scraped and have wounds on their sides. The interpreter explains that the salmon have to jump over a rock barrier at the mouth of the Torrent River before they get to the fishway. The rocks are quite sharp and the fish often injure themselves. The wounds don't seem to bother the fish and the interpreter points out several fish that have healed wounds and scars on their sides.

After seeing the salmon we walk outside and follow the fishway down the hill. It is enclosed to keep poachers out. At the bottom of the fishway we look back upriver and see the 10 meter falls. We can see why the fish need a fishway because the water is raging over the falls and the rocks are daunting.

We leave the fishway and continue south, stopping at Arches Provincial Park to see the three arches created by erosion from the ocean waves. Hilary builds an inukshuk with the flat rocks on the

beach. The inukshuk is the arctic people's symbol for habitation and was also used to indicate that food (caribou, berries) were accessible. We stay only a short time because it is getting late and then we finish our trip to Rocky Harbour, arriving about 8:00 p.m. It's late enough that we just order pizza and eat at our cabin before getting the kids through the shower. By 10:00 p.m. all of us drop in bed. Tomorrow we have a long drive to Grand Falls-Windsor.

Komu Blessth! (Welcome!)

Wednesday, July 21—Day 24

We awake to beautiful sunshine and the promise of a glorious day. Thelma's hearty breakfast prepares for a day of hiking and sightseeing. After breakfast we head to the opening of the new L'anse aux Meadows interpretive center. We pull into the parking lot and the trailer that had been the temporary interpretive center is gone and the path to the new building is open. There are television crews setting up and there is a buzz of activity around the center. In the boggy area near the new interpretive center two moose munch their way through the tuckamore trees.

We enter the new building and the displays are still being put together, but the interpreters greet everyone warmly. We go out on the deck overlooking the archaeological site and the Viking cove and from there we can see the new boardwalk path going through the bog, past a new bronze sculpture, along the brook and over to the rebuilt long house.

After taking in the beautiful view we decide to walk to the long house and see what activities are going on there. The boardwalk is wonderful to walk on after our experience walking through the bog two days ago. Apparently there were some visitors on the boardwalk before the interpretive center opened this morning—Hilary points out muddy moose tracks on the walkway and the corresponding divots in the mud on either side of the walkway! It appears that even the moose like a break from the soggy mud and peat once in a while!

About halfway down the boardwalk we come to a striking bronze sculpture that arises from both sides of the boardwalk. The sculpture represents the coming together of humans from the two different paths they followed before once again meeting: through Asia and across the Bering Strait and through Europe and across the Atlantic Ocean. I am able to see the Viking ship and sails easily, but have more difficulty finding the faces that represent the aboriginal population of North America. I do eventually find them, but I believe that they could have been better rendered. It's almost as though the aboriginal population is being relegated to a subordinate place.

Moving down the boardwalk we pass the brook and make our way to the long house. We meet the Viking women docents we had met on Monday and they warmly welcome us back. Before long the Viking chief appears and introduces himself as Bjorn the Beautiful. He starts up a conversation with Hilary and Olivia and asks if they know anything about the Vikings. They tell him that they read Viking mythology before starting on our trip, so he quizzes them for a while and they hold their own pretty well!

Bjorn asks the girls if they would like to hear a story about Thor and the time his hammer was stolen. The girls immediately sit down on the bench and ask to hear the story. Bjorn is a colorful storyteller and it's not long before other people have gathered around to hear the story. Every once in a while Bjorn asks the girls if he is correct when he introduces a new character (Loki, the Ogres, etc.). They nod and add a few details now and then and Bjorn nods and says, "Yes, yes. That's correct." When Bjorn wraps up his story he tells the girls that they have studied well. They are delighted!

We say goodbye to Bjorn the Beautiful and stop by the blacksmith's hut. He explains how he makes forks and other items while he works on a marshmallow roasting stick for the grand opening bonfire scheduled for tonight on the Viking beach. Who knew that Vikings liked marshmallows? The blacksmith shows us how the double bellows work to heat his fire and iron. We bid him farewell and make our way back up the boardwalk to the parking lot. We'll return to the historic site tonight for the evening social, bonfire and singing, and fireworks over the bay.

We drive the short distance to Norstead Viking Village. We enter the village and walk past the pig pen where there is a very busy piglet rooting around in the peat. There is a sign that introduces the pig as "Wilbur." We speak to one of the docents and point out the Wilbur doesn't seem like a very Viking name and he concurs. However, he tells us, a few weeks ago when the piglet was born a little girl visiting Norstead was surprised that the piglet didn't have a name. When told that she could name the pig she immediately said "Wilbur!" The docent didn't have the heart to tell her that wasn't a Viking name, much less the fact that Wilbur was a female piglet, so the name stuck. Hilary and Olivia point out that "Wilberette" would be a more appropriate name and the docent laughs and agrees. Who knows, maybe the sign will be different tomorrow…

Making our way past the pig enclosure we enter the village. There are four large buildings: a boat house, the chieftain's hall, a church, and a blacksmith's shop. We walk to the far end of the village to the blacksmith's shop. He is in the process of making charcoal to burn as he works with the iron. To make the charcoal he digs a deep hole in the ground and puts cut peat in the hole. He then starts a fire on top of the peat and covers the hole. He lets the fire burn about 4 hours and then uncovers the peat. It has become charcoal that he can use in his blacksmith's shop. While he waits for the charcoal, the blacksmith carves beautiful walking sticks. He also shows Hilary and Olivia how to use a periwinkle shell to make a loud whistle.

From the blacksmith's shop we go to the church. Not long after the Vikings traveled to Greenland and Iceland their ruler in Scandinavia converted to Christianity, thus all the Vikings had to convert. The church is simple with a few wooden pews and a small pulpit. There is a rough wooden cross behind the pulpit.

We move to the chieftain's hall and find several women cooking over a fire. They have just pulled some rolls from the clay oven and have some calamari cooking in a cast iron pot over the fire. They offer us some bread with butter that they had just churned using a stick with small twigs sticking out the sides. There are also mashed partridgeberries to put on the bread. We also get to sample the calamari, which has been cooked with a little butter and greens collected from the garden. Hilary and Olivia both get to work the small bellows to perk up the fire.

In the next room the women have large looms set up along with baskets of wool ready to be spun using small soapstone spools. The looms are set up in a way that large evenly weighted rocks are used to pull the weft tight. The docents show us how to use the soapstone spools to spin the wool and how to use the looms. They have made many pieces of fabric and made them into runners and cloaks, which are for sale. The work is beautiful. We ask how they color the wool and they explain that they experiment with the plants in the area to make their dyes.

From the chieftain's hall we make our way to the boathouse to see the

Snorri, a full-sized replica of a Viking knarr. The Snorri is 54 feet long, 16 feet wide, and 6 feet deep and was built to retrace the voyage of Leif Erikson from Greenland to Vinland (Newfoundland). The Snorri is named after the first (and it is believed only) Viking child born in the new world.

In 1998 the Snorri with her 9-man crew completed the 1800 mile journey in just over three months. It is believed that the Vikings could get from Greenland to Newfoundland in under 15 days, but their knarrs were rowed by large crews of sailors and their voyage hugged the coasts of Greenland, Iceland, and Labrador rather than sailing across the open ocean as the modern voyage did. The Snorri depended entirely on the wind to make the trip and made a zigzagged voyage because they depended on wind power and could only tack at 90 degrees. After making the historic voyage in 1998 the Snorri was donated to Norstead Village to be put on display.

Although 54 feet sounds like a large boat, I have to say that the thought of sailing in the high waves of the Atlantic in a knarr like the Snorri is not something I would want to do. Those Vikings were tough.

We hike around the hills for a while and look at the shells on the shale-covered beach for a while. Hilary has been looking for a complete urchin shell and here she finds several complete shells in an area where the gulls drop their shellfish on the rocks to crack them open for a meal. We collect the shells and are allowed to keep them.

It is now after 2:00 p.m. and we're hungry, so we head to the Northern Delight Restaurant in Gunner's Cove for lunch. Marshal has the Viking burger, I have fish and chips, Olivia has a grilled cheese sandwich, and Hilary has the seafood chowder.

After lunch we decide to drive to Cape Onion, which is not more than 12 km west of L'anse aux Meadows, but can only be reached by driving back down Route 436 and turning northwest on Route 437, a distance of 50 kms! We drive along the Milan Arm of Pistolet Bay to Raleigh and then turn northeast to Cape Onion and Ha Ha Bay.

Just as I turn down the road to Cape Onion a full-grown moose jumps into the road from the trees in the culvert beside the road. It is remarkable how the moose is able to come from nowhere by jumping from within the trees and bushes alongside the road. The culvert along the road must be 6 to 8 feet deep. Because I'm only going about 20 km an hour I'm able to stop before hitting the moose. The moose just stops and looks at me as if to say, "Where did you come from?" Then he walks across the road, jumps into the culvert, and disappears in the trees and brush as if he were smoke. Amazing!

Now fully awake and alert we continue slowly down the road to Cape Onion (not tough since the end of the road is only another 150 meters in front of us). Looking north from Cape Onion we look across the entrance to the Strait of Belle Isle to Labrador some 30 kms away. Looking northeast we see the Atlantic Ocean. The water is a lovely blue and the air is fresh. We've seen so much brown, muddy water on this trip we really enjoy seeing the blue water. From Cape Onion we drive around the small inlets and see about 25 small, traditional Newfoundland homes. We also see a miniature village build on a rock beside the road. The winters are long here—we see many miniature houses, lighthouses, and boats in people's yards. We drive back toward Raleigh and Burnt Cape Ecological Reserve before getting back on Route 436.

We return to L'anse aux Meadows for a nap before this evening's festivities at the historic site. About 7:30 p.m. we return to the historic site and participate in the celebration. A buffet dinner of sandwiches, fruit and vegetables is served during the speeches from people who worked on the original archaeological dig. A few more displays have been set up and we look at them before proceeding to the beach for the bonfire, singing, and fireworks. As we're getting ready to walk down to the beach we run into a family that we had met in Gros Morne. They have a little girl named Emma who is 9 and she played with Hilary and Olivia in Gros Morne. We walk down to the beach and spend a pleasant evening visiting, listening to music, and watching the firework. Emma and the girls go exploring with some of the local children and they find a moose carcass on the rocks near the beach. A few of the dads go and check out the carcass and all the kids are told to leave it alone.

As the sun sets the bonfire grows while the musicians from the Viking village lead everyone in singing traditional Newfoundland folk music. When the sun is all the way down about 9:45 p.m. the volunteer fire department puts on a gorgeous fireworks show over the bay. It is a wonderful way to end our visit to L'anse aux Meadows. We say goodnight to our friends and thank the docents and interpreters from the historic site and then head back to the Viking's Nest B&B to collapse into bed. It has been a very nice day. Tomorrow we return to Rocky Harbour in Gros Morne National Park before heading east to Grand Falls-Windsor.

God's Work Through Human Hands and in Nature

Tuesday, July 20—Day 23

I wake up early this morning and after a shower go into the living room to enjoy the morning light and work on the blog and check email. I wake Marshal and the girls about 8:00 a.m. to get ready for breakfast. Thelma has prepared a delicious breakfast of oatmeal, eggs, bacon, ham, partridgeberry muffins, toast, homemade jams (partridgeberry, bake apple, blackberry, and squashberry), coffee, tea, and milk.

It is overcast this morning and sprinkling rain now and then. We have booked a whale watching tour for 1:00 p.m. in St. Anthony's and hope that the weather improves before then. We leave for St. Anthony's at 9:30 a.m. because we want to visit the Grenfell interpretive center and house. The drive to St. Anthony's should take about 40 minutes.

As we drive along Route 436 we have to stop suddenly because two young moose have decided to see what's on the "other side of the road." Even though these are young moose, they are quite large. Without their antlers they look a lot like horses. We let them move across the road and then stop to take a picture (from the safety of the car, mind you).

We continue our drive into St. Anthony without incident. When we get to the Grenfell interpretive center we watch a short film about Sir Wilfred Grenfell's life and mission in Newfoundland and Labrador and then proceed to the display area. Grenfell was a British physician who felt called to provide medical care to the people of Labrador and Newfoundland. He believed that he was called to do what "Jesus would have done had he been a physician."

Upon entering the displays we see a quote from Grenfell: "When two courses are open, take the most venturesome." Grenfell could have stayed in London and been a wealthy surgeon. Instead, Grenfell chose to go to Newfoundland in 1892, sponsored by the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen, so he could improve the plight of the people there. Life in Newfoundland and Labrador has always been difficult, but the suffering Grenfell found was astonishing to him. He felt it was necessary not only for him to help these people, but to make their condition known to the world so more help could be provided.

The fishermen and inhabitants of Newfoundland and Labrador were suffering from malnutrition and the ravages of severe isolation. Scurvy, rickets, beri beri, and TB were widespread. The fishermen caught cod that was sold to merchants in St. John's, Newfoundland, and shipped around the world. The merchants had complete control of the situation and paid the fishermen in white flour and fish rather than money. The merchants set the price for the cod and the fishermen never came out ahead. Instead, every year they faced virtual starvation through the winter. Grenfell fought the merchants by setting up a cooperative fish market among the fishermen so they were able to make enough money to survive.

Grenfell treated the people's illnesses as best he could, but he also told the them that one of the most important changes they needed to make in their daily lives was to add fruits and vegetables to their diet of white flour and fish. He encouraged them to plant gardens and eat the local berries. They did these things and their health improved. I believe that the gardens we see along the sides of the road in Newfoundland today harken back to Grenfell's encouragement to keep a garden.

Grenfell married Anne MacClanahan, an American, in 1909. She worked with him in Newfoundland, traveled with him on speaking and fundraising tours, and edited his articles, short stories, and books. They were devoted partners and had three children. Their house in St. Anthony's is beautiful and filled with items from their life and mission and gifts from people who knew and loved them. Hilary and Olivia loved the polar bear rug that was in front of the living room fireplace! Anne Grenfell died of cancer in 1938, two years before Grenfell died of a heart attack in Vermont, where he and Anne had retired.

During his lifetime Grenfell wrote many books, but I am puzzled when we get to the gift shop and none of them are available for purchase. Most of them are out of print now, but after a quick search I found some of them available in PDF format online at http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/g#a8428. When we get home I'll check our public library to see if they have any of Grenfell's books. There is a biography of Grenfell that I want in the gift shop, but it is quite large and I can't imagine carrying it the rest of the way through Canada and back to California on the plane. I'm sure that I can buy it online when we get back home.

Grenfell is a hero even today in Newfoundland. He gave hope to people who were ignored by the British and French governments and who were taken advantage of by merchants. A final quote of Grenfell's that I like is:

"The service we render to others is really the rent we pay for our room on this earth. It is obvious that man is himself a traveler; that the purpose of this world is not 'to have and to hold' but 'to give and serve.' There can be no other meaning."

We enjoy our visit to the Grenfell interpretive center and house so much that we return to see all of it thoroughly after our trip on the whale watching boat.

The time for our trip on the whale watching boat is quickly approaching so we rush to Tim Horton's and get chili and a whole wheat roll for lunch. We eat in the car by the dock and the rain is coming down steadily. All of us are hoping that the cruise will be cancelled due to pour weather then we can try again tomorrow when it might not be raining. This is, however, Newfoundland. Rain isn't considered bad weather it is just regular summer weather, which is much nicer than winter weather. The trip is on. Sigh.

We dig out our raincoats and the girls' warm fleece caps and tromp down the dock to the boat. It's cold, but the thought of seeing whales gives us hope (although not much warmth). As it turns out, our guide is a marine biologist who has lived in St. Anthony's all his life, except for the time he was at Memorial University in St. John's. He knows about the whales and birds as well as the fishing traditions of Newfoundland. He's also a darned good storyteller, which does warm us up a bit as we laugh at the stories and listen to traditional Newfoundland music over the speakers. There is a bus tour group on the boat and their driver is a Newfie. The rain doesn't dissuade him as he dances jigs on the deck even as the rain pours down.

Eventually the rain slackens off to a heavy mist and we suddenly see a whale. It is a fin whale—the second largest whale in the world. Our guide estimates that he is over 60 feet long. He is beautiful as his back arches above the water and spouts. The fin on his back seems too small for his overall size, but he swims gracefully and quickly.

We see puffins in the water and flying by the boat. They are amazingly fast fliers and do a mean Australian crawl in the water! Puffins are small black birds with colorful heads and are the much beloved provincial bird of Newfoundland. We also see great northern gannets. They are graceful creamy white birds with black wing tips and a light yellow or peachy colored head. They have a wing span over 6 feet and dive into the ocean from great heights to catch capelin and other small fish. We see black cormorants and black backed sea gulls, the largest bird in the gull family. Grey-black murres whiz by us on their way to shore. On the rocky cliffs grey and white kittiwakes squawk and fly back and forth from the sea to their nests.

Sighting whales is difficult today because their spouts blend in with the grey mist. We do, however, see two more fin whales and two minke whales. We also see shrimp boats heading out to fish. In St. Anthony's there is a large shimp processing plant that cleans and freezes the shrimp to ship around the world. We go to a massive sea cave (the largest in Newfoundland) south of St. Anthony's. It is haunting in the mist with the teal and turquoise waves crashing at the edges. On the way back to the harbor we go by the small red and white St. Anthony's lighthouse.

When we get back to the dock we head to the car and drive to Tim Horton's for hot cocoa. We've come to like Tim Horton's. What isn't to like? Coffee, cocoa, donuts, breakfast and lunch sandwiches, soup and chili. Not gourmet, but it works for us.

Before going back to the Grenfell interpretive center we stop by the Viking restaurant to see if there is space available for dinner. Unfortunately, a bus tour has booked all the spots, so we won't be able to eat there.

We spend another 1½ hours at the Grenfell interpretive center and house (we're the last people to leave), then we make our way back toward L'anse aux Meadows planning to stop for dinner along the way. We find a good restaurant in Lunaire where Marshal orders local crab legs that we all help him crack and eat!

We return to the Viking's Nest B&B where the girls get a warm bath and we call it a night. Tomorrow is the celebration for the new visitor's center at L'anse aux Meadows and we are going to visit the rebuilt Viking village at Norstead.

In the Land of the Vikings

Monday, July 19—Day 22

After a warm breakfast of oatmeal, bananas, and peanut butter toast we leave foggy Port au Choix and make our way north to L'anse aux Meadows. Going up Route 430 we come the the Strait of Belle Isle and pass through numerous villages: Black Duck Cove, Deadman's Cove, Nameless Cove, Savage Cove, Flower's Cove, Shoal Cove East, and Green Island Cove.

Commercial cod fishing has come to a complete halt in Newfoundland, but the there is still limited cod fishing called "food fishery." With a fishing license each person can catch 5 cod a day during the two-week cod fishing season. Beyond that, commercial fishing is allowed for lobster, capelin, hake, and mackerel. The capelin is a small fish (about 6 inches long) and it draws the whales to the coast of Newfoundland. Humpback whales eat huge amounts of capelin and often when you see them breech in the water it is because they have just swum straight upward with their mouths open to catch a mouthful of capelin.

Along the sides of the Route 430 we see numerous stacks of lobster traps tucked into the woods. The shore is so narrow that there is not room to store the traps along the beach so the fishermen bring them inland for the winter. We also see large stacks of wood along side the road and small garden plots (about 20 feet by 40 feet). These stacks of wood and garden plots aren't close to any houses—they just seem to be randomly placed in the middle of nowhere.

As it turns out, the Newfoundlanders can apply for a logging permit that allows them to cut 8 cords of wood each year to use in their home fireplaces for heat. Many of the wood stacks have a number attached to them to show the cutting permit number. The wood is left stacked for a year to dry before being used for firewood. Not all Newfoundlanders bother to get the permit and enforcement apparently isn't very strict. Once the snow has come, the wood is hauled home on a sledge with snow runners on it.

With regard to the garden plots, Newfoundlanders can pay a small fee to grow a garden plot along side the road where the dirt has been turned by the road crews and is easier to work. The ground is mainly peat, which isn't very good for growing garden plants, but the road crews have to bring in soil, sand, and

gravel to build and maintain the roads and these get mixed in with the peat to make garden friendly soil. We are told that the fee for the garden plot permits had just recently doubled to $10 per year, which came as a surprise for most people because they had never bothered to pay it! Some of the garden plots have wooden fences or scarecrows in an attempt to keep the moose and caribou out.

At Eddie's Cove Route 430 turns east and we head inland and then north on Route 436 to L'anse aux Meadows. We pass through Griquet, St. Lunaire, and

Gunner's Cove before we reach L'anse aux Meadows. The drive is lovely as we pass by the small fishing villages. In L'anse aux Meadows we check in at the Viking's Nest Bed and Breakfast, our home base for the next three days. When we get to the B&B Thelma, our hostess, is making blackberry jam and baking bread. The house smells wonderful! We unload the car and make our way to the L'anse aux Meadows National Historic Site.

When we arrive at the Viking site we are disappointed that the regular visitor's center is closed for renovation and the information center is in a temporary trailer. However, when we speak with the interpreter (similar to U.S. National Park rangers)

we find out that the grand opening for the center is scheduled for Wednesday, only two days away and we'll still be here! The interpreter tells us that the building is behind schedule, so even through there will be a grand opening, not all the displays will be ready. We are able to see the new Viking sculpture at the top of the hill, though.

Before going to see the Viking ruins area and the rebuilt Viking long house and community buildings we sit down at a picnic table and eat our picnic lunch. The black flies are happy to see us, so we end up putting on some bug spray, which keeps the flies away quite well. After lunch we catch the shuttle van down to the ruins and go on the guided tour.

L'anse aux Meadows became a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) World Heritage site in 1978. The site, located on the very tip of the Great Northern Peninsula, dates back to the year 1000 A.D. and represents the earliest European exploration of the North American continent. It is the only authenticated Viking site in the New World. The Viking site was discovered in 1960 by the Norwegian husband and wife archaeological team Helge and Ann Stein Ingstad. They had followed the sagas of the Iceland and Greenland Vikings and with the help of a fisherman in L'anse aux Meadows, George Decker, they were able to uncover the remains of eight Viking buildings.

L'anse aux Meadows is important not just because it is the earliest known European contact with the New World, but also because the contact with the North

American native cultures was the first time humans reconnected after following different migration paths around the world. The North American natives had come from Aftrica north and then across the Bering Straits and the Viking ancestors had migrated up through Europe to Scandinavia and then through Iceland and Greenland before reaching North America.

While significant excavation has been completed at L'anse aux Meadows there is more to be done. Excavation is expensive and at this time there is no excavation work being done. To preserve any remaining artifacts the ruins have been recovered. We see the areas where excavation was done and also where the remaining ruins have been recovered with sod. After walking around the ruins we cross the creek that runs through the historical site. The water in the creek is brown as all the rivers and creeks are in northwestern Newfoundland. The water filters through the peat and turns brown.

When the tour is over we go to the long house that has been reconstructed to represent the original Viking village. There are docents dressed as Vikings who tell us about Viking society and how and why the long house is build the way it is. The walls of the long house are well designed. They are 6 feet thick with a 2-foot core of stone and 2 feet of sod on either side. The roof of the long house extends only as far as the rock core so that as the water drains off the roof it goes into the rock core and is drained away from the long house. This wall design kept dry the inside of the long house in the very wet and windy climate.

The docents explain to us that the life of a Viking was short and not terribly pleasant, especially for the girls and women. As soon as a girl was able to give birth that was what she was expected to do. Women were expected to give birth to a child every year at the same time they were maintaining a garden, gathering food, tanning hides, spinning and weaving, making clothes, and cooking in the smoke-filled long houses. Most Viking women didn't live past the age of 30. Viking men generally lived to 40.

After seeing the long house we decide to walk back to the visitor's center parking lot via the coast trail. We walk along the beach and the climb the low cliffs to the peat trail. The peat is very spongy to walk on and because it has rained the last few days there are sections of the trail that are flooded. We make it through by wading and then as the trail turns back towards the visitor's center parking lot we reach a board walkway that circles Skin Lake. The lake gets its name from the practice of soaking skins there to remove the fur in the tanning process. We pass some women who live in L'anse aux Meadows who are out looking for bake apple berries and partridgeberries.

We get back to the car and then head back to the Viking's Nest B&B to clean up and have dinner. When we get to the dining room Thelma has prepared a delicious moose pot roast dinner. With the meat we have cabbage, parsnips, carrots, and potatoes. Thelma serves her homemade pickled cabbage to go with the meat. For dessert we have partridgeberry pie and coffee. What a meal!

After dinner Marshal and the girls play games with a girl named Elizabeth who is visiting L'anse aux Meadows with her family from Ottawa. I go for a walk on the beach near the B&B. The Atlantic Ocean is a beautiful blue and teal with large waves rolling in over the shale beach. It is a lovely evening.

When I get back to the B&B Marshal and I visit with Elizabeth's parents while the girls play. About 10:00 p.m. we call it a night and head to bed. Tomorrow we're going into St. Anthony's!

Shipwrecks to Fossils to Rainbows-What a Day!

Sunday, July 18—Day 21

After breakfast we clean the cottage before leaving for Port au Choix. Hilary helps out by sweeping the bedrooms, bathroom and kitchen. Once the bags are packed Marshal gets the car loaded and we begin our trip north on Route 430. Our drive to Port au Choix should take us about 2½ hours. The sky is overcast, but it isn’t raining when we leave Rocky Harbour.

About 30 minutes up the road we come to the provincial historical site for the S.S. Ethie, a ship that crashed on the rocky shore during a storm in the early 1900s. The most famous story to come from the crash is one is which a brave Newfoundland dog carried a baby ashore in a mailbag while the storm was still raging. We are surprised at the amount of wreckage still left on the beach. The engine block, the ribs of the ship, and several other large pieces of the ship are on the beach and just offshore. There is even one piece of wreckage that still has wood connected to it.

We return to the car and continue north. Before long we pass through Cow Head and exit Gros Morne National Park. The Long Range Mountains still climb high into the sky to the east and the Gulf of St. Lawrence pulses to the west. Another hour up the road the clouds get darker and it begins to rain. By the time we reach Port au Choix the rain is falling heavily so after checking into the Sea Echo Motel and getting to our two-bedroom cabin we decide to stay in for lunch. I make vegetable soup and grilled cheese sandwiches and we settle in to wait out the storm. Thor is busy during this storm and the thunder and lightning pass directly overhead with tremendous noise and blinding flashes of light. I am so glad that we aren't in a tent!

We finish lunch and Marshal and the girls start the first of several Uno games. I curl up under a blanket on the couch and enjoy some precious reading time. Around 4:00 p.m. the rain stops and we decide to visit the interpretation center at the Port au Choix National Historic Site. On the way to the historic site we pass a house with a storage shed filled with caribou and moose antlers! We're so astonished that we stop and take a picture.

At the historic site we walk through a small, but well thought out interpretation center. Long before Europeans ever set foot on Newfoundland the Maritime Archaic Indians and Dorset Paleo-Eskimos lived on the western shores of the island. They hunted seals and exploited the natural resources of the land and sea. Port au Choix is one of the richest archaeological sites in North America because it tells the story of 4400 years of human history from the Maritime Archaic Indians through the French occupation of the shores up to today's Canadian residents.

The hunting and survival skills of the Maritime Archaic Indians and the Dorset Paleo-Eskimos were remarkable. They used not only large harpoons to fish and hunt, but also small hooks and needles for much finer work. The clothing they made from seal skins was durable, practical, and water resistant. Although these people lived nearly 2500 years before the birth of Christ they were deeply spiritual and made time in their daily life to recognize the spirituality within them and the existence of a higher power. They believed in life beyond death and buried their family members with items they would need in the afterlife such as food, hunting supplies, and clothing. Considering the incredible difficulty inherent in living in such a harsh and unforgiving environment, the effort made to address spirituality is humbling.

When we finish at the interpretive center we drive to Point Riche to see one of the archaeological sites, the lighthouse, and the fossils at the beach. We aren't sure what we will find on the beach—we aren't even sure we will find any fossils. We are delighted when we reach the beach and find that it isn't sand, but rather long flat layers of sedimentary rock absolutely covered with 350 million year old fossils! The fossil-covered beach extends more than 3 km up the coast. We are like kids in a candy store as we move along the beach calling out, "Here's one! Here's another one!" The thrill doesn't wear off. We can't

believe that we're allowed to walk on the fossils. In addition to the fossils, there are beautiful little waterfalls coming down to the ocean and tide pools filled with little crabs and shrimp. Watching over the beach was the Point Riche lighthouse.

We spend more than an hour looking at the fossils before we return to Port au Choix for dinner at the Anchor restaurant. We have just ordered our dinner when another rainstorm hits. There is thunder and lightning and the power goes off and on all through dinner. Thank goodness the restaurant has backup generator power. We have a tasty

seafood dinner and enjoy a Newfoundland favorite for dessert—figgy duff. Figgy duff is a steamed pudding (cake) with molasses, raisins, and spices served with a vanilla white sauce. Delicious!

As we leave the restaurant a double rainbow appears over the harbor. We stop to enjoy the rainbow and lightning keeps flashing behind it. Then the clouds part and we see the moon. Never in our lives have we ever seen anything like the sky over Port au Choix this evening. This has truly been a day filled with firsts for us.

We return to our cabin and get the girls to bed. Marshal watches a little TV while I check my email and work on the blog. It has been a wonderful day, but it's time to get some rest because tomorrow we head to L'anse aux Meadows.