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On Sunday a week ago, I was walking around in jeans, hiking boots and a jacket to keep out the cold.
And am I the one who likes going up north on holiday?
Granted, this short jaunt to northeastern Canada was just a brief respite from the sticky state of Pennsylvania in July. But there is something interesting about absorbing as much cold as possible and storing it in your bones.
But as much as the trip is about the weather and avoiding 90-degree temperatures, it's about the curiosity of a new place, new people and a new way of life. The idea was simple — drive as far north as I could and then take a boat another 500 miles. Welcome to Nain, Labrador.
Labrador is a destination that isn't plastered all over TV, magazines and internet travel sites. It's like Alaska a few decades ago — ago Price line or Expedia.
Now, Labrador is so far off the beaten track, it's been joked that Canadians don't even know where it is. Americans believe it borders Ecuador in South America. And that is understandable. It doesn't have much economic appeal and the tourists haven't discovered it yet either. It's as big as Arizona, but its population is less than half that of York City. Because there is no cell phone coverage in Labrador, the government gives drivers returnable satellite phones to call the police in an emergency.
If you want to enjoy a peaceful vacation surrounded only by greenery and water and learn something along the way, Labrador/Newfoundland is the place to go. Getting there is the problem.
T-shirts at a gas station boasted “I survived Canada 389.” Gas at Relais Gabriel was $6.52 a gallon – so, no tee. There are about 700 miles of sometimes very twisty roads (much of it dirt). Bye Como to the north of the Saint Lawrence River to Goose Bay. And Baie Comeau is six hours northeast of Quebec City. But once in Goose Bay, life is easy. You're covered in street dust, but it's easy.
The “Goose” was established/invented in 1941 as a Canadian Air Force base and still boasts an alternate space shuttle runway. Unfortunately, Goose's value as an air base has fallen with Germany and Italy canceling flight training contracts and the future does not look rosy for the base. However, a huge and highly controversial hydroelectric plant, Muskrat Falls, is due to start in 2017 about 20 miles outside Goose, which may offset any military loss.
Hina has almost no tourist facilities and the town hall even sent me to the wrong side of town for the information desk. There were no history books to speak of, apart from dozens of 'Them Times' books, a series of well done local pamphlets. The history of the city since 1941 and including 911 stories was nowhere to be found. These are very friendly people who never expect tourists to find over 700 miles of questionable road to their city the size of the Red Lion.
There is no McDonalds or similar fast food place. Tim Horton's— Tim's sells more food than McDonald's across Canada– it's the place to be for dinner. Tim's is more Canadian than hot dog in the states, and of course it was started by a hockey player of the same name.
Just 25 miles outside Goose is the North West River, a charming place with smiling people and armies of mosquitoes. The Labrador Interpretive CenterIts motto is “The past is where we come from” and it tells a fascinating story about the indigenous people of the region. The museum is top notch and the staff is even better.
From the Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada website — What is the difference between First Nations, Inuit and Métis in Canada?
While there are many differences between First Nations, Métis and Inuit, these names refer to the three main groups of people who are the traditional inhabitants of this land.
First Nations are those peoples who historically lived in North America, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, below the Arctic. The Inuit historically lived along the coastal fringes and on the islands of northern Canada. The Métis come from the historical union of First Nations members and Europeans. The Canadian Constitution recognizes three Aboriginal groups: Indians (now known as First Nations people), Métis and Inuit. They are three distinct peoples with unique heritages, languages, cultural practices and spiritual beliefs.
But it is from Goose Bay that the MV Northern Ranger, a 235-foot cargo/passenger ship with a capacity of 131 passengers, departed June 27 on its first trip of 2016 north to the Inuit town of Nain, more than 500 miles away. The boat was scheduled to leave a week earlier, but ice made the crossing impossible, another understandable problem. The ice just broke a few weeks ago. Goose has an average low temperature of below zero eight months of the year. The average summer high is 68, in Nain, only 60.
Goose Bay is at its southwest end Lake Melville, a fjord about 150 miles long, up to 12 miles wide and 400 feet deep. Cargo such as ATVs, snowmobiles, boats, groceries, building supplies are loaded. Fourteen tourists, four from the US, the rest Canadian, climb the noisy steps to the boat. Moments later, the Ranger is on its way to supply the six indigenous towns along the north coast of Labrador. Some burghers have been out of supplies for three months. Wooden pallets loaded with Coca-Cola and other soft drinks were among the supplies delivered.
Built 30 years ago, the Ranger is no longer the gleaming ship it once was. It shows its age, although it has been mechanically re-loaded. But the little things show that Ranger has lived a long time. Holes in the walls where hooks or accessories once hung, the number of times it has been painted can be counted on railings, the masking tape still hides the last coat. The dials in the rooms do not have a cap to turn them with. The portholes are fogged up and unknown raw material is building between the two panes of glass. The cafeteria food was good and the soup excellent. But, we weren't expecting the Queen Mary II or a luxury cruise. It is a freighter first and we were happy with that description. It is unlikely that anyone was surprised or disappointed by the accommodations.
At a speed of about 15 miles per hour, the Ranger is scheduled to reach Nain in 2 1/2 days. But once the ship turns north from the 150-mile-long Lake Melville, ice blocks the way.
Well, it wasn't a hindrance, it just got in the way. The craft slowed to just two MPH, passing through the ice fields, crawling around the largest poles and icebergs.
It was a surprise for our small group of tourists. We went to sleep in calm, quiet and clear water and woke up to ice fields as far as we could see.
It was a Titanic moment.
We didn't expect this. We had heard that the ice might keep us out of Nain, but the ice had appeared almost as soon as we turned north. But the crew took it in stride. It might extend our trip, they announced, but that's not a problem. We do this all the time.
The tourists tried to be brave.
The ice held for a couple of days, and we even anchored one night in a quiet harbor to get out of the ice and start fresh in the morning. At that point, this 131-person ship only had this gang of 14 tourists. We called the port “our campsite”.
The six towns along the route– Rigolet, Makkovik, Postville, Hopedale, Natuashish and Nain-–they have a total population of 3,600, about the same as Thomasville, York County. That the Canadian government runs a ship all summer long to supply these tiny towns is rather remarkable. Aboriginal people want to continue their way of life and therefore choose to live away from population centers. And their lifestyle continues today with fishing, caribou and seal hunting, but also includes trucks, snowmobiles, wi-fi, refreshments and the four-wheelers left behind by the Ranger.
The people here were surprisingly friendly, and the gang of 14 who made the first round trip of the season — many natives use the ferry like we use taxis — were treated like rock stars. They greeted us warmly, talked about their cities, let us take family photos, gave us souvenir canvas bags, visited their town halls and museums and offered some of the day's catch which was later cooked in the ship's cafeteria.
Since the Ranger was more than a day behind schedule, we didn't spend much time in any of the towns. But, it's mostly a truck and the passengers were along for the ride. And, the towns were tiny — only 180 people called Postville home — so there often wasn't much to see. Natuashish, formerly Davis Inlet, was just a quick ride from the pier.
We missed Hopedale and the work being done to rebuild the original Moravian Church, since the northbound and southbound stops were both at night. And we missed walking North America's longest boardwalk at 8.4 kilometers — eat your heart out in Atlantic City — along the coast in Makkovik. There just wasn't enough time.
We ran into ice again on the return trip south to Goose Bay, but it didn't bring the same nervousness it had earlier.
By now, we were veteran Northern Rangers.
