ZR-1 Road Trip to Newfoundland & Labrador Canada

[QB93Z]

I am still getting used to the Forum App. The picture above is the ferry for the 1.5 hour trip to Blanc-Sablon on the Labrador coast.

Jim


Sent from my iPhone using ZR-1 Net Registry

[QB93Z]

Once the ferry, MV Apollo, was tied up, they prepared for unloading and loading:



First truck off:




We are directed to our lane:




After the PurpleZ was parked, we went to the observation deck (Bar) and took a seat near the windows so I could supervise the operations:




Under way for Labrador:




to be continued.......

[QB93Z]

The crossing from Newfoundland to Labrador (really the eastern edge of Quebec where then terminal is) took about 1.5 hours and was very smooth. We ate lunch on board and relaxed. Upon arrival at Blanc-Sablon the unloading started, but they directed me to move to the opposite side while some heavier trucks and busses were unloaded. The crew wanted to raise the vessel a little to get a better angle on the ramp before I drove off:





I appreciated the care they took with my Z:





You may be wondering who took the pictures of the ZR-1 being unloaded. Lyndi volunteered to disembark with the walk-on passengers so she could take the pictures.

After a quick look around at the eastern-most point in Quebec Provence, we crossed into Labrador:



Our arrival in Labrador was one of the high points for this road trip. After 15 months of planning and 3,000 miles of driving we accomplished a major goal to reach such a remote place in a ZR-1.


Jim

[QB93Z]

After a gray and rainy day getting to Labrador, Day 16 dawned with absolutely beautiful weather:




As we were getting ready to load the Z, Lyndi took a moment to photograph what we carry in and out of the hotel each day. We use one backpack each, the camera bag, a case for two notebook computers, and a cooler to load with beverages for the next day. My backpack holds all the electronic components:




We left our hotel in West St Modest, NL and drove north on the Trans Labrador Highway to Red Bay, a small cove village on the coast of Labrador.




The significance of Red Bay to us is that it is the end of the pavement. All travel north of Red Bay is on gravel. All the way for 486 miles. Almost all the way to Goose Bay. Since our ZR-1 was not set up to drive 486 miles of gravel, we turned back and headed for the ferry to return to Newfoundland:




On the way south we stopped at Point Armour Lighthouse, the tallest lighthouse in Canada:



to be continued.....

[QB93Z]

We arrived back at the Marine Atlantic Ferry terminal in time to watch a pallet of frozen herring that was about to be loaded onto a truck get a close inspection by the sea gulls:




The ferry was loaded and underway without incident and once again we relaxed to watch the water:




Back on Newfoundland, we drove north up the west coast. We passed a lot of uninterrupted forest, rocky coastline and small villages:






The character of the terrain changed several times demonstrating the diversity of Newfoundland:







to be continued......

[efnfast]

Jim, it must be nice to see so much of the top of the water.
Thanks for sharing. - Steve

[QB93Z]

My last post for Wednesday got lost so I will repeat it. After the ferry ride from Labrador and the 85 mile drive to the north end of Newfoundland's western peninsula we visited L'Anse aux Meadows, the site of a Viking settlement dating to about 1000 AD.




The Vikings had well established settlements in western Greenland under the leadership of Leif Ericson. A group of Vikings sailed west and south and found a protected harbor with available wood, fishing, a bog, and animals to trap. They built a settlement on the north tip of what is now Newfoundland.

Archeological evidence has been gathered at the site since it was discovered in 1963. The evidence is very compelling that the Europeans settled in North America 490 years before Columbus sailed.

We saw the remains of many buildings. Each was well labeled and explained. There are homes, ship repair, forges, furnaces, carpentry and others. There were also reconstructions of the buildings that presented a good example of the settlement.










Jim

[QB93Z]

We awoke on day 17 to a light rain.



Since today was our chance to try and see an iceberg we checked IcebergFinder.com and decided to drive to St Anthony, NL and see if any tour boats had tours to see a berg.

St Anthony is on the eastern side of the tip of the peninsula:




Our first stop was to see Fog Point Light House. The rain had stopped, but the day was still gray:




After Lyndi photographed the lighthouse, she turned to an old stone building and the shoreline behind it. In the shot she noticed she had found the iceberg at the far end of the harbor.:




The small ice berg is all that is left of what is likely the last berg of the season. We drove along the south side of the harbor and got some distant views of the ice berg:



As we circled the harbor, we got a photo of this fishing boat departing the harbor:



to be continued....

[QB93Z]

We got a shot with the Z and the ice berg:




We circled the harbor and went to a side road to St Anthony's Bight, the closest access to the harbor. We found the iceberg again:





We found a trail and walked to the shoreline for our best view:




We met another group that we have seen twice before as our paths crossed on the island. Lyndi convinced the children that they could walk out and get pieces of the ice:




The kids presented me with a piece of the ice and I did what I do and held a training session about glacial ice:



to be continued.....

[QB93Z]

I broke up my piece of the ice berg and used it to chill our road sodas:



I also placed a few of the ice chips in a small bottle to save for my collection of exotic water. It will be proudly displayed next to the water I have from under the ice cap at the North Pole:




We left St Anthony and drove 220 miles back down the peninsula to Rocky Harbor. Along the way, we stopped at Arches Provincial Park:



Jim