September 2024 – Brock at Cliff Cottage

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YQX

YQX International Lounge in 2024, reflecting how it looked when it opened in 1959.

At Cliff Cottage it is common to use the IATA airport codes to denote an airport location. YQX refers to ~~Airlandia~~, sorry that suggested name from Ottawa was never used, Gander! The Crossroads of the World, in Newfoundland. A gander is an adult male goose. Before one thinks of some testosterone fueled bird, the term also refers to a naive person, a simpleton.

My parents married in 1942-08 in St. John’s. I believe they spent some of the war years living in Gander, with the RCAF, the Canadian air force. Most of the time I was simply told they were stationed in Newfoundland. My mother described her work as being a plane plotter, moving objects representing planes across a floor. I think this had to do with ferrying planes to Britain. My father, ultimately with the rank of squadron leader, was involved with airport construction, at Gander as well as Goose Bay. I am unsure how much time they actually spent in each of these places. However, they admitted to flying between airports on transport aircraft. I have so many unanswered questions.

I have finished reading Jean Edwards Stacey’s (? – ), Voices in the Wind: A History of Gander, Newfoundland (2014). History incorrectly describes the work. There are moments when there is a chronology of events in and around the airport, but much of the space is given to unedited reminiscences of former and current residents. It was written by a journalist, not a(n) historian.

This was not the only book about Gander that was purchased. While at the North Atlantic Aviation Museum, Darrell Hillier was in attendance, selling his book, North Atlantic Crossroads: The Royal Air Force Ferry Command Gander Unit, 1940 – 1946. We now have a signed copy of his book.

The museum, itself, was interesting, but with the technology looking so outdated, early to mid 20th century, at best; analogue devices, rather than digital.

The museum had a Canso on display. It had been used in Newfoundland as a waterbomber fighting forest fires. These were Catalinas flying boats, which were modified with landing gear, transforming them into amphibians. The Catalina dates from 1933 when the US Navy ordered it, and Consolidated Aircraft designed it. A prototype was first flown in 1935 or 1936 (sources vary) in San Diego Bay. It became the most successful and prolific flying boat with 4 051 built. These aircraft were used in WWII by the American, British and Soviet Air Forces. Many of these aircraft came through Gander on their way across the Atlantic. Consolidated Aircraft and its successor Consolidated-Vultee Aircraft (Convair) built 1851 of these in San Diego, California. An undisclosed number were made by Vickers in Montreal starting in 1941-06. In addition, the Canadian government awarded Canadian Vickers a contract to produce PBV-1 Canso amphibians (a version of the Consolidated PBY Catalina flying boat) for the Royal Canadian Air Force. To speed Canso production, the government authorized construction of a new manufacturing facility at Cartierville Airport in Ville Saint Laurent, on the north-western outskirts of Montreal, and appointed Canadian Vickers to manage the plant’s operation; 240 PB2B-1 flying boats were made for the Royal Air Force (RAF) and RCAF patrol bomber squadrons, 55 PB2B-1A and 67 PB2B-2 planes were also built by Boeing Canada, at a facility located on Sea Island, in Richmond, British Columbia. The site has since been re-developed as the Burkeville residential area, named for former Boeing-Canada President Stanley Burke. The PBN-1 Nomad, a heavily modified Catalina, was built by the Naval Aircraft Factory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, supplying 155 to the RAF and 138 to the Soviet Navy. Soviet Gidrosamolet Transportnii factory at Taganrog, Rostov Oblast, also built 27 Catalinas.

In Scandinavia, the most prominent incident involving these planes was the Catalina Affair in which a Swedish Air Force search and rescue/maritime patrol Catalina = TP 47 was shot down by Soviet MiG 15 fighters over the Baltic Sea in 1952-06-16 while investigating the disappearance of a Swedish Douglas DC-3A-360 Skytrain Hugin on a signals intelligence mission, 1952-06-13, later found to have been shot down by Soviet MiG-15s in Swedish waters. The DC-3 was found in 2003 and raised in 2004–2005. In Norse mythology, Huginn = thought (Old Norse) and Muninn = memory (Old Norse) are a pair of ravens that fly all over Midgard = the world, and bring information to the god Odin.

In terms of aircraft, I have always been fascinated with amphibians, especially the Grumman Goose, possibly because it was featured in The Islanders, a 24 episode television series shown from 1960 to 1961, with William Reynolds (1931 – 2022) = Sandy Wade, James Philbrook (1924 – 1984) = Zack Mally, Diane Brewster (1931-1991) = Wilhelmina Vanderveer = Steamboat Willy and Roy Wright (? – ?) = Shipwreck Callighen, about a one-airplane airline run by the first three principals listed, in the East Indies.

We stayed at another Steele hotel, Sinbad’s. In many ways it was the opposite of Glynmill Inn: a more modern design, a scimitar symbol, breakfast included. Inside, there was not much that exuded Arabia. I have always had a positive impression of Sinbad, the 8th century fictional mariner from Baghdad and the Abbasid Caliphate, who during seven voyages has fantastic adventures in magical realms. These became late additions to the Thousand and One Nights framing the fictional Persian king Shahryar, and the tales narrated by his wife Scheherazade.

Sinbad’s hotel in Gander, with its sign featuring a scimitar. Photo: Steele Hotels.

In the early evening we visited Gander airport. Above the main floor there was a display, showing its history.

The International Lounge was opened in 1959. It was given a CAD 1.5 million restoration, that was completed in the summer of 2020. Photo: Gander Airport.

Welcome to CYQX Gander. Yes, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) uses CYQX for Gander. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) uses YQX.

The exhibits included a toboggan, and a story of Fidel Castro tobogganing in Gander.

A toboggan, and a photo of Fidel Castro on a toboggan in 1976.

Admittedly, I am a product of the 1950s, more turquoise than avocado green so prominent in the 1960s. Yes, colours should be bold, not timid.

At the airport there was a display of paintings by Barbara Brazil. This one, titled Fair Isle, Fogo attracted our attention. Yes, I am always fascinated by how light influences perception.

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Forests

Corner Brook from James Cook park. Photograph: H. Keats, 2005-10-18.

In terms of our family history, Corner Brook was a regular port of call for my father-in-law Paddy (1911 – 1989) in the 1930s. He was an engineer on a freighter that was taking paper somewhere, possibly New York. He was also taking bananas somewhere else. Yes, it was a pity that someone did not listen carefully enough to record the details of these actions, although additional research could possibly find more facts.

The distance between Genevieve Bay and Corner Brook is about 340 km, which takes about 4 hours (plus stops) to drive. While one could call the scenery attractive, it is also repetitive. There is not much variation to see along the route. Before officially arriving at Corner Brook, we paused at the Humbermouth railway station, home of Newfoundland railways locomotive 593. It was built at the Baldwin works in Philadelphia, and entered service in 1921. It retired in 1957.

The rail museum is yet another Newfoundland museum that has not entered the modern age. They expect people to pay entry fees (and everything else) in cash, which is something I refuse to do.

Corner Brook was a small community on the Humber Arm of the Bay of Islands in Western Newfoundland. A pulp and paper mill put Corner Brook on the map. Construction started in 1923 and it was completed in 1925. New Westminster, where I come from, also has a paper mill, without pulp production dating from 1922. Both are now owned by Kruger.

Sawmilling had been an important activity in the Bay of Islands starting in the 1860’s. The Newfoundland railway provided a reliable transportation link with the rest of Newfoundland, starting in 1888. The area, and Newfoundland more generally, held vast expanses of forests. These were useful to fuel the growth of newspapers in Europe and North America. The mill was a major economic benefit pumping millions of dollars into the economy, encouraging the development of new skills, increasing employment, generated new services and stimulating building construction.

Perhaps the most negative impact of pulp production was their sulpher smell. That said, there was no unpleasant odor in Corner Brook.

For me, Corner Brook was a relaxing town, admittedly with some traffic challenges. I am sure the locals have no trouble navigating its urban idiosyncrasies, but the streets have unexpected curves.

I enjoyed the diner where we chose to eat. Basic food, which is what I prefer.

We stayed at the Glynmill Inn, a registered heritage structure in Tudor revival style, with 78 guest rooms. It was designed and built in 1923 by Nova Scotia architect Andrew Cobb (1876 – 1943) to house employees and senior staff during the construction of the paper mill. It was converted into a hotel in 1925. It is adjacent to Glynmill pond, which provided an opportunity to become acquainted with the local wildlife.

As I write this post, I am listening to Bay (of Islands) FM at 100.1. It is 07:00 in Corner Brook, but already 11:30 here in Norway. It’s studio is located at the Inn.

Alasdair crossing the bridge at the western end of the Corner Brook Stream trail.

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Objets trouvés = found objects

Sometimes my competitive spirit shows itself. Such was the case on Friday, 2024-09-20. Trish suggested that we go for a walk, then do our weekly grocery shopping. For once, I managed to suggest a place to walk that was acceptable to her: the sculpture trail in Straumen, mostly featuring the works of Nils Aas (1933 – 2004). Muustrøparken = the sculpture park, is named after Lorents D. Muus (1809–87). As Norwegians euphemistically say, Muus wore many different hats throughout his life. He was a merchant, banker, post office official and mayor.

On arrival, Trish began taking photos that told me she had decided to write a weblog post about it. When she admitted to me that she had taken a photo of the map in the park, I knew how that post would appear. Yes, it is amazing what one can imagine after knowing someone for just fifty years. That map would be at the top, followed by up to 20 photos of the artwork. Not so many words because, as everyone knows, each photo eliminates the need for 1 000 words. The works in the Nils Aas gallery and workshop would not be included, but some of the park environment (including buildings and the creek, natives call Granelva = the Gran river) would be.

… and so we return to that competitive spirit. Most of the photographs I took were found objects in the park. Some even had sculptural shapes.

Back at Cliff Cottage, I had begun to assemble these into a weblog post of my own. Then I thought it would be a good idea to check my emails, yet again. A column alert from Gloria, two replies from Art, then disaster …

Trish had been using Chat on G-mail to communicate with her sister, Aileen. A message came in: The Red Bridge in Kamloops has burnt down. (timestamp 20:42). I know the bridge well, since my childhood. In the summer there were always children diving off it. On Signal, I posted a photo of it in happier days (timestamp 20:45). This was followed by a photo sent by Trish of its smoldering remains (timestamp 20:47). The red bridge exists no more. There was a fire on 2024-09-17 that was put out. Then on 2024-09-19 a different fire roared to life. Arson is suspected.

… and so unexpected events deflect the focus of one’s life. The bridge was built in 1936, so anyone remembering that location before the bridge, will probably have to be 93 or older to have it persist in their memory. Yes, there were two other bridges at the same location. The first from 1887, was flood damaged in 1909, and replaced in 1912. That second bridge was destroyed by fire caused by a spark from a passing steamer in 1934.

There was one photo I did not take in the park. I thought of taking it, but didn’t because I knew it would still be there the next time I visited. With the bridge fire in Kamloops, there is some urgency to take it now. I know where this photo will be used: Shrinking the Garage, a weblog post currently scheduled for publication 2025-10-29. It is more than a year away, and so I have time. One always has time, until one doesn’t.

An eager photographer in action, taking photographs of legitimate artwork.

A potential sculpture hiding in the bushes.

One of the park’s many wide eyed beggars, asking anyone passing by for a handout.

Not everything in the park is a work of art, but many plants have aesthetic values.

A camouflaged micro-hydro-electric-turbine that should be producing electricity, but isn’t!

The park is a place for friends of different heights to meet, ranging from a shy, but tall pole vaulter, in the top left of the photo, to a short manhole (personhole) cover, in the foreground.

Muusbrua = The Muus Bridge was built in 1816.

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Vikings

The visit to the Viking site at L’Anse aux Meadows, was a highlight of our trip to Newfoundland. Our guide, local resident Kayla, was educated as a folklorist, which means she was trained to tell stories. These were informative. We certainly gained a better understanding of the Viking settlement there. Lots of talk about the use of bog iron to make iron. In a reconstructed viking house, we also met a freeman who was doing wood working, and a freewoman who was weaving. Both of them should be happy that they did not need to rely on their crafts to support themselves!

There is a Norwegian connection that begins with Helge Ingstad. He is one of few people who have lived in three different centuries. He was born in 1899-12-30 in Meråker and died 2001-03-29 in Oslo. Meråker is in Trøndelag county where we live, but perhaps 100 km further south, and adjacent to Sweden. Helge was educated as a lawyer, and had a practice in Levanger, about 50 km further south from Cliff Cottage. In 1926 he explored the wilderness of Canada, working at times as a fur trader, before becoming the Governor of Norwegian territories on Greenland, then Svalbard = Spitsbergen.

In Svalbard he met Anne Stine Moe (1918-1997). They married in 1941. In 1946, they moved to the Holmenkollen area of Oslo, where they lived when not travelling the world. Anne Stine was an archaeologist. The couple also began to go through saga texts and archaeological material from the northern regions, where they came across a hypothesis put forward by the Swedish philologist Sven Söderberg (1928 – 2004), that the prefix -vín in Vinland did not necessarily have to do with wine, but rather with the old Norse language vín in the sense of meadow, field, grassland, as in the old name for Bergen, Bjørgvin.

“Anne Stine and Helge Ingstad, they discovered the Viking’s America.” This is the inscription in Norwegian on the support for their busts at the entrance of L’Anse aux Meadows visitor centre. It was made by Inderøy sculptor Nils Aas, and given from Norway to Canada in 2001, after Helge Ingstad’s death.

Between 1961 and 1968, the Ingstads discovered settlement traces at L’Anse aux Meadows, that turned out to be Nordic from the Viking period. Folklorist Kayla thought that the reason why the Ingstads managed to discover them had to do with Helge’s personality. People did not view him as an aloof academic or professional, but an ordinary person local residents could relate to. He established rapport with the people he spoke to, before asking questions. This meant he received honest replies. His questions often had to do with humps and bumps in the local landscape that could conceal an archaeological site! When he asked local resident George Decker that question, he was shown L’Anse aux Meadows!

The outside of a reconstructed Viking longhouse at L’Anse aux Meadows. No, the Vikings did not use chimneys, but modern fire regulations require them. Photo: Alasdair McLellan.

The inside of a reconstructed Viking Longhouse at L’Anse aux Meadows. Photo: Alasdair McLellan.

L’Anse aux Meadows was not located in Vinland. That was further south, possibly in New Brunswick. L’Anse aux Meadows was a boat repair centre, sometimes referred to as a pit stop, used seasonally. After about one generation of use, valuable possessions were removed from the settlement, and what remained was deliberately destroyed.

“Anne Stine and Helge Ingstad, they discovered the Viking’s America.” This is the Norwegian inscription on the sculpture at the entrance of L’Anse aux Meadows visitor centre, made by Inderøy sculptor Nils Aas, who was raised in Straumen, 13 km from Cliff Cottage. The sculpture was given by the people of Norway to the people of Canada in 2001, mediated by the Norwegian king Harald, after Helge Ingstad’s death.

Sandra (1943 – ), one of the visitors, was having some difficulty walking, so I slowly walked with her through the site, while the young people walked quickly on, but had to wait for us to catch up. Little at the site is a thousand years old. Luben Boykov (1960 – ) and Richard Brixel (1943 – 2019) created each their half of The Meeting of Two Worlds, unveiled 2002-07-06. The sculpture symbolizes the suspected meeting of the Norse and the Indigenous peoples of North America

Sandra (1943 – ) with her back to the camera, and other, half hidden visitors, listening to the guide Kayla, at *The Meeting of Two Worlds* sculpture.

YAY

Of course we visit airports when given an opportunity. On the Great Northern Peninsula, YAY airport is located at St. Anthony. We visited it on our way to L’Anse aux Meadows. There are about eight scheduled flights a week: five involve YXB at Blanc-Sablon, Quebec; three YYT at St. John’s.

After entering the airport, we (as in Alasdair) were able to take a lot of photographs without having to disturb or be disturbed by passengers. The security guard was unperturbed by our presence.

The exterior of the YAY airport at St. Anthony, Newfoundland. Photo: Alasdair McLellan

The transit hall of YAY airport at St. Anthony. We were advised by a sign that the floor could be slippy. Photo: Alasdair McLellan.

Meanwhile back at the Genevieve Bay Inn

I talked to Wilfred Doyle, who – with his wife Donna – owns the Genevieve Bay Inn where we stayed. Wilfred’s area of responsibility is maintenance, as well as Thirsty’s Lounge = the largest bar in Newfoundland, opened 2003-12-31. Donna seems to be in charge of everything else. At the inn, most rooms are fitted with two home-made double bunk beds, to accommodate eight. These are family rooms. Not everyone is expected to share a bed with someone. I complimented Wilfred on the use of Robertson screws in the beds he made. He admitted, he prefers to use Robertson, but will use Torx if there is nothing else.

Four Robertson screwdrivers, known for their sloping/ inclined square bits: black (#3), red (#2), green (#1) and yellow (#0), Orange (#00) and brown (#4) screwdrivers are also available, but are not in common use. Photo: Luigi Zanasi, 2005-10-16.

One of the guests had hit a Moose on the highway with his smallish Toyota. All the passengers (including his two younger children) had survived without injury. We talked about this, snow, studded snow tires and moose hunting.

I am not overly enthusiastic about Toyota cars, but was impressed with the condition of this one, after it had encountered a moose travelling at highway speeds in Newfoundland. In Newfoundland, license plates are only fitted to the rear of a vehicle.

Wilfred says that there is less snow now than previously, so he changes his “tires and rims” close to the end of November, then back again, some time in April. He is an active moose hunter. Which means he watches the moose from inside the Inn. When one is coming through, he gets his rifle, goes outside and shoots it. This is not hunting for sport, but food, possibly the difference between survival and starvation, a century before.

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Red Bay

A selfie taken at the border between Quebec (to the left) and Labrador (to the right). Photo: Alasdair McLellan.

As a naturalized Norwegian, one acquires a number of skills that people of other nationalities can only dream about. In today’s weblog post, the focus is a detailed insight into ferry operations. Perhaps I should start by bragging about living 300 meters from a ferry terminal, although that ferry was replaced by a bridge on 1991-12-19.

This is mentioned because our visit to Red Bay in Labrador, required the use of a ferry across the Strait of Belle Isle. The route is between terminals at St. Barbe on Newfoundland’s Great Northern Peninsula and Blanc-Sablon in Quebec. Theoretically, the crossing takes 1 hour 45 minutes, and covers 36 km. The first problem is that one has to meet up one hour ahead of the scheduled departure time, if one has a reservation. The second is that the ferry was not ready to leave at its scheduled departure time.

MV Qajaq W (the middle part is pronounced kayak) has been used on the route since 2019. It can carry 120 standard vehicles, including up to 8 tractor trailers, along with 300 passengers.

Qajaq was built in 2010, it has a length of 97.84 m, and has 5 233 gross tonnage. Working backwards from 5.6 MW of power, it is likely that it is equipped with 4 Wärtsilä BL20 engines, each providing 1 400 kW. It has an ice classification 1A, which is immediately below the best joint Finnish-Swedish ice-classification for merchant ships, 1A Super. Both bows are ice-strengthened. It was built in Norway at Fiskerstrand, outside of Ålesund, As MV Muhumaa, it sailed in the Baltic between Saaremaa island in Estonia and Ventspils in Latvia from 2011 to 2017.

This vessel replaced the 108.7 m long MV Apollo completed in 1970, that was unsuitable for the route, despite it being a Baltic ferry. The Apollo was equipped with accommodation for 1 500 people, that was never used. The Apollo had 2 x 3 400 kW MAN 9L32/36 diesel engines (altogether 6.8 MW), and 6 609 gross tonnage. At times, ice prevented it from landing at St. Barbe, and it would be redirected to Corner Brook, taking 12 hours for the crossing from Labrador. It was taken out of service in 2019, and scrapped in Turkey, in 2021.

Most Norwegian ferries simply drive into the dock (at low speed), and use their engines/ motors to keep their position as vehicles and passenger leave and enter. An even more advanced Auto-docking eliminating human input, has been a reality on some routes since 2018. Electric ferries have been used since 2015, and complete electrification is expected in 2025.

The interior of the MV Qajaq W, showing the middle lane of the lower car deck. Hélène’s Mazda 5 is immediately in front of ours. Photo: Alasdair McLellan

The ferry left about half-an hour late, mainly due to a design feature where, after service in the Baltic, the number of lanes of vehicles onboard the lower car deck was reduced from six to five, because north Americans prefer larger vehicles. With the middle lane being underused, because the crew spent precious loading minutes parking vehicles between support columns. We were shunted into this middle lane. Immediately ahead of us was a Mazda 5, identical to Alasdair’s. On my way to the passenger deck, I complemented the woman owner, Hélène, on her very attractive vehicle.

As for the ferry, my advice would be to just use four lanes, in an attempt to speed up loading, and in doing so, be able to make an extra trip each way, each day. I also note that some days there are an odd number of trips made, meaning that the ferry overnights on a different side of the strait.

After landing in Quebec, it did not take us many minutes to drive the 6 km to the Labrador border. We continued onwards to the tourist office, to make important enquiries, such as finding places to buy a Labrador flag.

The Labrador Flag as specified, and originally made in 1973-4.

The Labrador flag was the most popular flag in Newfoundland. Yes, much more popular than the Canadian or Newfoundland flags. It was created in 1973 by a small group of Labradorians led by Michael S. Martin (1938 – ), then representative for Labrador South in the provincial legislature, to celebrate the then upcoming 25th anniversary of Newfoundland and Labrador’s entry into Canadian confederation, Many regard the creation of the Labrador flag as an act of political mischief/ vexation aimed at Premier Joey Smallwood (1909 – 1990) and his Liberal government’s perceived indifference to Labrador.

Patricia (Bryne) Martin sewed 64 flags, while her husband used a marker pen to add a spruce twig to each: 59 of the flags were given to Labrador communities, 3 to Labrador representatives in the provincial House of Representatives, One was for her husband, and another for herself.

The flag can be regarded as being 10:5 = 2:1 in proportions, with three fesses = wide horizontal bands, in flagspeak. From the top they are white, green (Pantone Green 356) and blue (Pantone Blue 306), in a proportion of 2:1:2. On the left of the white field is a stylized representation of a black spruce sprig, which is the most common tree, not just in Labrador but also in Newfoundland. Its is intended to remind viewers that Labrador is part of that province.

The flag’s colours are mirrored in the flag of Nunatsiavut = the Labrador Inuit Association. The black spruce twig was adopted for use on the Franco-Terreneuvien = French Newfoundlander flag.

Any six-year old, following a flag description, should be able to draw and colour any flag. If s/ he can’t, then the flag is too complex. We ended up buying both a Quebec and Labrador flag. Most Labrador flags (including ours) are fake/ bootleg. Michael Martin commented, “The problem stems from efforts by unscrupulous dealers and manufacturers to get around the copyright requirements by creating flags that have the wrong dimensions, wrong colours and wrong shape and size of the black spruce twig.” This is a common problem when attempting to buy flags! Justin Brake wrote about this situation ten year ago! The Labrador flag is now over 50 years old.

Red Bay

About 80 km north of Blanc-Sablon is the former whaling station at Red Bay. Starting in 1530 and lasting for almost 100 years, it was a major Basque whaling area. Several whaling ships, both large galleons and small chalupas, sank there. Their discovery led to the designation of Red Bay in 2013 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Data from the 2021 census shows that Red Bay had a population of 142 living in 65 of its 69 total private dwellings. That is down 16% from its 2016 population of 169. It’s land area is 2.31 km².

A bus load of tourists, travelling on our ferry, arrived at about the same time as us. They managed to inundate the local museum, so Alasdair and I thought the best counter move was to visit the Whaler’s Restaurant. When I asked for a meal of whale meat, I was politely told that they were sold out. Both Alasdair and I ate their fish and chips.

Coffee with Fish and Chips, but not many vegetables

Return to Newfoundland

The Bella Desgagnés cargo-passenger ship arrived minutes before the Qajaq W at Blanc Sablon. Its voyage from Rimouski to Blanc Sablon and back to Rimouski takes a week. The first stop is at Sept-Îles on the north shore, then it stops at Anticosti Island, before stopping at other coastal villages. The return trip on Qajaq was considerably delayed according to its schedule. This gave us an opportunity to view the unloading of the Bella Desgagnés. Many unloaded vehicles were making their way to Newfoundland on the Qajaq.

Future Trips

I will probably not visit Labrador again, but Alasdair expressed an interest. The Trans-Labrador Highway (TLH) is the primary public road in Labrador, with a length of 1 149 km. The original western/central portion of the TLH is designated as Route 500 and measures 543 km from the Quebec – Labrador boundary through Labrador City/Wabush, Churchill Falls, and Happy Valley-Goose Bay. From there, heading southeast is Route 510 = Labrador Coastal Drive, 606 km. Centres en route include Cartwright Junction, Port Hope Simpson, Mary’s Harbour, Lodge Bay and Red Bay.

The TLH runs through dense wilderness for most of its length. Route 500 connects with Quebec Route 389, which runs 567 km through wilderness north from the Quebec – Labrador boundary to Baie-Comeau, where it connects with Quebec Route 138. At one time Quebec promised that the route would follow the entire north shore of the St. Lawrence River eastwards to Blanc-Sablon. This has not happened. However, The western terminus is in Elgin, at the border with New York State south-west of Montreal. At the Trout River Border Crossing, it connects with New York State Route 30. Route 30 leads to Schenectady County, where some of my biological relatives settled about 1660.

Back to Happy Valley

If one wants to explore the coastal communities north of Happy Valley – Goose Bay, there is a ferry service that operates each summer in the ice-free season, from roughly June to November. The Kamutik W is often described as a sister ship to the Qajaq, although it is outfitted very differently. It began life as the Hiiumaa in 2011, and sailed in Estonia.

In its new life it has a weekly schedule. It departs Happy Valley-Goose Bay and visits each community on its voyage north. At Nain (most northerly community), it turns around and revisits each community on the return trip to Happy Valley-Goose Bay.