Port au Choix Historic Site & Deer Lake

On our way up to St. Anthony we passed Port au Choix on the seaward side of the Viking Trial. After our memorable St. Anthony tour we turned back south along the same highway and drove 139 miles to that small seaside village that had beckoned us previously. We were delighted to find that the Lions Club Campground would allow all of us to face the Gulf of St. Lawrence. What a beautiful sight it was to see all of our gleaming silver rigs lined up across the long, rocky beach. Several locals drove by just to see the sight of so many Airstreams all in a row. The sky was overcast that evening, and our leaders had planned a big dinner for all 61 of us at a local restaurant downtown on the harbor. Even grander than the dinner was the fantastic, enchanting view we had when we left the restaurant. The bright evening sunlight had pierced the clouds, and the majestic boats in the harbor reflected a brilliant array of color. Then we looked upward and saw a majestic rainbow that seemed to grow out of the roof tops of the small hillside homes which surround the harbor. We were in awe, and fortunately Jerry had remembered to bring his camera.

Port au Choix is part of a Canada-wide family of national parks and historic sites. At least four different cultures have occupied this area during the past 5000 years, coming and going as the climate changed. The land and sea provided everything the various peoples needed for food, shelter, and clothing if they could adapt to the various climates. The first were the Archaic Maritime Indians. They prospered in coastal regions from Maine to Labrador. Their cemetery of 117 graves and other cultural information are preserved at Port au Choix. We saw many artifacts that have been discovered in those graves. We also saw tools that belonged to the next inhabitants, the Groswater and Dorset Palaeoeskimos who came from the North and could cope with the cooler temperatures that probably discouraged the first Indians. Next came warmer temperatures followed by the Europeans seeking the abundance of cod along with lumber and fur. To this day the descendents of early English and French fisherman still live there.

Another thing we did was see a nearby lighthouse and take a long walk with friends, Chuck and Joyce, through Phillip’s Garden. The vegetation along the scenic path has changed little during the past 2200 years. We were high above the bay, and the lovely rocky shores added to the mystique of the huge, green garden. Some of the little plants are barely visible, and yet through the rocks, tiny flowers emerge each summer.

We were in Port au Choix only two nights. The morning we departed several of our caravanners were out on the beach in short sleeves walking or sitting in their folding chairs watching for whales which never appeared The early morning sun was shining brightly over the water, the air was warm, and we hated to leave the fantastic view and gentle breezes.

Since it was a fairly short drive to Deer Lake, we stopped along the way to have lunch in the trailer, buy propane, and change a tire that was wearing unevenly. Our campground was right across the road from the award-winning Newfoundland Insectarium & Butterfly Pavilion. Live and mounted exhibits feature insects, beetles, and butterflies of every imaginable color from around the world. They glide and flutter over a small indoor pond or feed from the flowers and fruit dishes. To the delight of visitors, these gorgeous butterflies actually land on your shoulder and even your camera.

Other than the insectarium and the lake there was not a lot to see in the area. Some of our group went on a zip line that was 40 miles away. We elected to use the free day to do laundry and wash the trailer.