North America Discoverd Here1000 Years Ago

After touring Gros Morne for three days, we drove 213 miles north on the Viking Trail with the Gulf of St. Lawrence clearly visible on our left. Gorgeous wild flowers lined both sides of the highway all the way to St. Anthony. Along the way, we took a one-hour break at spectacular Arches Provincial Park. It is at this site that one can observe several natural rock arches on the coastline. We were glad when we finally got to our campground. Our friends, Lloyd and Elaine, had left the campground early to do some extra touring, but a blowout of one of their trailers ruptured one of their brake lines. They were limping along slowly without trailer brakes when they passed us as we were taking photos of a quaint little coastal town.

For dinner our caravan itinerary included the Great Viking Feast in a “mead house” (rock walls with a sod roof) at a local restaurant. Upon arriving, we were all in awe of a massive glistening iceberg that was floating in the harbor under the watch of a lighthouse. The temperature on the point was considerably lower than it had been during our sunny drive. Once inside the underground serving room, decorated like a Viking ship, we were greeted by loud “Viking” waiters (also actors) dressed like Norsemen. They served a sumptuous buffet of typical Newfoundland food to include moose stew and salmon. The entertainment included a Viking “judge” holding several mock trials of accused caravanners who had committed various infractions of the law along our journey’s way. Each of the accused was found guilty, but nevertheless we were all presented with Honorary Viking certificates.

The next day we drove 10 miles to Goose Cove. There were many photo ops of houses, flowers, and boats. However, there was a shroud of fog over the bay that precluded our seeing any large icebergs. We drove to the opposite side of the Bay of St. Anthony and talked with local fishermen mending their shrimp nets. We were told that when they board their boat, they plan to be gone from home for at least a week, as they travel out into the Newfoundland waters nearly 200 miles. One man told us that his grandfather and father before him were fisherman. He still loves it after 40 years. One of the most interesting conversations we had at the waterfront was with an iceberg ship crew. They were gathering chunks of iceberg ice into big nets and then dumping the ice on the deck of their boat. Then they chopped the ice into basketball sized pieces and threw them into huge containers. A boom was lowered with ropes to wrap around the containers and hoist them onto trailers, which towed them to the water company for processing into bottled water. This is some of the purest water in Newfoundland. It must be great to have drinking water ($3.00 per glass at a local restaurant) that is virtually untainted by humans and animals, although we can’t be certain that an occasional penguin or seal does not hitch a ride on an iceberg.

Some of our caravanners took a ferry with their cars to neighboring Labrador. We had been told that there were lots of black flies there, plus much of our time would be used up on the two-way ferry ride. We opted to enjoy St. Anthony and a drive to St. Carol’s on the other side of the harbor. The latter was crowded with icebergs, but once more, there was an abundance of fog to impede our vision and thwart our photo-taking. It was a good day to tour the Wilfred Grenfell Museum named for the British physician-missionary who had a heart for the native people of Labrador. He arrived in Newfoundland in 1892 to provide medical service to migrant fisherman, he had no clear sense of who his patients were or how they lived, but a few weeks on the Labrador coast changed that. Struck by both the rugged beauty of the place and the difficulties faced by those who lived there, Grenfell and his wife devoted the rest of their lives to improving fate of these primitive but generous people. At first an evangelical missionary of the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fisherman, Grenfell became part of philanthropic movements on both sides of the Atlantic. Raising funds in Canada and the United States, he founded a network of hospitals, nursing stations, medical ships, schools, and home industries. Some of these exist in a modified form to this day. In 1908, the story of his survival after a night marooned on a drifting patch of ice transformed this athletic, dedicated man into a popular hero. He would become one of the most successful lecturers of his time.

Our last touring day in St. Anthony was our best. In the morning we all drove to L’Anse aux Meadows, a National Historic Site. It was in 985 A.D. that Iceland merchant, Bjarni Herjolfsson, landed in a rich forested land near here in late summer after being blown off course on his way to Greenland. However, he did not want to winter here, so he set course once again for Greenland. A few years later, he sold his ships to Viking Lief Ericson, son of Erik the Red. Ericson set out to find the forested land found by the earlier merchant, as wood for shipbuilding in Greenland was scarce. He landed near what is now L’Anse aux Meadows, established a settlement of sod houses, and named the place Vinland. Hunting and fishing were good; there was green grass, wild berries, and plenty of trees. The settlement lasted only five to ten years and may have ended due to conflicts with the native aboriginal people. It was not until 1960 that the sod huts left behind by the Vikings 1000 years before were rediscovered. Many rich artifacts are still being found. The original mounds can still be seen, and recreated sod huts that one can enter have been built.

In the afternoon, we went back to Goose Cove; the weather was bright and sunny. There we found several big icebergs. One was as large as an aircraft hangar. To see it, we had to climb a steep hill, and Gloria persisted until she made it to the observation platform. This was indeed a day to remember.