DAY 9 THURS. SEPT. 12 PORT AUX BASQUES - ST. ANTHONY

Today was one of those rare days that combined great success and great frustration. The frustration really was just the length of the day. We knew it was going to be a long drive ( 7 hours according to Google ), but it felt much longer. We got off to a late start due to so some inefficient service at breakfast, so that didn't help. But so much driving today made us uneasy: plus the lack of gasoline available with a low tank raised blood pressure. So many of these small coastal villages had no discernable gas supplies. How do the locals cope ?

But the scenery was other-worldly. We were reminded of other great drives we've done before: Iceland, Scotland, the Dempster Highway come to mind. It was all there for us to see today. We passed from the tundra of Port Aux Basque into high table lands, fog-bound cliffs, various forests, fjords and stunning sea coast. Every few kilometers brought a change of environment. We drove in silence for much of the day, taking the immensity and variety. At the north end, a series of small hamlets, all with "Cove" as their descriptors, clung to the coast and forced us to look out to sea to the towering cliffs of Labrador …. so close, but so far. And then the push to St. Anthony on one of the most remote roads we've driven since those other long-past drives. I thought of the ancient Norse who came here a millennium ago and must've felt as alone and uncertain as we did.

St. Anthony seems to be a bustling port and center for the entire region north of Gros Morne National Park. Tomorrow, we will try to reconnect with our Norse forefathers.

tundra near  Port aux Basques

Scenes on the north highway to St. Anthony