Canada

Port au Port Peninsula

On Monday morning I was extremely vexed because the person met at 00:00 could not solve the problem of my dashboard computer however he gave me the address of a specialized shop at Corner Brook; I cross the fingers. I took the road around 9:00 to go to the Port au Port Peninsula where sensibly the population spoke French, what nenni I did not meet anybody, not even an acadian flag except on the few road signs. Villages are composed of scattered houses, I wondered which could be the occupation of these people. It is true that I travelled out of tourist season, July and August, all activities including Visitor Centres were closed. Around 14:30 I saw a pontoon at the edge of St George's Bay in Abrahams Cove I decided to spend the night there. Only one highway in the island, N°1, traverses imposing landscapes planted of rachitics birches or spruces, variety of conifers. But what the distances are large. Few cars but many trucks unloaded off the ferry traversed it at the authorized maximum speed, 100 km/h.

Panneau indicateur	Bivouac, Abrahams Cove

Corner Brook

On Tuesday, May 5 I left the pontoon around 7:30 to rejoin Corner Brook where I was to find a data processing specialist at the Staples store located at Shopping Centre. Alas the technician was absent and will be present only tomorrow. While waiting I went to Plaza shopping centre to buy an USB key or a box to connect my computers in 3G or 4G as I had done in Morocco. I discovered that one needed a Canadian ID to buy this material! I presented my passport with the entry stamp into Canada, the salesman did not want any. He wanted at all a Canadian ID. I think that the salesman had instructions for autochtones but nothing for foreigners. I should thus satisfy me with McDo and others in Shopping Centre. Morocco is the Eldorado of the Net surfer. The remainder of the day I strolled in the stores around Staples where I caught Wifi connection. The day was rainy in the morning and partially sunny in the afternoon with a temperaturearound 8°C.

On Wednesday morning I returned to Staples in the hope of meeting the data-processing specialist. Bingo he was there and het accepted me cordially. I explained him the problem of QuoVadis and the consequences to Wifi connection. Of course the French keyboard with AZERTY arrangement of the keys did not facilitate his intervention moreover I have to translate the French messages. After incantations, incomprehensible rumbles, the use of systems commands as well as the reinstalation of QuoVadis the business was in right track both for QV and Wifi. After the tests of good performance the Toughbook laptop was again operational for navigation on the road. I went shopping at the food stores then after lunching I drove in forwarding neighborhood with Toughbook in function. Thus I visited the only curiosity of the city the James Cook's statue on Crow Hill Rd overhanging the city and the neighborhoods. Finally I went to downtown area without much attraction. I returned to the Shopping Centers to spend the night there.

Captain James Cook Monument

Paysage

Woody Point

The weather of Thursday, May 7 did not announce anything amusing good. Indeed after Deer Lake a small rain fell which was transformed into snow melting while arriving on the ground. Receiving a phone call from France I did not answer while driving. But I stopped in Woody Point to take the message left by the appealing one. Looking at a library certainly with a Wifi connection, I sent a message to this inpertinent, indeed he knew that I was in Canada.

Public Library, Wifi

Main street

Trout River

I continued my road up to the target of this day the Trout River  village at the edge of the Gulf of St. Laurence. The Mercedes “G” caused me concern, indeed it would seem that the gauge of the main diesel tank did not function any more. Would it be cold by the water contained in diesel fuel? Consequently I have to supervise the fuel consumption with mileage. Fichtre in this country distances are large and gaz stations sparse . At 17:00 the snowfall ceased and the temperature fell to +1°C.

Bivouac by snowing

Bivouac

Bellburns

On Friday 8th I returned to Woody Point for a working session on Internet with the Public Library Wifi connection. In the absence of 3/4G USB key I must look at a Library. Then I was very attentive with the mileage of my truck and the presence of petrol station on the road. I found one in Rocky Harbor. Phew! Of course out of tourist season even parks are closed. Thus I did not see The Arches in Provincial Park. To find a bivouac I went as far as Bellburns to station on the lookout overhanging the village and bay. In Woody Point I had looked at the weather at L'Anse aux Meadows, NL, in the extreme north of Newfoundland. Brrr, it will snow with negative temperatures in the night.

a Hanging Valley

Bellburns village

Bivouac at the lookout

Port au Choix

On Saturday, May 9 was still a day in the sorry vastness of forest of spruces shrivelled on a quasi rectilinear road with a scattered traffic crossing from thin villages snuggled at the edge of water. I made a detour to Port au Choix ilooking for a Wifi connection which I found in the devil vauvert in the information center of the closed provincial park. A second turning led me to St Barbe at the terminal of the ferry for Labrador where I got informed about the transfert conditions. It is necessary to buy the return ticket either by telephone or by Internet several days in advance, to follow. I lunched close to a lookout vis-a-vis the rout of the ices. Finally at the end of 215 km I posed my truck for the night on the pontoon of Eddies Cove. Fortunately some villages have this recent construction because it is impossible to bivouac off-track so much the ground is softened and still covered with snow. Of course more I went northwards more the temperature dropped!

Cultural Center, close

Eddies Cove

Débâcle des glaces

Bivouac, Eddies Cove

L'Anse aux Meadows

Sunday, May 10 was cold, 3°C, covered and wet. The road was deserted in a still snow-covered loneliness. L'Anse aux Meadows was inaccessible, Visitors Center closed. While walking in snow I succeed in reaching the supposed statue of Leif Eriksson. It is necessary to pay him homage, he was the first European to discover Americas around the year 1000 AD. Christophe Colomb is a usurper. Moreover Spanish brought diseases which decimated the first inhabitants and they were justified only by Gold, God and Glory. I decided to spend the night at Viking Village B&B.

Viking's landing

Leif Eriksson, in 1000 AD

Viking Village B&B