July 22nd – July 24th
Saturday was a travel day; we headed to Quirpon, a small town at the tip of the Great Northern Peninsula of NL. The drive up Rt 430 on the Western coast of Newfoundland was spectacular. The Gulf of St Lawrence was on our left the whole way up with very few obstructions. Additionally, mountains and rock formations appeared in the distance. We were warned about Caribou crossing the highway by large signs like we’d seen for moose elsewhere, but never did see any Caribou. We’re told they summer in the mountains – but obviously not the mountains we drove through.
We stopped at the Viking 430 restaurant in Reef Harbor Junction for lunch. The restaurant was a roadside diner, much like where we’ve eaten before however the shop had the largest assortment of chachkies and gagets you can imagine….and the largest potholes in the entrance. They were Viking-themed, as the area we were headed to was rich in Viking lore; Vikings being the first people to sail to NL, to fish and settle the NL waters and coasts. We arrived in Quirpon with light drizzle falling but were able to set up camp during a brief period of no rain – at the Viking RV Park. In Quirpon we had our first boil order (must boil water before drinking it). Luckily, we had plenty of water in our water jugs and cooler, so we did not to need to do this for the 3 days we were there. Mary and I faced off at Mille Bournes, a challenge which I lost to her again.
Sunday was a cooking day to start. It had been a while since we cooked meals ahead of need and even since we’d eaten ‘campfire’ food. I cooked up a pound of bacon, some plump and juicy chicken breasts, and boiled a half dozen eggs for egg salad. Mary worked on the blog post while we had decent internet access. After lunch we drove up to L’Anse Aux Meadows, at the most northerly tip of the peninsula. It was a tiny hamlet with one restaurant, the Norseman, to which we tried to go for lunch but a tour bus was parked outside and there were 30-40 people taking up every inch of space at the restaurant. We were told a 30-minute wait but that seemed unrealistic. We explored the history of this quaint seaside town, checking out the informational plaques, and the statue of Lief Ericksson – it was 9’ tall. We took a walk by this bay but ran out of beach rather quickly. After all this, the restaurant was still packed so we opted to come back tomorrow for dinner and made reservations to do so.
We headed towards other Viking-related sights, but the pull of lunch grabbed us and we did not get past Skipper Hot’s Pub & Grub near St. Lunaire-Griquet. A man named Ford owned the place and at the time we arrived, was hosting a tour bus full of people. We had seen the bus in the lot outside when we approached but noted that the Skipper’s joint was bigger, and we stopped to see if we could dine. There was one table left in the rustic log-cabin style bar. An emcee from the tour announced that Ford would be playing the accordion to entertain the guests with NL folk tunes and that he needed a volunteer from the audience to play the ugly stick. A woman named Alma was away from her table and when she returned moments later, was informed she was the ugly stick player. Alma went along with it and made that ugly stick stomp. Ford’s one song turned into 5 or 6 songs, entertaining us as well.
We then headed to the big town around – St Anthony’s where there were proper shops and – surprise – the local lighthouse. We’d also been told there was a large iceberg near there in a place called Goose Cove. Goose Cove was a small town with a park on the spit on the sea. We saw an iceberg, but were then directed to keep on walking around the hilltop. Oh my, what a reward! Our biggest iceberg to date. Just beautiful. The pictures, obviously, can’t portray the size. We finished a longer hike around the hills before returning to St. Anthony’s.
The lighthouse was one of the square-shaped, wooded variety, and closed to tours on Sunday. We were able to hike around and even help direct a couple who were looking for icebergs. Mary was proud to be of service.
Monday we got a late start after some chores, and went to the “Norstead, A Viking Village and Port of Trade”, a recreation of some of the buildings that a Viking settlement in the year 1,000 would have had and what they would look like outside and inside. They have a working blacksmith there, making metal items with a wood burning forge that was very interesting to talk to. He had the “Newfilander” brogue but more heavily bent towards the Irish brogue and we found that easier to understand. The blacksmith was often one of the ‘wealthiest’ men in the village and much sought after by the ladies. The smith was the only one with his knowledge, hence the status of the position. The women manning the Chieftain’s house (great hall) were very knowledgeable about life and times of the community and the Viking woman’s role in it. Women did the daily work that kept the family and community alive while the men were fishing, hunting or repairing the boats and tools. All the workers were dressed in period-appropriate Viking garments, like cosplayers.
The boat builder was another fascinating person to speak with about the Viking culture, boat making, and history. They had a full replica of a Viking ship (called a knar). “Snorri” constructed by master boat builder Robert Stevens. Twelve men sailed the ship from Greenland to L’anse Aux Meadows to replicate the voyage of Leif Ericsson.
We left the Viking Village and hurried over to the UNESCO site in L’Anse Aux Meadows historical park to see their interpretation of the Viking settlements of a millennia ago, but we were too late, the place was closed. We walked around to see what little was accessible.
We headed back to the Norseman Restaurant for dinner. It was definitely worth the delay. The restaurant was also an art gallery; many paintings and jewelry were in display cases in the restaurant area and there was an actual gallery on the opposite end of the building from the restaurant. We were the first diners that evening and had the place to ourselves. One of the owners, Gina Noordhof, stopped by our table and struck up a conversation. Turns out she is a best-selling author of children’s books and the artist in residence at the gallery. All the paintings on display were hers, as well as a majority of the jewelry and related items on display, the other artists being local and selling their wares on consignment through the gallery. We ended up buying her current best selling children’s book, “A Puffin Playing By The Sea – The 12 Days of Christmas” and she signed the copy for us.
Our table was by the window overlooking the beach and the ocean. I had a roast duck leg confit with rutabaga’s, a vegetable I thought I didn’t like but the way the chef prepared them, I ate the whole serving. Mary had a bowl of their seafood chowder, brimming with fresh haddock, shrimp, and scallops, and lobster ravioli. The food was well prepared, the duck was falling off the bone. The chowder was out of this world. We took our time enjoying our meals.
When we returned from dinner, our latest neighbors at the Viking RV Park, Brandon and Cheryl, told us our awning on the camper had blown loose of its stakes and flipped up and over the camper about 20 minutes before we arrived. It had been very windy at this campsite since our arrival, but the awning held up fine for the first 2 days. It was this third day that wind speeds picked up a little more. Luckily the awning did not tear anywhere, and it was easily flipped back over the camper. The legs that support the end got bent up, but a little hammer and pliers worked, and they were as good as new. We rolled up the awning for the night, then spent some time talking to Brandon and Cheryl about their journey as they just came out of Quebec, up the Quebec-Trans Labrador highway to NL. We got some great tips from them, as well as Steve who had also made the treacherous journey still ahead for us. It started to rain, the fire went out, and the people went in. We rested for the last night on Newfoundland Island.
Food sounds amazing!
Yes, the Norse restaurant was very good. We haven’t really been that excited about the food – lots of fish and chips. And it’s all going to my belly!
What fun you two are having on your historical and culinary rich adventure! Seeing glaciers during summer is really something.
We all miss you. PLOW ME is not the same
without you.