June 23, 2013:  Sad day—we had to leave Labrador today. We needed to be to the ferry dock by about 9 a.m. so we got up early. We checked the big iceberg just offshore and centered in Mary’s picture window. We sure thought the berg would roll over during the night--it had rotated on the surface several times with the tide and showed some signs of breaking up. Mary fixed us oatmeal and cold cereal with toast for breakfast. Squashberry, partridgeberry, and bakeapple berry jams were contained in the flowered porcelain server on her lovely table. Bakeapple berry is also known as cloudberry and partridgeberry (the locals say) is the same as lingonberry. Squash berry is similar to a salmon berry but has seeds like a blackberry—it does not taste like any kind of apple. What makes these jams special is that Mary has hand-picked the berries and made the jam.

We found out that Mary is 80 years old. Patrice asked her what year she was born, and she answered, “Why don’t you just ask me how old I am?” She’s lived what we would call a tough life, but for those making a living in Labrador, it was quite normal. When Patrice asked if she did any rug hooking, she replied, “Didn’t have much time for that nor quilting either, what with raisin’ kids and makin’ fish.” Wish I could duplicate her accent and way of speaking—she talked a lot, thank goodness, so we were usually able to get the gist of what she said. “Makin’ fish” meant helping with processing cod for market--cleaning, splitting, drying, and salting cod fish. She and her husband, Ernie, bought the house where we stayed in 1973. She said Ernie was a fisherman most of his life but later did rock blasting when “the road went through.” Ernie died in 2001 and she has ran the Bread and Breakfast ever since. On her receipt she stamped “Barney’s Hospitality House.”

We really enjoyed the morning drive back to the ferry. The bays were full of icebergs and they glistened in the bright sun.

Iceberg in Iceberg Alley 

Iceberg in Iceberg Alley

The ferry was the same one we came to Labrador on—the Apollo. The bay, the rocks, the shore, the buildings and piers, and the ocean were as wonderful as ever. The ride back to St. Barbe was uneventful with one whale sighting.  

Labrador is a part of Newfoundland and has been so since they joined the Canadian Confederacy in 1949. We are not sure we understand how the citizens of Labrador feel about being a part of Newfoundland or, for that matter, how the citizens of Newfoundland feel about being a part of Canada. We saw a 1960 map that called Labrador “a Province of Newfoundland.” Labrador has its own flag and you see it flying more than that of Newfoundland. The citizens of Labrador are quite guarded when asked about the relationship. The performers at the shows we saw in Cow Head, Newfoundland wore t-shirts that said “Free NFLD.” We understand that there was a recent movement to free Newfoundland from Canada--most folks do not want to talk about it.

After arriving in St. Barbe we hooked up our rigs and drove about 60 miles to our next campground called Triple Falls RV Park, north of St. Anthony. The first 30 miles of the drive was along the Strait of Belle Isle at the northern end of the Gulf of Lawrence and at the entrance to the Atlantic Ocean. The bumpy road took us through many small fishing villages. Much of the road was located within 200 feet of the rocky shoreline where very large waves came crashing in. The last 30 miles of the road was smooth and it came inland came inland. The park was full of seasonal residents, with the short-term area clogged RVs with a private caravan, mostly big motorhomes. We got our rigs parked with a bit of difficulty--not much turning room. Electricity is not very reliable 30-amp.

The day ended with some beer and wine and good fellowship with our traveling companions, tired after a long day.