The Viking’s Trail and the End of Summer Vacation

The Gander Loop was a gorgeous little surprise.  We had hoped to get all the way to Cow Head but in the end, we decided not to risk driving through Gros Morne National Park at night.  The biggest problem isn’t the condition of the roads, but rather the moose are more active at night and collisions are much more likely as a result.  So after a restful night in Deer Lake, mom and I started the drive to L’anse Aux Meadows early the next day.  Sure enough, we spotted a moose about 5 minutes after we got onto the highway.  We only saw two other that entire day, but I was alert to their presence as I drove.

Some roadwork in Gros Morne slowed our progress, but we got into Cow Head around 10:30 in the morning.  Instead of eating in a restaurant, we bought snacks and got back on the road.  The coast along the Northern Peninsula is very distinct.  A lot of trees have been stunted by the winds coming in offshore. The drive had long stretches of gorgeous coastline as well as some stretches of inland driving.

While the scenery of the drive was beautiful, both mom and I were feeling tired from the length of the trip.  Unlike the previous day we weren’t stopping in the towns because we wanted to get back to Cow Head before nightfall.  The trip was worth it though. Once you get to the tip of the northern peninsula, you’re treated to some of Newfoundland’s most beautiful scenery.  Our visit to L’anse Aux Meadows only lasted an hour, and if I had my time back, I would have booked ahead and allowed us to spend the day there.  As it was, we were only there for an hour.  Mom wasn’t feeling up to exploring the full site, so she stayed in the visitor’s center while I checked out the recreated Viking’s houses and the mounds that marked the original settlement.  I could easily see myself spending a few days here.

We got back to Cow Head shortly after dark and enjoyed the company of a couple of mom and dad’s friends from their days in Churchill Falls.  They’ve retired to a lovely house with an ocean view.  Mom says she appreciates the scenery in Newfoundland much more now that she lives away.  Saskatchewan has its charms, but Newfoundland will always be her home.

We got back to Gander the next day early in the afternoon, and I was lucky enough to get a master class in Newfoundland cooking from my Aunt.  Mom also provided her input, and I helped prep the veggies and took notes on everything.  I’ll have to cook up a scoff (Newfenese for a big meal) soon before I forget everything.  Another one of my aunts took me out cod jigging the next morning and then drove us to St John’s in the afternoon where mom and I had a couple of days in the city before she left for Halifax and Toronto to visit my sisters.

I spent my last three days staying with a childhood friend.  My friend has a camper, so he and his wife are spending the summer camping in a park just outside of St John’s with their two young sons who still in the doting phase of growing up.  He’s commuting from the park to work, a brilliant idea.  The kids get to enjoy nature and spend their summer breathing fresh air.  He took a night off from camping to go to George Street with me.  We drank beer at a leisurely pace but not leisurely enough.  We both had thunderous hangovers in the morning.  After that, he brought me up to the park, and I got to enjoying a night of camping.  S’mores and spider dogs roasted over a little camp fire as we recounted tales of our youth and our more recent adventures.  It was a wonderful way to finish my time in Canada.

I’m in London now, soon to be off to Doha for another year. I’m grateful to my family in Newfoundland and my friends here in Canada who make room for me and make me feel welcome and make me feel like I am home when I’m back in Canada.