When I crawl out of my tent at around 7:30AM, I see that Jimmy and Timmy (and Tobey) are already up making coffee and cooking breakfast. They invite me over for a cup, and Ed joins us for breakfast later. It's fried hard-boiled eggs and fried bologna this morning...and it tastes delicious!
Around 9:30, we're packed up and sitting in line for the ferry to Labrador. It's another chance to chat with the other folks in line and try to get some "inside info" on what to expect in Labrador. It's a mixed bag...one guy says the highway is in terrible shape, another says that it's fine...one guy says the black flies are awful, a woman says that they're almost gone for the season.
The ferry itself is nice...comfy chairs and sofas...and there's a cafeteria for coffee, etc. At 10:05, we're off on the one hour and forty-five minute trip. A half hour in, and we see a few whales...then a bunch of small icebergs...then bigger icebergs. An hour in, and the ship stops dead in the water...mechanical trouble. So...we float for an hour in the middle of the Labrador Straits, surrounded by icebergs.
Then...we're under way again and soon docking at the ferry terminal in Blanc Sablon, Quebec. Off we go for a few miles before crossing into Labrador. There's a cool lighthouse a few miles in, so we stop there for photos. I can't help but notice people walking down the road...they're all wearing head nets...hmm.
The first eighty miles or so from Blanc Sablon to Red Bay are a "piece of cake"...the road is paved. In Red Bay, we stop for ice and, before we can even get out of the Escape, we are surrounded by a huge swarm of black flies. They are nasty little buggers...they have powerful jaws which they use to chew a hole in your skin...leaving behind an itchy, bloody welt. They swarm by the thousands and fly into your ears, nose, mouth, eyes...anywhere that they can. Products like "Off" and "Cutters" are effective, but you've got to spray well BEFORE you get out of your vehicle...forget to spray, and it's too late.
Out of Red Bay, the Labrador Highway turns to gravel...lots of potholes and those "washboards" that shake things up real nice. I'm comfortable driving at around 40 mph, and we're in no hurry. The scenery is nice, but a lot flatter than Newfoundland. In the five hours or so that we drive, we see maybe ten other vehicles...not too busy on the Labrador Highway today.
Around 6:00PM, we arrive at our destination...Port Hope Simpson...and the Bayview "RV Park". It's not much...a few spaces with electrical hookups and a building with toilets and a shower. But...we've got a nice view of the Bay, and we are settled in for the night.
Ed and I are joking about how well we did driving our first day on the "Highway". But the joking stops when we open up the back of the camper and survey the "damage". The bumpy ride has torn the storage shelf from it's hinges and it is hanging down into the cargo area. A few glass items have broken...and everything has been tossed into a huge mess. So...we take an hour or so to unload, stow away the shelf and repack. I can't help but think that we've got another 700 or 800 miles of this to go.
Our repacking completed, it's time for a cold Margarita before a dinner of leftover chili...a simple meal, but welcome after a long drive. The sunset over the Bay is beautiful. Off to bed early...we've got another 300 miles to go tomorrow to get to Happy Valley/Goose Bay.
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