0534 Crooks Lake Rest Area to Churchill Falls Rest Area

9^th June 2016

 A long but interesting day on the road

It was 0 degrees when I woke up, and even more misty and miserable than it had been last night – Oh, well, may as well just suck it up and get on with it !  By the time I had had my breakfast and packed up the car, my hands were bloody freezing, and for 5 minutes I sat in the car trying to warm up.  The car was so filthy from the wet dirt roads yesterday that everything I touched left me with dirty hands or clothes – Not a lot of fun.  But at least I wasn’t on a motorcycle like two other Montreal guys who had camped here last night !  I must be thankful for small mercies !

Heading off down the road, it was much like yesterday – thick mist, slight rain, and about 1 deg C.  But within an hour the mist had cleared, and at least I could see where I was going.  Big piles of gravel beside the road, as well as quarries – They have obviously built this road using the local rock and crushed material to raise the road above the ever present swamp and water.  And there really is water everywhere – Lakes, rivers, bogs – IT reminds me of when I flew to Churchill 2 years ago – You can see why it is so difficult to move around in Canada in the summer – 90% of it is water !

Crossed the Eagle river, one of a number of large rivers I crossed today, but this one was special – It was the end of the dirt road !!  I had thought it would continue all the way to Happy Valley – Goose Bay, so it was a pleasant surprise to get back on to bitumen..  Then it was back into the mist for a while before dropping down to the very long Veterans Memorial Bridge, and then a T junction where I turned right to go into Happy Valley – Goose Bay.  It turns out there are actually 2 separate towns, and you

can go left into Goose Bay or right into Happy Valley.  I went into Goose Bay first, which turns out to be the smaller of the two, and is mostly a US Military Base.  Then I went back to Happy Valley, got gas, a couple of groceries, and a (revolting) coffee from Tim Hortons before heading out of town – Not a lot to see here.  Only lighter point was that when I was in the supermarket a woman came up to me and asked “Is that your cool car outside ?”.  I asked her how she had picked me as the owner, and she said “Easy – I know everyone else in this supermarket except you, so it has to be yours !”.  She was fascinated by my trip, and we chatted for 10 minutes or so down there in Aisle 7 !!   Moments like these are so much fun.

So leaving HV-GB, I haven’t gone that far up the road and I see a black plastic bag up in a tree beside the road – Wait, that’s not a plastic bag, it’s a bear !!  So I reverse back, by which time the bear has spotted me, and after a brief moment when he tries to work me out, he decides he shouldn’t be up the tree, and tries to climb down.  Head first !  I think he fell the last couple of metres !  But it did answer one question for me – I knew one of the bears climbed trees, but wasn’t sure whether it was the black or the grizzly.  Now I will remember – when running away from a black bear, don’t climb a tree !

After that it was really quite a boring drive – This is a BIG country, and one just has to knuckle down and do these long mileages.  But

having said that, it is only by driving them that you really comprehend just how big and

desolate they are – Reading it in a book or seeing it on TV just doesn’t bring the reality home to you.  There was a long section where they have obviously had a fire in the past, and all the black spruce are dead, but they are being replaced by the deciduous trees like birch, which grow much quicker, and are changing the eco-structure dramatically. 

It really was all about water today – lakes and rivers are everywhere – And remember that because of the trees you cannot see most of them at all !  The other constant today were the electrical pylons – At Muskrat Falls near HV-GB there is apparently a massive hydro power scheme, and the cables taking the power to Labrador City (and probably beyond) cut a brown swathe through the forest, mostly beside the road.  Then when you reach Churchill Falls there is yet another massive power generation scheme, and the pylons get even bigger and more numerous. 

Most of the vehicles on this road are company trucks – Either highway maintenance, or linked to these power schemes. Plus of course the big trucks hauling all the supplies and hardware for the construction.  It is boom time out here.  There are only a few private vehicles on the road.

At one stage I spotted what I thought was a black cat beside the road – I backed up and found that it was a porcupine, but unlike ones I had seen before, the front of it was black, but once it turned round to run back into the scrub, its rear  was all white with its quills.  Interesting. 

5 pm, and I was starting to fade.  I had not seen an official “Lay By” sign since the one I was in last night, and was starting to think I would be just pulling off to the side of the road somewhere.  Then there was a long single lane bridge over a quite spectacular Churchill River, and a Lay By just below it.  I couldn’t believe my luck.  So I dropped down into the parking area and tucked myself away in a corner – And saw a sign to the Bowdoin Canyon Nature Trail.  I needed some exercise so thinking it was a 5 minute stroll beside the river, I set off.  Well, 40 minutes later I finally arrives at the lookout,

and it was spectacular – The falls down into the gorge and then the gorge itself.  The trail had been a bit muddy, and having seen bear and other wildlife, I was chatting away to myself out loud to deter any visitors in this very game-friendly environment.  I found moose scat, and also bear fur (I think !) on bushes, and lots of other marks on the ground that made sure I kept a very wary eye out !  Ooooh.

But the walk was well worth it, and I returned safely to the car to have a cold beer and cook my supper.

It is funny that a day like today, which was basically a slog on long roads just to get from A to B, was changed into quite a fun day, partly by the lady in the supermarket, partly by the bear and porcupine, but mostly by the lovely walk at the end of the day when the last thing you expected to find was a stunning gorge in the middle of nowhere.  I would love to see this gorge when the river is in full flow – It must be spectacular.

As Forest Gump once said – Life is like a box of chocolates………

Pics are here :-  https://picasaweb.google.com/110185357936043625130/6294586358289923873?authkey=Gv1sRgCPfik7PnrYGEiwE