President's Message - September 2012

There’s a feeling of fall in the air this morning; however, we cannot complain after the lovely, warm summer we experienced. The lobster luncheon was a great success, the caterer did a fantastic job of providing succulent lobster, steaks grilled to our liking, tasty salads, and delicious strawberry short cake. Lily and I arrived back home last evening, after taking 44 people on a two-week walking, site-seeing bus tour of both Newfoundland and Labrador. What a spectacular place to visit! By chance, we even met up with Ann McAleese in Port aux  Choix, National Historic Site, where we also saw three caribou. You probably heard on the news that Marine Atlantic was having mechanical problems with its new ferry purchased in Europe. Instead of leaving North Sydney at 6:30 pm we shipped out at 1:30 am. Not much sleep that night for most of our group. Briefly, we visited Gros Morne National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, climbed Gros Morne Mountain, took a boat ride in the Western Brook Pond freshwater fjord, walked to Baker Brook Falls, visited Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse where we were entertained by the life story of Louise Decker, Louise was featured in Saltscapes magazine July/August, 2011. Also visited Broom Point fishing exhibit depicting life of a family of shore fishermen, and were entertained by talented Newfoundland artists, all performers with the Gros Morne Theatre festival. After that, we drove up the Great Northern Peninsula and crossed over the Strait of Belle Isle to Quebec and Labrador. We found a 2 kilometre boardwalk in the English speaking community of St. Paul’s, QC and also a rugged photo opt at Brador Falls. Visited historic whaling community of Red Bay, a National Historic Site and Interpretative Centre and found fabulous trails all along the southern Labrador coast. We returned to Newfoundland and visited L’Anse aux Meadows (UNESCO World Heritage Site). The reconstructions of three Norse buildings are the focal point of this archaeological site, the earliest known European settlement in the New World. We had a Viking Feast in a reconstructed sod hut where we were served traditional Newfoundland food such as Moose Stew, Fish and Brews, Cod Tongues, Grilled Salmon, etc. Visited St. Anthony, home of renowned Dr. Wilfred Grenfell. Took a charter boat off the rugged northern coast and met up with a large pod of humpback whales. Moose were quite plentiful in this area and everyone enjoyed seeing them along the highway. Near St. Anthony we visited the Burnt Cape Botanical Ecological Reserve where a local guide took us on a tour of one of the most important botanical sites of Newfoundland. The peninsula of Burnt Cape has some of the most arctic conditions on the Island but it is exactly this cold climate, together with a unique landscape and calcium- rich soil that allows northern plant species to grow there in rich and rare varieties. We visited the Torrent River Salmon Interpretation Centre in Hawke's Bay where we saw Atlantic salmon as they migrate to their spawning grounds. There is also a four kilometre John Hogan trail along the Torrent River, one of Newfoundland’s famous salmon fishing rivers. We came down the peninsula to Corner Brook for three days where we explored the beautiful Bay of Islands, walked some of the Appalachian Trail, Blow-Me-Down-Mountain, and visited Captain James Cook’s Monument. The last evening in Newfoundland we went to a local yacht club for a lobster dinner and were entertained for three hours by a talented local band called Swigaway. While there, we all joined the Royal Order of Screechers by consuming some of Newfoundland’s Golden Elizir. To sum up, western Newfoundland and southern Labrador are very beautiful and rugged, and the people were very friendly. The food and accommodation were perfect for 46 outdoor type people. I highly recommend you take a vacation to this land where there are almost as many moose as there are people.