Oh Canada! June 12th - L'Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland

Day 15 Tuesday, June 12^th – L’Anse Aux Meadows

After breakfast we hiked the bluff on the other side Hay Cove, the one between Hay Cove and Noddy Bay.  The trail is called Lacy’s Trail and was very nice.  We were glad for the chance to get more hiking in after so many days of sitting in the car.

John standing near shore of Hay Cove near Lucy's Trail trail head.

Looking up toward summit of Lacy's Trail from Hay Cove

A sign at the trail head advised us how to behave if we encountered either a moose, wolf or bear.  Fortunately we didn’t have to put that advice into practice, however we did encounter moose poop aplenty all along the trail – much of it quite fresh.  We didn’t see them, but they surely saw us.

The terrain we hiked through consisted of both sub-arctic tundra and tuckamore - stands of very thick, gnarled, stunted trees and shrubs that defy and deny passage.

Chris in front of a tuckamore stand.  The stuff is impenetrable - at least for humans.

Here, and below, are some examples of the sub-arctic tundra flowers blooming along the path.

A typical pose for John - examining the rock surfaces

A typical pose for Chris - photographing itty bitty flowers

The view from the top of Lacy’s Trail was magnificent!  It was the windiest I’ve even experienced outside of either a hurricane or tornado.  I mean REALLY windy!

You can't appreciate how windy it was just from a picture, but look at John's pant legs plastered to his legs.  And he literally is having to work hard to stand up straight.

I thought the wind might rip my air out by the roots!

A bench along the way invites you to sit and enjoy the view.  At certain times of year, you can see whales in the cove.

Hellooooo up there........

The trip back down the trail was quite picturesque as well.....

A little house tucked into the trees.  Notice the iceberg in the distance near the shore.

A lobster trap waiting on the rocks for employment

These were laying in a low evergreen shrub.  I suspect they are gull pellets.

The wise man built his house upon the rocks.....

This gives you a sense of the wind.

Wood sleds ready for duty

I like the little pop of red the birdfeeder brings to the picture.  And is that a beautiful woodpile, or what? 

Do you think the sod roof was by design, or built by nature?

Lunch was eaten from the Highlander at a park in Pistolet Bay and visited a small, local craft shop called The Hut where Chris bought a Labradorite pendant.

Dinner that night was at the Norseman Restaurant, known for its 5 star cuisine – something you wouldn’t expect in this part of the world.  We invited Wendy Nuttall, a fellow guest at our B&B, to join us.  She's from Saskatchewan and now lives (when she isn't traipsing around Canada) in British Colombia.  We've maintained a connection with Wendy through Facebook where she posts many of her wonderful photos.

There was music at the Norseman that night.  A locally known and loved musician named Wade Hillier was performing for us – singing and playing very good guitar.  He has a very pleasing repertoire and style which we enjoyed very much.

Chris, determined to try every new food she came across, had salt cod as an appetizer and rabbit as a main course.  John had a very good salmon fillet.

Do check out The Norseman if you are visiting the area.  Good upscale food in a relaxed atmosphere.  It's associated with the Valhalla Lodge, but you don't have to stay at the lodge to eat at the restaurant.

http://www.valhalla-lodge.com/

After dinner it was back to the room for a good night's sleep.