A Day in Labrador

 Our time in Labrador was spent driving the Trans Labrador Highway 60 miles to Red Bay. 

This Coastal Drive takes us past fishing communities established in the early 1800’s.  Icebergs and whales are very common  here.

Much of Labrador is a vast wilderness filled with rugged seacoast, fast running rivers and barren mountain ranges.
   

Time and other plans will keep us from traveling across the barren center of Labrador.  We would like to do this trip, but that is for another day. 

 Red Bay is an ideal natural harbor and was used by the Basques as a whaling station during the 16th century.  

 Four Basque galleons have been discovered in the harbor, one of which is the best preserved 16th century shipwreck north of the Caribbean.

A well-preserved collection of artifacts is though to be the best of its kind in the world.

The Visitor Interpretive Center tells the story of these whalers and their hardships.

 Thousands of barrels of whale oil and baleen were shipped to Europe every year.  The Right Whale is now numbered at 350-400 in the entire world today and is projected to become extinct in another 100 years.

                                           www.pc.gc.ca/redbay
 Some of the worlds best fly fishing for salmon and trout is found here.