L'anse Aux Meadows and St Anthonys

As we were preparing for today's ride with the weather iffy, it started to drizzle. Headed out in light rain with rain soaked pavement. Within 1/2 an hour pavement dried and roads were straight and fairly flat. Saw our first moose munching away in a field. Kept on dodging rain clouds all the way to L'anse Aux Meadows (the Parks Canada Viking settlement Exhibit). The reason why this exhibit is significant is that it proves that homo- sapiens had circled the globe 1000 years ago from the original ancestors that came out of Africa over 100,000 years ago.

The meadow where the Vikings landed and used as an outpost for about 10 years

One of several spots the original sod structures were found.

Yours truly at the entrance to a replica sod structure

Replica of a work area

Roof truss structure

Typical items in a Norse household

Reenactment of life for the Norse

Typical items they ate, herbs, nuts and eggs

Depictions of Leif Erikson and a Norse woman

After leaving the Viking site, headed to St Anthonys in search of icebergs. People that we talked to said there were icebergs in St Anthonys Bight, a larger arm of St Anthonys Harbour. As we were looking at the icebergs from the road, a local stopped and gave us directions down a dirt road to the beach for the best view...

Julie seeing an iceberg for the first time.

Notice the town of St Anthonys in the background

We hiked out to a point and were very close to an iceberg.

A french couple took our picture..

While we were there, one of the icebergs split apart. Very cool the sound it made.

As a segway, this berry is locally called Applebake or better known as Cloudberry. Currently in season, saw many people on the side of the highways picking them, as we were informed, they can make $50 per gallon. Very labour intensive as only 1 berry grows on one stem.

Lovely hand model, guess who

Keep seeing gardens at the side of the highways and roadways. People apparently plant gardens anywhere there is a patch of fertile soil and nobody bothers them. Liked these gardens as they had guards.

Then we headed into St Anthonys and to the lighthouse. We saw whales breaching throughout the bay. Quite a ways off. Pictures would not have turned out, but we watched for over a half hour as it was quite the show.

As we rode back to St Barbe, 170kms away, able to dodge almost all the rain clouds. Only got misted twice and not enough to completely wet the windshield. All in all, was a great great day.