Page 68 - Benefits-of-Immigration-for-Newfoundland-and-Labrador

Mere words cannot paint the picture been a constant. That was true for the
that is Gros Morne. It is one of those rare Maritime Archaic and Dorset peoples who
places that reaches right into your soul. lived in the Port au Choix area long before
It was here that geologists discovered Europeans arrived. A 3-km trail connects
that trilobite fossils of the area differed the village to the Point Riche Lighthouse,
from those in eastern Newfoundland and built in 1892. Watch for caribou and
resembled those found in Spain and whales! Other nearby trails will take you
North Africa, helping to make the case for to long stretches of beach, across
plate tectonics. Plus there’s the limestone barrens, and through
Tablelands, a mesa-like formation of a tuckamore forests.
rock type usually found deep in the earth. St. Barbe is a jumping-off point for
This is one of a handful of places where southern Labrador. A ferry service
it’s been pushed to the surface by crosses the Strait of Belle Isle to Blanc
tectonic forces. Take a hike among these Sablon, right on the Labrador-Québec
unusual rocks and maybe meet a moose. border. See the Labrador section for
Further north is Western Brook Pond, a more information.
remarkable misnomer for this gigantic, On Route 436 you’ll find our second
glacier-carved fjord with cliffs 2,000 feet UNESCO World Heritage Site, at L’Anse
high. Explore the fjord as part of a boat tour, aux Meadows. It was here Vikings led by
or take a cruise along the coast to see the Leif Erickson founded the first European
mountains from a different vantage point. settlement in North America a thousand
There are over 100 km of trails in the years ago.
park, including iconic treks like Gros L’Anse aux Meadows was a tiny fishing
Morne Mountain and Green Gardens, plus village in 1960, when explorer Helge
migrating caribou, Arctic-alpine plants, and Ingstad came looking for a place the
other natural wonders. In winter, this place Vikings called Vinland. Ingstad, his
is a wonderland for snowmobilers, skiers, archaeologist wife Anne, and Parks
and backcountry enthusiasts – many of Canada uncovered the remains of several
whom lead tours. And, unlike most Viking houses, a forge, and other
national parks, this one has pockets of buildings, proving the Vikings were here
civilization: the towns and villages in and more than 500 years before any other
around the park provide services and Europeans arrived on this continent.
accommodations, and there’s a lively arts Nearby Norstead depicts life as it would
community. Annual festivals celebrate have existed in a port of trade for a
theatre, writing, and music, and the region Scandinavian country during this era,
is home to many talented visual artists. including a full-scale replica Viking ship
You can reach Port au Choix via Route and four period-style buildings.
430-28 from Port Saunders. The Basques, The tip of the Great Northern Peninsula
the French, and the English have fished has Newfoundland’s longest iceberg-
along these shores for almost five watching season, and is a good place to
centuries. Part of this story is told at the see whales late into the summer. The best
French Rooms Cultural Centre. Crab and way to see both is from one of the tour
lobster are king along this shore – you’ll boats operating in the area. And the
see hundreds of pots stacked in many Iceberg Festival in June is dedicated to
places, and the harbour is busy with these glacial giants.
fishing boats coming and going. Another visitor to St. Anthony had
Over the millennia, cultures have come quite a different impact. Dr. Wilfred
and gone, but dependence on the sea has Grenfell brought modern medicine to

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