Getting to know NL

One of our first stops in Newfoundland was at L'Anse aux Meadows, where the vikings visited in about 1000 AD.  The picture above is a replica of one of there long houses, build with 10,000 blocks of peat sod, each about 20 Kg (45 lbs).  There were 3 longhouse ruins, indicated 3 ships and there are indications of several voyages.  A guided tour was informative, while indicating how much was speculation, based on a few facts. 

 It was a lovely day in the sunshine.

A few observations of NL:

1. The people are really friendly, several times people went out of their way to be helpful.  We were stopped, looking at a map in the wind and one person stopped and asked if we needed help.  After a couple of attempts to give complicated directions, he said "Come chase me down a few minutes, boys" and led us to the street that took us to our destination.

2. They are really polite drivers, often when catching up with a car, the driver will slow down, pull over as far as they can and signal when it's clear ahead.  On one corner, Barry turned left, but there wasn't time for me to follow before a car approached.  Since there was a car behind me, I pulled over to let her go by.  Both cars stopped to let me turn.

3. In the northern end, there are wide stretches cleared along side the roads.  In many places, people would put up a small fence, and plant a garden in the flat space.

4.  According to Steve, the tour guide, heating oil is very expensive ($700-800 per month), so people can get a permit to cut 8 cords of wood for $30.  They stack it along the road to dry for a year, with their permit number on a white sign.  The police come along and measure the wood, and give a ticket if you've cut too much.

5. The roads are lined for miles with wild flowers, mostly yellow, either buttercups or daisies, also lots of white daisies are very common and clumps of purple spikes.  Lovely. The roads are quite gently curved and a Buell Lightning would love to ride them.

6. The trees vary in height.  On the north end, they are about the height of a person, but very dense (wouldn't want to try to hike through them.  Then as you go south they get taller, reaching above the height of a power pole, until you get about 50 km from the south end of the Avalon Peninsula, where they disappear completely.

7. People in Newfoundland love to fish with rods - practically every place you can pull off the road by a stream, pond or shore, there is someone fishing.

8. People in Newfoundland are very friendly.  Everyone we've met has been friendly, but NL really go out of their way to help, or just to chat.

That's all for today, more about visiting St John's when we next get access to wireless internt.