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Mega Road Trip to Far-Eastern Canada, June 15
June 15

June 15, 2014. Mary's Harbour to Red Bay, Labrador

We got up and out fairly early. Heading south, we drove the two roads in Lodge Bay and saw what we think were two Yellow-crowned Night-Herons, which were a bit north of where they should be. Continuing, we were blocked by road construction. They were doing some blasting, so we spent about an hour chatting with locals and enjoying the grand scenery. If you get stuck in construction, there isn't a better place in the world to do it.

Eventually we made it to Red Bay and the end of the dirt roads. We stopped at the local museum to learn about the Basque Whaling history (dating to the late 1500s), but we were told that this was the second of two museums, and we needed to visit the other one first. We got lunch, and after watching the 23-minute video at the Information Center, we were waylaid by staff regaling us with unending stories about local history. When they learned we were birders, we had a very long discussion about the taste of various local bird species. We eventually made it back to the museum, which was very interesting, but for a second time, we were waylaid by staff.

After finally breaking free, we walked a trail to a beach with several ancient whale skulls, and then decided to spend the night here because by then, it was late and we didn't get to see the wild places we had wanted to visit. We got a fantastic hotel room, but without internet.

June 15
Red Squirrel cutting Spruce cones at Lodge Bay
June 15
Snowshoe Hare eating someone's lawn at Lodge Bay
June 15
Construction delay along Labrador Coastal Highway
June 15
Last kilometer of gravel road when arriving at Red Bay
June 15
Red Bay Harbor
June 15
Arctic Tern
June 15
Red Bay Basque Whaling Museum
June 15
Actual clothing recovered from peat-bog burrial site
June 15
First evidence of European Rats in the New World!
June 15
Liz on Bony Shore Walking Trail
June 15
Skull of Right Whale butchered by Basque Whalers ca. 1680
June 15
Cut markes on whale skull left by Basque whalers
June 15
Female Common Eider resting on an iceberg
June 15
Our room with a view!
June 15
Our room on edge of Red Bay
June 15
Mouth of Red Bay: view from our front porch

Note: All distances, elevations, and other facts are approximate.
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