The Viking trail north to St. Anthony was a beautiful drive along the sea with several interesting stops. The first one we did was to visit the SS. Ethie shipwreck which happened in 1919. The SS. Ethie was caught in a blizzard, (which by my second week in Newfoundland’s spring season here, I can totally believe) and the engine wasn’t strong enough to pull away further into the sea. As the captain knew the boat was eventually going to crash to shore, they chose the shoal where they would have the greatest chance of saving all the passengers aboard. Luckily they managed to save everyone, even a baby they placed into an old mail bag, a bit like a Moses in the bulrushes situation.
A bit further down the road, Arches Provincial park is a beach where the sea rock formations form an arch and provide a pretty photo and picnic stop.
Our last stop was Port au Choix, and as the weather was truly abominable, with shearing wind and rain, we decided to do an interpretive experience with a traditional French Bread Oven, rather than hike trails and learn about the First people of this area. The bread oven did not disappoint, as we arrived just in time for the daily 2pm baking. Over fresh hot tea, buns, and homemade jams were told about the first French settlers here, and how these ovens were constructed from the ballast bricks that ships carried over from Europe. These ships left with their hulls full of cod. Moving to and away from things seems to be a Newfoundland experience. When the cod fishing was stopped here in 1992, over 30,000 people were laid off, which was the largest industrial layoff in Canadian history. Thousands of ex-fishers came to my province, Alberta, searching (and finding) work in higher paying oilfield jobs. They were away months at a time to send back money to their families in Newfoundland. That was the story of our interpreter; he was dyslexic and struggled in school, but that didn’t matter because he was going to be a fishing cod his whole life…until he wasn’t. He had a wife and children to support, couldn’t read due to the dyslexia, and no way to support his family, but to move to Alberta. We listened to tales of people in the distant and not so distant past struggling, finding strength together, and eventually coming through hard times all with a song in their hearts, it was beautiful.
We are off to St. Anthony next, Vikings here we come!
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