Here's a blurb about our recent trip to NL.
As mentioned in another tread, we spent the first week of Sept driving in Labrador as part of the Lab Loop. It's basically a few days driving thru taiga; love it or hate it. It's an opportunity tho to drive remote, somewhat diminished by all the road construction equipment, crews and the other traffic (increasingly tourist). For POIs we weren't able to get in any dam tours but lucked out with a rare, resevoir release that brought Churchill Falls back to life.
One thing to mention on the Lab side is bush/wild camping opportunities are reduced in the construction zone(s). And sections of the majority part that has been improved and paved is on a raised road bed with, as I recall, most gravel pits blocked off and few side roads. So it can be tough to just pull off and camp at your leisure. Rather, the route is more likely to be a drive- camp, drive-camp type affair over 3-4 days.
We were on the big Island three weeks, from Sept 12 to Oct 2. I'll use the shoulder season angle for some of my comments. Btw ferries offered a discount, I think starting Oct 1.
People often make the difference on a trip and NL did not disappoint. Humble, hardworking, personable, polite ... and immediately likeable. Timing probably helped. With fewer tourists around, folks may have had more time to spend with us. In both monetary and by chance encounters conversations always ended with a friendly, "enjoy your visit" or "come visit again". And tourists do return and have done so for a long time. Even knowing that, it still took me a while to clue in that all those late model cars with NL plates parked at sites of interest were actually rentals...
One can't see it all in a short vacation, tho we did pretty good. Five weeks would have covered most of it. Natch, you have to get off the main hwy to experience the most rewarding bits. We did that often, avoiding larger centres whenever possible. As mentioned in another tread, there's not a single, grand loop road. So most areas are drive in, drive out which mops up time but even so, not much of a hardship ...
Nice thing tho, the coast is accessible by car. And it is worth seeing. In addition to serene outports and rugged coastlines there's interesting and significant geology and quiet a few small museums dealing with settlement, culture and a history of resource exploitation. Many villages have maintained trails to a headland, cove, waterfall etc which were great for short walks. Finding a local cafe wasn't too much of a problem. Residents are proud of their homes and their "country" and seem used to having tourists about. This greeting in a quiet hamlet summed it up nicely.
We did, and it was.
As mentioned in another tread, we spent the first week of Sept driving in Labrador as part of the Lab Loop. It's basically a few days driving thru taiga; love it or hate it. It's an opportunity tho to drive remote, somewhat diminished by all the road construction equipment, crews and the other traffic (increasingly tourist). For POIs we weren't able to get in any dam tours but lucked out with a rare, resevoir release that brought Churchill Falls back to life.
One thing to mention on the Lab side is bush/wild camping opportunities are reduced in the construction zone(s). And sections of the majority part that has been improved and paved is on a raised road bed with, as I recall, most gravel pits blocked off and few side roads. So it can be tough to just pull off and camp at your leisure. Rather, the route is more likely to be a drive- camp, drive-camp type affair over 3-4 days.
We were on the big Island three weeks, from Sept 12 to Oct 2. I'll use the shoulder season angle for some of my comments. Btw ferries offered a discount, I think starting Oct 1.
People often make the difference on a trip and NL did not disappoint. Humble, hardworking, personable, polite ... and immediately likeable. Timing probably helped. With fewer tourists around, folks may have had more time to spend with us. In both monetary and by chance encounters conversations always ended with a friendly, "enjoy your visit" or "come visit again". And tourists do return and have done so for a long time. Even knowing that, it still took me a while to clue in that all those late model cars with NL plates parked at sites of interest were actually rentals...
One can't see it all in a short vacation, tho we did pretty good. Five weeks would have covered most of it. Natch, you have to get off the main hwy to experience the most rewarding bits. We did that often, avoiding larger centres whenever possible. As mentioned in another tread, there's not a single, grand loop road. So most areas are drive in, drive out which mops up time but even so, not much of a hardship ...
Nice thing tho, the coast is accessible by car. And it is worth seeing. In addition to serene outports and rugged coastlines there's interesting and significant geology and quiet a few small museums dealing with settlement, culture and a history of resource exploitation. Many villages have maintained trails to a headland, cove, waterfall etc which were great for short walks. Finding a local cafe wasn't too much of a problem. Residents are proud of their homes and their "country" and seem used to having tourists about. This greeting in a quiet hamlet summed it up nicely.
We did, and it was.
