The Unexpected in Goose Bay
Days 16-18, June 4-6
tl;dr: Goose Bay held a number of surprises:
balmy weather!
a quality restaurant!
a diverse population!
Wednesday
When we stepped out of Big Blue in Goose Bay after a long day of driving, we were amazed to encounter balmy weather — 65 degrees!
Mamattuk
While Doug was tanking up, I crossed the street to a restaurant called Mamattuk. How shocking to discover that it was actually a nice restaurant! I made a reservation for later that evening and we got changed in the camper in the parking lot. I even pulled out a little T-shirt dress that I hadn’t expected to wear for another month!
We later discovered that the chef is Afghani, and that the name means “delicious” in Inuttitut.
(scroll down for a picture from a later breakfast)
The Visitor Center
We were happy to read that we could boondock in the parking lot at the Visitor Center with the bonus of a free electric hookup. While we were setting up a fella roared up on a quad. He warned us about the homeless shelter next door and said we’d be better off elsewhere. But we decided to take our chances.
Had no problems whatsoever, that night nor the next one.
Thursday
The next morning the staff for the Visitor Center showed up and we talked with them — two fellas who were immigrants from Afghanistan. I was curious to learn about how they ended up in Labrador, what their experience was like, and how they were managing to earn degrees. They were both impressive young men.
On their recommendation, we drove to the Jungle Jim’s Eatery for breakfast. We’ve noticed this chain in other provinces, so we gave it a try. Breakfast was fine.
North West River
We drove 30 minutes up (a very bumpy!) Route 520 to the town of North West River, which is a First Nations community. The setting is gorgeous, a town surrounded by two lakes connected by a river.
Our goal was to see either or both of the two local museums. The smaller of the two, the Labrador Heritage Museum, was closed, even though the stated hours said it would be open, which was disappointing after a long, bumpy ride.
Labrador Interpretation Center
So we wended our way up the hill to the Labrador Interpretation Center. The staff person, Larry, was very welcoming. I shared our disappointment that the other museum was closed.
Larry showed us a room with a special exhibit about William Larkham, Jr., the winner of “Alone” Season 11, who was from Goose Bay. His ten survival items were on display. I’m a fan of the show, so it was fun to see the hometown pride.
We also watched a portion of a film called “Northwords” about a group of five writers who spent a week in the Torngat mountains back in 2012. They experienced the physicality of the place, as well as its natural history and people history, and wrote something inspired by the austere landscape. In the future I’d like to watch the whole documentary.
Another large room had displays from the various First Nations groups. I enjoyed a timeline and took photos of various key dates. There was also a small photography exhibit about Churchill River (which incidentally was renamed in the 1950s by Joey Smallwood).
By the time we’d finished all the exhibits, Larry told us that he’d made a phone call and arranged for a volunteer to open the other museum at 1:00. A few other visitors were also interested. Meanwhile, we had time to stop in at a little café for a quick sandwich.
Labrador Heritage Museum
This small museum is housed in a former Hudson Bay Company Trading Post and had exhibits about trapping and about the HBC. There was also a lot of information about the Grenfell Missions, which were, and still are, an essential part of Labrador history.
Most interesting was a room full of handmade dioramas which were motorized — you could push a button and watch and listen. Someone’s passion project! I’ll put a snippet of video showing the fur traders at the HBC.
On the way out we intended to drive through a nearby community, Sheshatshiu, but the road was blocked by a police car, so we drove on. North West River is primarily an Inuit community, while Sheshatshiu is primarily Innu.
Back in Goose Bay again, we walked the Birch Island trail, which is a boardwalk through wetlands along the Churchill River. There’s interesting history about the resettlement of the area, which was originally separated from the town by water. We walked about 4 miles.
Check out these tracks in the sand. We also saw evidence of beavers.
Friday
Friday morning was hazy with wildfire smoke. Before we headed out for the long drive south, we stopped for a delicious breakfast at Mamattuk. Doug ordered a version of ratatouille and I had a huge croissant with brie cheese and smoked Arctic char, which is very similar to smoked salmon, only a bit more flavorful!
Just so unexpected and much-appreciated to encounter a truly good restaurant in this remote place in northern Labrador.
I even had an espresso martini, simply because I could. After all, Doug does all the driving. Doug spoke with the bartender about how he made it. The bartender gave him the details, then asked me if it was “top-notch.” I told him it was.
As we settled the bill we chatted with the bartender and waitress. They both came to Labrador from Ukraine in 2018. When I asked the waitress what it was like to relocate with a family, she said that the beach is very nice and her two children like to splash in the water, even though it’s frigid.
On the Road Again
To leave Goose Bay we crossed the Churchill River which was broad and blue, with the outline of blue mountains in the distance. It seemed that the poplar trees had leafed out in the two days we’d been in town.
Two notable things happened on the long drive that day. We saw a black bear along the road (the same one?). And we passed a very bad wreck that occurred the previous day, with evidence of engine fire. We read later about the collision between a semi-truck and an SUV. The driver of the SUV perished.
Stay safe on the roads, my friends!