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If you recall, our last stop was in North West River. Although we had tentatively planned to leave there mid day, I often lose sight of time when I follow my nose so it was dusk when we bid farewell to this region and hit that long long (albeit relatively new) road to Cartwright. Did I say that road was long?  I should have known we wouldn’t get there before midnight.

From the time the first colonists settled in Cupers’ Cove (now Cupids) in 1610, Newfoundland culture, heritage, and survival has revolved around the North Atlantic and its bounty. Spending time at The Wooden Boat Museum in Winterton gave me an idea of what life was like in the outport communities back when people relied on the land and sea to survive.

Even though I knew that Happy Valley Goose Bay was the hub of Labrador, I was surprised to find a town of  7,500+ people with stores, restaurants, pubs, fast food outlets, churches, recreational facilities, building supply outlets, hotels—ad infinitum. Bit of a shock after driving long stretches without seeing neither man nor beast. (Remember those long, long, very long and straight dirt roads I was talking about?)  

Remember those long, very long dirt roads? Yup—lots more on the way to Churchill Falls. At some point we passed Ranger Lake where we saw a camp and an RV. It was such a startling change from miles and miles of black spruce and sky, Barrie piped up “Jeez—it’s built up around here.” (I’ve heard it said that you know you’re a Labradorian when your idea of a traffic jam is two cars waiting to pass a moose. Although we didn’t see a moose on our way to Churchill Falls, seeing a camp and RV on that long and lonely stretch struck my funny bone.)  

 An integral part of the whole Mummering tradition is the making and wearing of a hobby horse. The hobby horse is an odd creation, with a horse-like head, beady eyes, crooked hobnail teeth and a giant hunch back. It has a reputation for being menacing and terrifying— often clearing a room of small children upon entry. 

Nestled at the top of the Bonavista Peninsula is the tiny community of Elliston – the root cellar capital of the world. People flock here from all over the world for its many tourist attractions, such as the breathtaking coastline – complete with roaring shoreline and fascinating rock formations.  

It was a clear, cold early May day on a familiarization trip to tourism sites on the southern Burin Peninsula, with John and myself the only men among the 30 or so aboard the bus. We were trying to find shelter from the wind, but it found us wherever we strayed. It was John’s first visit, but I’d visited cousins here in the 1960s, had toured the area in the 1990s to update the Newfoundland and Labrador travel guide, and had been here for tournaments when my kids played soccer. I have roots here going back at least to a fellow named Richard Kirby who held letters of marque from the British admiralty during the American Revolution that granted him the right to take French and American ships, at gunpoint if necessary. It’s the kind of assignment that probably required some previous experience.

Newfoundland and Labrador has an enduring Irish culture, which is why we go all out celebrating St. Patrick's day, but some of our Irish history is really quite mysterious, stretching back thousands of years...

There’s one place I’ve always wanted to visit on St. Patrick’s Day. Not because I expect to find a jolly little leprechaun with a bountiful pot of gold, but because it's the closest you can get to Ireland right here in Newfoundland and Labrador.

It's not often that mere mortals can afford to stay in the same luxurious lodgings where royalty once slept. And when those accommodations also boast intriguing links to the ocean liner Titanic, the chances seem remote indeed.

It was a day ripped straight from a Star Wars movie. There we were, heading into the wild unknown aboard our airship, all seemingly unaware of what may lay ahead.

I might have mentioned once or 300 times that I grew up in central Newfoundland, and yet my jaunt around the area this past summer had many surprises in store. That’s what happens when you live somewhere for 18 years: you start taking things for granted.

Last weekend, hundreds upon hundreds of people in St. John’s paraded through the streets. Men were dressed as women, women were dressed as men. Underwear was worn as outerwear and even small children were merrily sporting bras stuffed with socks over the tops of their various layers. There were lots of ingeniously creative hobbyhorses prancing around and it was almost impossible to count the number of ugly sticks and accordions.

It’s all just another Christmas in Newfoundland and Labrador.

It’s almost Christmas. Have you heard?

I for one tend to get a bit twitchy when November starts to gallop towards December and public places set their sound systems to Jingle Bells 101. So I find it helps my Christmas spirit (or lackthereof) to remind myself of the good things about the season. The things that don’t involve frantically running around malls full of people mowing you down to get better spots in cash register line-ups so long there should a surprise pop-up concert by Adele waiting at the end.

St. John’s is a city that has been on the go for over 400 years. That’s a whole lot of life, death, love, murder, passion, intrigue, treachery and… did I mention death? That’s a whole lot of history, spilling out into the twists and turns of the narrow streets. No wonder it’s a hotbed of hauntings.

Last week I went to catch the final performance of Hamlet – one of the 2011 Shakespeare By The Sea productions. I realize writing about this festival when it’s already happened and you can’t now go and see the shows (if you unfortunately missed them) is a bit of a tease, but I’m hoping this post will encourage anyone out there who’s already thinking about a 2012 trip to Newfoundland and Labrador, to plan on seeing a performance or two next year.

On the last leg of their adventure, the hikers from TrailPeak.com saw the wreck of a ship from the early 1900s, whalebones, and a slew of icebergs.

This week, the hikers from TrailPeak.com saw 10,000-year-old icebergs, and visited historic Battle Harbour, a restored fishing village that thrived over the last three centuries.

From waterfalls to ancient coastlines, the hikers from TrailPeak.com have seen it all over the past three days, while trekking through southern Labrador.

Check out the latest blog from Kurt at TrailPeak.com to read about the scenery, history and culture they’ve discovered along the south coast of Labrador.