L'Ance aux Meadows to Port au Choix and Twillingate to Gander

Before we left St Anthony's we went back to the lighthouse and walked some trails. Erik climbed Daredevil Trail which was a stairway to the highest outlook and gave a 360 view of the harbour. Then, Erik got to play Viking Warrior and learn all about the Norsemen that stayed in Nfld 500 years before Christopher Columbus arrived. We hit both Norstead A recreated settlement where you could interact with the actors and the authentic dig site/interpretive centre. A moose and her calf were also checking out the site and we watched them for quite a while. Then we took the same road back to Port au Choix just north of Gros Morin park. Nice fishing village and the 2nd last day of cod fishing season. Yesterday we had a phenomenal ride with perfect temperature and no wind through Gros Morin. It was nothing short of spectacular first with its rugged moonscapes then with the ocean on our right and fishing villages dotting the coast. Then through the mountains and fjords. This park is absolutely amazing and the Cabot Trail will have to be even better? Today we got a dose of real Maritime rain and it was like nature just opened up the faucet. Erik was truly impressed with how well the Explorer handled the rough pitted, puddled, greasy roads from Birchy Bay to Twillingate and back to Lewisport. This would have been a phenomenal biking road in dry conditions but in the wet it was a true test for the Spyder. Not much fun though. Figured out what in our gear is not really waterproof and packed it in early in Gander. Des (who we met on the ferry) and Connie took us for supper and showed us The Silent Witness, a memorial to the 256 US peacekeepers + crew who lost their lives in a crash Dec.11, 1985 on their way home from the Sinai Peninsula. Des toured us through the air traffic control centre in Gander, where most air traffic to and from Europe as well as north eastern North America was diverted to Gander during the '911' crisis. This city has an interesting air history. Our thanks to Connie and Des.