Grand Falls-Windsor, Gander, and Burin

We left Grand Falls-Windsor in a slight mist and light rainfall. The drive through to Burin took us through a variety of landscapes. The first part continued to be slopes clad with dark green pine trees and lime green birches dotted with lakes and sometimes fiords. We passed through Gander where we saw the famous international airport originally chosen by the British because of its lack of fog (getting the picture about the weather here – fog!) as well as the Silent Witness Monument to the 248 US soldiers who lost their lives in a plane crash in December of 1985. It was a very peaceful spot and somehow still managed to make us feel sad for the families of the people who died. The memorial is of an unknown soldier standing on top of a rock holding the hands of two children. The children, a boy and a girl, each hold an olive branch to depict the peacekeeping mission of the 101st Airborne Division "Screaming Eagles" on the Sinai Peninsula from where they were returning. It is very powerful. Gander’s more recent claim to fame was immediately after 9/11 when they hosted the thousands of people whose planes were returned to Gander after the terrorists attack on the World Trade Centre. We motored on past the huge Lake Gander and started down the Burin Peninsula. Here the landscape changed dramatically. All the trees disappeared and the land became flat, or slightly undulating and looked like the Scottish moors; stoney and grassy, with marshy ponds. These were the “Wetlands” and many years ago were home to the Caribou. Unfortunately, the Caribou are now almost extinct as they eat tons of vegetation and there just isn’t enough food for them to survive. The bolders are glacial “erratics” dropped by melting glaciers 10,000 years ago. Finally, after about a 5 hour drive we reached Burin and here the landscape became coastal and absolutely fabulous. Burin is built around a series of cliffs overlooking various coves dotted with small islands of trees. Apparently it used to be a haven for pirates and privateers. Burin has a wonderful board walk where we strolled after our dinner of stew and pastry, on special at the By D’Rock Café for $5.50. It was delicious. Burin was founded in the late 1500s by the French and in the late 1700s it became a British naval base. In 1929 it was hit by a Tsunami and there was great loss of life and destruction to businesses and personal property. Today it is a growing community which may be partly due to the offshore oil and partly due to the returning families who have made their money in other parts of Canada and are now returning to Newfoundland. In any event, it is absolutely charming and was a very big surprise as I had not imagined anything as interesting in this part of Newfoundland. And of course, I made some new friends! They were very curious and chatty! If you do come to Newfoundland, plan on spending a few days here. It is remote, but very charming.

Tonight we are staying in the WheelHouse Inn overlooking the Burin Bay Arm. It is also very clean, and quite charming. Tomorrow we catch the ferry to St. Pierre.