“Can’t come ta gitcha after dark,” says Barb. “Might hit a moose.”
Sounds like Minnesota (as presented in the movie “Fargo”), doesn’t it? But it’s not. This is the northern tip of the great Northern Peninsula of Atlantic Canada’s island of Newfoundland.
Barb Genge, the savvy and personable owner of Tuckamore Lodge in Main Brook; has lived here all her life and can tell you that the many hundreds of moose in this area are huge, ornery–and deadly. When you meet these thousand-pound critters on the road, they seem to make a point of stopping right smack in front of your vehicle. The results can be an ex-vehicle–and lots of dead meat, including you.
Welcome to the “Moose Capital of the World.”
It was not our first trip to this ruggedly beautiful area. Twenty years ago my husband and I drove all the way from Chicago to camp in Gros Morne National Park on the peninsula; we had never forgotten the mountains fjords, and the spectacular ocean scenery.
So when my nephew from Aspen discovered Tuckamore and told us he knew right away it was “our kind of place,” we jumped at the chance to do the trip again. But this time we’d have a brand new lodge at the end of the road, with real beds, regular meals and someone else to drive the van–and watch for moose.
Tuckamore Lodge, named after a scrubby little local evergreen blown flat by the fierce ocean winds, is an old hunting lodge reborn for ecotourism and is already in the top six of Canada’s wildlife viewing venues, according to Outside magazine. Run by an all-local staff, it sports gorgeous new Scandinavian-style log buildings and interiors right out of a Ralph Lauren ad. It straddles the fine line between luxury and down-home hospitality, but to those of us who are used to sleeping in tents, it’s paradise.
We were lucky to get a reservation on very short notice last July for a few days at the lodge. We could have flown, with connections, from Chicago right to Deer Lake in one day. But it’s a four-hour drive north to Tuckamore from there, so those pesky moose make an overnight stay mandatory in either the Deer Lake Motel (forget it) or Toronto.
We chose Toronto, one of North America’s greatest cities.
When we arrived the next day at the Deer Lake airport–with plenty of sunlight left in the day, of course–we found two prospective bear hunters fresh from Denmark waiting for the same van to the lodge. They could barely speak English and were quite mystified by the Newfoundlandic dialect, which is complex enough to warrant a separate dictionary.
(“Ya drops the haitches where ya shouldn’t and adds ’em where ya wouldn’t.” For example: ‘ens lays heggs.)
The “Newfies,” a nickname nobody seems to mind, are so warm, friendly and sincere that once again we felt like a member of the family right from the start.
They love their rocky little island with a passion, and the salty Atlantic breezes are in their blood. After an occasional visit to the mainland, we were told, some of them even kiss the ground upon returning, vowing never to leave again.
We could see why on our drive from the airport. The road, along the western shore of the peninsula on the Gulf of St. Lawrence, is rated the second most scenic route in Canada by the Canadian Tourism Commission, cutting through Gros Morne Park, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our shuttle, with an expert local driver, is included in the lodge rate, so by the time we finally got to the lodge, we felt as if we were already getting our money’s worth.
At the lodge, which sleeps 24 people in doubles and triples in two buildings, the wilderness was just outside our door. Whales, seabirds and icebergs were what interested us most, and with Hare Bay, a 15-mile-wide inlet off the Atlantic, just five minutes away, we got out on the water every day during our four-day, three-night stay.
Eddie, our boat driver, whose house overlooks the bay, did a superb job of showing us and several other guests the area and neighboring smaller islands, many with abandoned fishing villages. We also visited the Eider Duck Restoration Project, an awesome effort to improve the duck’s habitat, on Apron Island.
Mussels au naturel
One day for lunch, we gathered fresh mussels for a beach picnic. Eddie steamed them in a huge pot of seawater, and the au naturel result–no garlic, no white wine– was better than any French restaurant.
We stuffed ourselves, and then just as we were leaving, Eddie’s brother appeared in his picturesque fishing boat with fresh scallops for dinner. Yummy!
But the biggest thrill was a sunny day of iceberg watching. The enormous towering bergs we saw at close hand were beyond imagination. We had seen icebergs in the Labrador current from the deck of a ship a few years earlier, but here, in Eddie’s small boat, we could get within touching distance.
Of course, these massive ice-sculptures can be dangerous; if they suddenly tip, you’re dead. Eddie, however, watches the bergs from his house every day and knows the condition and stability of each one. He can also tell their ages (between 10,000 and 15,000 years old), and how long it took them to drift down from Greenland (two to three years). Trapped in Hare Bay for a few more years, they will eventually melt down in the summer sun. Tourists being tourists, one of our group just had to chip off some ice for cocktails while we held her by her ankles. (I found the ice disgustingly fishy and salty.)
Almost as equally impressive was a day of whale watching. For this excursion we were driven to St. Anthony, the largest community on the peninsula and the closest to L’Anse aux Meadows, the thousand-year-old Viking settlement. Instead of embarking on Eddie’s boat, we were treated to a genuine wooden Viking gnarr, or open sailing boat, of the type that brought the Norsemen to the New World. Low to the water, almost like a sea kayak, it was a smooth ride in spite of the choppy waves. But it was hard to imagine whole families with sheep and goats on the open Atlantic sailing all the way from Norway not even knowing where they were going. My husband, very aware of his Norse ancestry, felt right at home.
The whales were waiting. As soon as we got out into the bay they appeared, jumping madly around the boat as if they’d never seen a tourist before. For our part, we went berserk, running from side to side, trying to photograph these beautiful creatures called minke whales.
Toward the end of our visit we managed to tear ourselves away from the water to spend an afternoon in St. Anthony, where we visited the striking new Grenfell Museum and Visitor Centre. You can shop here for handicrafts and native art, and learn the history of the brave people of this area. The museum is named after Dr. Wilfred Grenfell, a true icon of the North and a Christian missionary who lived here and brought the first medical care to nearby Labrador in the 1920s (now, officially, the mainland part of the province of Newfoundland).
We also checked out L’Anse aux Meadows, which was just being excavated on our first trip 20 years ago. It is now an incredibly large and fascinating re-created Viking village showing life as it was a millennium ago and has become yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site on the island.
As we packed up to leave, our hosts seemed almost insulted. “But you can’t leave yet,” they cried, “there’s so much more to do”
“We’ll come back,” I answered. “And when we do, I promise we’ll even kiss the ground.”
IF YOU GO
THE LODGE
Tuckamore Lodge is open all year and offers many different packages with varied activities; customized packages are also available. Average price for a six-night “Encounters With Wildlife” runs about $1,100 per person, double occupancy. The all-inclusive price includes room, all tours and outings, all meals at lodge or while on tour, and transportation to/from Deer Lake. Other length stays may be available; our three-night stay cost us $550 each. Call Barb at 888-865-6361 or check her Web site, www.tuckamore-lodge.nf.net.
GETTING THERE
Air Canada (888-247-2262) can book you from Chicago to Deer Lake for about $800, including a stopover in Toronto at no extra cost. The transportation to Tuckamore Lodge from Deer Lake is included in the lodge rates. (All prices in U.S. dollars.)
WHAT TO WEAR
As always in the North, dress in layers. The July sun was hot, but ocean breezes–often accompanied by drizzle–made us chilly in the open boats. The best bet is a waterproof jacket to cover your heavy sweater, a cap, rain pants and rubber boots. Don’t forget sunscreen, sunglasses, gloves and a sturdy daypack. (Bring nice clothes for Toronto; Canadians in big cities are dressy, and T-shirts and shorts stamp you as a tourist.)
ABOUT MONEY
Except for souvenirs in St. Anthony, you won’t need any. Film is one item that’s expensive in Canada, so bring your own and bring lots. As of early May, $1 U.S.=$1.54 Canadian; $1 Canadian=$.65 U.S.
ABOUT TIME
Be aware that Newfoundland, the easternmost place in North America, is two and a half hours ahead of Chicago.
–D.F.
