Labrador 6

Thursday, August 15, 2024

On the last morning, we needed to pack up and get out of the cabin because all the St. Marie family was coming. There were a couple of messages about the float plane not being able to get out due to low ceiling. Thankfully the flight from Labrador City to Montreal was moved to 6:30. Once packed, I took my last tour of the lodge with interesting things in every corner. I walked down the dirt road to a bay, then walked the other direction to the sawmill. It’s pretty amazing to get all this stuff to this remote location. There is no Lowe’s. Yves had to cut trees before milling them into lumber to build the lodge, cabins, docks, generator house and workshop.

The above picture is a story! Yves discovered this WW2 B52 bomber on the bottom of the lake. Divers. Divers attached airbags and floated it to the surface and it was pulled 90 miles, very slowly to town. The U.S. took it, rebuilt it and put it in a museum. Apparently the navigation system failed and they missed landing in Goose Bay.

This has been an expensive trip, but a great one. We didn’t catch a hundred of the great Brook trout, but we caught some beauties, and they are an amazing fish. This vast expanse of water, lakes, islands, trees and bears is a wonder. I was appreciative of our guide, Michelle, who guided us safely every day. I am in awe of Yves and Pattie St. Marie for all they have done to build this place and to keep it going. They are two of the nicest people I have ever met. Their season is only two months long, and most things have to be flown in, or brought on sleds on frozen ice of winter. It was great spending time with Ron. I always learn a lot, and the stories of his many adventures are legend.

I would like to explore more of Labrador. Two months of driving the only road in Labrador would be very cool; then back on a ferry on the St. Lawrence. I’d like to explore Torngat Mountains National Park, and I’d like to catch more Brookies!