Port au Choix

We are headed up the west coast of Newfoundland towards our next stop in Labrador. Last year we stopped at the National Historical Site here. There are traces of ancient Dorset people here, and we saw a caribou. So I thought we should stay here on our way up to the ferry.

I reserved a site at the Sea Shore RV Park, which turns out to be some RV hook-ups in the back lot of the Sea Echo Motel.

We have water and electric, we’re the only RV here and we’re right across the road with an open view to Gargamelle Cove, so it’s fine with us.

Matey and I walked out and explored when we got here. It’s a picturesque little port. Port au Choix (Port a Schwaa) is a corruption of Gaelic for little port, but is now usually taken to mean Port of Choice, from the French. It fits both names.

There’s an active fishing fleet and a fish processing plant.

Like everywhere in Newfoundland, if there’s a nice view a place is provided for viewing. This is right along the main street at the harbor.

And if there’s a notable bit of history, a display is made for anyone interested. I have found these things in every community we have visited and they make me feel like I’m being welcomed everywhere.

This morning we went to walk the Philip’s Garden Trail along the coast at the National Historic Site in hopes of seeing caribou. I got out of the truck, looked to the side and there was a caribou!

I was hoping I could get Bud’s attention before he went away. I needn’t have worried, he came right towards us. We got back in the truck with Matey and watched him come up.

He walked right behind us and over to some buildings.

After we started up the trail we looked back and he had gone into the water and he swam across the little cove to the opposite shore.

The trail itself was beautiful.

This is a wind-swept coast so the forest near the sea is all in miniature.

The rocks, too, were fascinating.

We didn’t get far before Matey showed signs of tiring so we headed back. We decided to do some touring by car.

First we drove out to the end of Point Riche, which is part of the National Historic Site. The wind was howling and these waves were big. We saw some breakers out in the water that were well over six feet.

We decided to drive north of town to look for more caribou, and when we turned around to drive back out we spotted this group of caribou cows.

There were at least two calves, but it was hard to see them as they were lying in the grass.

We did take the road north out of town. That turned out to be rough gravel through very pretty country.

We went by an area that had a lot of yellow flowers. When we got close I saw they were orchids! There must have been over a hundred of these yellow lady’s slippers there.

There are only about 550,000 people in all of Newfoundland and Labrador so it’s easy to get to a place where you can’t see or hear anyone. I’ve also noticed that there are very few aircraft. All you hear are wind and waves.

We came to a boggy area with another miniature forest. This one had larches, as well as spruce.

Later in the afternoon we took another walk. This time we went out the side of the cove the caribou had swum to.

We didn’t see him, but I did find another plant new to me.

This is Golden Root, Rhodiola rosea, and it grows wild in the Arctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America. I was excited to have found an Arctic plant!

We’re leaving Port au Choix tomorrow, but I will not forget it.