Polar Bears, Puffins, Icebergs, Vikings — and a Hank-Williams Dance:
Crazy Mix of Activities on an Adventure Cruise Along the Coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador in Eastern Canada
(all photos © April Orcutt — all rights reserved)
Story and photos by April Orcutt
“Polar bear off the starboard bow!” boomed the voice on the ship’s loudspeaker. I grabbed my binoculars and ran to an upper deck.
A hundred yards away a polar bear sauntered along ice floes. Huge, fluffy, and a slightly tanner color than the brilliant ice, it looked back at the 330-foot-long ship and continued moseying among slabs of ice. People oo’d and ah’d — many of us seeing our first white bear in the wild.
“Seeing polar bears in their natural habitat is why I came on this trip,” said Joanne Gerst, 52, of Houston, who was, with husband Clinton, 51, a Dallas native, celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. “Birds, ‘bergs and bears — that’s our theme,” she added.
And puffins, icebergs, and polar bears were what they got — along with a variety of offbeat experiences on a two-week Adventure Canada journey on the 118-passenger Sea Adventurer cruising the coasts of Canada’s eastern province of Newfoundland and Labrador. We walked in the meadows where Vikings first came to North America 1,000 years ago, saw Inuit and First-Nation’s culture, floated through 3,000-foot-high fiords, visited UNESCO World Heritage Sites and had a pajama party, a whiskey-label-writing contest, a Hank Williams dance, and a visit to “France.”
The cruise began in Saint-Pierre, a 10-square-mile island off Newfoundland that, together with the islands of Miquelon, make up France’s last outpost in North America. French-speaking locals, mansard roofs, fresh baguettes, layered cream pastries, and strong coffee paid for in Euros attested to the fact that this tiny island is indeed part of France. When the Sea Adventure set sail, a dozen locals cheered, waved, and played accordion serenades on the dock.
My first morning at sea I awakened to the loudspeaker voice saying, “Pod of orcas off the port bow!” I looked out my cabin window to see the pointed dorsal fins of three black-and-white orca whales cruising in unison a hundred yards out.
Because the cruise covered such remote — and dockless — territory, we had to dress for salt spray and boat to shore on Zodiacs. We also had to allow for last-minute changes in the schedule due to weather, sea-ice, or iceberg conditions. Passengers, though, just considered this another part of the adventure. Their apparently life-long intrepid spirits made them fascinating company for conversation during the three- and four-course lunches and dinners on board.
At Conne River, First Nations children of Mi’kmaq descent drummed and danced historical dances for us. Another day, in the village of Rigolet, Inuits demonstrated traditional games and square dancing, a favorite local activity.
In Gros Morne National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a group of us hiked toward a viewpoint of steep-sided, glacier-cut valleys that are now long bays and narrow lakes. Later we walked where the Earth’s nickel-and-iron-rich mantel has been pushed to the surface, but the red and gold rocks and soil are so full of semi-toxic minerals that only the hardiest plants can survive.
At L’Anse aux Meadows, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, near the northern tip of Newfoundland, 1,000 years ago Vikings arrived from Norway via Iceland and Greenland. This is where European Vikings crossed paths with North-American Inuit peoples, and humanity had finally circled the globe. Local guides led us to foundations of Norse homes and forges while re-enactors in woolen costumes chopped wood with handmade axes, sewed clothing by hand, and told about life in the community a millennium ago.
On day 10 we entered remote and little-visited Torngat Mountains National Park with its labyrinth of islands and fiords cutting as far as 35 miles inland. Cruising deep into West and North Fiords on a bright, sunny day, we passed U-shaped hanging valleys with narrow waterfalls dropping hundreds of feet. Around each bend in the fiord, another snowy-mountain vista appeared.
Between shore excursions, Adventure Canada staff presented talks about birds, bears, geology, Inuit life, First Nations’ culture, canoes, writing, folk songs, and more in the lounge. But the company also emphasizes the light side of life with evening contests like writing a whiskey label for an imaginary whiskey made in your hometown or trying to figure out which Newfoundlander is giving the real definition of provincial slang. One night featured a passenger variety show — note that it’s not called a “talent show.” Another evening’s Hank Williams Dance included guitars, cowboy hats, fake mustaches, and sing-alongs. If you didn’t want to go to the events, you could stay in your cabin and watch the festivities on your wide-screen TV.
The Gersts, however, were big participants. “We wanted something other than a kick-back vacation for our silver anniversary,” Clinton, the Dallas native, said. “There’s nothing about shopping on this trip. And nobody from work can reach me on a cell phone, either.” That’s what happens when you cruise one of the most remote — and beautiful — areas in North America.
April Orcutt is a California writer who loves exploring new territory, especially if she might see some furry or marine critters along the way.
When You Go:
Getting there:
Several airlines offer direct or one-stop flights to St. John’s, Newfoundland. Guests then take a charter flight to Saint-Pierre.
Small-ship cruises:
Adventure Canada specializes in small-ship cruises around Newfoundland, Labrador, Baffin Island, Greenland, and the Canadian Arctic. Because of weather and ice conditions, itineraries are always flexible, and passengers taking these cruises need to be aware of and comfortable with the possibility of changes. (Adventure Canada; 800–363–7566; adventurecanada.com)
What to eat:
All meals were included on the trip with a buffet breakfast and choices of three main dishes as well as appetizers and soups for lunch and dinner. Coffee, tea, and snacks were always available, and some nights had special desserts. I never heard anyone complain about a lack of food.
What to wear:
Bring warm clothing (layers of fleece), rain jackets, rain pants, and rubber boots in addition to sturdy boots for walking and hiking. Dress on board ship is casual with a couple of “dress up” nights where some women wore sweaters with sequins. Part of Adventure Canada’s shtick is costumes so for some evening events guests might be invited to wear pajamas for a movie night or to dress up like Vikings or like cowboys for the Hank Williams dance night. Theme information is sent to guests ahead so they can pack appropriately if they want to take part in these activities.
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Find more of April Orcutt’s stories at Medium.com/BATW-Travel-Stories, Medium.com/Travel-Insights-And-Outtakes, AprilOrcutt.Medium.com, and AprilOrcutt.com.
(story and all photos © April Orcutt — all rights reserved)
