This blog is about part 1 of my 20,000+ mile car-camping trip with my dogs from DC to Alaska via Labrador. Part 1, in 2011, was to the end of the road in northeastern North America in Labrador and then on to Quebec and Ontario, 7609 miles. Part 2, which took place in 2012, picked up where Part 1 left off in Ontario and was supposed to extend to Banff and Jasper National Parks in the Canadian Rockies, but Leben, my male German shepherd, became paralyzed on the trip so we cut it short. We will finish the journey in 2013, when we will return to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.

Day 12, Wednesday, Aug 31, Red Bay, Labrador, 146 miles, 2766 miles in total

I sure hated to leave Pinsent Arm this morning, but the road beckoned, a road that was among the worst on the entire TLH, perhaps because it is the most heavily traveled.  But the change of scenery made up for the  roads, when could afford to take Ryder off of it.  What views!  Wide, open vistas of mountains one side, the sea from time to time on the other.  My new digital camera paid for itself that day.

My drive through Labrador was coming to an end soon and after 1300 miles, all  I saw was  one animal, although bears and wolves populate the area.

My hope was, assuming I did not lose time due to emergencies, to roll into Red Bay on the coast at 5:00 p.m.  Wednesday. That is where the dirt and gravel road ends.  What is remarkable about that is that I had no idea where I would spend each night until we found a place to pitch the tent for the night (and they were all spectacular) and that each minute of the day was consumed by the morning chores (three hours), the day's driving (eight hours)' the evening chores (three hours), and sleeping (nine hours).  The best indication of how much spare time I had is how far I got into the only book I brought along to read in my spare time, War and Peace.  I got as far as page one on the first night, and I am still on it, although I just finished the audio book of the same title tod.  Well, we rolled in at precisely 5:05.

I pitched my tent in the middle of town, and what a view we had of the quaint seaside fishing town, the mountains an the seas. Wow. Better than I recalled it from 2002 when we camped there. My only concerns were the two wooden towers they built nearby reminded men of the movie, The Wicker Man, and the black flies. For the entire trip I  had not used Deet much as then flies were tolerable wit the wind keeping them down.  But not in Red Bay.  After m first dinner out the whole tip, as I made my way back to my tent, they were waiting for me.  The next morning, when I looked in a mirror, I counter several hundred bite marks on my face and back of my neck, and both my eyes were swollen.  I guess Deet does work after all.

Ed     
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