Pinware River, NFLD

Because I camped for free near the L’Anse Armour lighthouse the previous evening, I didn’t stay at the Pinware River Provincial Park as I had originally planned. That didn’t mean this morning I couldn’t use my park pass to stop and complete some personal hygiene before going on to Red Bay.

With a towel wrapped around my head and flip-flops slapping the ground, I came out of the ladies washroom to see a large snowshoe hare nibbling on grass, just a few meters away. I quietly unlatched the truck door and got my camera out, then tip-toed to the rear of the truck, where I crouched down to be closer to its level. This triggered a pause in its chewing. I stayed very still and quiet while the hare assessed how much of a threat I was.

A short moment later he or she continued eating but shifted its hind-end towards me, keeping one-eye my way and one eye towards an escape route. Every time I took a step sideways to get a better angle, its sidestepped in unison. We danced this jig for several minutes, until I finally tapped-out due to its camera-shyness, and left the hare to graze.

Heading down highway 510, I came to a wooden bridge and while crossing, I took a peek out the passenger-side window and saw the most amazing river flowing. I made a split-second decision to pull the truck over to the shoulder just beyond the bridge. There was no walk-way for pedestrians, but I gambled that early morning traffic in Labrador was nil, and dashed to the middle of the bridge in a burst of speed, with my wet hair flying, and cameras jangling around my neck to get a photo.

Feeling a lot like the snowshoe hare, with my eyes and ears open to danger, I recognized a distinct rumbling approaching and I beat a hasty retreat back to the truck just as a transport came barrelling across the bridge where I had just been standing, clearing the girder with inches to spare.

I gave him a wave and climbed back into the cab of my own vehicle and headed towards Red Bay. I can’t wait to check another UNESCO World Heritage site off my list.

Just in case you wanted to know;

I purchased a seasonal vehicle pass that gave me unlimited access to all NFLD provincial parks for $43.(2021 season.) There is an additional charge of $7 for overnight camping. Please see the website below for up to date information

www.parksnl.ca

No money or incentives were received for this post, it is my own experience.

Please join me next week. Happy travels from Maritimemac.