Two Lane Adventures: Day 9 of 30 on our 2017 Canadian Maritime Caravan with Yankee RV Tour

On Tuesday June 13, 2017 we took a car ride to an optional tour of a waterfalls. Locally known as Big Falls Park, Sir Richard Squires Memorial Park is located northeast of Deer Lake along Highway 422. It was a cloudy, drizzling morning, when we left the campground. But as we got closer to the park the weather cleared, a bit, and the sky lightened!

On TCH #1, just a bit from the campground is Marble Mountain. Nestled at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, towering over the beautiful Humber Valley, it is renowned for the best skiing on Canada's east coast. With the highest vertical drop of any ski area in Atlantic Canada, you'll soar down 250 acres and 39 trails catering to all skill levels. At the summit of the mountain, take in the stunning, rugged panorama as you stand 1,700 feet above the banks of the Humber River. Located just five minutes away from Corner Brook, Canada's snowiest city, Marble Mountain Resort receives an average 16 feet of natural snowfall annually. Take in the stunning scenery with Marble Zip Tours and Aerial Park year round. Ride nine zip lines that traverse the Steady Brook Gorge and Falls – some span 2,000 feet and are 285 feet high.

We passed by the Deer Lake Hydroelectric Generating Station, operated by Deer Lake Power Company. The history of Deer Lake Power Company dates back to 1915 when an extensive survey of the Humber River hydroelectric and timber resources was begun. The original company, Newfoundland Power and Paper Company was granted, along with lands, the water power rights on the Humber River watershed by the Newfoundland Government in return for investment in the industrial development of Newfoundland and Labrador. The First World War interrupted the project. It was not until late 1922 that development of a pulp and paper mill at Corner Brook and, concurrently, a hydroelectric generating station at Deer Lake was started. The original plan was to locate both the paper mill and power plant at Deer Lake. This was changed at the eleventh hour to have the mill in Corner Brook at tidewater. This decision was based on engineering progress in the early 1920's making feasible transmission of power over the 30 miles separating the two sites. Coinciding with the construction of the generating station was the building of a diversion dam at the outlet of Grand Lake which flowed into Junction Brook and the Humber River. Called Main Dam, it is an Ambursen-type structure, 800 feet long containing almost 30,000 cubic yards of concrete. The Dam controls the water elevation of Grand Lake, the main reservoir, and its adjacent feeder lakes. The Grand Lake watershed covers an area of over 3,000 square miles while the reservoir covers 308 square miles. At full storage, Grand Lake is 80 miles long and 4 miles at its widest point. Depths are almost 1,000 feet and its shoreline ranges from sandy beaches to vertical cliffs towering 1,800 feet above normal lake level.

The Provincial Park is on the scenic Humber River and is a popular place for salmon fishing. Sir Richard Squires Memorial Park was established in 1954 as the first Provincial Park in Newfoundland. It was opened to the public in July 1959. The park is named in honor of Sir Richard Squires the Prime Minister of Newfoundland from 1919 to 1923 and again from 1928 to 1932. During his first term in office, Squires successfully arranged the construction of a paper mill in Corner Brook. A tiny settlement at that time, Corner Brook has grown to be the second largest city in Newfoundland. Knighthood was bestowed upon Squires in 1921 for his achievements.

A short walk from the parking lot brings you to Big Falls where, in July and August, you can see salmon try to jump up the salmon ladder to get to pools further upstream to spawn. They have been known to jump in in mid to late June, but the weather had to be much warmer. A good thing about the cooler weather is … we are keeping their Black Fly season at bay!

An assortment of evergreen and broad-leaved trees can be found in the park, including: larch, birch, fir and spruce. You can see many different flowers too, such as the pitcher plant (floral emblem of Newfoundland), indian pipe, labrador tea and pearly everlasting are scattered throughout the area. The park provides suitable habitat for many types of mammals including snowshoe hare, red squirrels, beavers, moose and meadow voles. We saw a great deal of evidence of Moose, but no actual Moose!

A big attraction to Squires Memorial Park is the Atlantic salmon. The Atlantic salmon is an anadromous fish meaning the adults live in the sea but return to freshwater to spawn. The salmon migrate into Newfoundland rivers from early May to September. These fish are well known for their ability and determination to jump falls and other obstacles in their upstream journey to their birthplace. Salmon have been known to leap as high as 12 feet..

Once upstream the females lay thousands of eggs which are then fertilized by the males. In April or early May the newly hatched fish are called alevins. When they leave the depression or redd where they were born, they are called fry. As the fry develops it changes color and becomes known as a parr. Its sides are now marked with dark bars. After one to two years in the river, the parr marks begin to disappear and the young salmon is called a smolt. These near adults follow a general down-stream movement, eventually reaching the sea. In the open sea the adult salmon takes on its majestic silver and blue coloration. After one or more years in the ocean, the adult salmon returns to its home river to spawn. Many salmon repeat this process several times but some die of exhaustion or natural causes and, of course, some are caught by anglers.

After we returned from the park, we had a short time to rest before we headed out to our “Screech In” at the Pasadena Ski and Nature Lodge. The Pasadena Ski and Nature Park is a not-for-profit organization located in the ‘Crown of The Valley’ beautiful Pasadena. The park is a must-see tourist location and local attraction. It features over 11 miles of wilderness trails featuring breathtaking views and the wildlife of Western Newfoundland. In the winter, their ski trails are groomed and tracked daily. If skiing is not your cup of tea, they also have over 4 miles of groomed snowshoe trails for your enjoyment. The cozy chalet offers a comfortable place for guests to enjoy a hot cup of joe, tea or hot chocolate, and a snack by the fire. It is in the cozy chalet that we had our dinner.

Our dinner was traditional Newfoundland Moose Stew. I was a bit leery, I am not a gamey tasting meat kind of person … but when in Newfoundland … do as they do! The list of ingredients include Moose meat, of course … plus a nob of this, or an enormous glob of that and a bunch of the other thing. It might be a tough recipe to follow! I have to admit, it was so good … I had a second helping!

We were entertained by a local folk trio, the Sharecroppers. They are three retired teachers, who learned their harmony was a natural fit! They have been performing together for 29 years. They sing about their homeland, exploration, culture and heritage. Some songs are serious and some songs are silly. But all the songs are good!

There is a rite of passage for those who visit Newfoundland & Labrador and want to be an honorary citizen – this ritual is known as the Screech-in. The caravaneers, us non-Newfoundlanders, also known to Newfoundlanders as a "come from away" or "mainlander", were asked if we wanted to be become a Newfoundlander.

The proper response, of course, would be a hearty "Yes b'y!" We each had to eat a piece of hard tack, which is a hard, dried bread like substance. Back in the day, this was a meal on the fishing boats most of the days! We also enjoyed a piece of "Newfie steak", we us “come from awayer” would call it a chuck of bologna!

Each holding our shot of Screech, we were asked "Are ye a screecher?" and were taught the proper response: "'Deed I is, me ol' cock! And long may yer big jib draw!" Translated, it means "Yes I am, my old friend, and may your sails always catch wind." Screech is a Newfoundland rum with 40% alcohol by volume. The term screech is a colloquial term that has been used to describe almost any cheap, high alcohol spirit, including moonshine. The term is used in the brand name for this mid-priced rum to associate the brand with this tradition.

A cod fish, is then held up to the lips of each participant, who then bestows the fish with a kiss. Good thing we had the drink before we were asked to kiss the fish! With that, we became an honorary Newfie!

We also learned and sang the unofficial anthem of Newfoundland. "I's The B'y" is a traditional Newfoundland folk song. "I's the B'y" is in the Newfoundland English dialect, and translates to "I'm the Boy" or "I'm the Guy".

Here are the words to the song … I can’t describe the tune!

I'se The B'y that builds the boat, I'se The B'y that sails her; I'se The B'y that catches the fish and brings 'em home to Liza.