Day 4: East through Labrador

Day 4: Labrador City to Happy Valley-Goose Bay (HVGB)

I'll just like to point out that Happy Valley-Goose Bay is probably the best name for a city...ever.  I expect Happy people to live there.

Day 4 started with rainy, dark skies in Labrador City.  The night before we picked up our Satellite phone at our hotel that the government lends out for free.  There's no cell signal at all when driving on the Trans-Labrador highway, so we were happy to have it with us.  We drop it off at the end of the highway in L'ans aux Claire.

Satellite Phone

The highway in between Labrador City and HVGB used to be unpaved gravel, but in recent years about 300km of it has been newly paved, so we made good time, reaching the city of Churchill Falls by lunch time.

Churchhill Falls is a company town; there is nothing of interest there and all buildings and shops are there to support the workers and families.  The hydroelectric dam there uses the water from the Churchhill River to create electricity, but the river is now completely dry.  We gassed up, and left for HVGB.

Churchhill River is now empty.  

The road now turns to gravel, and it was very bumpy with tons of potholes.  Driving at 80+ kph, it was tricky to avoid the pot holes and was quite uncomfortable.  Whenever a truck drove by, it sprayed mud on our truck; it looks like a proper truck now with all the caked on mud!

We arrived at HVGB, and staying at the Hotel North 2, which are a chain of hotels up north.  It looks pretty ghetto from the outside as its made up of modular construction, but the inside is nicer than some chain hotels I've stayed back home.  

Tomorrow is off the Blanc Sablon, ending our time in Labrador

Massive pot Holes

Sign to HVGB

The trees are funny looking 

Hotel North 2

One dirty looking truck...mud and dust everywhere