Robin Esrock, best-selling author of The Great Canadian Bucket List, sets off on a wild adventure across Canada’s remote Atlantic province.
Like meeting a celebrity in the flesh, I confess I expected something a little… bigger. Not that there was anything wrong with the unicorn-white Ford Escape, seated low with its sparkling silver street treads, supermodel grille and smooth six-speed transmission. It’s just that I’m picking up this stallion in Labrador City to tick off the most epic road trip on The Great Canadian Bucket List. From what I’d read, crossing the legendary 1200 km Trans-Labrador Highway (TLH) requires something more of a Clydesdale, a brute workhorse as opposed to a sexy steed. With its crunching potholes, transport trucks machine-gunning gravel, bloodthirsty mosquitoes and gas stations 400 kilometres apart – the TLH is a road known to shred the very soul of an automobile. It is Labrador’s only highway, a road so isolated that drivers can pick up a free loaner satellite phone from the local government, just in case. The Ford dealership folks in Lab City seem unconcerned, although the same could not be said about the owner at the local motel.
“A front-wheel drive Escape? Wow, you’re brave.”
Brave, but comfortable. No matter how rugged the conditions on the other side of the windshield, I’d have a spacious cockpit, sound tracked with my favourite road trip tunes on the SYNC® voice-activated in-car connectivity system which allowed me to operate the navigation, radio and the Sirius satellite systems all while keeping my hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.
Robin and his trusty Escape take in the sights along the Trans Labrador Highway.
From Labrador City to Happy Valley-Goose Bay
The first stretch from Labrador City to Happy Valley-Goose Bay is much ado about nothing. Freshly paved with liquorice asphalt, it’s nothing less than driving nirvana; through valleys that flow under enormous skies, I spent hours between any passing traffic. There’s even a quirky roadside attraction in the form of Churchill Falls — the world’s second largest underground power station.
Then comes 600km of endless dusty gravel, punctuated by summer road crews battling mosquitoes the size of swallows. I expect more rattle with our street treads, but the Escape effortlessly rolls through the dirt, barreling down the TLH and leaving a tunnel of dust in its wake. One-pump gas stations are few and far between, but given the Escape’s efficiency, there’s little concern for running out of gas. The speed limit is 70 km/hr, which seems overly generous in some sections, and a little more conservative in others.
Icebergs and Battle Harbour
Once I hit Labrador’s remarkable coastline, I see distant icebergs trolling the icy Atlantic. From Cartwright, I take a boat to a 65 km-long beach called the Wonderstrand. I take a break for a couple of days in historical Battle Harbour, where I encounter orca pods, dine on fresh cod, and taste sweet bakeapples for the first time. The TLH continues, gaining an extra half hour as I cross into Newfoundland time, where I witness atomic sunsets explode on the horizon (best viewed from the wheel, a blessed sanctuary from the black flies). Once I reach Forteau, home to Red Bay (Canada’s newest UNESCO World Heritage Site) the gravel gives way to asphalt, and suddenly it feels like I’m driving on porcelain.
Sunset on the Trans Labrador Highway
Mission accomplished!
I write my achievement in the thick dust that has caked on the Escape’s back window. Ticked the Trans Labrador Highway off the Bucket List! I sport it all the way to Corner Brook as a badge of honour, a highlight achievement for both my personal adventures, and the performance of my aptly named Escape. Passing truck drivers honk their approval, while curious locals ask how the Escape accomplished such a feat. No doubt about it: crossing Labrador is surely one of the world’s great road trips, a no-brainer for anyone’s Great Canadian Bucket List, and with a Ford Escape, more accessible than even the locals can imagine.
Renowned travel writer Robin Esrock @robinesrock visited every province and territory ticking off the best experiences in Canada. Find out more at http://www.canadianbucketlist.com