Colleen and I were Joe Mackay in the cabin for a few days before heading to Churchill Falls. Mr.and Mrs. Mackay were the hosts. They were also great cooks and prepared some delicious meals of caribou meat, soup, partridge, hare and moose.
Ray drove us to Muskrat Falls. We went on the side of the hill to the top of the waterfall. There were patches of snow on the track and the ground was soft. Ray has provided us with rubber boots for your feet dry. TheRoar of the falls was deafening. It was at a point where the river narrows between Churchill Falls on two hills and rocks. The cases were not as high, but the river was so close, millions of gallons of water flowed through this gorge with great force. "So this is a part of the Lower Churchill," I thought. "What a source of hydroelectric development."
We sat on a rock above the falls and falls off the fog seemed a light rain. It 'was very refreshing. Colleen was onSkirt, long blond hair in the wind. He looked at me and smiled: "What a beautiful woman."
Ray took a few pictures. We drove to the top of the waterfall and walked around some rocks, where the river widens. It looked like a large lake above the waterfall. Ray took us back through a different path along the beach. At this point the river was about a mile off. There were a couple of canoes and some old caribou bones washed on the beach. Colleen got up and saw the horns. Jetwatching the water with binoculars. He pointed to two canoes moving towards them. We stopped and waited for the canoes landed on the beach. It 'been a couple that we met during a previous trip to Labrador.
Ray and I spoke with the two canoes for about 15 minutes, while Colleen watched with amazement. The two canoes containing hunting equipment, camping and fishing equipment. One of the men showed them a fish about four feet long. They chatted a few minutes shaking hands andNext to the truck.
We drove to the cabin, and Joe sat in the road to Churchill, until we arrived at a crossroads. The charred remains of burnt trees showed where a large forest fire had burned through the area. A sign said Iceland Gull. We turned off the main road and continue up along the River. The four-wheel drive crashed into the street. We arrived to a washout period of Ray and was browsing around on the riverbank.
Ray took two fishing rods andtook me behind a pool just below the rapids. Colleen stood by the truck for a few minutes. Then they went to the side of the hill, according to an ancient caribou road, and looked at the stream. You could see for miles. They examined the ground to look through the binoculars, while Ray and I caught some fish. He scored a pair of geese in the valley. He waved the telescope to detect a swamp and saw three caribou feeding on the edge of a pond.
Weback to the truck with three nice fish. Ray rummaged through his backpack and dug some potatoes, onions, Coleman stove, cutlery and began preparing a meal, while I made a shelter to protect us from the wind. A few minutes later, Colleen is back and we enjoyed a meal fit for a king.
Ken Smith came to Joe a couple of minutes after cabin Ray. We were unpacking the truck, when Ken went into the cabin. Joe came in and produced a bottle of rum and a couple of bottles of home-madeWine. Ms. Mackay deleted some caribou hot dogs and grilled salmon. Joe took his guitar and violin. Ray has his accordion and began playing at The Northern Lights of Labrador. Ken and Colleen looked at me and said: "Have fun .. not really let you rip, leaving for Churchill Falls in the early hours of the morning."
There was a mist rising from the river to create pockets of fog in the valleys as we drove to the hotel the road. As we climbed the hill, disappeared into the fog. We lookedthe river crosses the valley and the hills of Goose Bay was and where the river narrows to see if Muskrat form. There was a view from the top of the hill. Ken stopped the truck and we were able to take some photos. We could see where the river ran Lower Brook bigger.
"What a beautiful sight," said Colleen. "So this is a part of the mighty Churchill River. What a beautiful country."
We drove and walked and walked Iceland Gull at a turning point inPope Hill, we started to climb. Ken explained that this was part of the new road, and indicated a path that went straight up the hill. "This is the old part. They call this the Pope's Hill, because people driving by Churchill said the rosary and the prayers before that worked," he laughed.
We were well above sea level, and there was snow on the side of the road and into the woods. Cache River, we sat down and a time step, Mitchum came to the river, fiftyMiles from Churchill Falls.
We arrived at Churchill Falls has seen before noon for a tour of the hydroelectric power plant in two, then went to the hotel for lunch. A tour guide to take us to the hotel in a hydro-van and drove us through the town.We stopped and went into a building where we saw a movie on the Churchill Falls hydro project development, and then stop the tour of the facility.
The complex, a thousand feet below ground, contained elevenPenstocks, a powerhouse, a gallery transformer, a water tower and two tail-race tunnel extension and a half miles to the underground flow. The underground power house was one of the largest in the world, with eleven units. Two men accused in a computer room instrument is controlled by the facility, including water control structures on the surface is. Two other men controlled the underground power plant.
The Churchill Falls hydroelectric power plant supplies most ofHydropower to the north-eastern United States. If Churchill was one of the largest power plants in the Western Hemisphere. The tour of the property has applied for three hours. We went to the hotel for dinner and had continued to Labrador City.
