June 17, 2014. L'anse-au-Clair, Labrador, to L'Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland

Today was a momentous day and the culmination of many years of hopes, dreams, and trying: we finally set foot on Newfoundland.

Up and out of the hotel after breakfast, we traveled south into Quebec and inquired at the Blanc-Sablon ferry. Satisfied, we continued south to a bird sanctuary where we looked across the icy water to an island with thousands of Common Murre, plus some Thick-billed Murre and Atlantic Puffins (LB#625). We weren't positive about the Thick-bills, so we only counted the Puffins as life-birds.

We caught the 1:30 PM ferry and crossed into Newfoundland at St. Barbe, identifying Thick-billed Murre along the way, but seeing few birds. It felt great to finally get here. We drove north on the Upper Peninsula, stopping at a trail that leads to a site with fossilized stromatolites, rare fossils from the dawn of life on earth. We continued to L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site and visited the site where Vikings established a short-lived village some 1,000 years ago. Before it got too late, we got a nearby room and plan to return to the historic site tomorrow.

Note: All distances, elevations, and other facts are approximate.
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