The Grass, It Is a Growin': Goose Bay, NL to Rigolet, Nunatsiavut

Sorry, Goose Bay, but you don't have a lot going on...at least not for a threesome with no car.

We arrived in Goose Bay late in the afternoon on Monday, got to the hotel, and being as excited as the three of us were, immediately went for a walk. We went to the Mariner's Galley, which our cab driver from the airport had told us was the best food in town. All three of us got the caribou burger (if our overly bundled bodies hadn't given us away as "southerners", this definitely did). I'm pretty sure it could have been President's Choice hamburgers that we ate, served with home fries and gravy. Don't get me wrong, it was tasty after a day of travelling north, but it had a distinct pre-packaged, frozen air about it. Undeterred, we asked for directions to the nearest grocery store, so we could get some breakfast, lunch, and snack grub to avoid the (dreaded by me especially) per diem restaurant dining, which is the only downfall of work travel. Our waitress started giving us driving directions right away. "We're walking," I swear we spat it in unison, at which point our waitress paused, I can only assume to grapple with the idea of walking to and from the grocery store in Labrador winter. Luckily a fellow diner overheard the conversation and offered us a ride. Score! He turned out to be an RCMP officer named Raymond - thanks Raymond! From Ottawa, he's been working in Goose (as he called it) for a few months. He even picked us up when he saw us pathetically walking, single file, along side the snowy road home. Double score!

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Walkin in a winter wonderland...

Mara in the snow.

We had a day off on Tuesday, but there really wasn't much to do. We went for a walk along some snow mobile paths in the woods behind our hotel, wandered up to the Subway, over to the CBC radio building - no one was there - to the Bargain! Bargain! Bargain! Mart, and then, with nothing left to explore and our cheeks frozen, back to the confinement of our hotel room. Blurg. Goose Bay is definitely not a pedestrian friendly city, but I can't say I blame them. Luckily Mara, Cody, and I realized we all have a strong love for Home Movies (you know the cartoon that used to be on adult swim - the kids make movies and act like adults), so we pulled the mirror off the wall, set up the LCD projector we brought for workshop displays of microscopic organisms, and settled in for a mini marathon.

Our chariot awaits.

Bright and early on Wednesday morning, we headed to the airport to find out there were high wind (like really high wind) warnings in effect for Rigolet, the community we were scheduled to visit. No big deal, they made us say that we'd been sufficiently warned about the weather conditions, slapped a disclaimer agreement sticker on our tickets, and we shuffled onto the plane anyway. High winds were not deterring us from getting the hell out of Goose and into the north. A Twin Otter, flown, in an open cockpit, by two pilots - one of whom loaded our bags - shakily got us to Rigolet. At the airport we were met by two snow mobiles: one with a sled behind it for luggage, one with a sled behind it for us. It was the coldest day yet this winter season (-39 before the wind chill) so we layered on sweaters, snow pants, balaclavas, ski goggles, toques, and more and more layers of all of that. Snow mobiles are the shit! Except for the exhaust, which is wildly potent up here. I don't know if it's the clean air, the cold, or the number of sleds, but the fumes from everything are so much more noticeable.

Cody gettin his sled on.

The school was beautiful - smart boards and computers in every classroom, a science lab decked out with microscopes, a full computer lab with the added bonus of a weighted-key keyboard and an engraving machine, a view overlooking the rushing river, and teachers who genuinely seem to love their jobs and Rigolet. With only forty-five students in the whole school, we met all of them, and they were great - lots of questions, tons of stories, rolling laughter...and some science.

After the workshops we took a walk through the town. I can't describe how gorgeous it is. Rigolet is an Inuit community with a population of 310. It's situated at the mouth of Lake Melville and has no road access. Apparently there are snow mobile trails that lead all the way to Goose Bay, but because of the abnormally warm winter Labrador has had, the ice isn't as thick as it usually is and it's mighty dangerous to travel it right now. The town was so quiet. The only noise was snow mobiles whipping by us and water rushing down the river as the tide went out. We were surrounded by mountains in the town, across the river, beside and behind us. I don't know how to describe the location with any word other than big. Small area, not many people, but big land, huge land.