The winds and weather was favorable propelling me eastward from Labrador City to Happy Valley - Goose Bay, a distance of 320 miles with one stop for service in Churchills Falls.  The mosquitoes are quite pesky so I didn't stop much along the way but just kept the throttle pinned. 

The more remote areas of Canada always seem to be host to the most destructive energy and construction projects as if their distance from civilization justifies their acceptability.  Hundreds of miles of 300' wide clear-cut areas exist to make way for fast growing power lines. Hydroelectric dams reduce the flow of immense rivers to a trickle and sprawling mines extract minerals and resources while changing the appearance of the landscape.  Most of the vehicles passing me are numbered energy company vehicles flying 15ft orange flags with names like Hydro-Quebec, Valard or Champion.  Temporary work camps dot the roadways where a collection of bleak trailers and outbuildings serve as the main rural employment for much of this area.

Despite the environmental impact of these practices,  the land is still mostly unspoiled and virgin, with most places off the highway having never seen a human footprint.  Naturally occurring forest fires clear thousands of acres of woodland as all part of the natural cycle.  It is an amazing place on earth well deserving of the title "The Big Land".

I crossed into Labrador with a huge smile on my face, having finally reached a milestone in this portion of the journey. While attempting to take a timer shot of myself and the bike, a grey Impala pulls up and a beautiful woman asks if I want my picture taken? Absolutely!   As she emerges from the car, I realize my photographer is actually an RCMP officer from Labrador City out patrolling 389. Gulp.

With a big smile, she takes multiple pics of the bike and I, commenting that she enjoys photography as well.  While returning my camera,  a construction work truck arrives and the woman hollers "Hey, want both your pictures taken together? "  Sure!

Handing her my camera,  I joke "All we need now is an Indian (First Nations up here) and we'd have the Village People. To this she jokes "But I have heritage" , turning to lift her shirt back exposing a tattoo of a feathered dream catcher.  I suppose it was meant to be!

At 6am this morning while preparing coffee at a yet - open gas station, she pulled up beside me and said she had a chance to check out my blog. Neat! After giving me advice on her home island of Newfoundland and warning of bears ahead, she drove off with an hour left on her shift. Oof, 7-7 that's a long 12 hrs.  Thanks again to the RCMP for not being personality - less hardasses like in the states.

Fermont,  or Iron Mountain au Anglais , is the last town in Quebec before arriving in Labrador. Established in the mid 70's,  this mine is mind boggling in scale. The mountaintop removal here is unprecedented in my travels including Kentucky and southern WV. A contained workers camp and settlement provides the entire housing for all workers.  I was informed the dump truck shown was actually a small one (200tons) in comparison to the big ones they run (3-400ton).

Yesterday afternoon I began the long trip north on highway 389 into the interior of Quebec. An incredible natural landscape of northern forests greeted me with birch, alder, spruce and lichens. The route follows the Manicougan River which drains thousands of square miles of an  enormous swath of remote wilderness . Hydro Quebec has established a series of 5 hydroelectric dams along the raging body of water with looming transmission towers to carry energy south.   The route is also the only mainland link to Labrador and the expansive remote taiga ahead.

A highlight of today was seeing my first cow moose of the trip!