Rain, wind and lower temperatures this morning gave us an opportunity to test the various heating systems in the vehicle. So in turn we tried the hydronic to heat water (for a shower) and then to heat the camper, next the generator and small electric heater, and finally the heating strip in the air conditioner.

The sealed road of yesterday continued for many miles this morning but the mood of the road is now quite different with the gray of the sky merging with the green black of the forest at some indistinct horizon and the whipping wind removing the cheerfulness that yesterdays sun produced. Eventually the road returned to gravel, the surface was in reasonable condition and as an added bonus the rain filled potholes were much easier to see.

Some miles out from the town of Churchill Falls we crossed the Churchill River (and did not even notice the "falls" from which the town got its name). The river contains some impressive rocks and across the river is a very sturdy cable way. I guess this gets used when the bridge is out. A little farther up the road we ran into a road gang laying down large rocks as a road base. It felt like they were making the road as we drove over it.

The town of Churchill Falls exists solely to support the local hydro-electric power plant, the largest in North America, and interestingly entirely underground (1000 ft below the surface we are told). It turns out that almost everything is closed today (Sunday) and tomorrow (Monday), that the lady that organizes power plant tours is on vacation and hence even had we wanted to we cannot tour the plant.

To our surprise we meet up with Gerry and Joy, the couple we met in Casselman who got us thinking about this road in the first place. We had lunch together at the local and only hotel and learned, from Gerry, that the people of NewFoundland-Labrador feel badly treated by their Quebec countryman. It appears that Labrador produces large quantities of hydro-power, but because Labrador is essentially land-locked have been forced to sell it to Quebec at very low prices. To add insult to injury Quebec on-sells it at high prices to New York. So much for national solidarity. I guess British Columbia has a good role model in its negotiations with Alberta over the proposed oil pipeline to the Pacific.

Another gravel pit this evening - though this one is close enough to the road that we can hear and see the passing trucks.