Humber Valley - B&B For Sale

Well known to all that have visited Humber Valley ... Maybe of interest: The "Adams House" Bed and Breakfast (5 star B&B in & little Rapids) is for sale. Four guest bedrooms and an owners appartment in a 1/2 acre plot.

Check it out on Remax $499k

ARTICLE: "A good walk - with a grand view"

A good walk - with a grand view
Canada’s ‘best new golf course’ a stone’s throw from a fiord, caves and a national park

HUMBER VALLEY, N.L. It appears on the surface to be an almost ludicrous statement. Nevertheless, here it is: to do nothing but play Canada’s best new golf course repeatedly during a week’s vacation would be a huge mistake.

The River Course at the Humber Valley Resort is most deserving of winning Score Golf Magazine’s best new course in Canada award last year. It’s a spectacular design by Doug Carrick, who seems to top himself with every new course. It’s a fun and challenging course with spectacular views, including at least one tee shot that will take your breath away.

You can chase after foxes, as they trot onto the green and nonchalantly steal your ball, then have to wait to tee off the next hole as a moose slowly saunters across your fairway. Why, then, wouldn’t you play this course every day? Simply, it’s because this part of Newfoundland, an area not as well known by visitors from the rest of Canada as St. John’s and the east coast of The Rock, has so much else to offer.

In about an hour from Humber Valley, you can be in Gros Morne National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and take a boat ride down the length of Western Brook Pond, Canada’s only fiord, looking straight up at cliffs that tower thousands of feet over your head And only half an hour or so from the resort in the opposite direction, you can try your hand at salmon fishing, kayaking, rappelling, river rafting, hiking and caving.

During a trip to the resort last year with a group of golf writers, I was moved almost to tears by the majesty of Gros Morne and Western Brook Pond. I also surprised myself when two teenage guides for My Newfoundland Adventures helped me overcome a tendency toward claustrophobia and through a caving experience that was way beyond anything I expected
or thought I could accomplish.

But first the golf course. Built on the side of a mountain, the course flows down to the shore of the Humber River and Deer Lake and then back up again . The clubhouse, for example, sits 400 feet above the 18th hole. And from the tee on the par-4 10th hole just outside the pro shop door, your ball will fall 180 feet before it hits the fairway. The 10th will easily become one of the most photographed holes in Canada.

“To me, one of the big things here is that it’s so tranquil,” says Jamie Digby, who moved out from Ontario to become Humber Valley’s head pro and has fallen in love with not only the course but the lifestyle. “You don’t see too many people when you’re out there. You feel like you’re alone on the golf course. And the views are so panoramic.”

The course can be played from four sets of tees — 5,484, 6,441, 6,858 and 7,199 — and it doesn’t really eat you up. Carrick is known for designing courses that are forgiving off the tee and Humber Valley is no exception. The fairways are wide but the changes in elevation — and this course is all about elevation changes — can trick your eye and your judgment of distance. That
makes the shots into the green tricky.

Humber Valley is not your typical golf resort, either. Guests stay in large chalets each located on a one acre, heavily forested lot. That provides a real sense of privacy. The resort has an Aveda spa and restaurants and can provide guests with a myriad of activities on and off the property. “Fundamentally, we’re trying to make sure that we’re not just seen as good golf,” says Mike Clewer, managing director of Humber Valley resort. “We have some class-one salmon rivers here that are a major attraction, and touring and sightseeing are the others, with the main one being Gros Morne.”

The drive up to Gros Morne from the resort is about an hour, taking you up and over tree-covered hills and along the Gulf of St. Lawrence. In May and June you may even see icebergs floating by.

To get to Western Brook Pond from the highway, you have to hike three kilometres along a trail through bogs that have peat three metres deep. It’s not uncommon to see moose and caribou grazing along the path. Interpretive boards along the way explain how the Canadian fiord was
created by glacial activity over millions of years and how 11,000 years ago, when the last glacier retreated, the land that you’re crossing actually rose from the ocean bottom, cutting the pond off from the sea. The boat trip, which is heaven for photographers, runs the 16.5 kilometres down the length of the lake with huge cliffs rising almost straight up from both sides. There are also several spectacular waterfalls dropping over the cliffs, including Pissing Mare Falls, which has one of the highest single drops in Canada.

Most of our group chose to take the trip to Gros Morne but there were only a couple of us who picked caving as one of our optional activities. Caving, I thought. I mean, how hard can it be?

I’ve been in big caves in the U.S. before. You pay your fee, go down a flight of stairs onto a platform, look into the well-lit cave and then walk back up the stairs into the gift shop. We got an idea this would be different when our two young guides, Mike Wakeman and Jamie Harnum,
outfitted us with rappelling gear and then drove us into the woods.

This cave, it turns out, was caused by an underground river — which still runs through the caves — eating through the marble and limestone. We entered through something called “the back door” and hiked in. Not surprisingly, it got dark fairly quickly, but that wasn’t a major problem because we hadlights on our helmets. Other than having to bend over a lot, it wasn’t a bad hike — even for someone like myself, who is overweight, has bad knees and is claustrophobic.

When we got to the cavern we had to rappel down. “You have to trust me,” said the young guide. “You have lean back, step out on to the wall and just walk down.” After a brief picnic in the darkness of the grotto, we started to hike back out. That’s where things took an unexpected twist. “Do you want to go back out through the back door, the way we came, or go out the side door?” asked the guide. He chose the latter when we left the call up to him. The side-door exit involved climbing over, under and around a lot of rocks into some spaces that were a lot tighter than I ever thought I could fit into.

After a couple of minor miscues, including one where I was briefly given the lead and headed the
whole group crawling down a dead-end tunnel, we finally popped up through a hole into the light. “You’re never going to forget going into the caves or going to the mouth of a 1.2 billion-year-old fiord. “It’s all part of the intrinsic value of being here,” says Martin Hanzalek, who operates My Newfoundland Adventures. (www.mynewfoundland.ca caving)

That and the best new golf course in Canada makes a trip to western Newfoundland pretty
special. Garry McKay - gmckay@thespec.com The Hamilton Spectator View PDF

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Newfoundland real estate market booming

Due to the increasing revenues from natural and non-renewable resource projects in development or about to get underway in the granite province, the inevitable has begun to happen in Canada's youngest province.The jobless rate is on the decline and the housing market is on the rise. As the price of oil remains high, the major

players in the industry are all trying to et a stake in the vast resources our province has to offer. This naturally has the effect of better paying jobs and a willingness from consumers to buy big ticket items such as houses.

A quick drive through any of the larger populated areas will no doubt surprise any visitor or former locals returning home. Houses are going up everywhere. All news reports point to the fact that there is not enough skilled trades to keep up with the demand for new housing. This is leading to increasing purchases of older homes that are move in ready and may need only minor work to convert it to be adequate accomodation.

In the area of Gander, it has been said that the cost of building new homes over the past 4 years has risen by an average of 15% per year. Will the boom end anytime soon? Probably not as the current government seems intent on developing the province as a major leader in the production of oil and hydroelctric generation.

The opportunity to invest is present for any savvy entrepeneur!
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Video - Activities and Aventure in Humber Valley, Newfoundland

Fun video showing some of the adventure activities happening in Humber Valley Newfoundland.


http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=kT6IfSu7VQM

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Where sky, land and water embrace, outdoor enthusiasts arrive in anticipation and leave in awe. Come and experience the unexpected.

THE DO LIST: HUMBER VALLEY, NEWFOUNDLAND

NEXT STOP
A TONIC FOR THE SOUL
By Michael Cowton

As a boy I would wander along the southern shore of the Humber, watching the ferry plough across the waters from New Holland to Hull, keeping a ready eye out for the white elephant that my grandfather told me lived in the muddy banks of the river. The irony would not be lost on him now, as a white elephant did indeed eventually emerge – in the shape of Humber Bridge. And now, years later, I find myself once again wandering the banks of the Humber, but I am in a different place, a different time zone, and indeed a different world entirely.

Once upon a time, the thought of a long-weekend hop to Canada would have been laughable. Economy flights and ease of access have since made that a reality. For in today's competitive global marketplace, with tourism a strategic growth factor in many a country's economy, the promotion of multi-season activity is big business. Newfoundland is a good case in point.

With high levels of snow and breathtaking scenery, the west coast is an ideal place to enjoy winter attractions, including a fine network of groomed trails of snowmobilers and first rate destinations for skiers. Yet it is as a summer location that I was interested this time round. I was soon to discover that Newfoundland has so much to offer in terms of outdoor activity. So how do you get to do it all? Better ask yourself, how much time do you have? For while businesses and community groups have been working to develop new products and extend the season, the government has been busy providing funding to a number of businesses and non-profit organisations from Deer Lake to the tip of the Northern Peninsula, thus helping promote the province as a multi-choice, multi-season destination.

Woven around a spectacular golf course, the award-winning Humber Valley Resort is located on the west coast of Canada's most eastern province, and is less than six hours' flying time from the UK. The Humber Valley stretches 70 kilometres from Deer Lake airport to the seaport of Corner Brook. Cutting across this idyllic terrain is the mighty Humber River and the 30 kilometre long Deer Lake. The resort is 20-minute drive from the airport along the Trans Canada Highway, offers luxurious private accommodation and holiday rentals nestling in boreal forest on the north side of the lake.

The splendid wood-built chalets range from three to five bedrooms. There are currently 200 on the sprawling 2,200 acre site, with plans to potentially grow to a thousand. Each chalet is set in a secluded spot with generous pine decking areas surrounded by Canadian Spruce. There is a choice of locations to choose from, including standards. Interestingly, approximately eighty per cent of owners are from the UK and Ireland.

From HVR-KDG

Eagle's Perch, the resort's clubhouse, overlooks the valley and offers spectacular views of the surrounding area. This forms the heart of the resort with recreational facilities, a restaurant, bar and reception area. Lower down the hill the Beach House provides further dining opportunities and nightly entertainment, with both a casual restaurant and a pub eatery (Sully's). It also offers a splendid terrace area with direct access to the sandy beach on the lake shore, from where you can launch your kayak or canoe and follow the lower Humber River as it winds for 19 kilometres through the valley and empties into the stunning Bay of Islands.

You can strike out from the resort for Newfoundland's thousands of miles of coastline, ancient mountains and glacier carved fjords, providing breathtaking contrasts and landscapes. A 90-minute drive away is Gros Morne National Park. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Gros Morne [photos] offers more than 100 kilometres of marked hiking trails, from leisurely strolls to challenging treks through dramatic rock formations, and it is possible to summit the Gros Morne (806 metres). It is recommended to start your park visit at the Discovery Centre in Woody Point, or the Visitors Centre in Rocky Harbour, where Parks Canada guides will help you plan your tour and identify the waterfalls, marine inlets, sea-stacks and cultural activities available.

From kdg-in-hvr

Ten minutes' drive from Humber Valley Resort is Marble Mountain, which opens its lifts to skiers from mid December for four months. Within easy reach of here is Corner Brook, the second largest city in Newfoundland. Marble Mountain is also home to My Newfoundland Adventures. In the seven years since the activity company's launch, Newfoundland has witnessed &' progressive change, from being primarily a resource extractor with fishing, forestry and mining at its core, to where it sits today, its focus underpinned on an emerging tourism industry. My Newfoundland Adventures has successfully ridden on the back of that wave.

Marty Hanzalek relocated to the Humber Valley from the west coast of Canada and its mature tourism industry, and was taken aback by the multitude of rivers, mountains, beach and ocean venues, very little of which had been utilised. "The opportunity was there to showcase the area to the outside world, offering outdoors enthusiasts from every age group the chance to partake in what this place has to offer," he says.

"My Newfoundland Adventures received a fantastic reception. Newfoundlanders are well known for being friendly, synergistic, and helpful, and that has been tried, tested and proven in our seven years here. We would not have been able to do or be where we are without the help of the locals, who have really identified the opportunity with us."

The business specialises in a mix of water-based and 'high angle' activities such as canyoning and rock climbing, as well as leading groups into the subterranean world 50ft below Corner Brook, and its spectacular cave system. Rafting has also been a popular activity since the outset, taking place on one of the biggest Atlantic salmon producing rivers in the world. The Humber sees upwards of 70,000 salmon swimming upriver every year.

From Humber River ...

Currently on offer are over 40 unique adventure activities that take place in the Humber Valley. The mandate all along has been to offer high-end accessible adventure, from beginner level, although there is room for every genre to come to Newfoundland and have a fantastic, world-class experience. "From time to time we do get experienced individuals that want to avail of a more advanced programme, and we have those in place, but 90 per cent of what we do is beginner accessible," says Marty. As a result, many enthusiasts return, either wanting to experience other activities or further their skills level at one particular pursuit. That has helped the business grow its more advanced programmes.

As the accent on adrenalin sports grows worldwide, so My Newfoundland Adventures is constantly launching new product. "We can build your skills, grow with you, and with your experiences, and provide years of unique adventure activities," says Marty. "If we were not in this location, it would be very difficult to find another place in the world that would be conducive to so many different outdoor sports in one zone."

Conscious of environmental stewardship and conservation, My Newfoundland Adventures primarily offers non-consumptive, self-propelled activities like dogsledding and backcountry skiing during the winter, and tries to include an educational component in everything it does. Therefore, not only does a participant leave having had a great experience, but also with a few tips or ideas to hand that would otherwise would not have been available to them.

Accessibility is such a great thing. With the advent of cheaper flights, it is possible to fly from Gatwick to Deer Lake on a 'Tuesday or Friday, and enjoy a long weekend or week of fun in the sun, or in the snow. That accessibility has opened the door to the UK and mainland Europe. "In the UK, people seem to be money rich and time poor. There are those out there that would love to participate and can afford it financially, but cannot afford it time-wise," says Marty. "That has changed with the advent of cheaper flights.

"We always ask our visitors why they come here, and they tell us every time, it is the things that they can do. We work hard so you now get a chance to come and play hard, and experience those things that you always dreamed about, in a wonderful environment. Come to Newfoundland, because nobody wishes they spent more time at work."
SCANNED PDF Article from the magazine Outdoor Pursuits Sept/Oct07 (Magazine has now closed)

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Newfoundland hospitality and a sea view

Thousands of air passengers were forced to land in Newfoundland when America closed its air space on 11 September 2001 and they were stranded there for days. They were treated so kindly that some of the passengers have returned and bought summer homes on the rugged island that is the size of California but has only half a million people.

The people of Newfoundland are mainly of British origin, with the majority coming from four western counties in England - Devon, Dorset, Somerset, and Cornwall. Perhaps 20% are descended from Irish settlers. In villages along the 10,000 miles of Newfoundland’s sea-sculpted coast, the 17th century accents of West Country people and Irish can still be heard. Outside the modern university capital of St. John’s, the houses so attractive to Americans and expat British are built of two-frame construction, painted in bright colours and scattered in safe harbours near wharves and fish-drying platforms.

The British also developed a system which combined light salting for a short period, followed by thorough washing, and drying in the open air. The result was the lightly salted product for which Newfoundland became famous. Everyone used hook and line, an old and environmentally friendly way of fishing.

As fishing modernized, demand and greed drove huge foreign catches off the Grand Banks. The foreign fleets were no longer using hook and line. They were making huge kills, including young fish, and they were underreporting catches. As a result the young cod never reached adulthood when, around the age of seven, they spawned. The destruction of the fishing grounds will sound eerily familiar to British fishermen whose livelihood was destroyed by the European Union. Changes in water temperature were also said to be a factor.

The extent of the catastrophe was plain in 1990. In a desperate effort to save the industry, Canada shut down fishing. Overnight, 40,000 jobs in Newfoundland were lost. This was a terrible blow. The moratorium was lifted in 1994.

There has been a recovery, but the housing market has stayed flat. Newfoundland, after all, is a bit off the beaten track. However, It attracts those who love beauty and the hospitality of Newfoundlanders.

They remain welcoming and helpful. For most of their lives they have never locked their doors.

Full article on Newfoundland history - fishing and housing

Housing starts cooling in 2007 and 2008

In Newfoundland, higher homeownership and construction costs and lower employment growth will dampen housing demand over the next two years. Housingstarts will move lower from 2,234 units in 2006 to 2,100 units in 2007followed by a decrease to 2,025 units in 2008. The average MLS(R) price inNewfoundland will rise by 0.7 per cent and 1.2 per cent in 2007 and 2008,respectively.
Full article on newswire

Local hiking club will take Americans on walking adventure

The Humber Valley Hiking Club is preparing to host a group of more than 30 American hikers this week.The visitors will be coming to the province to especially partake in two particular hikes, namely the Corner Brook Stream Trail network and Western Brook Pond.Both of those trails are the only jaunts in this province currently sanctioned by Volkssport, an international federation of hiking groups.

The group is set to arrive Saturday for a six-day adventure are from the organization Walking Adventures International, based in Vancouver, Wash.“This will be the fifth time Walking Adventures has been here, but it will be a different group of people again this time,” said Bob Day of the Humber Valley Hiking Club.Day will lead the hikes through both the Corner Brook Stream Trail and Western Brook. The hikers will keep travelling up the Northern Peninsula, doing the boardwalk hike along Torrent River and visiting the Maritime Archaic Indian national historic site at Port au Choix before making their way to L’Anse aux Meadows to visit the Viking site there. They will then board a charter flight to St. John’s, where they will hike at Cape Spear, Signal Hill, Quidi Vidi Lake and Rennie’s River before heading back home.Last year, a group of about 70 hikers visited western Newfoundland.

“The Volkssport-sanctioned trails are what really brings them here,” pointed out Day. “They have their books and they get credit for these two sanctioned hikes. Then they can say they have hiked Newfoundland. Most of them have hiked all the provinces in Canada, all the states in the U.S. and have hiked in Europe too.”Day said he’d love to see more trails in Newfoundland and Labrador get sanctioned.“If we had more Volkssport trails, more people would come just to say they have done them,” he noted.

Full Western Star article

Deer Lake Town - hit by flash flooding

Parts of Deer Lake on Newfoundland's west coast were flooded Sunday after the town received 31 millimetres of rain in just 20 minutes. Deer Lake received 31 millimetres of rain in just 20 minutes on Sunday, leaving parts of the town under water.

Deer Lake Mayor Darrel Kelly described the conditions in his community as a flash flood.
"Water was going across people's property through different parts of the community," Kelly said. "Water went into commercial property, basements. The town had to bring out as many crew as we could, we had to hire additional equipment, we had to do some ditching to try and alleviate the situation as much as possible."

Full story on CBC

Video collection ... check it out

A collection of Newfoundland related videos ...

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For peat's sake: Corner Brook mill tests new fuel source

David MacDonald, manager of power and energy with Corner Brook Pulp and Paper, said the mill is willing to give peat energy a try. "If we can buy the peat substantially cheaper than the same energy value in oil, then we will save money," he said. "It will make a difference in the millions of dollars, if it works — which we expect that it will."

Burning peat produces fewer greenhouse gases than burning bunker fuel.
Ontario-based Peat Resources Ltd. has been developing peat resources on Newfoundland's west coast, and is optimistic about an ongoing relationship with Corner Brook Pulp and Paper.

"In setting ourselves up in Newfoundland, we've been looking for the possibilities of local customers for the peat," said executive Peter Telford. "Having someone like Corner Brook Pulp and Paper interested would be terrific." Corner Brook Pulp and Paper has been exploring alternatives to oil consumption. It already burns bark, and had given serious consideration to burning used automobile tires before abandoning the plan last year. The first shipment of peat will head to the mill's power boiler on July 9. [source]

Development won’t proceed until proper permits

Development won’t proceed until proper permits in place, says mayor
The Western Star - 13th June
Timberland Golf Resort is tied up in litigation for the time being. Mayor Bob Mercer said the reason is plain to see — the proponent, Brian Pike, simply doesn’t have the necessary permits to proceed. Mercer said the town issued a stop-work order on the project in December and sent Pike a draft development agreement in February as a starting point in negotiations. The development, on 700 acres of prime Humber Valley real estate, will feature an 18-hole golf course surrounded by 337 luxury executive homes.

A meeting was set up, but before that happened, Mercer said activity resumed at the site. He said the town was left with no choice but to proceed with an injunction against activity on the site. “Once he started work on May 22, or thereabouts, the town had no option but to proceed with an injunction, or sit back and say ‘we don’t care what he’s doing,’ ” said Mercer. “That’s not the message we give to any developer in the town. We do care and things have to be done in accordance with our town plan and our development regulations.” He said the town won’t allow any developer to start work without the proper permits, and a development agreement in place.

Mercer said Pike was issued a cutting permit five years ago, but the town’s permits expire after two years. “He was issued a permit to cut some trees and clear some land, presumably to do some farming, or whatever Highland Farms were doing at that time, not build an 18-hole golf course,” said Mercer. “He said he had all the necessary provincial permits. “What he failed to mention is all provincial permits carry the caveat — subject to you obtaining the appropriate and requisite permits from the appropriate municipal authority.” Mercer said the problem is the development is proceeding without so much as an agreement as to what will be on the land, much less a permit. “We have none of the information that we need,” said Mercer. “Why he (Pike) chooses to ignore that simple fact of reality, I don’t know. All I do know is he won’t be allowed to proceed without having an agreement in place and without the necessary permits being issued.” Brian Pike, the developer, said the details of the current legal struggles were too numerous to get into, but he has the permit he needs to do the work he was doing. link to full story

More organizations feel brunt of funding cuts

CORNER BROOK - With the importance of tourism to this area’s economy, the lack of funding for students has organizations scrambling to find alternative sources. With the changes to the federal student summer employment program this year, more and more organizations are learning they have been denied this funding.

(more pictures on the Corner Brook Museum & Archives website)

Along with the pending closure of the Railway Society of Newfoundland’s museum on Station Road in Corner Brook, another major tourist attraction is contemplating closing its doors. The Corner Brook Museum and Archives was denied funding for four students this summer. Kathy Elliott, the volunteer curator, said she has been receiving e-mails from museum correspondents across the country who are facing the same predicament.

Full story

NEWS: South Brook (Pasadena) land re-zoned

South Brook Point has seen a change in the allowed uses of the land.Until recently, the parcel was zoned tourism commercial, which only allowed for hotels, motels and park uses. K and W Investments bought the land to develop residential building lots and a condominium development. Mayor Bob Mercer said the land is now zoned residential light density, residential medium density and commercial.

Ken Brown expects the tenders to be called this weekend, with work starting on the project shortly after that.“We hope to have construction starting late spring or early summer. Construction being getting the infrastructure down there — water and sewer. You may see some buildings starting in June or July. They can start along with the installation of the water and sewer.

FULL STORY - On Western Star news website

Screeching at Humber Valley Resort April 2007

Another good night at the Beach House - with Screech and The Sharecroppers ...

..
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Check the full size video - or join the Humber Valley group on YouTube

Moose on the 2nd Hole

Enroute to Strawberry Hill, Shuttle Bus driver Bill spots a Moose wandering on the River Course 2nd hole ...

Sunday - cold - snowing and v.windy!

We wake up to a new view ... and what a view it is!

Weather is very cold and windy today - and we're completely whacked out by a very full Saturday .... so today, we're going to stay in and enjoy the chalet!!!

Sunrise at 7am - full size video on youTube.com

House Party - Saturday night

The ever hospitable Jurgen and Laura arranged another open house, house party - which included a risoto cook-off, good music, friends and off course a bonfire on the beach. A great way to end a busy and eventful day of Snowmobiling.

Snowmobiling with Darren & Anita

A fantastic 5 hour trek with Darren and Anita. Tour included a brew at the "Warm-Up Inn", and dropping down narrow path to a small community called "Manuals", which used to be a fishing and logging community. But when the logging moved out, so did the community, and they mainly moved to Coxs Cove. Whats left are various small cabins ... all with an amzaing view across the bay.
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More videos on youTube.om Full photo album on picasa.