Countries: CA

We check out Newfoundland’s whaling and Viking history up in the northern part of Newfoundland and southern part of Labrador. We travel across the Strait of Belle Isle to visit Red Bay National Historic Site of Canada, where the archaeological remnants of twenty whaling stations have been unearthed over the last 15 years. We then explore another National Historic Site, L’Anse aux Meadows, where we learn of the early Viking history of this area, and also of the early Dorset Eskimos who made their camps along the southern shore of the bay. We visit with a young air cadet boy who is obsessed with building and flying planes. Jay tells us about the differences between the landscape and life in both Newfoundland and Labrador and why the largest percent of the population lives in Newfoundland. In Jay’s Gee! Ology he explains why icebergs, which can weigh several hundred tonnes, float.

Their exploration of the foothills of the Canadian Rockies brings Jennifer and Jamie to the community of Crowsnest Pass. Adventure ensues when they join up with 12-year-old Riley Cann and his classmates in a town effort to keep Grizzly Bears at bay. Jamie and Jennifer head to Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump outside Fort MacLeod and learn about the importance of buffalo to early plains Indians. Blood Tribe member Lorraine Goodstriker tells the hosts how her fore-bearers made use of the land’s topography in their buffalo hunt, and used every part of the buffalo in their daily life.

We hike through Gros Morne National Park of Canada to check out the unusual geology and rich bio-diversity of this area – including many, many moose. The unique rocks have contributed to the world’s understanding of plate tectonics, and the park has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We explore the Bay of Islands with a young conservationist from the nearby town of Deer Lake. Jay explains why Newfoundland’s West Coast is a geologist’s dream due to the upheaval of the earth millions of years ago. He also explains why most of the Newfoundland’s population lives on the East Coast. In Jay’s Gee! Ology, Jay explains how organic matter is constantly recycled- through composting.

Rodeos and dinosaurs bring Jamie and Jennifer to Alberta’s Badlands. They head to Drumheller, home of the world famous Royal Tyrell Museum, and meet up with local youngster CJ Dupasquier. He gives them a tour of the museum, and accompanies the hosts on a fossil dig. Hiking through the Prairie grasslands that border the region to the north, the hosts meet up with Colton Jackson. He’s 13 and competes as a steer rider all across western Canada. After exploring the area on horseback, Colton invites the hosts to watch as he competes in the Lacombe Annual Rodeo.

We explore St. John’s and the coastal life first by rowboat and then by schooner as we explore more of the Avalon Peninsula ending with Cape Spear National Historic Site of Canada. We check out the amazing bird life of Cape St. Mary’s, and then visit the Institute of Marine Dynamics as they test the seaworthiness of various ships by using wind and storms. Jay tells us about the Grand Banks continental shelf and how its abundant fish contributed to the settlement of Newfoundland. In Jay’s Gee! Ology he demonstrates how ocean currents are formed and what factors affect them.

First up in their exploration of the Canadian Rockies is Canmore, Alberta. There Jamie and Jennifer meet 13-year-old Kenna Meilicke, who takes them through her dad’s outdoor sporting good store to get them prepared for their camping adventure. On an overnight camping trip, Kenna gives the hosts a lesson in rock climbing, eager to show why this area attracts so many outdoors-enthusiasts.

Lake Huron is home to the world’s largest freshwater island: Manitoulin Island. Jamie and Jennifer set out to learn about the island’s strong First Nations communities. At Wikwemikong, Canada’s only unceded Indian Reserve, they visit with Elizabeth Trudeau, a 15-year-old Odawa youth who demonstrates some traditional dancing, drumming and cooking along with the help of other young people in the community.

Jamie and Jennifer have a simple “capital” time in Ottawa, Ontario! As they start their exploration, they team up with 14-year-old Sarah Potvin, who takes them white water kayaking through the city. After discovering some interesting fossils and a beetle in a nearby forest they head to the Museum of Nature’s Natural Heritage Building to find out more about their discoveries.