This morning the rooster woke us up again around 7 in the morning so it was time to get up and get packing. Leo had saved some rice from our supper the evening before so first we got to feed the chickens a bit before we could leave, and of course this involved some picture-taking as well.
It took us 3 ½ hours to drive just over 200 km to get to our campsite and we did not even stop for pictures or anything. We are camped just on the west side of Halifax and after lunch we decided to go and briefly explore Peggy’s Cove and then go on to downtown Halifax so we could better plan for a full day of sight-seeing tomorrow.
We did first go to Peggy’s Cove (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peggys_Cove,_Nova_Scotia), and yes you are right, we did not make it past that spot. It is where we spent the rest of the afternoon and on into the early evening.
The drive out to Peggy’s Cove was very nice to start with, through lots of small towns located along inlets of water. The private boats were quite different from what we had seen in Newfoundland where they were dories or fishing boats. Here they were modern sailing yachts of varying size or powerboats.
Once we got to Peggy’s Cove we were most delighted with the scenery of this small fishing village built amongst solid granite rocks, with its lighthouse and with its ocean shore. We were not impressed with the amount of tourism though: there were literally busloads of them. Seeing these big busses go through this small village just does not seem right, and provided a jarring contrast with our visits to similar villages in Newfoundland where we never encountered such a sight. But we most enjoyed our sunny visit here and spent lots of time walking on the beautiful solid granite shore rocks, and watching the surf clash against them with the incoming tide. For Leo it was another heaven for picture-taking.
It got too late to go to Halifax still so we went back to the trailer and had supper.
After supper we sat down and did some “planning” for our trip back. We need to get serious about allocating our remaining days so that we do not wind up ending our vacation in the middle of Ontario and then have Leo need to go to his job in Calgary the next day. Heavens, he might get fired if that happened, and then we might need to do this sort of travelling full time for the rest of our life!
Pictures of Peggy’s Cove can be found here.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Day 58 - Sherbrooke Historic Village, Nova Scotia
The chickens and rooster get penned up at night and the door to their pen is not opened until about 7 in the morning. But as soon as the rooster is out he starts to crow, and the first time we heard him we had a laugh again as he was quite a bit hoarse and sounded like he needed some oiling or something. But it was most enjoyable to hear him and see all the chickens just walking around our campsite.
Unfortunately we again woke up to rain and fog this morning and during the night it had rained quite a bit as well. We had decided yesterday that we would stay another night here and take our time visiting the restored Historic Village of Sherbrooke (http://museum.gov.ns.ca/sv/tour.php), located on the St. Mary’s river. We waited till the afternoon as the weather was supposed to clear up and so it did: the rain stopped, although the sun never really came out.
We took our time walking through the village and visiting the various houses and shops. We got live demonstrations at the blacksmith, and the pottery and woodworking shops. I even got to try some of the tools from way back when. Also there were demonstrations in spinning, weaving, rug-hooking and knitting.
This village was established as early as 1655 and was first known as Fort Saint Marie. By 1815 the settlement became known as Sherbrooke in honour of Sir John Coape Sherbrooke, a former Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia. Initially it was a lumbering community, then prospered for 20 years in the late 1800’s with a gold strike nearby, and finally did well as a ship-building community. However, the wooden ships it produced were no longer in demand in the early 20th century as steel ships became the norm and the town’s economy slipped into decline. As citizens moved to other centres, a number of the buildings were abandoned with their contents left largely intact.
A visitor from Halifax in 1969 saw all this and recognized its potential as a restored heritage village. He stimulated local interest in commencing the restoration shortly afterwards to a typical Nova Scotian village from the 19th century. They now have 36 exhibit buildings and all but 2 are on the original foundations on which they were built. A few houses are still privately occupied by original residents but as these people either leave or die their buildings will become part of the museum as well. The overall effect of the village is like that of Heritage Park in Calgary, but it is more authentic and less commercial than that park, and more interesting to visit due to the live skill demonstrations here.
It was a most enjoyable afternoon for us and we would highly recommend this spot as a tourist destination for anyone visiting Nova Scotia. We hope you enjoy the pictures Leo took, which can be found here.
Unfortunately we again woke up to rain and fog this morning and during the night it had rained quite a bit as well. We had decided yesterday that we would stay another night here and take our time visiting the restored Historic Village of Sherbrooke (http://museum.gov.ns.ca/sv/tour.php), located on the St. Mary’s river. We waited till the afternoon as the weather was supposed to clear up and so it did: the rain stopped, although the sun never really came out.
We took our time walking through the village and visiting the various houses and shops. We got live demonstrations at the blacksmith, and the pottery and woodworking shops. I even got to try some of the tools from way back when. Also there were demonstrations in spinning, weaving, rug-hooking and knitting.
This village was established as early as 1655 and was first known as Fort Saint Marie. By 1815 the settlement became known as Sherbrooke in honour of Sir John Coape Sherbrooke, a former Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia. Initially it was a lumbering community, then prospered for 20 years in the late 1800’s with a gold strike nearby, and finally did well as a ship-building community. However, the wooden ships it produced were no longer in demand in the early 20th century as steel ships became the norm and the town’s economy slipped into decline. As citizens moved to other centres, a number of the buildings were abandoned with their contents left largely intact.
A visitor from Halifax in 1969 saw all this and recognized its potential as a restored heritage village. He stimulated local interest in commencing the restoration shortly afterwards to a typical Nova Scotian village from the 19th century. They now have 36 exhibit buildings and all but 2 are on the original foundations on which they were built. A few houses are still privately occupied by original residents but as these people either leave or die their buildings will become part of the museum as well. The overall effect of the village is like that of Heritage Park in Calgary, but it is more authentic and less commercial than that park, and more interesting to visit due to the live skill demonstrations here.
It was a most enjoyable afternoon for us and we would highly recommend this spot as a tourist destination for anyone visiting Nova Scotia. We hope you enjoy the pictures Leo took, which can be found here.
Day 57 - Travel to Sherbrooke, Nova Scotia
It was another beautiful day with the sun saying hello to us as we woke up on Cape Breton Island. We packed up the trailer and started on our first leg to Halifax. Normally it does not take that long to get to Halifax when you take the main highway but of course that would be boring and not take us along the southeast coastline of the province, so we took the slower and more scenic route. Our first stop was St. Peter’s Canal (http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/ns/stpeters/index_E.asp) where boats come through the locks from the ocean to the Bras d’Or Lakes and vice versa. There is not a lot of commercial traffic at these locks any longer, with it mainly being pleasure boats now, but we were lucky enough to see a couple of boats go through just as we were about to leave.
The locks here are bi-directional. There are double sets of gates at each end of the lock. Most locks only have doors that face in a single direction because the flow of water is always in the same direction. However, the Bras d’Or Lakes stay at approximately the same level. They are huge salt lakes, but their two very narrow connections with the ocean means that the tides can only minorly affect their water level. Consequently, the ocean side of the locks at one extreme has water 4 feet lower than the lakes and at the other extreme has water 4 feet higher. Thus the doors in the locks must have two sets on each end, one set each to withstand the water level difference in each direction.
On we then went to our planned next stop – Isle Madame – but when we started to look at the map for campsites we decided to skip the Isle Madame stop and went directly on our way to Sherbrooke. The scenic Marine route, along the southeast coastline, was very slow to drive, mainly because of its very rough condition but also because it was a very winding road. It was initially not a well-travelled road either so we did not meet a lot of traffic. When we got to a place called Isaacs Harbour we had a surprise as the road ended and we had to take a ferry to get to the other side of the inlet. Our GPS navigator had not told us about that until the last second. We were in luck, however, as the ferry was waiting at our side of the inlet and we were able to drive right on. It only took us 5 minutes to get across and on we went again until we got to the town of Sherbrooke.
We had some difficulty finding our campsite but once we did we had a good laugh as we got to set up our trailer amongst a flock of chickens who cluckingly roamed around free here. This was a first for us. We were a little worried as to what time the rooster would wake us up, but that we would not find out until the next morning. It was time to set up our trailer again and get a good night’s rest.
Pictures of today’s trip can be found here.
The locks here are bi-directional. There are double sets of gates at each end of the lock. Most locks only have doors that face in a single direction because the flow of water is always in the same direction. However, the Bras d’Or Lakes stay at approximately the same level. They are huge salt lakes, but their two very narrow connections with the ocean means that the tides can only minorly affect their water level. Consequently, the ocean side of the locks at one extreme has water 4 feet lower than the lakes and at the other extreme has water 4 feet higher. Thus the doors in the locks must have two sets on each end, one set each to withstand the water level difference in each direction.
On we then went to our planned next stop – Isle Madame – but when we started to look at the map for campsites we decided to skip the Isle Madame stop and went directly on our way to Sherbrooke. The scenic Marine route, along the southeast coastline, was very slow to drive, mainly because of its very rough condition but also because it was a very winding road. It was initially not a well-travelled road either so we did not meet a lot of traffic. When we got to a place called Isaacs Harbour we had a surprise as the road ended and we had to take a ferry to get to the other side of the inlet. Our GPS navigator had not told us about that until the last second. We were in luck, however, as the ferry was waiting at our side of the inlet and we were able to drive right on. It only took us 5 minutes to get across and on we went again until we got to the town of Sherbrooke.
We had some difficulty finding our campsite but once we did we had a good laugh as we got to set up our trailer amongst a flock of chickens who cluckingly roamed around free here. This was a first for us. We were a little worried as to what time the rooster would wake us up, but that we would not find out until the next morning. It was time to set up our trailer again and get a good night’s rest.
Pictures of today’s trip can be found here.
Day 56 - Saturday August 23, 2008 – Cabot Trail, Nova Scotia
Again we woke up to sunshine today just a beautiful day to do this most talked about Cabot Trail (http://www.cabottrail.com/history/).
Leo wanted to videotape the trip over the Cabot trail using his camera mounted to the van roof so he chose to drive it going from east to west and we therefore started off to the northeast in St. Anns. The beginning of the trail did not excite us very much but once we travelled to the northern tip and then cruised back down the Western part of the trail we became most impressed again. We got to see lots of nice scenery, and had a bacon and egg all-day breakfast for lunch on a patio in the shade at a very nice restaurant located in Meat Cove along a creek where the water gave us nice background music. Meat Cove is on a side trip and is the most northern community in Nova Scotia.
From here we had to go back south and take the western part of the trail. We decided not to take the boat tour to see whales as Leo again found the water too choppy to go out in a small boat (do you know what the word “chicken” means?), but we were lucky enough to see a pod of perhaps a dozen humpback whales spouting just offshore at Meat Cove. We were also able to see our favourite province Newfoundland in the distance from this point with the Long Mountains clearly discernable on this sunny day.
For me the best part of the trip occurred when a black bear decided to walk across the road just in front of our car. Unfortunately Leo could not stop quickly enough to take a picture of him before he disappeared in the woods again but we do hopefully have the road crossing on Leo’s video camera.
Pictures of the Cabot Trail can be found here.
Leo wanted to videotape the trip over the Cabot trail using his camera mounted to the van roof so he chose to drive it going from east to west and we therefore started off to the northeast in St. Anns. The beginning of the trail did not excite us very much but once we travelled to the northern tip and then cruised back down the Western part of the trail we became most impressed again. We got to see lots of nice scenery, and had a bacon and egg all-day breakfast for lunch on a patio in the shade at a very nice restaurant located in Meat Cove along a creek where the water gave us nice background music. Meat Cove is on a side trip and is the most northern community in Nova Scotia.
From here we had to go back south and take the western part of the trail. We decided not to take the boat tour to see whales as Leo again found the water too choppy to go out in a small boat (do you know what the word “chicken” means?), but we were lucky enough to see a pod of perhaps a dozen humpback whales spouting just offshore at Meat Cove. We were also able to see our favourite province Newfoundland in the distance from this point with the Long Mountains clearly discernable on this sunny day.
For me the best part of the trip occurred when a black bear decided to walk across the road just in front of our car. Unfortunately Leo could not stop quickly enough to take a picture of him before he disappeared in the woods again but we do hopefully have the road crossing on Leo’s video camera.
Pictures of the Cabot Trail can be found here.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Day 54 & 55 – Visit & Boat trip with Chris Hynes and family, Sydney, Nova Scotia
On day 54 we took our trailer in for repairs on our fridge again: this time to get it working once more on propane, and on our 12volt system which seemed to have given up just days before as well. We took our trailer to the same shop as where we got it and our car serviced earlier on our way headed towards Newfoundland.
While our trailer was in for repair we had a lovely visit in Sydney with Chris Hynes, Kent’s friend, with Richard (Chris’dad) and with Aimee (Chris’ sister). We chatted for quite some time and got lots of suggestions as to what we should see in the Sydney area and on the Cabot Trail.
We were also offered a boat trip on their 28.5 foot cabin cruiser the next day on Little Bras D’Or Lake which was a wonderful opportunity that we would have been foolish to refuse. With this planned for the next day we left to pick up our trailer and set up camp for the next few days.
Day 55 – The boat trip.
Chris called us early in the morning (actually Leo was still in bed) and we arranged for them to pick up us at 9:30 am at ‘gasoline alley’. Once we got to the boat, Richard was waiting for us to jump aboard and show us Bras D’Or Lake.
We fully enjoyed the boat ride and got to see lots of beautiful places along the lake. On the way back we stopped at a small inlet so Chris, Aimee and Gavin (Chris’ son) could have a swim. Gavin was fully outfitted with a life jacket which kept him nicely buoyant, so he showed no fear of the water at all and gamely dove in time after time from the boat, frequently challenging his dad and aunt to join him. The weather was outstanding, with full sunshine the order of the day, which was such a pleasant change from what we had encountered in Newfoundland. After this we went back to the dock, ‘packed-up’ the boat, and headed back to our trailer. Our hosts went on their way home. They had shown us some wonderful Cape Breton hospitality which we will remember long and fondly.
Leo captured some of the events of our boat trip and they can be found here.
While our trailer was in for repair we had a lovely visit in Sydney with Chris Hynes, Kent’s friend, with Richard (Chris’dad) and with Aimee (Chris’ sister). We chatted for quite some time and got lots of suggestions as to what we should see in the Sydney area and on the Cabot Trail.
We were also offered a boat trip on their 28.5 foot cabin cruiser the next day on Little Bras D’Or Lake which was a wonderful opportunity that we would have been foolish to refuse. With this planned for the next day we left to pick up our trailer and set up camp for the next few days.
Day 55 – The boat trip.
Chris called us early in the morning (actually Leo was still in bed) and we arranged for them to pick up us at 9:30 am at ‘gasoline alley’. Once we got to the boat, Richard was waiting for us to jump aboard and show us Bras D’Or Lake.
We fully enjoyed the boat ride and got to see lots of beautiful places along the lake. On the way back we stopped at a small inlet so Chris, Aimee and Gavin (Chris’ son) could have a swim. Gavin was fully outfitted with a life jacket which kept him nicely buoyant, so he showed no fear of the water at all and gamely dove in time after time from the boat, frequently challenging his dad and aunt to join him. The weather was outstanding, with full sunshine the order of the day, which was such a pleasant change from what we had encountered in Newfoundland. After this we went back to the dock, ‘packed-up’ the boat, and headed back to our trailer. Our hosts went on their way home. They had shown us some wonderful Cape Breton hospitality which we will remember long and fondly.
Leo captured some of the events of our boat trip and they can be found here.
Day 53 - August 22, 2008. Ferry trip to Nova Scotia
Our sailing was at 11 o’clock this morning and we left on time, but to our surprise this sailing took longer than our previous one: 7 hours instead of the 5.5 hrs we thought it would take. The ferry we had this time, the Leif Erikson, was different from the Caribou that had brought us to the island: a bit smaller, and thus not as fast either. Another factor was that she had to work against a head wind and oncoming waves. The sailing was fairly smooth but really windy. Thus did our trip to this wonderful island come to an end. But Newfoundland, save us a spot! We will be back!!!
We had no problems finding a campsite once we got to sunny Nova Scotia though, at a tour company from where daily boat trips are made to some bird islands in the Atlantic to view puffins (the so-called “parrots of the Atlantic”), eagles and seals.
Leo did get a chance to take some last pictures of Newfoundland as we left Port Aux Basques and they can be found here.
We had no problems finding a campsite once we got to sunny Nova Scotia though, at a tour company from where daily boat trips are made to some bird islands in the Atlantic to view puffins (the so-called “parrots of the Atlantic”), eagles and seals.
Leo did get a chance to take some last pictures of Newfoundland as we left Port Aux Basques and they can be found here.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Day 52– Rose Blanche, Newfoundland
This was our final day trip on the island of Newfoundland. I had wanted to do this trip at the beginning of our travels here but we just did not get to doing it so we made sure we left enough time at the end of our trip here.
This was another very scenic route with the kind of landscape I have come to really like here in Newfoundland – ‘the rock gardens’. We visited several small villages along the way to Rose Blanche, our destination point and the end point of the southern highway leading east from Port Aux Basques. There are other communities along the south coast which one can visit by ferry which stops at several on its way east. But that trip will have to wait until we return to Newfoundland.
At Rose Blanche we visited a beautifully restored stone lighthouse, which is now the only remaining stone lighthouse in Atlantic Canada. The original lighthouse was made of rock cut from the shore stone around it. It functioned as a lighthouse from 1873 up to 1946 when the government installed an automated electric light and ceased to use this lighthouse. It deteriorated in the succeeding years as the surf spray from storms soaked the mortar with salt water, and the attached residential building largely crumbled to ruins leaving only the lighthouse tower standing. Then the local people in 1988 decided to push for its restoration to its original state. They completed the restoration in 1999. It now is a very important tourist attraction for the area. They also added various walking trails with interpretative signs along the way. It was all very nicely done and was a pleasant finish to the end of wonderful vacation on the island of Newfoundland.Pictures from today’s trip can be found here.
This was another very scenic route with the kind of landscape I have come to really like here in Newfoundland – ‘the rock gardens’. We visited several small villages along the way to Rose Blanche, our destination point and the end point of the southern highway leading east from Port Aux Basques. There are other communities along the south coast which one can visit by ferry which stops at several on its way east. But that trip will have to wait until we return to Newfoundland.
At Rose Blanche we visited a beautifully restored stone lighthouse, which is now the only remaining stone lighthouse in Atlantic Canada. The original lighthouse was made of rock cut from the shore stone around it. It functioned as a lighthouse from 1873 up to 1946 when the government installed an automated electric light and ceased to use this lighthouse. It deteriorated in the succeeding years as the surf spray from storms soaked the mortar with salt water, and the attached residential building largely crumbled to ruins leaving only the lighthouse tower standing. Then the local people in 1988 decided to push for its restoration to its original state. They completed the restoration in 1999. It now is a very important tourist attraction for the area. They also added various walking trails with interpretative signs along the way. It was all very nicely done and was a pleasant finish to the end of wonderful vacation on the island of Newfoundland.Pictures from today’s trip can be found here.
Day 50 & 51 – Bottlecove & Lark Harbour, Newfoundland
Day 50 (Snday August 17, 2008). Today we met up with a work colleague of Leo`s at her parents’ house in the town of Beachside. We got to see a true, Newfoundland Cape Cod house from the inside. It was a very nice home with a large kitchen with a beautiful and huge wood stove for heating, and cooking if needed.
We had a very nice and sociable chat with this family, exchanging information about where our trip had taken us and other spots we might consider in future. They were glad to hear our excitement about visiting their beautiful province. After our visit we had to move on again to our next campground to rest up for our trip the next day. Leo did not take any pictures this day as we had rain during most of it.
Day 51– Bottle Cove and Lark Harbour, Newfoundland.
Today we hoped to reach close to Port Aux Basques where we plan on staying a couple of nights before we sail back to the mainland. But first we took a side trip to the towns of Lark Harbour and Bottle Cove along the inlet from the sea known as Humber Arm.
Lark Harbour is ‘just’ west of Newfoundland`s second-biggest city, Corner Brook. At least that is what it seemed like as we had to follow a highway which seemed to weave through one long, continuous village with a new name for each new section. When this ended we began to see some separation in the villages. First we encountered the village of Frenchman’s Cove, where there were lots of dories on the beach all painted orange: a sight to see for sure. This is the first time we had seen this many dories in this colour and we of course we had to ask why. The answer was a very logical answer: so they can be seen on the water easily in case of emergency. On we drove then to Lark Harbour, the most beautiful spot in Newfoundland according to some local people here,
They sure did not lie about it being highly scenic, but I would not call it the most beautiful spot in Newfoundland. The town itself was a bit bland, but the mountainous scenery around the inlet was certainly impressive. Again we saw .orange dories here and there was also a three-masted hermaphroditic sailing ship moored here, with one mast square-rigged, and the others fore and aft rigged. She was called the ``Caledonia``. It was another feast for Leo to photograph.
We had coffee at a local teahouse, where one of the attractions was their deck on which one can sometimes view whales swimming in their inlet, and on which various bones of whales were to be viewed. Then we went on to our next stop: Bottle Cove. This village was only a few kilometres further up the road, where the road actually ended (we seem to take lots of roads in Newfoundland that come to a dead end).
After this little side trip we drove on to Codroy campground, our first campsite in Newfoundland and also our last one.Pictures of our day can be found here.
We had a very nice and sociable chat with this family, exchanging information about where our trip had taken us and other spots we might consider in future. They were glad to hear our excitement about visiting their beautiful province. After our visit we had to move on again to our next campground to rest up for our trip the next day. Leo did not take any pictures this day as we had rain during most of it.
Day 51– Bottle Cove and Lark Harbour, Newfoundland.
Today we hoped to reach close to Port Aux Basques where we plan on staying a couple of nights before we sail back to the mainland. But first we took a side trip to the towns of Lark Harbour and Bottle Cove along the inlet from the sea known as Humber Arm.
Lark Harbour is ‘just’ west of Newfoundland`s second-biggest city, Corner Brook. At least that is what it seemed like as we had to follow a highway which seemed to weave through one long, continuous village with a new name for each new section. When this ended we began to see some separation in the villages. First we encountered the village of Frenchman’s Cove, where there were lots of dories on the beach all painted orange: a sight to see for sure. This is the first time we had seen this many dories in this colour and we of course we had to ask why. The answer was a very logical answer: so they can be seen on the water easily in case of emergency. On we drove then to Lark Harbour, the most beautiful spot in Newfoundland according to some local people here,
They sure did not lie about it being highly scenic, but I would not call it the most beautiful spot in Newfoundland. The town itself was a bit bland, but the mountainous scenery around the inlet was certainly impressive. Again we saw .orange dories here and there was also a three-masted hermaphroditic sailing ship moored here, with one mast square-rigged, and the others fore and aft rigged. She was called the ``Caledonia``. It was another feast for Leo to photograph.
We had coffee at a local teahouse, where one of the attractions was their deck on which one can sometimes view whales swimming in their inlet, and on which various bones of whales were to be viewed. Then we went on to our next stop: Bottle Cove. This village was only a few kilometres further up the road, where the road actually ended (we seem to take lots of roads in Newfoundland that come to a dead end).
After this little side trip we drove on to Codroy campground, our first campsite in Newfoundland and also our last one.Pictures of our day can be found here.
Day 49 - (Saturday, August 16, 2008) – Salvage & Twillingate, Newfoundland
Our day started out with rain, again, as it had also rained heavily all night This was the first time we had to take the trailer down in heavy rain but after 7 weeks we are getting pretty fast in setting up and taking it down, so we did not get too wet. As the day went on the rain stopped, it started to clear up and we finally got some sunshine.
Our first stop was Salvage, a quaint little village, which when we first approached it seemed unremarkable to the point where we did not know why people had recommended visiting it, but as we got to the end of the village we understood why. We took a little hike up to a lookout platform and here we really got a nice view of the village, the rock outcrops on which it is built, and the surrounding area. With Leo’s pictures we hope to share the views of this village with you as well. Salvage is certainly worth another visit in the future but a longer one so we can walk the trails.
From here we went on to Twillingate. Twillingate is another small fishing village with lots of nice scenery by day and night. It is one of the most famous villages in Newfoundland. Here is where you might see lots of icebergs, but only earlier in the season than our visit, and also lots of whales. Well we were lucky enough to see our whales, this time it was a couple of humpbacks. They were swimming not far off shore beyond the lighthouse point, and a couple of whale-watching tour boats were slowly circling them to show the tourists on board at close quarters what magnificent creatures they are. Actually it may not have been luck at all that we saw them. For all we know they are frequently sighted in this location. We had a very nice stay in Twillingate and would have stayed longer but we were now limited in time as we had to catch a ferry off the island on Wednesday. You will recall that ferry bookings fill up a couple of days in advance, so if we had decided to stay one more day here then we likely could not have made it off the island for another 3 or 4 days. If the weather turned sour again we did not want to spend that much extra time here.
On this day we again passed through the town of Gambo, where there had been a major flood three weeks ago when we drove past on our way to St. John`s. There were more concerns about flooding today, given the heavy rains which fell last night. The town seemed safe this time, but water had accumulated on the uphill side of the TransCanada Highway, threatening to wash the road away because the culverts which normally allow water to pass below had been jammed shut by debris washed down by the deluge. Crews were busy pumping it out to the lower side of the hill where it could wash away harmlessly. Our car and every other vehicle had to pass over the hoses, which were only protected by 2x4 pieces of lumber on each side. Late that day we heard on the radio that the road had actually been closed because each vehicle which drove over the hoses closed them down for a bit of time, and this delayed the pumping. The highway actually subsequently stayed closed for almost a full day, and all traffic had to take a long detour using one of the scenic routes to the north. We were very glad on hearing that news that we had made it past this spot before the highway closure took effect.Enjoy the pictures from this day which can be found here.
Our first stop was Salvage, a quaint little village, which when we first approached it seemed unremarkable to the point where we did not know why people had recommended visiting it, but as we got to the end of the village we understood why. We took a little hike up to a lookout platform and here we really got a nice view of the village, the rock outcrops on which it is built, and the surrounding area. With Leo’s pictures we hope to share the views of this village with you as well. Salvage is certainly worth another visit in the future but a longer one so we can walk the trails.
From here we went on to Twillingate. Twillingate is another small fishing village with lots of nice scenery by day and night. It is one of the most famous villages in Newfoundland. Here is where you might see lots of icebergs, but only earlier in the season than our visit, and also lots of whales. Well we were lucky enough to see our whales, this time it was a couple of humpbacks. They were swimming not far off shore beyond the lighthouse point, and a couple of whale-watching tour boats were slowly circling them to show the tourists on board at close quarters what magnificent creatures they are. Actually it may not have been luck at all that we saw them. For all we know they are frequently sighted in this location. We had a very nice stay in Twillingate and would have stayed longer but we were now limited in time as we had to catch a ferry off the island on Wednesday. You will recall that ferry bookings fill up a couple of days in advance, so if we had decided to stay one more day here then we likely could not have made it off the island for another 3 or 4 days. If the weather turned sour again we did not want to spend that much extra time here.
On this day we again passed through the town of Gambo, where there had been a major flood three weeks ago when we drove past on our way to St. John`s. There were more concerns about flooding today, given the heavy rains which fell last night. The town seemed safe this time, but water had accumulated on the uphill side of the TransCanada Highway, threatening to wash the road away because the culverts which normally allow water to pass below had been jammed shut by debris washed down by the deluge. Crews were busy pumping it out to the lower side of the hill where it could wash away harmlessly. Our car and every other vehicle had to pass over the hoses, which were only protected by 2x4 pieces of lumber on each side. Late that day we heard on the radio that the road had actually been closed because each vehicle which drove over the hoses closed them down for a bit of time, and this delayed the pumping. The highway actually subsequently stayed closed for almost a full day, and all traffic had to take a long detour using one of the scenic routes to the north. We were very glad on hearing that news that we had made it past this spot before the highway closure took effect.Enjoy the pictures from this day which can be found here.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Day 48 – Bonavista Peninsula, Newfoundland
We decided to pack up our trailer in the rain (and raining it was), and move on to the next campground in the hope the weather would get better. We just parked our trailer at our new camp spot and decided to tour the Bonavista Peninsula in the hope that the weather would clear up. And yes the weather did clear up and we had a most wonderful time touring the peninsula. Leo was in his glory again as the sun came out and there was also quite a strong wind which gave a fantastic surf to photograph. He was like a child in a toy store so happy with the sunny late-afternoon light and wonderful surf created by these weather conditions.
Some of the results of his happiness can be found here.
Some of the results of his happiness can be found here.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Day 47 – Cape St. Mary’s, Newfoundland
After having a fairly restless night because the wind was blowing so hard we thought it was taking the top off our trailer, we woke up to sunshine at last. Because of the strong winds Leo decided that we would pack up and pull the trailer along while going on our next sight-seeing tour and find a camping spot at the end of our day trip.
We had decided earlier in the week to keep this day for our trip to Cape St. Mary’s because the weather forecast was to be somewhat sunny.
Cape St. Mary’s is a provincial Ecological Reserve where you can experience the whirling clamour of 70.000 seabirds every year. There are 7 species of birds nesting here and we got to see most of them. The most prominent bird was the Northern Gannet (Jan-van-Gent in Dutch). We could see literally thousands of birds just a stone throw away from us. It is totally amazing how these birds fly in and know where their young one is situated among the thousands of birds sitting on the large rock tower called a seamount. It really is like what you some times see in one of those National Geographic Society nature shows.
Some details from the handout we got telling us which birds we could see out there:
Northern Gannet (Jan-van-Gent) - 11,000 nesting pairs
Common Mure (Zeekoet) – 10,000 nesting pairs
Black Legged Kittiwake (Drieteenmeeuw) – 10,000 nesting pairs
Razorbill – 150+ nesting pairs
Black Guillemot (Zwarte Guillemot) – 60-plus nesting pairs
Cormorants (Geoorde Aalscholver) – common visitors/breeders
Thick-Billed Mure (Dikbekzeekoet) – 1,000 nesting pairs
And then if you are really lucky you could also see Humpback Whales but we were not that lucky this day.
After sitting on the rocks and watching the birds for a couple of hours we had to move on. When we got back to the visitor centre we had a most enjoyable chat with the park-ranger for the site about the birds but also about the village of Port Lance. He told us this place was the Beverly Hills of Newfoundland but we doubt this is really true as we have seen much nicer and bigger houses in other areas of Newfoundland.
On we went to find ourselves a camping spot in Argentia, but again the campground was located in such a way that with any kind of wind it would pick up our trailer and most likely dump us in the ocean. We finally ended up in a campground in Bellevue and not long after we went to bed the rain started, and it rained and rained.
Photos of our wonderful day at Cape St. Mary’s can be found here.
We had decided earlier in the week to keep this day for our trip to Cape St. Mary’s because the weather forecast was to be somewhat sunny.
Cape St. Mary’s is a provincial Ecological Reserve where you can experience the whirling clamour of 70.000 seabirds every year. There are 7 species of birds nesting here and we got to see most of them. The most prominent bird was the Northern Gannet (Jan-van-Gent in Dutch). We could see literally thousands of birds just a stone throw away from us. It is totally amazing how these birds fly in and know where their young one is situated among the thousands of birds sitting on the large rock tower called a seamount. It really is like what you some times see in one of those National Geographic Society nature shows.
Some details from the handout we got telling us which birds we could see out there:
Northern Gannet (Jan-van-Gent) - 11,000 nesting pairs
Common Mure (Zeekoet) – 10,000 nesting pairs
Black Legged Kittiwake (Drieteenmeeuw) – 10,000 nesting pairs
Razorbill – 150+ nesting pairs
Black Guillemot (Zwarte Guillemot) – 60-plus nesting pairs
Cormorants (Geoorde Aalscholver) – common visitors/breeders
Thick-Billed Mure (Dikbekzeekoet) – 1,000 nesting pairs
And then if you are really lucky you could also see Humpback Whales but we were not that lucky this day.
After sitting on the rocks and watching the birds for a couple of hours we had to move on. When we got back to the visitor centre we had a most enjoyable chat with the park-ranger for the site about the birds but also about the village of Port Lance. He told us this place was the Beverly Hills of Newfoundland but we doubt this is really true as we have seen much nicer and bigger houses in other areas of Newfoundland.
On we went to find ourselves a camping spot in Argentia, but again the campground was located in such a way that with any kind of wind it would pick up our trailer and most likely dump us in the ocean. We finally ended up in a campground in Bellevue and not long after we went to bed the rain started, and it rained and rained.
Photos of our wonderful day at Cape St. Mary’s can be found here.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Day 45 & 46 – Baccalieu Trail, Newfoundland
Day 45 - Every day we start of with the same weather pattern: foggy and drizzling in the morning, clearing up in late morning and by late afternoon misty again. Today there was more heavy rain as well.
But before we got hit by the rain we, again, had a beautiful trip along one of the shores of the Avalon Peninsula. This time we took a northern route. We only got 1/2 of the route done because Newfoundlanders like to talk (or is it that Leo likes to listen?) I have to repeat myself again as to how beautiful the scenery is here but then the pictures will also show you this as well.
When we got to the village of Port de Grave we met Matt Petten, a 74 year old ex-fisherman, who now occupies his time making fishing type artefacts and displaying them along the road on a piece of property he owns. At first we thought this was a display set up by the village but when we stopped to take a picture out came Matt to tell us all about his work. 3 hours later we moved on.
Matt was a lovely old gentleman who told us stories of times past, such as when he fell into the water of the very harbour before us and drowned when he was a 9 year old. He could not swim and came up for air a couple of times before he sank to the bottom. Some townspeople noticed him drowning and one took a grappling hook which he threw into the water to retrieve Matt’s body as he was lying too deep to reach. He pulled Matt to surface whose face by then was totally blue according to his mother. This man remembered that if a person has waterlogged lungs you need to empty them through his nose so quickly ran a tube down to Matt’s lungs and did what he could to remove the water there. Matt was unconscious for a full day afterwards but miraculously then slowly revived. He truly came within a fisherman’s whisker of dying on that day. Recent scientific research suggests that it likely was the very cold water which protected his brain while it was without oxygen for that long time.
Then Matt gave us a tour of his 65 foot, million dollar fishing boat. It was a very luxurious boat inside with all the conveniences of home, even a washer and dryer. Matt also explained to us how the fishing is done and partly processed on the boat. It sure was an educational experience for us. As we were talking I noticed an ‘iceberg’ floating by in the harbour, just in time for Leo to take a picture of it. It had been cast in by some fishermen, but even Matt thought it was funny to view it as an iceberg.
Afterwards I had a chance to talk to Matt’s son Neil. I came to the conclusion that fisherman are like our Alberta farmers. It is never right, it either rains too much or not enough and the government has too many rules. But I can tell you that some of these fishermen live in pretty nice big houses.
Because we spent so much time in Port de Grave talking to Matt, and the fog and rain started again, we cut our route short and headed back home to continue the next morning.
Day 46 – 2nd leg of the Baccalieu Trail
The rain had a mind of its own this time and decided to stay, but the forecast was for some sporadic sunshine. We just did not know where it would occur. We decided to go and finish our route anyway as every time we have gone on these excursions the sun had decided to shine on us for at least a part of the day. And so she did again this time: by the time we got to where we left off the previous day the weather started slowly to clear and soon out came the sun. Again we took in the scenery as Leo’s pictures will show. To finish this tour we decided to have supper at Dildo’s Dory Restaurant. (The town claims to be named after a Spanish town rather that what many people think!) We thoroughly enjoyed our meal there and recommend this restaurant for when you are in the neighbourhood. (Lance, this restaurant is located on main streets and there are many road signs leading you to it).
We then drove back to our campsite after another full day of sight-seeing in Newfoundland.
Pictures for the last 2 days can be found here.
But before we got hit by the rain we, again, had a beautiful trip along one of the shores of the Avalon Peninsula. This time we took a northern route. We only got 1/2 of the route done because Newfoundlanders like to talk (or is it that Leo likes to listen?) I have to repeat myself again as to how beautiful the scenery is here but then the pictures will also show you this as well.
When we got to the village of Port de Grave we met Matt Petten, a 74 year old ex-fisherman, who now occupies his time making fishing type artefacts and displaying them along the road on a piece of property he owns. At first we thought this was a display set up by the village but when we stopped to take a picture out came Matt to tell us all about his work. 3 hours later we moved on.
Matt was a lovely old gentleman who told us stories of times past, such as when he fell into the water of the very harbour before us and drowned when he was a 9 year old. He could not swim and came up for air a couple of times before he sank to the bottom. Some townspeople noticed him drowning and one took a grappling hook which he threw into the water to retrieve Matt’s body as he was lying too deep to reach. He pulled Matt to surface whose face by then was totally blue according to his mother. This man remembered that if a person has waterlogged lungs you need to empty them through his nose so quickly ran a tube down to Matt’s lungs and did what he could to remove the water there. Matt was unconscious for a full day afterwards but miraculously then slowly revived. He truly came within a fisherman’s whisker of dying on that day. Recent scientific research suggests that it likely was the very cold water which protected his brain while it was without oxygen for that long time.
Then Matt gave us a tour of his 65 foot, million dollar fishing boat. It was a very luxurious boat inside with all the conveniences of home, even a washer and dryer. Matt also explained to us how the fishing is done and partly processed on the boat. It sure was an educational experience for us. As we were talking I noticed an ‘iceberg’ floating by in the harbour, just in time for Leo to take a picture of it. It had been cast in by some fishermen, but even Matt thought it was funny to view it as an iceberg.
Afterwards I had a chance to talk to Matt’s son Neil. I came to the conclusion that fisherman are like our Alberta farmers. It is never right, it either rains too much or not enough and the government has too many rules. But I can tell you that some of these fishermen live in pretty nice big houses.
Because we spent so much time in Port de Grave talking to Matt, and the fog and rain started again, we cut our route short and headed back home to continue the next morning.
Day 46 – 2nd leg of the Baccalieu Trail
The rain had a mind of its own this time and decided to stay, but the forecast was for some sporadic sunshine. We just did not know where it would occur. We decided to go and finish our route anyway as every time we have gone on these excursions the sun had decided to shine on us for at least a part of the day. And so she did again this time: by the time we got to where we left off the previous day the weather started slowly to clear and soon out came the sun. Again we took in the scenery as Leo’s pictures will show. To finish this tour we decided to have supper at Dildo’s Dory Restaurant. (The town claims to be named after a Spanish town rather that what many people think!) We thoroughly enjoyed our meal there and recommend this restaurant for when you are in the neighbourhood. (Lance, this restaurant is located on main streets and there are many road signs leading you to it).
We then drove back to our campsite after another full day of sight-seeing in Newfoundland.
Pictures for the last 2 days can be found here.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Day 43 & 44 – St. John’s and Irish Loop road tour, Newfoundland
Day 43 – It is Sunday in St. John’s and it is another misty, drizzly day but we will make the best of it.
Leo went out to take pictures of downtown St. John’s even though light rain was falling. This was to be his last chance as we are determined to leave St. John’s and its poor Pippy Park campground tomorrow. In the evening we went to the Newfoundland & Labrador Folk Festival. The rain had stopped, so we hoped for a dry evening but did go prepared and took our raincoats along. That is something we have learned here: you never leave without your raincoat (or umbrella). That is, unless you are a Newfoundlander, many of whom walk around in the drizzle and rain as if the sun was shining.
We were able to put our chairs on a fairly good spot on the soaking wet grass with a full view of the stage. We got there just in time to see Sylvia Tyson, a band whose name escapes us, the famous Figgy Duff, and Shanneyganock. We thoroughly enjoyed the last two bands and even bought some of their cds. At the end all the volunteers working the festival were asked to get on stage to sing, together with the whole crowd, the ‘Ode to Newfoundland’. The rain did stay away for most of the evening. We only had a few minutes of light drizzle and that was it. By the time we got back to our trailer it was midnight so bedtime it was for us.
Day 44 – Irish Loop road tour.
This morning we packed up and left Pippy Park Campground (a campground I would not recommend to any one. This campground got a rating of 0 out of 10 by us). We only had to drive half an hour or so to get to our next campground just west of St. John’s and it is very new and nice.
After we had lunch we decided to take one of the road tours again, this time one of the ones on the Avalon Peninsula taking us to St. Shott, the southernmost point of the Peninsula. The weather was still foggy but dry and rather than staying ‘home’ we took a chance again and left.
Again we got lucky as the weather cleared up for us as we got closer to the coast and the sun decided to shine for Leo and his pictures. We finally met our first moose close up and luckily Leo got a picture or two before a very kind Newfoundlander stopped next to us to make sure we had no car problem and thereby chased away our moose. The animal seemed to know a car with Alberta license plates would cause him no harm, but when he saw one stop with Newfie plates, he decided to hightail it into the bush.
This very kind Newfoundlander and his wife did offer us to meet up with them in St. Vincent however to do some fishing for cod from shore. Once we got to St. Vincent and caught up with them they just gotten out their rod and low and behold about 10 minutes later he had a nice cod on the line. The wife of the fisherman offered us the fish for supper (we declined) so the fisherman started to ‘clean’ the fish for us. First he kind of cut off the head partly, and then he cut open its guts and took out its inners. The poor fish was still wiggling about while all this was happening, another reason I could not eat that fish!
We drove on and were treated to another kind of scenery here, tundra. We also got to see some caribou just grazing off the road a bit. Later in the afternoon the mist came up again and was thick enough to take the view away of the scenery around us.
We hope you will enjoy the pictures of St. John’s and the festival and those Leo took on day 44 of the Irish Loop road tour. The pictures can be found here.
Leo went out to take pictures of downtown St. John’s even though light rain was falling. This was to be his last chance as we are determined to leave St. John’s and its poor Pippy Park campground tomorrow. In the evening we went to the Newfoundland & Labrador Folk Festival. The rain had stopped, so we hoped for a dry evening but did go prepared and took our raincoats along. That is something we have learned here: you never leave without your raincoat (or umbrella). That is, unless you are a Newfoundlander, many of whom walk around in the drizzle and rain as if the sun was shining.
We were able to put our chairs on a fairly good spot on the soaking wet grass with a full view of the stage. We got there just in time to see Sylvia Tyson, a band whose name escapes us, the famous Figgy Duff, and Shanneyganock. We thoroughly enjoyed the last two bands and even bought some of their cds. At the end all the volunteers working the festival were asked to get on stage to sing, together with the whole crowd, the ‘Ode to Newfoundland’. The rain did stay away for most of the evening. We only had a few minutes of light drizzle and that was it. By the time we got back to our trailer it was midnight so bedtime it was for us.
Day 44 – Irish Loop road tour.
This morning we packed up and left Pippy Park Campground (a campground I would not recommend to any one. This campground got a rating of 0 out of 10 by us). We only had to drive half an hour or so to get to our next campground just west of St. John’s and it is very new and nice.
After we had lunch we decided to take one of the road tours again, this time one of the ones on the Avalon Peninsula taking us to St. Shott, the southernmost point of the Peninsula. The weather was still foggy but dry and rather than staying ‘home’ we took a chance again and left.
Again we got lucky as the weather cleared up for us as we got closer to the coast and the sun decided to shine for Leo and his pictures. We finally met our first moose close up and luckily Leo got a picture or two before a very kind Newfoundlander stopped next to us to make sure we had no car problem and thereby chased away our moose. The animal seemed to know a car with Alberta license plates would cause him no harm, but when he saw one stop with Newfie plates, he decided to hightail it into the bush.
This very kind Newfoundlander and his wife did offer us to meet up with them in St. Vincent however to do some fishing for cod from shore. Once we got to St. Vincent and caught up with them they just gotten out their rod and low and behold about 10 minutes later he had a nice cod on the line. The wife of the fisherman offered us the fish for supper (we declined) so the fisherman started to ‘clean’ the fish for us. First he kind of cut off the head partly, and then he cut open its guts and took out its inners. The poor fish was still wiggling about while all this was happening, another reason I could not eat that fish!
We drove on and were treated to another kind of scenery here, tundra. We also got to see some caribou just grazing off the road a bit. Later in the afternoon the mist came up again and was thick enough to take the view away of the scenery around us.
We hope you will enjoy the pictures of St. John’s and the festival and those Leo took on day 44 of the Irish Loop road tour. The pictures can be found here.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Day 41 & 42 – St. John’s, Newfoundland
Day 41 - We woke up to sunshine this morning and started the last leg of our eastward trip to St. John’s. The roads were getting busier and the scenery changed from forest to the nice ‘rock garden’ look, and then back to forests again as we got closer to St. John’s. Not only did the scenery change when we got closer to St. John’s but so did the weather. It started to get cloudy again but showed no rain as yet. We had reserved a camp spot about a week ago but could only get a spot with a pull-through and full services as the rest of the campground was booked full. There is a major Newfoundland folk song festival on the go and that is likely the reason for the heavy demand. So here we are with our little pop-up trailer among all these huge motor homes and hard-top trailers.
We took advantage of the dry weather and spent the afternoon going up Signal Hill and then on to Cape Spear, the most easterly point of Canada, and thus of North America. We even got to enjoy some sunshine at Cape Spear so Leo took advantage of that and tried to capture the scenery which can be seen from there and from Signal Hill in St. John’s. We hope you will get some idea as to how beautifully St. John’s is located and how the ‘old’ town looks from these images.
Day 42 – Playing tourist in downtown St. John’s.
Unfortunately the weather did not improve: it actually got worse, and it even went from drizzle to full rain so we decided to go downtown to do some shopping and sightseeing. We also took a stroll up the famous George Street, which only has pubs on either side of the street for about 4 blocks of its length. There were just a few pubs opening up as it was too early in the day as yet. I don’t know if we will get back there of an evening later to take in the atmosphere and partake in a ‘pub crawl’.
Photos for day 41 can be found here. Sorry, but there are no pictures for day 42 as you likely already know what drizzle and rain look like.
We took advantage of the dry weather and spent the afternoon going up Signal Hill and then on to Cape Spear, the most easterly point of Canada, and thus of North America. We even got to enjoy some sunshine at Cape Spear so Leo took advantage of that and tried to capture the scenery which can be seen from there and from Signal Hill in St. John’s. We hope you will get some idea as to how beautifully St. John’s is located and how the ‘old’ town looks from these images.
Day 42 – Playing tourist in downtown St. John’s.
Unfortunately the weather did not improve: it actually got worse, and it even went from drizzle to full rain so we decided to go downtown to do some shopping and sightseeing. We also took a stroll up the famous George Street, which only has pubs on either side of the street for about 4 blocks of its length. There were just a few pubs opening up as it was too early in the day as yet. I don’t know if we will get back there of an evening later to take in the atmosphere and partake in a ‘pub crawl’.
Photos for day 41 can be found here. Sorry, but there are no pictures for day 42 as you likely already know what drizzle and rain look like.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Day 39 & 40 – Gander and the Road to the Shore, Newfoundland
Day 39 & 40 – Gander and the Road to the Shore, Newfoundland
Day 39 - We spent our first day in Gander doing the museum tour as the weather was not great for anything outside. We first went to the Airport as Leo wanted to see if the building was still standing at which he arrived 51 years ago as an immigrant child on a KLM flight from Amsterdam, via Shannon, Ireland before flying on to Montreal. Gander was the first place he set foot on the ground in Canada. And yes, that building was still there. It has had a domestic flight extension added to it, but the original is still used for international flights. A nice mural depicts the history of the Gander airport. Afterwards we visited the Gander Aviation museum, had some lunch, did our grocery shopping and went back to our trailer to sit in the rain with, unfortunately, no on-site internet to do our blog and emails.
Day 40 – We woke up to somewhat less cloudy skies and no rain so we decided to do the Road to the Shore route. This follows the coast through a number of villages to the north of Gander. Just like in the other Maritime provinces, scenic road routes are marked on the maps but also sport special sign along the roads for tourist to follow. As we were travelling the weather got better and the sun started to show her face for most of the day. The scenery was just fantastic. We drove through forests, marshes, and bogs to end up along the coast where everything is a natural rock garden, or should I say ‘boulder garden’. We spent most of our time in the village of Greenspond, just walking through the village and talking to the local people. The last house we visited was the “Button” house, located at the end of the village near the entrance to the harbour with the most beautiful view of waves crashing over rocks which you can imagine. This is one place we will have to go back to and visit again.
On we then went as we only had done 1/3 of the route and it was already 2 o’clock in the afternoon since our departure at 9 that morning. The total route is about 350 km so we had to cover a few more kilometers before we were home again. The rest of the trip went a bit quicker as all the other places could not compare to Greenspond so we did not have to take as many pictures. As well, the rain started to come down again later in the afternoon. We got home around 7:30 that evening, had our supper and did our planning for our next day’s trip, to the capital of Newfoundland, St. John’s.
We hope that the photos will give you an idea as to how different in nature Newfoundland is. It is a rugged, wild and uninhabited country in its centre, with picturesque villages, and beautiful ocean views along the coast. Pictures of the last two days can be found here.
Day 39 - We spent our first day in Gander doing the museum tour as the weather was not great for anything outside. We first went to the Airport as Leo wanted to see if the building was still standing at which he arrived 51 years ago as an immigrant child on a KLM flight from Amsterdam, via Shannon, Ireland before flying on to Montreal. Gander was the first place he set foot on the ground in Canada. And yes, that building was still there. It has had a domestic flight extension added to it, but the original is still used for international flights. A nice mural depicts the history of the Gander airport. Afterwards we visited the Gander Aviation museum, had some lunch, did our grocery shopping and went back to our trailer to sit in the rain with, unfortunately, no on-site internet to do our blog and emails.
Day 40 – We woke up to somewhat less cloudy skies and no rain so we decided to do the Road to the Shore route. This follows the coast through a number of villages to the north of Gander. Just like in the other Maritime provinces, scenic road routes are marked on the maps but also sport special sign along the roads for tourist to follow. As we were travelling the weather got better and the sun started to show her face for most of the day. The scenery was just fantastic. We drove through forests, marshes, and bogs to end up along the coast where everything is a natural rock garden, or should I say ‘boulder garden’. We spent most of our time in the village of Greenspond, just walking through the village and talking to the local people. The last house we visited was the “Button” house, located at the end of the village near the entrance to the harbour with the most beautiful view of waves crashing over rocks which you can imagine. This is one place we will have to go back to and visit again.
On we then went as we only had done 1/3 of the route and it was already 2 o’clock in the afternoon since our departure at 9 that morning. The total route is about 350 km so we had to cover a few more kilometers before we were home again. The rest of the trip went a bit quicker as all the other places could not compare to Greenspond so we did not have to take as many pictures. As well, the rain started to come down again later in the afternoon. We got home around 7:30 that evening, had our supper and did our planning for our next day’s trip, to the capital of Newfoundland, St. John’s.
We hope that the photos will give you an idea as to how different in nature Newfoundland is. It is a rugged, wild and uninhabited country in its centre, with picturesque villages, and beautiful ocean views along the coast. Pictures of the last two days can be found here.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Day 38 – Travel from Rocky Harbour to Gander, Newfoundland
Day 38 – Travel from Rocky Harbour to Gander, Newfoundland
Today we travelled 370km to our new destination of Gander. We plan on spending a few days here before we move on to our final destination of St. John’s which could be either Thursday or Friday.
We also passed the 10,000 km mark on our odometer today which would be the same as traveling from the Equator to the North Pole I am told, and then to know that we have not yet reached our final destination point or are on our way back!
After setting up our trailer I cooked dinner/supper so we could, if we wanted to, go to Gander and just look around town for a while. But as it is starting to rain again I think we will just stay at the trailer and do some stuff around here. But it’s better than a rock in a pot!
Unfortunately we have no Internet at our campsite but there is Internet access from the office so we can download our emails and upload our blog and pictures from time to time.
Today, Leo did not take any pictures but he did post some more pictures from the last few days. These pictures can be found here.
Today we travelled 370km to our new destination of Gander. We plan on spending a few days here before we move on to our final destination of St. John’s which could be either Thursday or Friday.
We also passed the 10,000 km mark on our odometer today which would be the same as traveling from the Equator to the North Pole I am told, and then to know that we have not yet reached our final destination point or are on our way back!
After setting up our trailer I cooked dinner/supper so we could, if we wanted to, go to Gander and just look around town for a while. But as it is starting to rain again I think we will just stay at the trailer and do some stuff around here. But it’s better than a rock in a pot!
Unfortunately we have no Internet at our campsite but there is Internet access from the office so we can download our emails and upload our blog and pictures from time to time.
Today, Leo did not take any pictures but he did post some more pictures from the last few days. These pictures can be found here.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Day 36 and 37 – Hiking and other activities at Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland
Day 36 and 37 – Hiking and other activities at Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland
Every day we check the weather forecast. We don’t know why as it never is correct here anyway, and we were supposed to have a sunny day so it was planned to be a hiking day.
First we took the Baker’s Brook Falls trail: a 10 km return hike again along bogs and forest. The view of the falls was certainly worth the hike. The pictures will give you a better view of it.
Then it was back to our car for some lunch, and as our parking lot was also the starting point of Berry Hill trail we did this as well. It is a short hike but very steep, with man-made steps near the top of it. Here we got a beautiful view of the area as can be seen in Leo’s pictures.
After we were done our hikes we went to check out the distance I had walked along the highway but got side tracked at a very small fisherman’s village of Baker’s Brook. Here Leo chatted with a local fisherman, Ernest, and he told us a bit of what he and his wife do for living, off-shore fishing in just a small fishing boat. They are up in the dark at 3:00 in the morning each day, head out 10 miles from shore and fish for cod in the morning when the waves are less pronounced. They return with their catch by 9:00 a.m. His wife goes along and fishes with him each day. He suggested we come back the next morning when they returned from their fishing trip so we could meet her as well as she was in town at the moment.
Day 37 – Berry Brook Cove and Trout River
We got up a bit late but we were still ready to go at 9 to see Ernest and his wife Lynn coming back from their fishing trip. They then had to clean the fish and get it ready to take to the local fish plant where the fish are processed for market.
Once they were done cleaning the fish Ernest and Leo went to the fish plant and Lynn showed me around “the house”. She got some fish ready for their supper (10 o’clock in the morning!) and also some cod tongues, a delicacy here in Newfoundland. We cooked the fish and tongues, got some lettuce from the garden and then she went to set the table for 4! She never asked if we wanted to stay; it was just expected of us that we would stay and have ‘dinner’ with them. As the boys took way too long to come back (those men) and Lynn did not want to eat her fish cold we both started to eat. I really liked the cod tongues but Leo thought it was a bit fatty. In this way we were again received with the most famous hospitality of the Newfoundland people. We chatted a bit longer and then said our goodbyes to Ernest and Lynn after exchanging addresses and such.
Then it was back to our trailer to decide where our afternoon trip would take us. We chose to go to Woody Point and Trout River, which are villages on the other side of the Bonne Bay fjord from Rocky Harbour so it was again a bit of a drive, but a scenic one. The weather remained cloudy so it was not much of a day for hiking or biking. We checked out Trout River and on the way back the Discovery Centre at Woody Point. This is a very nice place to visit as well and to learn about the geology of the park as well as some of its history.
I am sure that with Leo’s pictures you will get a better idea of what we have experienced these last few days. The pictures for days 36 and 37 can be found here.
Every day we check the weather forecast. We don’t know why as it never is correct here anyway, and we were supposed to have a sunny day so it was planned to be a hiking day.
First we took the Baker’s Brook Falls trail: a 10 km return hike again along bogs and forest. The view of the falls was certainly worth the hike. The pictures will give you a better view of it.
Then it was back to our car for some lunch, and as our parking lot was also the starting point of Berry Hill trail we did this as well. It is a short hike but very steep, with man-made steps near the top of it. Here we got a beautiful view of the area as can be seen in Leo’s pictures.
After we were done our hikes we went to check out the distance I had walked along the highway but got side tracked at a very small fisherman’s village of Baker’s Brook. Here Leo chatted with a local fisherman, Ernest, and he told us a bit of what he and his wife do for living, off-shore fishing in just a small fishing boat. They are up in the dark at 3:00 in the morning each day, head out 10 miles from shore and fish for cod in the morning when the waves are less pronounced. They return with their catch by 9:00 a.m. His wife goes along and fishes with him each day. He suggested we come back the next morning when they returned from their fishing trip so we could meet her as well as she was in town at the moment.
Day 37 – Berry Brook Cove and Trout River
We got up a bit late but we were still ready to go at 9 to see Ernest and his wife Lynn coming back from their fishing trip. They then had to clean the fish and get it ready to take to the local fish plant where the fish are processed for market.
Once they were done cleaning the fish Ernest and Leo went to the fish plant and Lynn showed me around “the house”. She got some fish ready for their supper (10 o’clock in the morning!) and also some cod tongues, a delicacy here in Newfoundland. We cooked the fish and tongues, got some lettuce from the garden and then she went to set the table for 4! She never asked if we wanted to stay; it was just expected of us that we would stay and have ‘dinner’ with them. As the boys took way too long to come back (those men) and Lynn did not want to eat her fish cold we both started to eat. I really liked the cod tongues but Leo thought it was a bit fatty. In this way we were again received with the most famous hospitality of the Newfoundland people. We chatted a bit longer and then said our goodbyes to Ernest and Lynn after exchanging addresses and such.
Then it was back to our trailer to decide where our afternoon trip would take us. We chose to go to Woody Point and Trout River, which are villages on the other side of the Bonne Bay fjord from Rocky Harbour so it was again a bit of a drive, but a scenic one. The weather remained cloudy so it was not much of a day for hiking or biking. We checked out Trout River and on the way back the Discovery Centre at Woody Point. This is a very nice place to visit as well and to learn about the geology of the park as well as some of its history.
I am sure that with Leo’s pictures you will get a better idea of what we have experienced these last few days. The pictures for days 36 and 37 can be found here.
Day 34 & 35 – Driving from Codroy Valley to Gros Morne National Park and our visit to the park in Newfoundland
Day 34 & 35 – Driving from Codroy Valley to Gros Morne National Park and our visit to the park in Newfoundland
Day 34 was a travelling day from Codroy Valley to Rocky Harbour as the weather forecast for that area was sunshine for the next few days and the rest of Newfoundland predicted rain. Of course you can only trust the weatherman for 50% even here in Newfoundland. We did have reasonable weather for our drive but certainly not the sunshine forecasted, and the sun shone only a bit in our days here. They could sure use some more talented meteorologists here, Erik!
We started late and it was a long but nice drive to our destination point. The TransCanada Highway is a smooth paved highway: one of the best ones we have travelled so far. We went to gas up at a Canadian Tire gas station in Corner Brook but I think every one in Corner Brook was running out of gas as it was chaos at this station. One customer quipped that you would have thought the gas was free it was so busy, but we did get gas again to move on.
The campground in Rocky Harbour is really nice and clean but internet was not the best. Just as we got going it would shut down and as we are not at our trailer much during the day we did not get much done on our blog these last few days.
Day 35 – Our first full day here and we decided to walk the Coastal trail which consists of a 3 km hike with the coast on one side and a bog on the other side. Newfoundland has lots and lots of bogs. The path was so narrow and uneven that I decided not to walk back on the same path but just walk towards our campsite along the highway. Leo walked back and picked me up 6 km later. Later in the day we walked around a pond, Berry Head Pond, which was a nice walk as well and mostly boardwalk because of the boggy terrain. These walks would even be nicer in June or July when the flowers are in full bloom.
That is was about it for day 34 and 35, pictures of these days can be found here.
Day 34 was a travelling day from Codroy Valley to Rocky Harbour as the weather forecast for that area was sunshine for the next few days and the rest of Newfoundland predicted rain. Of course you can only trust the weatherman for 50% even here in Newfoundland. We did have reasonable weather for our drive but certainly not the sunshine forecasted, and the sun shone only a bit in our days here. They could sure use some more talented meteorologists here, Erik!
We started late and it was a long but nice drive to our destination point. The TransCanada Highway is a smooth paved highway: one of the best ones we have travelled so far. We went to gas up at a Canadian Tire gas station in Corner Brook but I think every one in Corner Brook was running out of gas as it was chaos at this station. One customer quipped that you would have thought the gas was free it was so busy, but we did get gas again to move on.
The campground in Rocky Harbour is really nice and clean but internet was not the best. Just as we got going it would shut down and as we are not at our trailer much during the day we did not get much done on our blog these last few days.
Day 35 – Our first full day here and we decided to walk the Coastal trail which consists of a 3 km hike with the coast on one side and a bog on the other side. Newfoundland has lots and lots of bogs. The path was so narrow and uneven that I decided not to walk back on the same path but just walk towards our campsite along the highway. Leo walked back and picked me up 6 km later. Later in the day we walked around a pond, Berry Head Pond, which was a nice walk as well and mostly boardwalk because of the boggy terrain. These walks would even be nicer in June or July when the flowers are in full bloom.
That is was about it for day 34 and 35, pictures of these days can be found here.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Day 32 and 33 – Ferry to Newfoundland – Codroy Valley, Newfoundland
Day 32 and 33 – Ferry to Newfoundland – Codroy Valley, Newfoundland.
Day 32, today we drove from Baddeck to North Sydney to catch the 4 p.m. ferry to Port Aux Basques in Newfoundland. We got to the ferry terminal about 2:30 after driving through a torrential rain which was so heavy that many cars had stopped because it was too difficult to see the road. We drove through it with our wipers on high but could only manage a speed of 30 km/hr without impairing our visibility of the road.
We did not have to wait long to board the ferry and the passage was very smooth and quiet. We even had some sunshine during our sailing, We were furthermore entertained by a few dolphins giving us a jumping show just beside the boat. Later during our passage the famous Newfoundland fog set in as we came closer to the island and the ferry commenced sounding its fog horn every minute or so to warn any boats which might be in our path.
We then arrived about 10 pm Newfoundland time and drove in the dark to our campground. We had a choice of about 10 sites so we picked the one in the middle because it was the one with a light close by so we could see what we were doing. It was a beautiful evening and the sky was one starry spectacle. Once we were set up I said to Leo I wanted to sit outside and just look at the stars for a while but as we looked up all the stars had disappeared so we went to bed instead.
Day 33 – We took a tour around the south-west coast of the island and got to experience the kind of Newfoundland we had heard about. The small colourful houses sat amongst the shore rocks, there were no trees worth mentioning and yet the hills have lots of trees. Yes the countryside is like the foothills of Alberta. It is very picturesque and lush with winding roads to take you to the small villages. We initially spent some time at Codroy harbour, talked to the locals and so far had no problems understanding their language. We then decided to go back to Port Aux Basques and take some pictures of the ferry but first we stopped at a local sandy beach and ate our lunch. I got to do some wading in the water and to feed the gulls.
Leo took his pictures of the ferry terminal and the ferryboat by daylight and we went on into Port Aux Basques town to do some sightseeing there. What a nice little town it is. To us it is prototypical Newfoundland housing just built wherever there was land to do so. As we were watching a few men bring in their catch of cod (5 are now allowed per person, and there were 3 men) we got invited to come along and receive of their fish. We watched them clean and fillet the cod and we were giving some fillets for our supper today. This was our first encounter with the friendliness of the local people which we had been told by so many to expect there. Believe it or not but I cooked the fish for supper and it was a most delicious meal with no fish smell at all in the trailer.
This time however we were a bit more challenged by the Newfoundland “dialect”. We were asked where we were from. We answered that question and then said we had just landed on Newfoundland yesterday. One of the men then asked Else “Yous goin’ all through ‘er?” This totally made no sense to Else, but Leo jumped to her aid and suggested she answer “Yes we are going all the way to St. John’s”. It was one small step in his rehabilitation out of the doghouse. There are still many steps to go!
Leo tried to capture our two days with his pictures so enjoy looking at them by clicking here. The dolphin picture does not show much as they only surface to breath for what seems like a fraction of a second.
Day 32, today we drove from Baddeck to North Sydney to catch the 4 p.m. ferry to Port Aux Basques in Newfoundland. We got to the ferry terminal about 2:30 after driving through a torrential rain which was so heavy that many cars had stopped because it was too difficult to see the road. We drove through it with our wipers on high but could only manage a speed of 30 km/hr without impairing our visibility of the road.
We did not have to wait long to board the ferry and the passage was very smooth and quiet. We even had some sunshine during our sailing, We were furthermore entertained by a few dolphins giving us a jumping show just beside the boat. Later during our passage the famous Newfoundland fog set in as we came closer to the island and the ferry commenced sounding its fog horn every minute or so to warn any boats which might be in our path.
We then arrived about 10 pm Newfoundland time and drove in the dark to our campground. We had a choice of about 10 sites so we picked the one in the middle because it was the one with a light close by so we could see what we were doing. It was a beautiful evening and the sky was one starry spectacle. Once we were set up I said to Leo I wanted to sit outside and just look at the stars for a while but as we looked up all the stars had disappeared so we went to bed instead.
Day 33 – We took a tour around the south-west coast of the island and got to experience the kind of Newfoundland we had heard about. The small colourful houses sat amongst the shore rocks, there were no trees worth mentioning and yet the hills have lots of trees. Yes the countryside is like the foothills of Alberta. It is very picturesque and lush with winding roads to take you to the small villages. We initially spent some time at Codroy harbour, talked to the locals and so far had no problems understanding their language. We then decided to go back to Port Aux Basques and take some pictures of the ferry but first we stopped at a local sandy beach and ate our lunch. I got to do some wading in the water and to feed the gulls.
Leo took his pictures of the ferry terminal and the ferryboat by daylight and we went on into Port Aux Basques town to do some sightseeing there. What a nice little town it is. To us it is prototypical Newfoundland housing just built wherever there was land to do so. As we were watching a few men bring in their catch of cod (5 are now allowed per person, and there were 3 men) we got invited to come along and receive of their fish. We watched them clean and fillet the cod and we were giving some fillets for our supper today. This was our first encounter with the friendliness of the local people which we had been told by so many to expect there. Believe it or not but I cooked the fish for supper and it was a most delicious meal with no fish smell at all in the trailer.
This time however we were a bit more challenged by the Newfoundland “dialect”. We were asked where we were from. We answered that question and then said we had just landed on Newfoundland yesterday. One of the men then asked Else “Yous goin’ all through ‘er?” This totally made no sense to Else, but Leo jumped to her aid and suggested she answer “Yes we are going all the way to St. John’s”. It was one small step in his rehabilitation out of the doghouse. There are still many steps to go!
Leo tried to capture our two days with his pictures so enjoy looking at them by clicking here. The dolphin picture does not show much as they only surface to breath for what seems like a fraction of a second.
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