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.