Canadian Maritimes with Mahoney/Brewers 08

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cuts_up said:
WOW!  Good for you!  That is some set of steps!!!!!  I'm not sure I could make that w/o an oxygen tank.

Kathy,

I was just glad they had  built  the steps.  It would have been a miserable mountain climb.  I do it for exercise as much as for the scenery.  It was NOT easy however.
Betty
 
3,300 and you're just starting up the Northern Peninsula, if memory serves me right, that will add another 1000 miles round trip, but they say it is the best part of the trip.  Be even more carefull of the moose as they are plentiful up there.  While in Gros Morn take a walk along the boardwalk to the inland fiord, it's pretty, at least it was when we were there.  Enjoy th people and the views, you still have lots to see.
 
July 15, 2008 Rocky Harbor, NL  Gros Morne RV Park. (709) 458-2238

We left Springdale and traveled TCH 1  over the most mountainous terrain we?ve seen so far.  It was misty and hazy so the scenery did not stand out.  We arrived at Gros Morne RV Park which is just outside of Gros Morne National Park.  There is much to do here as far as taking in sights but today we just figured out what to do for the next couple of days and will go to a talk tonight at the  visitor Center on the Tablelands.  Recall this area is where  the tectonic  plate theory was proven by matching rocks from the top of Gros Morne to rocks in Spain.  I?ll learn more about it tonight I?m sure . Good news here is the campground wi-fi works well and that gives us the entertainment we like.  There is still no TV and I?ve finished my book.  Now I?ll  be looking to  buy the sequel.

Update?.  We loaded ourselves up in the car  at 7:15 and drove the  mile or so to the Gros Morne Visitor Center, all set to watch the  8:00 pm slide show presentation on  the Mantle..Tablelands,? geology for the non geologist.?  They wanted us to  purchase a National Park day pass to see this.  They are $9.50 each person per day.  It would only be good till noon tomorrow so wouldn?t even cover the  price of admission for our drive  through the park tomorrow.  We passed,  mumbling and grumbling about what a price gouge we feel it was.  We would not have minded if it had been good for  24 hours but not  just  till noon.  Maybe I?m just reeling from Terry?s summary of our costs.

No I?m not going to cut down on things we see, but there are some limits!  This is the FIRST Visitor Center we?ve ever seen that charged an admission. 

We will drive a loop of the park tomorrow and hopefully have nice weather for our photos of the fijords.
 
Betty:  Are your 30 day expenses only since you have been in Canada or all the way from home.  Seems like your numbers would be higher from home.

For our 30 days out from home, we are pretty close to your numbers and we haven't been extravagent eating out or with entertainment.  You must remember however that our mileage is much worse than yours.

 
Ron

These are Canadian expenses only. Be prepared for a shock when you fill your tank, & food prices are also very expensive. 

Our daily expenses are $60 more per day than our Alaska trip two years ago.
 
Gary

>>Is the $775 ferry ride in "Miscellaneous" also?<<

Yes.......I even include the soft-serve ice cream cones.<G>

 
Betty,

$5,683 is a lot of dough in 30 days, but Ardra and I say, "It's a good life so do it while you can."  Congratulations to both of you.

So many folks do not fully account for the fact that their physical stamina, their health, and their money all tend to decline as the years go by.

There is a Mexican toast that says it the best.

Salud, Amor, Dinero y tiempo para gozarlos. 

Translation:  Health, Love, Money and the time to enjoy them.

JerryF
 
July 16, 2008  Gros Morne National Park and Outlying areas.

Today was one of those memory making traveling  days.  We toured 10 hours and witnessed spectacular scenery. I sit in the back seat of my chauffeur driven car, armed with the many tour guides and maps  available. Last night I read Tim and Jan Lynch?s version of this portion of the trip and  re-read Ardra?s accounts from their  06 visit to Newfoundland. (She did a very detailed account and I often refer to her statements.)  I then read the history to my front seat passengers and holler when I want the  driver to stop. 

This section of Newfoundland is not like anything I?ve ever seen or can make a comparison to.  Gros Morne National Park is an UNESCO  World Heritage Site  which means it was  designated by  the  United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization  as a place of historical significance.  It is because the rocks of Gros Morne provide some of the best illustrations of plate tectonics, one of the  most important ideas in modern science, that it was given this designation in 1987.  We visited the Discovery Center and paid our Canadian Park daily dues, happily today  as I must have been in a better mood.  We watched an  excellent video of the park .  The vistas of the  mountains came into view as the haze of the morning cleared.  The rocks and geologic features exposed within this place rank this place among the planets? most significant natural areas.  Fred Thomas would love to study geology here!  After touring little fishing village of  Trout River we had our picnic lunch overlooking Capelin Bay.  We will never again rely on  restaurants for lunch so we came prepared with our own. !  Our view was superb and we could enjoy the lovely day while walking along the boardwalk.  We could only be sorry that we were too late for lobster season as it would be fun to watch the fishermen take their catch.  Hundreds of lobster traps decorate the landscape and tell of  recent activity. Lobster season closed here two weeks ago.

Tablelands  Mountain boasts that it is an exposed part of the earths? mantle.  Terry and I hiked one hour at the base of this mountain and saw pitcher plants, waterfalls and the magnificent  yellowish colored rock that was thrust upward 450 millions years or so ago.  Not much grows on the barren rock .  We were the only ones on this relatively easy trail and  became engrossed in the scenery as well as the workout.  Russ waited in the car for us.  The drive  then provided views of the waters inside these  fjord type bays.  I saw a whale surface, but the guys did not see him.

We returned to the motor home and signed up to stay another day here at the Gros Morne RV Park.  We have wi-fi and have more to explore tomorrow.  We then headed north up the coast for  even more breathtaking scenery.  We headed to Arches Rock which was once ocean bottom and is now a formation of arches on a pebble filled beach. The coast is all rocks and pebbles, no sand at all.  We saw  more fishing villages and staging areas. We saw the remain of a shipwreck from 1910.

We saw a moose, yes you read that right, as we were headed back to camp, Russ said, ? STOP, do a u-turn I saw something. ? Throwing all of the contents of the back seat on the floor, driver did a u-turn and we headed slowly  back down the road to indeed see a large friendly tall  moose in the scrub brush.  The sun was right in the eye of the cameras but I saw him yes I did.  What a day.  We headed back to Lobster Cove where we viewed the  lighthouse.  For long time the community could not afford a lighthouse so the locals took turns  burning one pint of oil per night in their windows as a  warning.  The lighthouse is beautiful and you can see why it was so badly needed at the size of the lovely harbor and the  roughness of the rocks along the coast.  I am pleasantly exhausted and still delighted by the natural wonders of our planet.  I?ve found  Newfoundland  to be a very  special place.  I?m also remembering some exquisite carvings done at the local craft store.  Oh boy?.
 

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Terry, a great moose photo.  Glad you finally got one that showed more than the rear end!  ;)

Betty, we too gave up on trying to find lunch places.  Most of the small towns simply don't have restaurants.  One of our lunches was a the local gas station cum convenience store cum lunch counter.  That was the entire shopping and eating in that town.  We're spoiled.

While you're at Gros Morne I do hope you take the trail up to Lookout Point.  Yes it is up but the view from the top is superb.  Take a lunch and water, take your time - it's a boardwalk most of the way, and then enjoy your lunch at the beautiful top.  They built a really nice place to sit, eat, and enjoy the view.  And remember it's all down on the return!  :D  Even it you don't make it all the way up, the views improve as you go higher.  Also, the Western Pond Boat tour is great and very informative.  It takes a while to walk out to the boat dock so leave time.  But that trail may be where we saw the largest number of moose.

Glad you're enjoying this fabulous place!

ArdraF
 
July 17, 2008 Gros Morne National Park, Rocky Harbour NL

Today Terry and I hiked 3 kilometers (45 minutes ) across bogs, through thick trees and ended up on the shores of Western Pond.  We took the Western Pond boat ride which is said to be among the most popular of  rides here in the park.  The boat entered  into what I thought was a fjord but I learned today that technically it is not as the water is fresh water and it has no access to the seas. The water is almost black in color and is some of the purest water on the planet.  It has so few minerals in it that it won?t conduct electricity as learned by Canada Parks when they  installed water sensing pumps.

Seems that  about 8,000 years ago some land was disrupted and left this? pond ? with no access to the seas.  The majestic walls are evidence of glacial action. The stark stone rose some  2100 feet above our heads and I still have a neck ache  from watching the walls of this majestic canyon.  There were numerous  trickles of waters down the many feet into ribbons of mist that were waterfalls.

The highlight was walking home on the boardwalk we happened onto a  grazing moose.  I was so close that I had to back my telephoto out to get a shot.  He seemed to not be too distressed by people around him.  We were all snapping pictures.  I would highly recommend this Western Pond boat tour if you are  in Gros Morne, Newfoundland.  He told us lots of facts and figures on the geology of this area but I had my eye on scenery and  no way to take notes.  I am pretty sunburned as it was a wonderfully sunny warm  day but clouds did  blow in  and threaten our boat ride  but  no rain.
We dined at the Ocean View Motel restaurant in Rocky Harbour  and I told Terry we should have had a surcharge for linens as he had made such a mess of his tablecloth with his seafood  chowder soup and lobster and partridge berry pie.  We?ve decided to stay an extra day here!   

 

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What a gorgeous place !! And the moose looks like he's having a lovely lunch. BTW, how do you know it's a "he" moose?? Don't they have antlers? Inquiring minds, ya know. Anyway, I've got this place on my list of places to visit if (when !!) we ever get up to that area.

Wendy
stuck in hot Farmington NM for one more night
 
wendycoke said:
What a gorgeous place !! And the moose looks like he's having a lovely lunch. BTW, how do you know it's a "he" moose?? Don't they have antlers? Inquiring minds, ya know. Anyway, I've got this place on my list of places to visit if (when !!) we ever get up to that area.

Wendy,

It may have  actually been a "she"  moose.  In the moment I don't  check.  Our goal is now to  see a male moose with a full rack!

Betty
 
wendycoke said:
And the moose looks like he's having a lovely lunch. BTW, how do you know it's a "he" moose?? Don't they have antlers? Inquiring minds, ya know.

Wendy,

You're right, the males do have antlers. Antlers, not horns, so they are shed in the spring and are regrown in the fall. So this time of year it could be either but from the one picture I don't see any evidence of where antlers were. So I would guess that it's a cow or a very young bull.
 
That's a lady moose alright.. daddy moose would have antlers by now.

Also notice in the last picture that the moose is talking to you; don't ladies talk a lot? ;D

carson FL
 
July 18, 2008 Gros Morne, Bonne Bay Aquarium Tour

It was a foggy and cool day so it was perfect for our planned visit to the Bonne Bay Aquarium Tour. The Bonne Bay Marine Institute is a Marine station out on Norris Point and affiliated with Memorial University. I?ve been to many marine aquariums and enjoy them but I was not expecting this one to be so very special! Russ had visited a few days earlier and told us it was worthwhile. The facility is only  5 years old and sits right on the shores of the Bonne Bay where two arms of water branch out having been caused by glacial action years ago. The unique thing is that the larger bay has been cut off from the ocean seas of St Lawrence and has specimens unique to here. The marine species found here are usually found much farther north but the water here stays very cold even in summer.

The mere $5 tour was the bargain of the trip. Our guide, Ann was an articulate, knowledgeable enthusiastic graduate student in Marine Biology from Ontario doing a summer internship here in Newfoundland. She showed us tanks of specimens brought in by divers or fishermen which are unique and rare. We also saw fish being studied by grad students. The most interesting one to me is a fish that has a special type of hormone like an antifreeze and it is able to stay in cold freezing waters due to this body chemistry. Studies are being done on it for situations where things need to be kept cold yet cannot freeze. She gave the example of organs being transported for transplant and vegetables. Just think one day this fish may have something to do with our fresh vegetables. It is a very ugly fish. She showed us sea urchins, sunfish, lobster, crabs, and a host of other names she threw out readily and I?ve already forgotten. Another interesting fact she reported was that the microscopic plant life in the ocean is essential to our planet in that it converts sunlight through photosynthesis to produce 75% of the earth?s oxygen.
We also learned that here on the western side of Newfoundland 70% of the fishing industry profits come from snow crab, lobster and shrimp.
There was a touch tank of marine specimens we could hold and touch . Terry and I kept our hands in our pockets.
We toured gift shops this drizzly afternoon and I made a couple of fun purchases. Won?t tell you about them in case you are on my gift list!
Tonight I am trying to talk my guys into joining me as I attend Pub Night at the local pub where ?Anchor?s Aweigh? is playing. It starts at 9 pm so I wonder if we can stay up that late. It does not get dark until around 9:45 or so.

 

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carson said:
Also notice in the last picture that the moose is talking to you; don't ladies talk a lot?

Carson,

You are in so much trouble!!!!

Betty
Fortified by all the ladies of the RVforum.
 
It sort of feels good to get into trouble once in awhile. Its been a long time. :)

carson. Wishing a good journey back home.
 
Betty Brewer said:
Tonight I am trying to talk my guys into joining me as I attend Pub Night at the local pub where ?Anchor?s Aweigh? is playing. It starts at 9 pm so I wonder if we can stay up that late. It does not get dark until around 9:45 or so.

So having no takers I went by myself , only to learn they had sold out for  the night.  They didn't even have room for one.  I am upset. I will not be buying their  CD for sure.  Nothing indicated anywere indicated a need for advance purchase.  I have been here for 4 days and would have happily made advance pruchase had I known.  Grumble , groan. grrrr.

Betty
 
Betty Brewer said:
So having no takers I went by myself , only to learn they had sold out for  the night.  They didn't even have room for one.  I am pissed. I wll not be buying their  CD for sure.  Nothing indicated anywere indicated a need for advance purchase.  I have been here for 4 days and would have happily made advance pruchase had I known.  Grumble , groan. grrrr.

Betty

Must be all Terry's fault. ;D ;D ;)
 
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