Canadian Maritimes with Mahoney/Brewers 08

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Betty, you love to shop so don't miss Irene's Curio Shoppe when you get to St. John's.  It's the oldest retail establishment on the oldest street in the oldest city in North America.  We met Irene's sister and family on the beach at the "Flower Pots" and she told us to stop by and say hello to her sister who owns the shop.  We did that and were very surprised when Irene said her sister had called and told her to expect us!  Again, such nice people....

ArdraF
 

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JerArdra said:
When you were driving the Gaspe did you see any signs like this one, we did?

Jerry,
We saw several signs you mentioned.  The highest we saw was an 18% grade.  We were glad it was not winter!

BB
 
wendycoke said:
Me, I wouldn't have been discrete at all....I'd have been yelling the word that matches the item that fell in my ear. So, Betty, did you go out and buy a broad-brim hat to cover your ears from future attacks?

Wendy,

Since no one else saw what happened I tried to be very discreet. I did some very quick digging for my Kleenex and noted to self to carry more with me  in the future.  It happened during the short burst of English translation on the boat and I was trying to hear out my one good ear about Pearce Rock.  Notice I did not share statistics of the rock as I was VERY distracted by the events!  NO hat yet, but it is on the list!

Lucky Betty
 
Betty since the ferry is about a 4 hour drive from the house, we have never stayed anywhere in Cape Breton on our few trips to NF, none of which were with the Coach or the trailer.  However, I think that you need to get into a lineup for the boat, so and the lot is quite large, it would be my assumption that boondocking is common place.  However, maybe one of those who have taken the ferry might respond.  Everyone seems to have missed the question, they all seem rapped up in your good luck charm.
 
Hfx_Cdn said:
Betty since the ferry is about a 4 hour drive from the house, we have never stayed anywhere in Cape Breton on our few trips to NF, none of which were with the Coach or the trailer.  However, I think that you need to get into a lineup for the boat, so and the lot is quite large, it would be my assumption that boondocking is common place.  However, maybe one of those who have taken the ferry might respond.  Everyone seems to have missed the question, they all seem rapped up in your good luck charm.

Ed,

Thank you for catching my question. I shall continue to hope any who have traveled on the ferries can help with my question of the potential for boondocking at Terminal or close by. 
I did get Jerry's answer, thanks.

Still considering myself Lucky, 
Betty
 
June 27, 2008  Bathhurst, New Brunswick    Shell Truck Stop  Exit 321 off Highway 11

We traveled around the Gaspe Peninsula  today and crossed the bridge into New Brunswick. The entire highway  drive today was inhabited with nicely painted and landscaped charming homes. Folks were out painting their trim white or mowing vast yards.  We followed  around little coves and big bays with  views that are very serene. Today we noted a significant increase in RV traffic.  It is the Friday of a long holiday weekend for Canadians as Canada Day is Tuesday.  Upon departure from the Province of Quebec, we were happy to be back in the land of English speakers, but we did  enjoy our stay.

I told you I have been  following Ardra and Jerry?s  Newfoundland log in forum library and noted that they warned of a low railroad bridge crossing. I wasn?t exactly certain where it was but?.. today just after our bridge crossing, Hilda (our GPS missed a turn)  This lead us into  downtown  area to the VERY 3?8 meter underpass.  Given that we need 4 meters to cross under, I almost panicked.  Fortunately there was a right hand turn (truck route) we could make after a friendly driver backed up to allow us to swing over into his lane to make the turn.  Russ followed us right along. We saw the  large stainless steel sculpture of a salmon.  It looked like a nice city to stop and visit but we are making dash to catch our Ferry by Monday morning early. 

The highway into NB was smooth but we  noted many ?Danger of Moose crossings?  signs.  This fact was made real when we came upon an accident.  A small car had a smashed windshield and dented front end and a large  moose lay dead behind his car.  My eyes combed the highway sides like windshield wipers  across the road from tree line to tree line following this reality at noon.

  We were headed to a Wal-mart for the night in  Bathurst but we passed an abandoned RV Sales lot in the same lot as a  Shell truck stop, that was huge and completely  empty so we?ve decided to boon dock  for the night .  We will fuel up here in the morning.  Terry walked over to the truck stop store and bought Puff Cheetos for his  snack.  Cheaper than a trip to Wal-mart but fuel in morning will  make up the difference.
 
I'm keeping up with you in the library Betty  ;D
 
Betty,

Here's a thought.  When you arrive in Newfoundland you probably will have lost the satellite connection to the internet because you will be to far north and to far east at Argentia and even further at St. John's.  I think that you will be further away than you were when you were in Alaska.  That said if you have not already copied Ardra's Newfoundland news letter into your computer you might want to do it before you board the ferry because you may not be able to copy it while you're in Newfoundland.

On two trips to Newfoundland the furthest north that I saw anyone get the satellite TV or internet connection was about 50-75 miles north of the Port-aux-Basques ferry landing on the western side of Newfoundland.    While at the "Gros Morne RV Campground & Restaurant" (709) 458-3133 located at Rocky Harbor on Hwy 430 on the western side of Newfoundland one fellow even had a MotoSat round 3 meter dish and he could not keep the internet connected.  BTW, this campground is private (not provincial), it had excellent WiFi, 50 amp, it's a Good Sam park, and it's in the Trailer Life directory.  Ask the owner for a site out back that has a direct line of site view to his WiFi antenna, I did.  I mention WiFi because if you do get cut off the internet you can still write your newsletters, save them, and send them from this campground after you drive from east to west on Hwy 1 across Newfoundland.  OTOH, maybe Terry can get it to work...I hope he does!

You may want to stay 5 or more days in the St. John's area because its so full of things to do in St John's and the surrounding 40 mile radius so you might call the Pippy Park (709) 737-3669 for a reservation now that you know your arrival time.  The Pippy Park is usually crowed as is the one at Rocky Harbour because that are probably the best in Newfoundland.  For your info Argentia is about 80 miles from St. John's.

Keep havin' fun,

Jerry & Ardra too
 
JerArdra said:
Betty,

Here's a thought.  When you arrive in Newfoundland you probably will have lost the satellite connection to the internet because you will be to far north and to far east at Argentia and even further at St. John's.  I think that you will be further away than you were when you were in Alaska.  That said if you have not already copied Ardra's Newfoundland news letter into your computer you might want to do it before you board the ferry because you may not be able to copy it while you're in Newfoundland.

Betty, as you drive thru the Maritimes and approach a town, there are usually welcoming signboards with icons for the various services available. One of those icons, very frequently, is "@" and you will find internet available in that town, usually at (or outside) the library. Not as convenient as sitting in the coach, but we had internet connections almost daily traveling thru NS and NF. Also, there is a good free wi-fi connection on the pursers deck of the N. Sydney/Port aux Basque ferry.
 
June 28, 2008  Amherst, Nova Scotia    Gateway Parklands (Passport America)  (902) ?667-1106

We fueled up at our  overnight spot in NB  this morning. We paid $5.73 a gallon for diesel. The price dropped a few cents from last fuel up but our mileage was worse due to the  whoop-de-doos around the Gaspe Peninsula.  We traveled south along the coast of New Brunswick today.  Last night my navigators thought it was a good idea to  get off the ?main  road? and travel the ?scenic route? that was close to the water, Gulf of St Lawrence.  The main roads  Highways 8,  11 or 15 are wide  green tunnels of  pine trees and other green trees with pretty smooth roads.  So we get off.  Now it is a  very narrow green  tunnel with  very poor roads.  Terry?s video equipment  scooted forward in the overhead cupboard  and I could not keep the  door closed.  We  lost Russ as we were later out of the fuel stop.  From  Richibucto we were to turn toward the water.  We did.  The roads were local roads, much of it  one way construction and a long way to the shore.  We followed one road and I remarked ?Terry I saw a sign that said 3?8 meters ahead.?  He said, ?Sorry hon, I did not  see it.  Look at these big trucks coming toward us, it must be ok.?  Well about 4 miles later we come to  Richibucto Village with their  3?8 meter bridge. ( We need 4 meters to clear)  A VERY nice couple in a mini van that had been following us pulled up along side us and said, ?We wondered when you would notice.  We were watching you. ? They gave us directions on a left turn to Indian  Island ( a reservation ) where we could turn around with only a short drive on a dirt road. We phoned Russ to warn him NOT to take our planned route. He thanked us as he was just about to enter the area.  He instead took another scenic route and came to his own short bridge near Shediac.  He had to unhook his toad and turn around in an abandoned business parking lot.  We crossed the border into Nova Scotia and easily arrived at Gateway Parklands  where we  swapped stories. Moral of this story, Do your touring in a car and not a 40 foot motor home  towing a vehicle.  We already knew this but needed the reminder!  Russ and I headed to the Visitors centers in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick as we are so close to both borders.  We armed ourselves with maps and tourist sights so that we know in advance of our destination.  We made an ATM stop, a  grocery stop at Sobeys a very nice grocery store and found the Snow white Laundromat where I later returned for this task. Amherst is a very historic City and we hope to return to see their historic  centers.  I snapped a few photos on the way to the laundry which you may enjoy. 

We have along day (260 miles)  in front of us to North Sydney where we have a Ferry crossing at 7:30 am Monday.  While at the Laundromat I learned we have crossed into another time zone and are now on Atlantic Time. 
 

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Hi Betty,

My friends are currently camped in a field along the water in Indian Island.  If I was not on call this weekend, that is where I would be as well.  I am glad you mentioned the bridges.  I will likely go there this summer and I have to check if I clear 3.8m or not.

Marc...
 
56kz2slow said:
My friends are currently camped in a field along the water in Indian Island.  If I was not on call this weekend, that is where I would be as well.  I am glad you mentioned the bridges.  I will likely go there this summer and I have to check if I clear 3.8m or not.

Marc,
If I can save one RVer from the course corretion,  it will have been worth it!  It is a beautiful place.

Betty
 
Depending on what time you arrive at the ferry I thinik you should be able to stay at the terminal. Especially if you
arrive kind of late in the evening. Spend a little time in Baddeck and have dinner in St. Anns and that should put you
at the terminal about right.

There is a nice rv park at Doyles, between Port Aux Basque and Corner Brook. Sorry the name of it escapes me at
the moment even though we have stayed there many times

If you plan on staying at Pippy Park in St. Johns you will need to make reservations there as soon as you have an idea
of when you will be there. It stays full in the summer time.

There is a great park in Windsor/Grand Falls NL called Sanger Memorial Park. The story is that there was an American that
had some relatives that lived in that area and there was never a good campground or decent place to park his RV, so
when he passed away he left the town some money to bulid a campground. He must have left them some directions
also, because it is a nice place.

In Gander NL we always stay at the Village Motel and Campground. No near as nice as Sanger Park, but not bad. Many of
the caravans stay there.

In Argentia NL there is nothing there except the ferry terminal. It used to be a US Navy base and I was stationed there for
two and a half years back in the 60's. There was plans to put a campground there where the old base housiing was, but I
don't know if it was ever built. When the Airstreamers come they stay in the school yard in Placdentia.
I would not take the motorhome to the bird sanctuary at Cape St. Marys. They cape shore road is very hilly, crooked and narrow.
The road out to the bird sactuary is one lane with extreamly DEEP ditches on either side. In the summer the probablity of fog
(pea soup) at the bird sanctuary is very high.

There is a wildlife park in Salmonier Line if you are into wildlife. You can go whale watching from St. Johns, or perhaps a little
cheaper from Witless Bay.

Have a safe trip. We will be in Placentia from 7/26 until............when ever we decide to leave. I think our return ferry reservations
are for 8/28. We come and go through Port Aux Basque so we can visit relatives along the way.

Dave

 
Betty:

When you get to St Johns I'll be waiting for a MotoSat check. I checked the footprint for SatMex 5 and it still shows a good signal strength on the east end of NL.
 
Unfortunately, we're away in Ottawa keeping grandkids, so we didn't get the chance to see the Breweres on their way over, but Dave we should be around when you lift achor and sail for the mainland, and may even be around on their return trip.  The cottage is in Shediac, only a half hour from the Fixed Link to PEI.
 
we have crossed into another time zone

And when you get off the ferry in Argentia you'll be on Newfoundland Time which is one-half hour earlier than Atalantic Time.  So, you'll be four and one-half hours earlier than us on the west coast.  It'll drive you nuts getting satellite TV - until you can't get reception - and then you won't have to worry about it.  ;)

Isn't it funny that those of us who have been driving these big RVs for many years still need an occasional reminder that sightseeing is not always feasible in one.  ;)

ArdraF
 
June 29, 2008  North Sydney, Nova Scotia      Large  Dirt lot up hill from Zellers Market.


We headed across Nova Scotia toward North Sydney in a driving mode to  make time and did not try any of the scenic drives.  YET this Province looks just like I had it pictured.  Everything is green and the wild lupine of purple,  lavender and pink paint the sides of the road with a spectacular array of color.  Lots of little wildflowers are in bloom along the highway.  There are lots of coves, rivers and things to do upon our return in a month.

Once again we were reminded that we share the road with the wildlife.  We came upon an accident where a motorcycle had hit a deer.  A white sheet lay  spread out along side the road and I feared the worst.  But as we passed I could see 4  deer legs sticking out from under the sheet and we heard from Russ who was  25 minutes ahead of us, that he had seen the motorcyclist  elevating his knee and ambulances on their way.  It?s bad enough to hit a deer while driving in a car, but on a motorcycle??.( you guys be careful out there)

The day became more and more gloomy and overcast and as we pulled into the Ferry terminal .  Once in the toll lanes we learned that  there were 2 ferries ahead of us and that we could not stay in their lot overnight.  He opened a gate and we squeaked out of that lot in search of a mall we had been told about  .  It is now pouring rain but we happened onto a very large vacant lot across from the Zellers Market .  The wind is blowing very hard and we have a scattered signal that comes and goes.  The locals tell us it was 90 degrees last week.  It never got over 52 today.

The Ferry we are about to board in the morning will take us 266 miles and will take 14 hours.  I hope to get to read  my book , Pillars of the Earth so I can return it to Lorna in November.  With this wind I?ll also wish for calm seas in the morning! 
 
Betty Brewer said:
I hope to get to read  my book , Pillars of the Earth so I can return it to Lorna in November.  With this wind I?ll also wish for calm seas in the morning! 

I stopped reading last night at page 486.  Checked this morning and find I'm exactly half way through the book.  What a fascinating story!  We're in the process of moving right now and I'm eager to get back to "leisure retirement time" so I can read more.  However, it seems "leisure retirement time" becomes more of an oxymoronic phrase with each passing year of retirement.  :D

Margi
 
June 30, 2008  Aboard the  (long 14 hour) Ferry from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland

I?m composing this log on board the Marine Atlantic  Ferry from North Sydney , Nova Scotia to Argentia, Newfoundland.  We had a 7:30 am sailing and  arrived at the dock by 6 am.  After providing our reservation  number, we paid our toll by credit card at the small toll booth.  The  fare was $ 775.61 for two adults (non senior) and 60 feet of space for our motor home and car.  This does not include our ferry ride back on July  31.  It was a very efficient boarding, drive on and we will drive off.  No need to unhook the car.  There were several RV?s in line , lots of travel trailers and even more pop up trailers with bicycles attached.  We gathered up the  stuff we need to take up top to the passenger lounges, you know apples, granola bars ,cell phone, chargers, computer, blankets, pillows, coats, hats jackets.  This is after all a 14 hour voyage and  we need our stuff!   The guys had breakfast while I  got my sea legs and visited the gift shop. 

I had heard from Bernie about the  possibility of a wi-fi hot spot and asked the purser but it seems their satellite broke yesterday so no signal..  But as long as my batteries last I will share my story with you and find a signal later to send out messages.   I noted ?The Bucket List? is being shown  at the Movie theatre on board at 9 pm Newfoundland time.  It?s a movie that is on my must see list but I calculated that we could not finish the movie as we were to arrive in port by 9:30.  To my surprise I learned we should have been notified  that due to engine trouble we are not expected to arrive before  midnight which makes this a 17.5 hour ride.  Oh boy.  Terry just learned that at 2 pm today we have a vehicle visitation time and we can go get things from motor home.  I?ll get my pillow and a blanket as well as my seasick medication!   We settled into comphy airline type lounge seats in the front row which were just fine until they put on a cartoon movie on the TV  in front of us and the place filled with Children.  We moved over to a lovely  window dinette seating area away from the kids and with a table here for my lap top.  It has good light for reading my book.

OK so this boring ride in pea soup fog and  high waves is not as much fun as it was a few hours ago.   We?ve heard the bad news that we are operating with one less engine,( whether the rumor is that is its to conserve fuel or not, ) we do not know.  The ETA has been pushed back to 1:45 am.   Well finally at 1:45 am  we hear the announcement to got to our vehicles.  We  unloaded that Ferry is record time. No one hesitated, just fired up engines and drove off. 
Yes but to where?  We left the bowels of this gigantic vessel to enter the complete darkened wetness of night.  We had no vision.  We never drive at night and here we were headed down an unlined road, wet  somewhat foggy road.  We lost sight of the cars  in front of us so we were the lead vehicle going about 30 miles and hour trying to get a fix on anything to our right or left. Russell comes on CB to announces that we should pull over at first chance to let the mile line up of cars behind us go by.  Yes we are trying!!!! In a few minutes and several harrowing miles, we found a  pull off at a scenic look out.  There was one little car with a cargo trailer in it but we pulled off and told Russ to follow us in very close by our side.  We are  parked for the night!  Whew.  Note to others coming this way.  It might be better to board a ferry that arrives in daylight hours.  But then with the unannounced delay of 4.5 hours, your best laid plans could go astray.  One must remain flexible.   We awaken to a beautiful view but I?ll save that story for tomorrow.






 

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