Canadian Maritimes with Mahoney/Brewers 08

Hfx_CD, On both of our trips to NF we found that the majority of folks we talked with said that the population preferred to join the US and they also said that today they wished they had.  During WWII the US stationed 10,000 troops in NF to protect the undersea cable that was the lifeline between Roosevelt and Churchill.  In 1939-1945 that was THE main communication link.

Betty, The churches throughout the area seemed to be built from the same basic set of plans.  Note the similarities between the two photos I attached and your photo of a church.  It's a great design!  The stone church is in the Gaspe PQ and the white church was in Stephensville NF.

JerryF

July 10, 2008  Twillingate, NL    Peyton?s Woods RV Park  (709) 884-2000  Very big rig friendly. 


It has been a glorious day.  I think  this part of Newfoundland is  the most scenic of any area I?ve ever visited ever with it?s rustic beauty.  Water, mountains, fishing harbors,  islands offshore, blue sky .  I keep saying wow, wow and wow again!

We traveled  about 98 miles after our diesel fuel fill up.  It cost $332.00 to top off. ( $5.98 per gallon)  This  was our first fill up that broke $300 and the tank was only  ? empty.  But if you get what you pay for today was worth it.  The countryside is mountainous but has rocky cliffs that melt into the sea peppered with  tree filled small  rocky  islands.  Twillingate is a narrow hilly  island and  has waterfront  on all sides so in every direction we see beauty.  It was a picture perfect day, warm and clear.  Terry and I  headed off to  ?the Mountain?, to view Spillers Cove,  that we had been told we needed to climb to see an iceberg.  However I thought we were going to lunch and only had on sandals for a very steep rocky and muddy hike.  We climbed for almost 40 minutes to view magnificent ocean views and  saw in the distance the iceberg. Binoculars would have helped and maybe tomorrow we will take a shorter hike out to the dump for a clearer view.  While  Terry had lunch of liver and onions I enjoyed two Quidi Vidi Honey Brown Beers ( a Newfoundland Beer)  following the  hike as  I earned them.

We drove out to  The Town of Crow Head to see Long Point Lighthouse,  a commanding 300 feet above sea level. Then we scoped out the Seabreeze Municipal Park for camping.  If we had a truck and camper this would be on top of the world with the best views but would not work for our motor home.  We enjoyed the  vistas and took more photos.  While we  were on this photo mission Russ was on his own and stopped at a colorful  local  fishing dock and the owner invited him in for a personal tour for which he had to pay!  (he grumbles)

The topper of  my day was the entertainment we chose to attend tonight.  Seven women have joined a  group  called ?The  Split Peas.?  They have been performing traditional Newfoundland songs for 15 years.  For the mere cost of $10 admission I was entertained, inspired amused and awed at the talent of these women.  They asked if we knew about  mummering?  We did not so they explained a tradition here on the Island ( as Newfies refer to their home)    Costumed  people knock on doors and  the people give them drinks and try to guess who they are. Terry was mummerd in tonight as one of the ladies in an ugly costume chose to dance with him .  He was a great sport and danced  the night away with her.  At intermission we snacked on a local tradition of Toutons and Tea.  What is that you ask?  Well so did I.  It is actually a piece of fried bread about the size of a flat bagel.  We smothered it in a jam and it was delicious.  We were told that calories consumed out side of your own province, if you are Canadian , do not count.  We were further told that if you consume those calories outside of your own country, they are subtracted, so I shall be thinner by eating this fried bread!

The  show was fantastic.  I left wanting more but  good news is we attend a dinner show tomorrow night with more local entertainment.

Thanks for the great shots Betty and Terry.  Sounds like you had a real good day.

I posted another 15 shots of Schoodic Peninsula here in Maine.  We head across the border into New Brunswick on Monday.  Temperatures here the last several days have been in the mid-80's.  We have been using the A/C in the car.

Betty,

Great pictures!

You probably mentioned this in one of your earlier posts, so sorry for the duplication; but could you tell me what their (NL) winter weather is like?  Is it like Alaska where you need to be heading home by some point.  What amounts of snow do they get and how cold?  I'm just interested, no particular reason.  I just noticed that the roof lines are very steep; and I wondered if that is because of the amount of snow they get.

Tim and I are so excited to be going next year.  We just received the information about the location of the second of our neices' weddings.  It's right on the bay on Manitoulin Insland in a town called Mindemoya.  It looks really nice.  That will be the beginning of our Canadian trip.  After than we head to the Maritimes.

Marsha~

Donna and I were married in Sudbury ON, about an hour's drive from Manitoulin Island, it is a very pretty but rustic area, with much of it unspoiled wilderness.  As for NL weather, it goes the gamut.  Labrador, and the far reaches of the Northern Peninsula (Where the Viking Village is located) would have similar weather to Alaska, but you won't likely head to Labrador as you can't take the coach, but there is a car ferry, that gives you access to about 20 - 30 miles of dirt road, the main road access to Lab City is via Sept Isles Quebec, where you turn north and drive 700 miles on a bolder highway.  Western and Central NL get reasonably tough winters, say like Minnasota, but the Avalon where St John's is located would be much to same as say Boston or NY, occasional snow, rare winters with lots(and last year was one, even though it all came March).  All of the Maritimes, or eastern Canada for that matter have great fall foliage.  Let me know if I can add anything else to answer your queery.

Ed

Betty,

We're so happy that you're seeing some icebergs, even though they're small.  There were not any in 2006 and we were disappointed in that.  Also you got a great photo of some fishing rooms.  Isn't it just so picturesque?!?  I thoroughly understand the wow, wow, and wow!

ArdraF

Hfx_Cdn said:

Donna and I were married in Sudbury ON, about an hour's drive from Manitoulin Island, it is a very pretty but rustic area, with much of it unspoiled wilderness.  As for NL weather, it goes the gamut.  Labrador, and the far reaches of the Northern Peninsula (Where the Viking Village is located) would have similar weather to Alaska, but you won't likely head to Labrador as you can't take the coach, but there is a car ferry, that gives you access to about 20 - 30 miles of dirt road, the main road access to Lab City is via Sept Isles Quebec, where you turn north and drive 700 miles on a bolder highway.  Western and Central NL get reasonably tough winters, say like Minnasota, but the Avalon where St John's is located would be much to same as say Boston or NY, occasional snow, rare winters with lots(and last year was one, even though it all came March).  All of the Maritimes, or eastern Canada for that matter have great fall foliage.  Let me know if I can add anything else to answer your queery.Ed

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Thank you,  Ed for that post as I would not have been able to answer it.  I love the Forum's expertise and experience and that we are willing to share. 
Betty

Betty, when are you coming back to the mainland?  Have you plans to meet up with Jeff & Sue, who I think hit NB next week.  We're still at the cottage in Shediac having, in a fit of youthful exuberance, undertaking a major fix up, the latest is a new kitchen.  We're trying to have it all done for the 1st week end of August, when we have 22 family members here for a function.  By the next week end, we should be back in RV made, and maybe catch up with a few of you.  I don't know your timing, but you've only scratched the surface of NB, and seen nothing of NS or PEI.  You need to see Fortress Louisburg, The Cabot Trail, and the Bras D'Or Lakes while in Cape Breton, the the Eastern and South Shores of NS, with a few days in Halifax.  And every visit to the Maritimes requires a couple of days (or more) on PEI, Canada's smallest, but densest Province.

Hfx_Cdn said:

Betty, when are you coming back to the mainland?  Have you plans to meet up with Jeff & Sue, who I think hit NB next week. 

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Ed, 
We have reservations on the Ferry to return to North Sydney on July 31.  At that time we hope our paths will cross with Jeff and Sue and Ron and Shirley.  We then plan to spend the month of August  touring as many of the places you mentioned as possible.  We hope to look you up near end of August.
Betty

July 11, 2008  Twillingate Outskirts NL

Our first venture of the day was to visit Prime Berth Fishing Museum. It looked really hokey outside with a fake whale tale in the bay  and dummies in  boats.  For a mere  $5 per person we got  a most informative presentations about  cod fishing as it as was back when.  Bill was our guide and he told of being a lad of 8 years old and his job was to throw the fish up on the table for  the elders to gut,  clean,  de-bone them to ready them for the  salt drying process.  He used  a live codfish to demonstrate the process.  EWWWWW the smell.  He further pointed out the bucket of cod liver oil from which all of us  ?old timers have had a taste.?  When cod was processed the livers were kept and sold to the  pharmacies that was the only cash crop a fisherman received.  Most other payments for their  toils of the year by fishing were made on credit and exchanged at years end for the supplies used.  Not many got ahead.  What a hard life.  They had no Wal-marts, or  Cabellas to turn to for anything.  They wove their own nets from cotton as it gets more strength when wet than any other natural fiber.  They repaired nets in winters and  spun needles of yarn to be ready for the  repair  in the evening.    Bill was our guide and is a retired 5th grade teacher.  His accent is very Irish and he was very knowledgeable. It was like listening to a story teller.  It was in 1966 that the cod fish moratorium came into place which  regulated the entire fishing industry  and it surely  stopped the economics of the area.  Now commercial fishing  only has a 6 week season from late May to mid June.  If he wanted to go out and fish,  he would have a five fish a day limit. Nets are no longer allowed.  All fish with hooks and jigs.

  While there is no biblical reference that says one must not eat meat on Friday, The Pope made such an  edict  to  benefit the fishing industries .  Consider please that,  I?m not a theological historian, I just report what I heard in tourist  venues.  I really enjoyed the information Bill showed us about how ?the rooms? were used to prepare fish in their day, before refrigeration.

Now in our car in search of lunch,  Terry wanted a lobster shack for  an authentic  fresh lobster lunch.  We  happened on  one and selected the lobster from a pool of hundreds.  Russ and I  had lobster sandwiches and then waited while Terry  devoured the whole  thing after we watched it being cooked.

I heard a squeaking sound that sounded like rusty door hinges and upon investigation saw 2 small critters.  Russ  and Terry photographed them and we later learned they were wild  mink who rarely come  to this section of the shore.  So now we have lobster lunch in the sun, with a mink showing !  Can life get any better? We continued our drive thought  many arms of this  seashore.  The names of each little cove and outlet are wonderful.  We visited  Too Good Arm, Herring Neck, Virgin Arm, Pine Cove Point  to name a few.  There were no grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants or anything in these little villages.  Just scenic vistas .  Wow and Wow.  I had brought my own chips for snack in the car just in case.

We headed back to town hoping to see the iceberg from the dump road.  However we learned from tourists on the road it was not there.    Not to be believed and we have a  4 wheel drive after all, we  ventured on.  At the dump site, a local informed us the  berg had broken in two  in the late evening and  tumbled over out of view, much to our dismay and even more to the chagrin of the tour boats going out to view it.    Moral of this, make haste while you can!  We were happy to have seen the glimpse yesterday!

Off to the Dinner show?..We dined at the local Community Center and watched the Circle Dinner Theatre perform.  It did  not compare to last night?s show but the comedy gave a good laugh, we got to sing along and the  couples at our table were delightful. Many of the tourist in this area are from Ontario.  The sky tonight rivaled an Arizona sunset.  It was  hues of pink and more pink and deep pink and encircled the entire horizon.  None of us had a camera. 

Thanks for the info, Ed.  It seems like the weather in the Maritimes is much like the states...varied.

We have actually been to Manitoulin Island a couple of years ago; but we did not take the coach onto the island.  We crossed into Canada at Peace Bridge <?> near Buffalo then stayed close to Sudbury while we toured around.  From that point we headed west back across Canada and crossed back into the States at Vancover.  It was a great trip; except for a hawk that flew into our coach driver's side window and shattered it.  We had to wait in Edmonton for 2 weeks to get the replacement from the states.  We became very acquainted with Edmonton.  ;D  They have great "off leash dog parks".

I'll get back to you if I think of any more questions.

Marsha~

Marsha, the weather in Atlantic Canada kind of reminds me of what we were told about Hawaii, because of the water, currents, mountains an d location; it is variable.  The old saying in NS is that if you don't like the weather wait 15 minutes and it will change.  We catch weather patterns that come east across Norht America, and we catch weather that comes up the eastern seaboard from the Caribbean. And rarely 2 storms meet over us, hence the plot of the "Perfect Storm" movie.  The bottom line is we "bitch" about it, make jokes about it, but we don't get upset when it isn't to our liking.  Having said that if you have a choice, the time to come east is after mid June through to mid October.  In fact September early October is my favourite time to travel here, unles you're looking for a beach vacation.

Terry,

That lobster looks scrumptious!  I tend to prefer the smaller 1-1.25 pounders to the 2 pounders.  The smaller ones seem more tender and flavorful.  Anyway, I'm jealous!    I gorged on cod while up there.  It was absolutely wonderful!  We seldom get real cod - I've heard it's usually pollock in the U.S. - and the real stuff is teriffic!

ArdraF

July 12, 2008  Twillingate, NF  Lazy Day

We toured the Durrell Museum perched at the  top of a hill with a 360 degree view  overlooking Twillingate.  We saw the  exact Polar Bear who had the misfortune to venture into town on March 6, 2000 and got too close to civilization.  He is now stuffed for tourists to enjoy  as  a permanent memorial  to a  rare visit and now  with no risk.  We also toured the St Peter?s Anglican church and noted how beautifully the stain glass windows light the church.  On the hill just above was a very nicely done Twillingate Museum depicting the heydays of this  community.  The gem of the day was when exiting the museum Terry took a dirt road that led behind the hillside and overlooked  the cemetery and farther down overlooked another magnificent sparking blue bay.  The water sparkled as if  someone had sprinkled fairy dust on it.  It was awesome.  Russ and I tasted the wines at the Auk Island winery,  who make wines from the local fruit.  I bought two bottles of Rhubarb wine and one of cherry we passed on the discount by the case but will enjoy this light wine!   It was beautifully done and they  offer lobster suppers with live music but we are out of  nights .  Tonight we  returned  to see the solo act of Ada Piercy-Jenkins who was in the Split Pea group we saw a couple of days ago.  Her show was  oozed with musical passion and powerful lyrics. (An accurate description from her flyer)  We  bought both of her CD?s.

I spoke to a local artist, Randy Hann,  while  browsing his shop.  He asked me about my accent.  I was a little startled as I never ever figured I had an accent.  Well I do here!   We talked about all of the people he meets and he can hear the  accents and dialects in all kinds of the common language we share  called ?English,?  but  pronounced in so many ways.  He told me how proud Newfoundlanders are of their land.  He said yes they are patriotic Canadians and glad to be a part of Canada but that they are different.  They are fiercely loyal to NL.  He compared Newfoundlanders to hillbillies,  remote, hearty, love of  nature, love of  isolation (non big cities) .  He said, We are one of a kind.?  I noted  that he had blue eyes.  I can?t believe how almost every person I?ve seen in Newfoundland has  blue eyes.  Talk about genetic heritage showing up over and over.  The dialect sound so very Irish to me. With my Irish background , I?m  very intrigued by the sound of the words.

Yes, Betty, picture perfect!

ArdraF

July 13, 2008 Twillingate Day off

As with all good trips some are days of rest.  Today we did chores, laundry and listened to Ada?s CD?s.  We laughed to learn we could have purchased her CD?s  from I-tunes for  $9.99.  We paid  $20 for them at her concert last night. 

It was a beautiful day.  I read and read and read!


Betty

Betty, consider the difference of the price a tip for a live performance. Bet you feel better now.

carson

July 14, 2008  Springdale, NL  George Huxter Memorial Park and RV camping  (709) 673-3808

We left Twillingate this morning with sadness.  It has been a beautiful stay.  I found  the Newfoundland spirit!  But onward!

We are following the general direction that some of  the caravans take and today was a prime example of a reason to take a caravan.  The caravan trips,  in this place,  include a  tour of the crab plant via a ferry ride,  a tour of a mussel farm , a meal prepared by locals and a Screech in Ceremony.  None of this was available to us, despite our search.  The camp ground is a beautifully renovated  city park with a huge overflow area designed for caravans. It is only $18 a night for water and elec.  All good but no internet.  None in town either!  So we opted to stay only one night and got our money back for the second planned  night with no problem. 
Terry and I drove out to the Kingsbury Point  that includes the  infamous Kingsbury pottery.  None of it was my style nor in my price range so we moved on to view the  Rattling Brook Falls.  The falls were narrow and 800 feet  high.  The spectacular thing about them was that I survived the climb of stairs to see them.  The view from the top was  fantastic .  We checked out the ferry that was a dirt lot with a dirt ramp to ?somewhere.?  We asked a local and he described what we might find on the  Little Bay Island, but I could not understand a word of his ?English.?  The roads and country side around here is nothing  spectacular at all.  There are coves but they are not memorable at all like those we have seen before. Maybe we are getting spoiled.

The Little Indian Falls are right in our campground.  They boast that they are the only falls in NL that you can actually  find Atlantic Salmon swimming up the falls to spawn.  We watched fly fisher people and yearned for a look at a salmon.  We saw only  lovely water over large boulders.

It's time for the 30 Day Expense Report

Fuel includes motorhome & auto.
Meals includes groceries & restaurants.
Lodging is campgrounds.
Miscellaneous is everything else...mostly sightseeing/tour fees & souvenirs.

Fuel.....................$2023.77
Meals................... 1057.70
Lodging................ 904.43
Miscellaneous.......... 1697.19

Total.................... $5683.09
$189.44 a day for two people. We Have Not SKIMPED on anything.

Miles Driven

Motorhome................2267
Gmc Envoy................1006

Total........................3273

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