Canadian Maritimes with Mahoney/Brewers 08

[RVOA]

On our 2nd night in NF, we stayed at Grand Codroy RV Resort (Doyles), about 1hr from Port Aux Basque.

We were covered in the little blighters - and we also suffered with the itching for a week or so after.

Strange that we never had issues with those flies thru our whole time in NF other than that CG.

Betty - there is a handy overnight spot (for your return ferry crossing) in a layby to the side of the hotel in Port Aux Basques (turn right as you get to gas station coming into town and then pass hotel on your right, continue and turn left into the car park for the supermarket/cinema so you can turnaround and come back out to find the hotel pullin on your left).

Paul
UK-RV

NB In case any of you are due a haircut, Ann-Marie had her hair cut/colored by a lady in a little "shed" hair salon close to Grand Codroy Rv Resort (she had to take her own color ;D). The owner of the CG booked it for her.

 

[rhmahoney]

St Anthony. 7/19-23. Wifi at library, 2 blocks E of Tim Horton's. Our CG is 5 miles N of town, quiet, but full of caravans so we had to make do with 15 amps. Had no trouble with that and elected not to move when caravans left. Saw several moose, including one in the CG right across from Brewers. Our trip up to the north shore lighthouse netted us 2 osprey, 2 icebergs (8 total) and a view of 400 million year old fossils on a rock ledge just above the surf. With europeans being here for 400+ yrs, there are cemeteries everywhere.

We looked into every cove and village available and found delightful views everywhere. As Betty was reading from the tour book about a craftsman of model lighthouses, we stumbles upon his house with the wares displayed out front . We both bought an item from him. I am always on the lookout for kitch and overdecorated yards. Several presented themselves to my camera. One yard had a barrel with a pair of legs sticking out the top. Another, across the island, had hundreds of toys and lawn ornaments...yes, including pink flamingos.

Our tour of L'anse au Meadow was moving. I have wanted to visit this Viking settlement for decades.
My last day in St Anthony started foggy but soon rose up. However is stuck around the coast all day and gave me lots of mystic photo ops.


Port au Choix 7/23 Sunny drive down from St Anthony, uneventful. Lion's club CG is on east edge of town (which looks minute because most of it is over the hill), water/30 amp + dump station out front, one row of back in sites facing the ocean/bay of St Laurence to the SW.  There are no waves, no swell, and hardly any ripples. Wifi is at the library in Port Saunders, at the west end of main st, next to a wharf and a block E of the municipal bldg.

The terrain is remarkable. There are the usual trees at the base of the peninsula, but out here at the tip it is a gravely limestone desert with only scattered low lying plants that are rare and endangered.

When the last ice age ended 10,000 yrs ago the tip was all under water and has gradually rebounded with the townsite getting dry 1500 yrs ago. The area was sequentially inhabited by indians from the south, then 3 waves of esquimo forerunners and finally europeans. There is an interpretive center out near the lighthouse that I tried to check out but mostly failed due to the dim lighting and me wearing trifocals.

Drove back up N 60 miles to Flower cove. Got pics of the lighthouse that sits at sea level. Delightful view from the bluff. At the south edge of town is a small boardwalk and pedestrian bridge along the bay shore leading stromatolites...lumps of algae and bacteria with wave washed in sand and dirt. A very primitive lifeform that existed in precambrian times, 600 million or more years ago.

Just N of the next village S of there is a small waterfall on the inland side of the road and visible only when N bound.

 

[Just Lou]

Thanks Russ, appreciate all the photos.  Great shots!

 

[Betty Brewer]

July 23, 2008 L?Anse aux St Clair, Labrador      Northern Lights Motel

We  left  St Anthony Newfoundland in our motor home. We then left it at the Ferry  dock in the St. Barbe  RV Parking lot designed for people to leave rigs while they travel to Labrador.  We took the  10:30 am MV Apollo  Ferry to Blanc Sablon, Quebec and drove our car to Labrador.  The lady on board the  ferry said the last two days have been the most beautiful weather they have had all year.  It is crystal clear and not a hint of haze.  We could see the shores on both sides of the Strait of Belle Isle our 1.5 hour  ferry ride across 28 miles.  For those living in California think of Catalina.  It was that far and you could see land almost the entire way so you know it was  an exceptional day.

We land in Quebec as the harbor there,  only 3 kilometers from the Labrador border is a better fit  for a large ferry.  Our first destination was L?Anse au Clair where we visited a 20th Century restored Church that housed the visitor center.  We used their email access.  We then checked into  the Northern Lights Motel and hit the road for touring the Labrador Coastal Drive. It  is only  a narrow  two lane road and not hard to find as it is the only road.    We are excited to be in yet another part of Canada on our journey.

Labrador is referred to as the big land as it has more than 200,000 Kilometers of largely untouched pristine natural environment. It looked much like Alaskan landscape.  It is more than twice the size of all Maritime Provinces.  Our little visit today will be merely a taste of the landscape.  We visited  3 National Historic Sites and learned that Labrador has been home to aboriginal peoples for over 9,000 years.  The Innu, Inuit, Metis(British and French) , Settlers (from  Canada and US , Vikings , the Basques (mostly whalers)  and Moravians all touched the history of Labrador.  My first impression was that this place is different from  NL in that it is more rocky but it also has beautiful white sand beaches along some of the shorelines.  The hills rolled high and dropped steeply down curves and along the fabulous Pinware River.  Our first stop was L?Anse Amour, Cove of Love.  We passed the earliest known burial site in North America dating back 7500 years ago.  We?ve seen many, many grave yards in NL  but none this old!  We rounded a corner to have the  beautiful  Point Amour Lighthouse come into sight.  It is the tallest in the Atlantic and still in use.  We climbed the 128 steps in a cool flyless atmosphere.  The walls are of limestone and  are 6 feet thick to protect it from the up to 124 mph winds they get with 30 foot crashing waves in a storm.  No wonder so many ships were lost along here with that kind of weather, but sailors were willing to risk this route as it cuts off nearly 200 miles  on a European ocean crossing.  We really enjoyed this very well done Historic site and would recommend it as a must see if you come here!  The  staff is in period costumes and very  interesting displays tell a personal story of James Wyatt who kept the light glowing here for 44 years.  Did you know a lighthouse keeper was expected to give Sunday sermons those all who worked at Lighthouse ?  I mentioned flies.  The tour book and former travelers to Labrador warned us so I had insect repellent and  Spray Benedryl.  But the little suckers just swarm.  We are told black flies are a sign of a clean environment, yeah right.  We saw Bug Coats advertised along the road in front of the convenience store so  I went in to check them out.  It was like a mesh hooded sweatshirt for $12.99 .  We saw pedestrians out for their daily walk  all bundled up in them.  Terry and I decided  that our protection from flies would come in the form of skipping the hikes.  Too bad as the scenery was so lovely and such a day.  We drove  up the coast through each little fishing village.  Some only have 35 residents.  This is not a densely populated area!

We  went as far as Red Bay.  This bay was used in  the 16th century by the Basques whalers.  They were so good at catching whales that they nearly drove the whale population to extinction. In 1978 Archeologist divers found  the well preserved remains of a ship wrecked Basque whaling vessel dating 1550.  It was excavated piece by piece,  studied, documented, modeled and then  re buried in the site it was found.  It was thought the mother nature had done such a good job of preserving it for all those years she should be returned to her resting place.  The Visitor center was among the most informative of all  places we have visited.  We could have walked out among the ruins at  Saddle Island but we don?t like flies!   
We passed a wooden  bridge over Pinware River for some spectacular scenery shots.  It is a  world renowned salmon fishing destination and fisher people should  make note if they plan to visit here.
We returned to our motel, happy with our treasured finds of the day.  Despite the advertising, we could not get any wi-fi at our motel.  We hate staying in motels and did not sleep well but we did get TV and  got to watch So You Think You Can Dance.

 

[Betty Brewer]

July 24, 2008  Port au Choix, Newfoundland,  Ocean View Campground

We packed up this morning and  left Labrador via the return ferry trip at 10:30 am.  It was  another pretty day and smooth sailing back to Newfoundland.  We are sitting at a magnificent place facing the crashing waves of the ocean.  It  is our thought to stay another day to rest up from some of our sight seeing days!  The campground is owned by the local Lions Club and is only $20  a night for  electric and water. 

The drive back down this coast was equally  beautiful as the  way up but isn?t it funny how scenery looks different from the other direction.  We met up  here with Russ.  We have to drive  up to the next village for internet signal  but this ocean view is worth it all.

 

[rhmahoney]

I moved back down to Rocky Harbor today as the wifi signal quit on us last night. Yesterday was sunny and breezy from the south so waves are back.

Today it is low overcast with misting. Could not see the big mts at Gros Morne.

 

[ArdraF]

Betty,

Like you we had a wonderful sunny day when we climbed to the top of the lighthouse.  Isn't it a fabulous view?!?  I'm so glad you had a good visit too!

I think the Bug Coats are a wonderful idea.  Wish I'd had one when we were there.

ArdraF

 

[Betty Brewer]

July 25, 26, 2008 Port Au Choix to Deer Creek  Gateway Campground

It was nice to take a day off from touring yesterday and just sit and watch the waves lap the rocky ledges of our campground. We took a drive out to Port Au Choix National Historic site but did not go in. We are tired of touring for a day or so.

7/26

Left and drove south back down the Viking Highway 150 miles the way we?d come almost a week ago. The weather was gloomy and it rained much of the way. We are so fortunate to have seen this drive in clear weather as it is so much prettier on a sunny day. We met up again with Russ here in Deer Creek, in Gateway Campground (which is a Passport America Park, but they don?t honor this during July or August) It has free wi-fi and is right across the street from and amazingly interesting tourist attraction.

The Insectarium and butterfly Pavilion is in a converted Dairy barn built in the forties and is now the home of a collection of live butterflies, insects, spiders, beetles, bugs and other crawly things. It was like looking at a gigantic science project. Did you know most butterflies only live about 2 weeks? We saw the Queen Bee in a honey comb. We saw coach roaches bigger than I ever want to see again. Butterflies lighted on us in the big tent. It was good for an hour or so of amusement. If you are driving by, there is a big parking lot in back so  you could just Park RV and tour and move on, but we opted to stay the one night here. It has rained all afternoon and into the evening.

 

[Betty Brewer]

July 27, 2008 Cornerbrook  Prince Edward  RVpark.

We moved down the road only 32 miles today to Corner Brook . While in transit we noted they had closed one lane each direction of the freeway. Seems they were having the second annual Ironman triathlon and the bike portion of the event was on the Trans Canada 1. It was 82 degrees today and we watched those adventuresome souls labor up the grades. Remind me never to try a triathlon. (Like there would ever be a need!)

We ended up in Prince Edward RV Park (in the trees ) despite their web site that showed a clear cut . We went by the Visitor center, got local maps and started out on our car tour of the Peninsula. Most people who arrive in Newfoundland hit the Ferry and head North to the Gros Morne Park but since we already did that, this tourist trip was a personal recommendation of the area from escapee friends who we spoke to at the ferry to Labrador.

We have noted that each community hold it?s own distinct personality. With another beautiful day we saw wonderful sites and then had a chance to re-stalk our supplies with the grocery stores in the second largest community of NL. We dined at home and will move on in the morning. I am beginning to feel sad that we will leave this wonderful province all too soon.

 

[KodiakRV]

It's INCREDIBLE how fast the grass grows there!  ;D

 

[rhmahoney]

7/27/2008 Port au Port peninsula, hywy 460 Route of the french ancestors. The area is populous and all live along the main hywy. Most houses are prosperous and well kept. There are some marvelous examples of yard kitch. On the west coast are 2 nearby (in competition with each other?) examples using cement and riverstone columns as fenceposts, painted white with red trim. A simple border would have been charming... but these guys went overboard and lined the paths as well and one uses white lawn statuary as pickets between the the posts as well as borders for the flower beds and small central monuments in the small patches of grass!

This area is drier than the north and the plant cover is more mature with the grasses gone to seed. Wildflowers still abound. Fireweed dominates and the small yellow blossoms are rare.

The most scenic site is Cape St George on the SW tip. The view from the bluff is dramatic looking to the N. A Gannett colony can be heard but is too far away for photos. Best chance of seeing whales is here, though we saw ours at Jerrys nose.

Sheavers point has good cliffs and fishing activity. The seashore walk is good at low tide. There is a big waterfall here earlier in the year but is now dried up.

Marches point. Another folk art overdone yard with model lighthouses. Terry did not stop so I could not document this great kitsch example.

Zensville CG, 2 Km west of Kippins. I can recommend this only if the weather is cool. Very poor 30 amp power. 10 amp draw dropped the voltage to 110 and 20 amps to 101 V! This was at both sites 10 and 18.

 

[Betty Brewer]

July 28, 2008 Kippens, NL  (Near Stephenville)  Zenzville RV Park


We  drove  58 miles  today.  We are taking our sweet time as we near the end of Newfoundland.  We arrived at our park and checked in at a house.  First time I have stood in someone?s living room to check in.  We packed our lunch and  ventured off to tour the  Port au Port Peninsula via The French Ancestor Route.  It was formerly known as the French Shore as only in 1904 did  Newfoundland get control from France.  The  end of the  peninsula at Cape St George  was among the most beautiful we have seen.  We were high above the tides on  cliffs and overlooked breaking waves, gigantic oceans and I saw a whale.  They guys did not see it nor did they believe me.  But I did. 

On the way we  took  small side dirt road out to  Jerry?s Nose and tried to discover which rock formation may have that shape.  I took photos of all of them   but I really could not identify ?the one.?  We shall ask the Fitzgerald?s who were here in 2006.  We did see  a capestan which is the devise used to  winch your boat up a cliff from the top of a cliff. We passed an alpaca farm.  We took a wonderful surprise stop at Shreave Cove.  Fishermen were cleaning cod and swimmers were out in a  rocky beach bay, enjoying the water.  It was hot today.  Terry and I  hiked out over  loose rocks  along the shore (again the wrong hiking shoes) out to a cave.  It was evident that the tides came in over  our trail as it was covered with bright green spongy moss.   This a  photographers paradise.

We stopped at the Alpaca farm for ice cream cones.  We stopped to photograph the largest wooden  church in NL. We got home and it rained letting up on some of the heat of the day.  I was glad we had packed our lunch as restaurants are not very  abundant here on this  peninsula despite homes  along the entire way.  We saw a variety of homes, some  humble, some very neat with manicured gardens and some  just plain junky and tacky.  We hope we can make a connection with Ron and Shirley when they cross on ferry 7/30 .  We will meet up with Sue and Jeff  back in New Brunswick when we cross ferry on 7/31.  Terry gets a hint of a satellite signal here but so slow.  I?ll drive up to the  campground driveway to catch a signal when it quits raining.   

 

[ArdraF]

Betty, don't feel bad.  We couldn't find Jerry's Nose either.  And I was dying to see what someone else thought his nose looked like! 

ArdraF

 

[Betty Brewer]

July 29, 30, 2008 Port Au Basques. Grand Codroy RV Park .

July 29, 2008 This was a day of rest and relaxation at our campground Grand Codroy RV . I forget to tell you that yesterday at 11:30 am on our way to the campground traveling about 50 MPH a moose burst out of the trees and across the road 50 to 60 yards in front of us. Three or four seconds later a little baby moose followed mamma out on the road in front of us. If either animal had bolted out directly in front of us there would have been NO time to slow or stop and there would have been a big problem. While it is very thrilling to see moose, it is very scary to almost hit them. I got no photos as I got on CB to tell Russ about them. They both scurried into the thicket on the other side of the road so Russ got no look . Whew, welcome to the wild?.

July 30, 2008 Port Au Basques touring Day

Terry and I set off on the tour of the area that Russ did yesterday while we rested. We headed out to Cape Anguille to see the lighthouse. I was all set to do my step exercise and climb to top but when we arrived we found it was not open to the public as it is still a navigation aid. The brochure I had, said ?Lighthouse Inn? in the fine print. It is bed and breakfast advertised to provide quiet in the out buildings of the former lighthouse keeper. No phone, no TV . They did have a helicopter pad so maybe the rich and famous fly here for a quiet retreat. Once again we lucked out with NL weather. The fog burned off and we had a lovely day.

We headed for the city Port Au Basques where the ferry will carry us out of NL at 4 pm 7/31. We visited the Heritage Railway Museum and toured a former Newfie train. We saw the largest snow plow imaginable in front of the engine. We saw the first class passenger space, dining a car and mail car and caboose. The NL railroads used narrow gauge rails and all cars shipped over for use had to be retooled to become narrow rails. These train stopped running in 1980 something. They ran for almost 100 years and then the high winds proved fatal to their treks. It was worth a look at them to see this part of history now slowly rusting away.

Forty five KM east of Port Au Basques we traveled through wonderful scenery. Lush green tundra plants hovered over rolling hills with ponds and more ponds all over. They have no boulders as it looks like ice glaciers (once upon a time ) may have carried all the boulders to St John?s. We went to the end of the road to visit Rose Blanche Lighthouse. It is one of the only totally granite Lighthouses along the Atlantic Canada border. It became my favorite lighthouse so far. I loved the big carved granite stones. ( I think I was reminded of the recent book I read, Pillars of the Earth and the stone carver. ) The city of Rose Blanche restored this lighthouse in 1999 with an all volunteer effort. The pride in this landmark was wonderful. We had lunch at the bed and Breakfast Restaurant right at the path to the lighthouse and enjoyed the view. It was a very pleasant last day in Newfoundland!





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[Hfx_Cdn]

The railroad train was called the Bullit, because of it's speed, albeit not very quick by our standards.  A short way out of Channel Port Aux Basque there is an area that forms a wind tunnel when the wind blows from a certain direction.  They had to put tie downs beside the railway track where they would stop the train, tie it down so that it would not tip over.  I have friends who actually were on the train when that had to be done.

 

[Ned]

We saw one of those plows at the Henry Ford museum.

 

[JerArdra]

Too bad Newfoundland used narrow gauge rails.  Possibly if they have chosen the wider gauge the trains may not have blown over.

JerryF

 

[Chet18013]

They have one of those plows at SteamTown. This one was built from wood, not steel. It's a shame, but it was just sitting there rotting away when I was there with Jim Dick 3 years ago. You should definitely put SteamTown on your list of must visit when you go through PA this fall.

Chet18103

 

[ArdraF]

Betty, I'm so glad that you got to see the Port aux Basques area.  We left if for last and the fog was so bad we actually left NL a day early.  You couldn't see a car length ahead of you on the road.  I really wanted to go out to that lighthouse.  An excuse to return!

ArdraF

 

[Betty Brewer]

August 1, 2008 Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Seal Island North Sydney KOA

We spent the night at our familiar boon docking space near the ferry and traveled the short distance to the KOA where we had made arrangements to meet up with Jeff and Sue Cousin.

After determining that the guys could get the TV signal they required to get the Formula One Race ( After a long dry spell with no TV in Newfoundland) we stayed at the KOA in North Sydney. We toured the Alexander Graham Bell Museum in Breddock. It is amazing to hear about a guy so brilliant he invented not only the telephone but dozens of other significant inventions as well. A note I found of significance is that if he had gone to school in today?s time he would likely have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder. He was not successful in school due to his boredom and his grandfather was left to give him private schooling. The talk given by a Canada Parks guide ? made? the museum as she filled us in on the history of the family and it helped to define the exhibits.

We dined with Jeff and Sue at a nearby  restaurant recommended by the campground host and it offered two for one dinners. I enjoyed my scallops. We joined Jeff and Sue at their motor home and exchanged travel tips, campgrounds and tourist ?Must sees.? We will leave in the morning for a tourist activity to be determined by the weather, either Cabot Trail or Louisburg.