Canadian Maritimes with Mahoney/Brewers 08

[ArdraF]

Betty, take heart.  That's exactly the same situation we enountered getting off one ferry and eventually parking in front of a church.  It was rainy and we were looking for a gas station we had been told about, but the lights had been turned off and we couldn't see it as we passed it and I couldn't turn around and had a huge line of cars behind us.  Thankfully the GPS showed us which side roads were dead ends and which ones we could use to "go around the block" only it was many miles.  The lights on that little Presbyterian Church were never so welcome!  A true beacon in the night.

ArdraF

 

[Betty Brewer]

July 1, 2008  Canada Day  St. Johns, Newfoundland, CA  Pippy Park  (709)737-3655  Loop 4 (only one that works)


When I awakened this morning I wanted to open the blinds right away and see the spot we had chosen in the wee dark  hours of the night.  While it was a bit foggy we could see that we were high above a cove and the viewpoint was entitled  Seven Island Lookout because there were 7 lovely rocky little islands in this bay.  We got underway and headed for Pippy Park in St John?s , the  capitol of Newfoundland which was only 78 miles from our overnight near the ferry.  We had an easy check-in and paid for 7 nights.  I had done all reservations in advance by phone and this speeds up the process.  Unfortunately we were given sites deep within the trees and with such narrow roads we could in NO way make it into the site.  Terry wanted me to go get our money back and we were leaving!  But Russ in the meantime had scouted  another section of the park and we moved to  Loop 4 which is a lovely open area with all pull through spaces and no trees, rocks  or obstructions.  They also said they had wi-fi up here.  The price is $39 a night but we wanted no part of those tree lined family camp sights with  lots of children on bicycles, tricycles and big wheels scaring us  on the road so we bit the bullet and paid the price.

Our first stop was downtown area to the Visitor Center.  Everything is very crowded with Canada Day festivities.  We learned first hand about their crazy intersections, one way streets and limited parking.  I noted  multicolored buildings,  an active harbor and the Signal Hill which will all be explored in the coming days. 

Late in the evening the sun came out and we noted that if it?s sunny tomorrow we will take a drive around the Irish Loop and the Cape Shore to take advantage of a non rainy day.(we hope)   
We can only get local news stations, having lost our TV satellite.  The news of the evening  featured  the celebrations across all of the Provinces of Canada that began first at sunrise in St John?s as it catches the first light of day on Canada.  In fact we are now ? hour earlier than Atlantic Time.  So if it is noon here in Newfoundland, my friends in California and Arizona will be 7:30 a.m.

The news caster shared  stores and ceremonies of the Pride  that Canadians have for their wonderful country.    He commented, ?Canada is a decent  and tolerant country.  It has abolished Capitol punishment, recognizes same sex marriage and despite all of it?s faults has universal health care for all.  Here in Newfoundland July 1 is also Memorial Day and a big tribute was paid to  fallen  Canadian soldiers in a history of wars.

The wi-fi is flakey and I'll post pictures only when I have a good signal .

 

[Jeff]

Betty:

After reading of your ferry ride I am more inclined to follow Dave's lead and use the Port Aux Basques ferry both ways. ;D

Are you on MotoSat or using the park's WIFI? Hope the weather improves for you.(And us).

 

[mariekie]

Betty,

What a fascinating report!!!!! As a side; if you have not read Annie Prouxl's "Shipping News", please do so. It is a wonderful book and it takes place on NL. Once you have explored the Province, you will be able to appreciate it so much more.

Enjoy your adventure and keep up the reports.

Mariekie

 

[Hfx_Cdn]

Jeff, although we haven't taken the Coach to NL, most of the local people that we know who have exclusively use the shorter run.  While you are doubling back, there are so many side trips, that it is very easy to plan it so that you don't do the same ones coming and going.  From what they're telling at home, the weather is finally improving, so hopefully those now in NL will enjoy decent weather, and it holds for your visit.
Betty, you must plan an evening trip to George Street while in St John's, there are more bars per square foot than anywhere else in the world, each with a unique atmostphere, and everyone a fun place to visit.  They stay open until the wee hours and the music is out of this world.  And if you're lucky, you will be "screeched in".  I'll leave the details for one of your future posts, but don't spoil it for Jeff's visit.

Ed

 

[Betty Brewer]

Are you on MotoSat or using the park's WIFI? Hope the weather improves for you.(And us).

Jeff,

Despite hours of fiddling Terry could not get a signal on Motosat.  We are using the Park's Wifi.  It seems to be working this morning.  The sun is out and it is 60 degrees with promises to get even warmer.  It is windy and we ae goin' touring today! Jeff,  Terry said by taking the shorter ferry it will add about 560 miles to your trip as you  backtrack over same road twice. We calculated fuel prices and figured we were  a little better off with long ferry.  Now that I'm rested it was fun!  We'll take our time and do each road once rather than repeat.

Betty

 

[Betty Brewer]

July 2, 2008  Irish Loop Drive South of St. John?s  Newfoundland

Today we started our  tour of the  country side  at the reasonable hour of 10 am .  Russ filled up our tank  at $5.49 per gallon.  All fuel has to be ferried to this island so it has historically been  10 cents per gallon more .   We managed the one way and irregular streets of downtown and  made it to the loop toward our first stop, Cape Spear National Historic Site of Canada. It is the most easterly point in Canada and in all of  North America.  It is home of the oldest lighthouse in Newfoundland and Labrador.  As we rounded a curve and the hillside came into sight with the coast in the background all of us let out a gasp, as  it was that spectacular.  We stopped to photograph the crashing waves on the black cliff filled with rocks.  The water was crystal clear and had the blue of the Caribbean Sea in them.  The white foam contrasted the cliffs with stark beauty.  We walked around the sight and let the  beauty of this wonderfully clear blue day sink in!   There were hundreds of steps to the lighthouse that  met my exercise quotient for the day!  We soaked up all of the scenery we could and moved on. We marveled at the little villages along the cliffs that have  wonderful fishing harbors.

By this time we were hungry and found Gatherall?s in Bay Bulls.  They offer a boat tour out to see whales and puffins.  We want to  do that trip this week ,  so we checked them out.  They had a delightful restaurant in an imposing big blue building.  We had linen table cloths, fresh lilacs, nice silverware and the best lunch.  We recommend this place highly.

On ward in our tour of the Irish Loop,  Russ  shouted,? Stop, stop.?  I thought he was having a coronary but he  had spotted a huge white iceberg in the next little bay. Terry did  a u-turn and  we made our way down a small road to view this iceberg up close and personal.  We marveled at this chunk of ice that we were later told is a regular occurrence.  Icebergs break away  each year and the only thing unusual about them would be the speed with which they melt.  It is not a sign of global warming!

In the Colony of Avalon we veered off to a side road to   explore an archeological dig of a 17th century colony .  On our way up a very  steep narrow road we  came to  a place to park.  Russ shouts ,?Whales, whales.?  Terry and I marched out across marshy tundra like  area and come to a cliff where off in the Atlantic we can see several whales swimming  playfully.  Not only are their spouts visible but they surface and we can see their fins and tales.  What a thrill.  I even was prepared enough to have my binoculars with me.  I could have watched all day except that we had miles to go before our loop was completed.  Much of the excitement of this day was due to the fact that we had no expectation, so every sight was a thrill.  We  passed by a good size fox in the front yard of a  village home.  We watched fog roll into a community with the wind and then in 10 minutes it was clear again. We stopped to take photos of interesting little  sights along the way like a miniature village in a stream along the road.  The  coastline is that of postcards and if this is all I ever got to see of Newfoundland it would be enough.  It was a memorable ?Bucket List? kind of day. 

I?ve booked us  on the City tour of St John?s in the morning.  The double-decker bus no longer runs but the Legends Tour will pick us up from the RV Park.  This way Terry can enjoy the trip as a passenger. 

 

[KodiakRV]

...  Terry said by taking the shorter ferry it will add about 560 miles to your trip as you  backtrack over same road twice. We calculated fuel prices and figured we were  a little better off with long ferry.  ...

I'm not following your math.  Assuming you only get 6 mpg and that fuel is $6 per gallon -- that's $1.00 per mile or $560 for the road backtrack.  The ferry was $776.  Seems like the road route would be $216 cheaper.  You would have to only get 4.3 mpg for it to come out the same cost.  Am I missing something?

 

[Jeff]

Kodiak:

We still have the ferry costs from Port AUX Basques to Sydney which IIRC is a little over three hundred.

 

[Betty Brewer]

I'm not following your math.  Assuming you only get 6 mpg and that fuel is $6 per gallon -- that's $1.00 per mile or $560 for the road backtrack.  The ferry was $776.  Seems like the road route would be $216 cheaper.  You would have to only get 4.3 mpg for it to come out the same cost.  Am I missing something?

Kodiak,

  I don't even want to figure  the exact cost of every mile as I likely would not get out of bed!  We've made the comittment for  this trip and it will cost us a bundle but leave us with a priceless memories.  I don't do the math I just do the  journal! 

But here goes an try...We took the long Ferry $776. going and will take short ferry back, $355  for a total of $1131.  We cannot drive the nearly 600 extra miles to take the  ferry out of the same place for the difference in cost. 

 

[Tim & Jan]

July 2, 2008  Irish Loop Drive South of St. John?s  Newfoundland

On ward in our tour of the Irish Loop,  Russ  shouted,? Stop, stop.?  I thought he was having a coronary but he  had spotted a huge white iceberg in the next little bay. Terry did  a u-turn and  we made our way down a small road to view this iceberg up close and personal.  We marveled at this chunk of ice that we were later told is a regular occurrence.  Icebergs break away  each year and the only thing unusual about them would be the speed with which they melt.  It is not a sign of global warming!

Betty, Terry & Russ

That iceberg must have been a beauty when it left Greenland to still be a good size near St Johns this time of year. We went all the way to St. Anthony hoping to see an iceberg on our trip, but saw nothing. We are so jealous, but happy for you. Hope the rest of the trip goes as well. Enjoying your reports, keep on logging.

Jan & Tim

 

[Tom and Margi]

  I don't do the math I just do the  journal! 

And you do it beautifully.    Keep on journaling ... we're right there with you all the way. 

Margi

 

[vlady daddy]

KodiakRV,

As Jeff mention, you have to subtract $355 from $776 on the in-bound ferry ride to compare both routes. At this point, Betty spent $421 more on the ferry. But using the other route, you have to add another $560 to the round trip. You have to average 8 mpg at $6 per gallon on the round trip to break even.

 

[rhmahoney]

7/2 At last, a day of sun and 75 F. We did the Irish loop drive of near 200 miles S from St Johns. Filled the car with gas...$73!

First stop, Cape Spear, the easternmost point of North America. As we rounded the last curve there was our first dramatically lovely scene of clear blue water, waves crashing whitely on the rocky shore, a treeless windswept hill with 2 lighthouses.

...bay. Lunch stop was a great find. A blue bldg on the left side of the port. A tour bus was just leaving as we arrived. The dining room on the upper floor had a good view and the food sublime.

As we drove downcoast there were numerous small rocky bays, each with a fishing port and village. 2 of them had resident icebergs! Another had an archeological dig of the first town on the island. Here we found a pod of 20 or more small whales feeding near shore.

The houses tend to be boxy with shallow roofs and are called biscuit houses, often brightly colored. Firewood can be harvested for personal use from provincial forests so rather large stacks are seen next to most rural homes. One memorable stack was bent around the garage as a fence. In front of that house was a river stone berm wall brightly painted. And then, next door we saw a red fox statue stationed beside a small pond...till it moved!

As we drive along, there have been several roadside displays of local craftwork: 3 ft high sailing ships in the Gaspe, 2 ft long fishing boats in New Brunswick, bird houses in Nova Scotia. On today's drive we saw one collection of a dozen 1-2 ft long boats and ships moored in a small pond by the road. 50 miles later there was a complete village along a creek. It even had washing hung out to dry! Next there was a yard filled with brightly painted driftwood figures.

At the south end of our trip we crossed a stretch of treeless tundra dotted with innumerable ponds of all sizes. Caribou can be found here. Fog and cold greeted us at the southernmost seashore. All along the way were warning signs for moose. Luckily we saw none.

7/3 8 AM After worrying and watching out for moose all day, yesterday, A full grown female comes charging down the berm in front of my coach (had to have crossed the major street-Allendale, to get here) and headed across the CG, passing right next to my coach. Terry B got a "butt" shot of her as she headed for the trees.

 

[Hfx_Cdn]

One of the things that always amazed us are the way they fence their gardens to keep the animals out, as opposed to fencing animals in.

 

[chick a dee]

G'morning Folks: Your journey log is absolutely WONDERFUL!!  Thank you. Thank you. My wife and I have been planning to take our MH and toad to Newfoundland for some time and your descriptions (and attendant info) have "sealed the deal".... your writing is simply GREAT and we're definitely going to spend next summer (hopefully...or the next one) out there!! We've been full-timing in our rig since late 2005 and travel with our 3 cats. Spent last summer up in beautiful Alaska and are spending this summer visiting family/relatives here in South Dakota and then up in Duluth, Minnesota before heading to winter in Florida where our son lives. We're brand new members of this RV Forum and are sure glad we stumbled onto this site. We'll be following your log closely, and...Thanks again.  Steve & Lynette

 

[JerArdra]

Betty,

You're right on with regard to the cost; don't even add it up until you're home because this trip may even exceed your Mexican and Alaskan trips in the pleasure you get from it.  As an Economist might say you'll get more UTILS from this trip than any other.    BTW, our 3-1/2 month Newfoundland trip cost us a grand total of $20,000.  Yes we spent a total of US$20,000.

We did not see any Icebergs and are glad you did.  This bodes well for St Anthony because you may see bigger ones there.

JerryF

 

[Marsha/CA]

Ardra,

I bet that $20,000 was not with fuel at $5-$6 a gallon either.  I think Tim has budgeted higher than that for our trip to the Maritimes next summer.  But like I mentioned before, we'll go if God's willing and the creek don't rise.  I think I should also add and if the fires don't spread..... ;D

Marsha~

 

[Wendy]

we'll go if God's willing and the creek don't rise.  I think I should also add and if the fires don't spread..... ;D

Marsha~

And if any of those things happen, you should probably go anyway !!

Wendy

 

[JerArdra]

Marsha,

The diesel varied from US$4.00 to US$4.25 per U.S. gallon when we went there in the Summer of 2006.  If you two are into racing at all stop by for the INDY 500 on your way.  It was great and it's on the way.

JerryF