Heading to Canada

[Barb]

Port aux basque to North Sydney, Nova Scotia

Yes.

Safe Travels
Currently in Grandby, QC

 

[Hfx_Cdn]

    We're so pleased that the trip continues to be going well, and that you are enjoying the mussels.  We were able to get frozen cooked mussels from Chile when we were in Florida & Texas, so I'd think you can get them in California.  They not as good as the fresh, but will do in a pinch.
    We'll be at our daughter's from Tuesday so will have better internet.  Let us know you plans.  Wehope to stop at one of my favourite restaurants (Schartz's Deli) in Montreal on Monday evening on the way through, it's been a few years since we've been there, but I hear the smoked meat is just as good as it has been for over 75 years.

Ed

 

[Tim Lassen]

Ed,

We are currently planning on being in Ottawa around the 27th to the end of the month.  Bsed on your schedule we should pass in the night as they say

 

[Marsha/CA]

Ruth, it was Gary and Carole; very nice folks.  They are from a town in Indiana near where Tim and I grew up.  It was fun talking with them.  We met in the laundry.    She was mentioning that they wished the caravan would slow down a bit.  There were things they wanted to do or to places they wanted to stay longer, and they sometimes felt "pushed".  I told her we were going to visit the Cabot Trail upon our return to Nova Scotia and she said she felt a bit rushed on that leg of the tour; but they had been having a great time.

Marsha~

 

[gypsy-jim]

We completed the Cabot Trail loop today and had perfect weather for the trip.  While we mostly read and follow what others have done ( we are somewhat new to this), today in addition to everything being perfect we saw a moose at Cape Smokey.  We were pulling in the entry and one walked right in front of us.  While my wife frantically searched for the camera, I searched for the previous discussed vitals to make sure it was a moose.  Of course before we got the picture it went off into the woods.  When we got out of the car at the lookout and announced what we had seen, no one would believe us - I guess I wouldn't either but it is at least in our brains. 
Marsha thanks for the advise on Baddeck Cabot Trail - great place to stay.

 

[Marsha/CA]

gypsy-jim,

Glad you liked Baddeck Cabot Trails Campground; and am so glad you saw a moose.  We left St. Barbe on Saturday morning and after about 20 minutes of driving we went around a corner and saw something standing close to the road.  I said, not really thinking, "look, what's a mule doing out here"  Then it dawned on both of us that it was a moose.  We weren't looking for them and they were not even on our radar.  I got so flustered, I couldn't turn on the camera and we just have a mental picture; but we did see one.

Today we visited the L'anse Aux Meadows Historic area, which is fabulous by the way, and there out in the field right outside of the visitor's center were at least 5-6 of them.  I think the center pays them to be there.....

Where are you heading from Baddeck?

Marsha~

 

[gypsy-jim]

We arrived in Hubbarts (Halifax) for a couple of days then Digby for the ferry ride to NB.  After a couple of days in St. John we will head to Bar Harbor starting our trek back to Florida.  So far we have been lucky as the bad weather was on travel days such as today.  Looks like the rest of the week will be great. 

 

[Marsha/CA]

Ok, I?ve not done a good job at keeping up with this; but since Betty, Ardra and a couple of others have done such a good job with logs about the Maritimes, I guess I shouldn?t feel too guilty.  However, here is a synopsis of the last 10 days.

We left Twillingate without getting to see the ?Split Peas? which Betty had raved about, so I was a bit disappointed at that; but we had been to the dinner theatre in Trinity and got to experience a bit of Newfoundland.  The icebergs were gone, but we did seem more whales.  I drove as we headed back toward TCH going west toward Gros Morne National Park.  Our thinking was to stop before we got to the park, but I was clicking right along so well, that we pushed on and ended up camping at the KOA.  We weren?t that impressed with the KOA, but it was a ?down day? as we were going to head on up to St. Barbe?s to catch the ferry over to Labrador.  While we were driving around Rocky Harbor, which is the main part of Gros Morne, we stumbled onto a fresh sea food market and ended up buying more mussels, cod and breaded squid for later.

The drive up to St Barbe, was uneventful and not as bad as we expected.  They had completed the repaving and there were only a few stretches where they were working on the road.  We had met a couple when we were in St. John, New Brunswick and when we pulled into the chain link-fenced in RV park, we ended up parking beside them.  They were already in Labrador at that point.  They returned that evening having gone over in the morning and returned that afternoon.  Their impression was that Labrador was not all that nice and they were not impressed.  So, we took their experience with a grain of salt and continued with our plans.

We packed an over night bag, caught the 1:00 pm ferry and arrived in Labrador (actually Quebec) an hour and a half later.  As we drove off the ferry we decided to go left south down through Quebec instead of heading north into Labrador.  As we rounded a corner we both said ?wow? at the same time.  There was a beautiful white sand colored beach that was breathtaking.  We pulled over, open Charlie?s car door, tossed our shoes off and loved every minute of the beautiful setting.  The water was a brilliant aqua marine blue, the sand was soft closer to the beach; but coarser  closer to land.  We were very happy to be there.  A few miles on down the road we came upon an energetic water falls and a small Quebec village.  At that point, we decided we better get going so we could check in at the motel and headed back to Labrador seeing beautiful vista and prime examples of the ago old rock we head heard about.  That evening we drove to Red Bay, seeing icebergs and whales along the way.  The road is paved to Red Bay; but as you turn to go further inland, the road is wide and gravel.  We wished we had looked at our plans a bit closer.  If we were to do it again, we would head on the gravel road up toward Cartwright. 

The next day we did all the touristy things.  We encountered the dreaded black flies in the morning of the second day; but then the wind came up and they were gone.  Caught the 6 pm ferry back home and were very glad we took the time to go over to Labrador.

The next morning we got our usual 10:30 start and drove the 100 or so miles to St. Anthony.  The little coves along the shore line are so special and different.  We have been so enthralled with seeing a moose, that most of our driving has been scouring the sides of the road looking for them.  However as we rounded the corner heading into a small town both of us said ?what the heck is a donkey/mule doing up here?.  It then hit us that it was a moose instead!  Wahoo, another sighting.  What does that make it now?..5 or 7?

After getting set up we drove into St. Anthony?s out to Fisherman Point.  At that point there is a great look out and just as I put the binoculars up to my eyes, we spotted atlantic white sided dolphins.  They were frolicking and playing all over in the bay.  It was fun to watch. 

The next morning, we left an unhappy Charlie at home so that we could visit L? Anse Meadows.  What a thrill, it is full of great information about the Vikings who established a village on the tip of Newfoundland.  Because our son and his wife are elementary school teachers, we took tons of  pictures and gathered information to take back.  The historic park is much better than the ?touristy? Norstead, a few kilometers away.  After you view the ruins, you can go into a reconstruction of a typical Viking village with park employees dressed in period costume.  You can handle all the tools, equipment and even dress the part, which Tim and I did.  Oh forgot, there were 5-6 moose just camped out right in the field where the ruins are located?.they are probably getting union wages for their participation at the park.

We left St. Anthony?s and took a western loop route back toward Trans Can 1 heading to Point a Choix.  As Betty had mentioned, this is a beautiful little campground run by the Lions Club.  The weather was beautiful, but the wind was really strong.  Infact Tim was glad to park the coach as the wind was very bad driving to Point a Choix.  That night, a storm blew through and was so strong we pulled the slide in to keep the topper from tearing.  The next morning dawned calm with the sun poking in and out of left over storm clouds. 

We are now in Gros Morne at the Gros Morne RV Campground, a much-much better campground than the KOA.  We took the Western Brook boat ride that toured the fjord.  We were expecting a ton of information from the park employees; but only got cursory information.  We were expecting a naturalist to explain everything, so we were a bit disappointed.  However the ride and the scenery were very beautiful.  After the boat ride, we took a different walking trail back to the car (5-6 kilometers) and were enchanted by the beauty of trees, grass, wild flowers.  It was truly beautiful.

Today we spent at home doing household stuff and will head down toward Port Aux Basque to board the ferry on Saturday at 4:30 pm.  I?m heeding Barb?s warning that they will confiscate our potatoes, so today I cleaned the refrigerator.  I only have a few onions, which they can have if they want. 

We have been in Newfoundland for a month and feel we have really seen it.  We love the people, their great gift of gab, the small quaint fishing villages, and the tasty seafood.  I, especially, will miss this ?Rock" Island as the Newfies call it.  It is a very special place.

 

[workingtorv]

Hi There,

I hope you both are not in the hurricane Bill path and that you stay safe in your travels.

 

[Marc L]

Hi There,

I hope you both are not in the hurricane Bill path and that you stay safe in your travels.

It's suppose to weaken to a Category 3 storm overnight.
Hurricane Bill to blast Atlantic Canada - Bill weakens to Category 3 storm overnight, but could regain strength

I guess I'll bring in the lawn chairs and the bbq and maybe flip the patio table upside down.  All my stuff usually blows over to the same neighbour, so I know where to go pick it up after.

 

[Marsha/CA]

Actually..... :-\  We are not sure what we are going to do.  At the moment we are at Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia and tomorrow supposed to head to Fundy National Park in New Brunswick until Monday morning.  We still plan to leave, top off the fuel tank, and fill up on propane just in case some areas loose power.  I'm going to call the park tomorrow and see what they say; as well as keeping any eye on the weather.

Whew....too much excitement for me.

More later,

Marsha~

 

[Wendy]

Any hurricane named "Bill" is gonna be a bugger. Keep the nose of the RV pointed inland and be ready to head that direction. Oh, and be sure to stock up on milk, bread and toilet paper (that's what they do in Maryland, I don't know why).

Wendy

 

[Marc L]

... supposed to head to Fundy National Park in New Brunswick until Monday morning.  We still plan to leave, top off the fuel tank, and fill up on propane just in case some areas loose power.  ...

That's probably a good idea.  Tropical storms feed on warmer waters, once they hit the cold waters of the entrance of the Bay of Fundy, the storms usually swerve towards Southern Nova Scotia, often clearing Nova Scotia altogether.

In Fundy National Park, you're so deep in the Bay that you may as well call it inland in comparison to the ocean. 

 

[Marsha/CA]

That's good to know Marc.  I didn't know if Fundy NP would be exposed or not....seems it may be a good place to be. 

A large RV caravan moved into the campground tonight and will be here until Sunday morning.  I would think this campground could be pretty exposed especially to large waves and winds.

Marsha~

 

[Marsha/CA]

Wendy, we have LOTs of toilet paper; but do need bread.  Guess we'll make a stop. 

Marsha~

 

[Marc L]

Still watch the storm, it could still get quite windy in Fundy NP, equally here in Saint John.  However, they usually follow the Atlantic coast either South of Nova Scotia or hit Nova Scotia, but rarely enter the bay.  We usually get strong winds and lots of rain. 

One never knows though.  Some natural disasters that nobody expected have occurred.  It's always better to be prepared.  I'll do the usual.  Fill two empty 5 gallon wine carboys for drinking water, fill the bathtub to flush the toilet with a bucket.  We have plenty of food, generator to keep the fridge running, stove runs on gas.  Plus we also have the trailer in the yard that can also has a fridge that runs on propane, gas stove, toilet, etc.  So I am fine with a long power failure, but not ready for property damage.

 

[Jeff]

Marsha:

We rode out the tail end of a hurricane at Peggy's Cove last year around this time. We were parked in the lower lot Russ likes and did move up to higher ground but it was thrilling to watch the wave action all along that shore. AS a consolation prize we went next door to the lobster shed for lobsters two nights in a row!

 

[Marsha/CA]

Jeff, You sound like Tim.  He told me tonight he'd actually love to watch the big waves. 

I can see why you would want to move to higher ground here at the campground.  You could get a bit swamped low and down close to shore.

Marsha~

 

[rhmahoney]

All my visits to that CG have been in clear sunny weather!

 

[Tom]

As a mariner, I'd get out of Dodge. It's more fun to describe the storm that missed ya than the one than got ya. IOW Marsha and Tim - Get the heck out of Dodge!