NEWFOUNDLAND - "THE ROCK"

Newfoundland Sunset

From the time our ferry landed at Port aux Basques, Newfoundland, life was one big adventure.  Newfoundland is a vast, windswept, majestic place, rocky and rugged with countless bays, coves and inlets frequently occupied by small fishing villages.  Traditionally cod fishing has been the main industry here, and has defined the way of life for generations.  But in the 1980's the cod began disappearing, and in 1992 the Canadian government placed a moratorium on cod fishing, throwing many fishermen out of work.  The moratorium was meant to be temporary, just until the fish could bounce back from over-fishing, but sadly that hasn't happened, and still today cod fishing is tightly controlled.  Life is not easy here and the people are resilient and tough, but friendly and wickedly funny.  And they have a fierce love for their homeland, which they fondly call "The Rock", celebrating its beauty in song and verse which they love to share with visitors.

Our first campground in Newfoundland was at Rocky Harbor in Gros Morne National Park, a stunningly beautiful place where the Long Range Mountains meet the sea.  From here we branched out and explored the many beautiful places in this part of the island.

Harbor at Little Port

We took a boat ride in the park up the fjord called Western Brook Pond, which was spectacular with its steep cliffs and deep blue waters.  Up here everything is called a pond, no matter how big.  In Newfoundland, Lake Washington would be called Washington Pond.

  Western Brook Pond

Almost all the houses in the tiny towns are painted white, and most are what they call saltbox style - simple and rectangular. The white towns contrast beautifully with the blue sea and sky, and the green of the hills. The Long Range Mountains stretch up the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland . . .they're actually the northernmost part of the Appalachian Range.

Rocky Harbor

We joined a Park Ranger for a hike in the Tablelands area of Gros Morne National Park.  This area is so unusual geologically that it has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Natural Site, because here tectonic plate action caused the earth's mantle layer to rise to the surface, ending up on the surface of the earth over the crust.  There are very few nutrients in the soil of the mantle, so vegetation is sparse, and the rocks are a distinctive red color due to iron content.  It was a fascinating lesson in geology, and also quite beautiful!

One day we took the car on a ferry boat over to Labrador on a one day expedition.  Labrador turned out to be even less populated than Newfoundland, and even more rugged and windswept - magnificant in its own way . . .

Labrador from the Ferry

L'Anse Amour Lighthouse in Labrador

We drove up the rocky coast to the town of Red Bay where we visited a memorial to the Basque whalers of the 1500's and enjoyed the immense and beautiful landscape of Labrador.

Red Bay, Labrador

On another day we drove up to the northernmost tip of Newfoundland where we first visited the town of St. Anthony, with its stocky little lighthouse and the waves pounding on the rocks below.  We even spied some whales spouting out in the Atlantic just off shore, and countless seabirds wheeling and soaring in the wind.

St. Anthony Lighthouse and Rocks Below

At St. Anthony Lighthouse

We also explored the site where Lief Ericson landed at L'Anse aux Meadows in 1000 AD - the settlement has been excavated and re-created by Parks Canada to show how they lived.  Their houses were made of sod and were many times more insulated than our current homes, and it's a good thing, because the winters there are harsh!!



L'Anse aux Meadows - Viking Site

Our base camp for these northern explorations was in Port au Choix, in a campground right on the ocean - a beautiful spot!

Oceanview Campground

After leaving Port au Choix we journeyed back down the peninsula and then east to the north coast town of Twillingate - the most picturesque fishing town you'd ever hope to see, and one of our favorite places.  Our campground here was only a block from Back Harbor, a small bay with just a few fishing stages on the shore, and a few row boats, and one wrecked boat . . .

Old Boat at Back Harbor

Scenes of Twillingate

One day we took the car on a ferry over to the tiny island of Fogo, where we learned what life is like on a small island ice-bound in winter.

Town of Tilting, Fogo Island

On the ferry over to Fogo we met a local man who had written two books about the town of Tilting, where he currently lives and where his ancestors were among the first settlers hundreds of years ago.  We ended up going to his house, where he kindly signed a copy of his book for us . . .a very interesting description of the life of fishermen and their families in days gone by.  (He was an old guy - our age!!!)



Roy Dwyer, Author

Fishing Stages at Back Harbor

Twillingate Sunset

Back Harbor from Up On Barracks Island

In Newfoundland, like Nova Scotia, the churches often feature cemetaries right outside the door, the better to keep in mind the important things . . . .this was a particularly beautiful church, in a very lovely spot.

Church with Cemetary at Newtown

We were sad to leave Twillingate, but excited to see the rest of Newfoundland.  We decided to go to St. John's after all . . .we were going to skip it, but thought better of it and changed our ferry reservations so we could leave Newfoundland from a city near St. John's instead of driving all the way back around the island - 909 kilometers!  As we headed south we stopped to explore the area around Terra Nova National Park on the eastern shore of Newfoundland.  The historic and beautiful Bonavista peninsula was first on our agenda, beginning with Trinity, a very old town which in the 1700's competed with St. John's as the center of culture and wealth in Newfoundland.  Its buildings are old and picturesque, planted right on the edge of the winding lanes with great names like Church Road and Water Street.  Of course it's a harbor, very protected and with a lighthouse on a small peninsula.  We hiked up Upper Gun Road to a high vista point from which we could see not only Trinity but all the coves and harbors and bays of this rugged coastline.  From there we drove to Elliston where we hoped to see puffins, but sadly they had recently decamped for the open North Atlantic where they spend the fall and winter.  In June they return to build their nests, lay their eggs and raise their young.  Disappointing to have missed them . . . .

Trinity

Harbor of Trinity

Churchyard in Trinity

Trinity from Upper Gun Hill

The larger town of Bonavista was our next stop.  This harbor city is thought to be the first landing spot of John Cabot in 1497, although no one knows that for sure.  In 1997 a replica was built of his ship, Matthew, in honor of the 500th anniversary of his sailing.  We took a tour of this ship and learned many interesting facts about Cabot, like he was from Venice,  but sailing under the English flag by the patronage of King Henry VII because Spain had already invested in Columbus.  After Cabot's successful voyage he set out once again for Newfoundland, but this time disappeared without a trace.  In Bonavista we had lunch at a harbor restaurant - seafood chowder again . . . .we're on a mission to find the best seafood chowder in the Maritime provinces.  So far the honor belongs to the little chowder house at Neil's Harbor on Cape Breton, Nova Scotia . . . .

Harbor of Bonavista

On to St. John's -  the capital city of Newfoundland, with about 100,000 residents. It's built on the hills above a perfectly protected harbor, guarded by a fort with a lighthouse at the narrow entrance. The houses here are different - not the white of the rest of Newfoundland, but bright colors, climbing up the steep hillsides above the harbor. St. John's is said to be the oldest city in North America, as John Cabot is believed to have also landed here in 1497, only 5 years after Columbus "discovered" America. It's a vibrant, lively city with an attitude, and a love for fun and music.  On George Street they stack the bars for two or three stories, each with live music of some kind, mostly Irish.  Party animals that we are, we were down there two nights in a row enjoying singers, fiddlers, guitarists, pipers and drummers - fabulous!

Downtown St. John's

Old Fort and Lighthouse Guarding St. John's Harbor

George Street

The Battery is the name for an area of St. John's where many of the houses are built on stilts and climb steeply up the hillside - and are painted every color of the rainbow!!

Not far out of St. John's is Cape Spear, the easternmost point of North America.  So of course we had to go there . . . .

Lighthouse at Cape Spear

We're the Farthest East!

Moshi and Kibo have been fantastic travellers - hardly ever complaining, and finding ways to amuse themselves in a small space! 

It's so hard to stay in shape on the road!

We're Still Best Buddies

Ah, the Sun!!!!!

For the most part our new motorhome has been a delight - smooth, quiet ride; lots of room; etc. etc. . . . . HOWEVER, we've been plagued by problems with one of the slide-outs.  It first broke weeks ago, but Bob and Mark were able to patch it back together . . .but it kept breaking, and they kept fixing it, til at last it not only broke the bolt but got wedged in sort of sideways, making it very difficult to get back in even after they replaced the bolt.  So we benched it . . . it now stays in all the time, giving us a bit less room but more peace of mind.  We have an appointment to get it fixed when we get to Maine - I'm counting the days!

Bob and Mark Working on our Rogue Slide

We loved Newfoundland and hated leaving, but it was time to go . . .Leaving Newfoundland behind, we sailed on the SS Caribou from Argentia, Newfoundland to North Sydney, Nova Scotia on September 11.  It was an overnight crossing, 15 hours across the sea . . . there were no staterooms available, so we courageously signed up for a "cubicle" - 2 bunkbeds in a tiny room with no door and only partial walls in a dorm-like arrangement.  We were dreading it, but as it turned out it was fine - we slept like babies!!  Ever Onward - stay tuned for Prince Edward Island . . . . .

OH CANADA!!

At Sault Ste. Marie we began the Canadian portion of our adventure, driving through the beautiful Ontario countryside to Ottawa, the capital of Canada.  On the way we encountered a deluge of epic proportions - there were whitecaps on the water washing over the road!  Kibo helped navigate through the storm, as you can see below . . . .

Kibo Navigating in the Storm

Ottawa is an elegant city with a distinctly British flavor to the government buildings.  We enjoyed our tour of the Parliament building . . . learned a lot about Canadian government we hadn't known, like Senators are appointed for life!  That was a surprise .  . .

Canadian Capital of Ottawa

We got to Quebec City at a very busy time - it was the Fete de Nouvelle France, the Festival of New France, celebrating French colonial times and culture.  There were lots of people, all speaking French, all in a very festive mood - great fun! 

Fete de Nouvelle France

We visited the historic Citadel, an 1800's fort built by the British to defend against possible United States attacks that never materialized, and watched the pageant of the Changing of the Guard.  One of the best parts of this spectacle was the mascot Batisse,  a Tibetan goat descended from an ancestor given to Queen Elizabeth by the Shah of Iran, then given to the 22nd Regiment by Her Majesty because they're a Royal regiment.  Batisse was magnificent -  long white flowing fur, especially his beard - maybe he's channeling Gandalf . . .His job was to stand at attention, very still, and review the troops as they paraded, marched, and changed places many times during the ceremony, often marching to the band.  Batisse stood at attention like the best ever soldier,  head still, tail straight out, feet moving not at all.  At intervals he and his soldier companion had to march around a bit with the other soldiers, and he was excellent at that too - never wavered.  He was a star!  At one point his duties included being led around the perimeter of the parade field,  stopping to let small children (and one older person, namely me) pet his handsome head.

Batisse Leading the 22nd Regiment

Quebec is a charming city, with lots of old stone buildings, flowers everywhere, many patisseries (bakeries), and lots of impressive churches and cathedrals, and a wall around the city!   Many street restaurants, with lots of people sitting outside watching the passersby and enjoying lunch . . . street performers, shops, art displayed for sale on the sidewalk . . .We learned about the 3 periods of Canadian history – the French period (1608 to 1759), the British period (1759 to 1867) and the Canadian period (1867 to present). The French tradition and culture is still very much in evidence, as everyone here speaks French, and the people are very protective of their culture . . .there is still an active separatist movement trying to gain independence from Canada.

Quebec City

The last evening we were there we went to an international fireworks competition - it was the United States' night to shine, and it was fabulous!  The fireworks were intense and creative, featuring some kinds we’d never seen before – great sparkly showers of light that hung in the air for a long time, and little rocket-type things that went up and exploded then drifted down a ways , then went up again! Terrific show . . .

Fireworks Competition

It's still quite warm here - Kibo and Moshi do what they can to keep cool and entertained.

Moshi Keeping Cool

I'm Kind of Bored. . . .

The View From the Cupboard

Two Can Play That Game

Moshi's Turn for Guard Duty

We finally got to the Maritime Provinces when we crossed into New Brunswick.  Our first stop was the little town of St. Leonard where we stayed in a great campground run by a young couple named Eric and Josee.  In its previous life the campground had been a Provincial Park, so it was spacious and woodsy with its own small lake, and supposedly moose, although we didn't see any.

Camping St. Leonard

It was here in this lovely spot that we had our first serious motorhome "issue" - one of the slideouts got stuck out, which for you non-motorhome people is very bad - it means it's sticking out on the side of the motorhome and so no one is going anywhere!  Bob found a sheered bolt in the downstairs compartment, and called Tiffin (the manufacturer) to get some help. Meanwhile Mark found Eric and they located a couple of right sized bolts in Eric’s shop. Between Stacy at Tiffin, Bob, Mark and Eric they actually got the bolts back in and secured and the slide came in! A miracle . . . ..By now it was lunch time, and Pinky’s was open (a small drive-in on the premises), so the boys had well-deserved burgers. Eric and his Dad entertained us with tales of hunting moose – Eric’s Dad went home to get his electric moose-caller to show Penny and I. We were so impressed he gave it to us on the spot – we couldn’t talk him out of it! Now we can call moose . . . .

Fixing the Slide

The Boys at Pinky's

 We moved on to Fredericton, the capital city of New Brunswick. Out walking in the evening, we admired an historic church reflected in the St. John River and enjoyed another Changing of the Guard ceremony complete with bagpiper.

Changing of the Guard with Bagpiper

Watery Reflection

A drenching rainstorm greeted us on our entry into Nova Scotia, but it didn't last long, and soon we were off on our extensive exploration of this lovely province.

Welcome to Nova Scotia!

  

We spent a VERY full day exploring the South Shore of Nova Scotia!  Tiny fishing villages with colorful houses and boats and friendly people - and so photogenic . . . .we must have stopped a thousand times and jumped out of the car to take pictures of yet another charming little harbor - it was addictive!  And so peaceful and serene . . . .

Lighthouse at Peggy's Cove

Peggy's Cove

Lunenberg

Blue Rocks

The next day we drove over to the Fundy Coast where the tides are the highest and lowest in the world (at least the greatest difference between them).  At Cape Split we saw fishing boats high and dry, waiting for the extremely low tide to begin coming in - quite a sight, but I guess they're used to it!

High and Dry at Low Tide

The Digby Peninsula stretches long and narrow down along the Bay of Fundy, with tiny villages and water on both sides.  We stopped at historic Annapolis Royal, the one-time early capital of colonial France, and admired the family home of Pat's mom's family as well as the old British fort there, Fort Ann.

Pat's Mom's Home - The Queen Anne Inn

We loved the tiny town of Sandy Cove further on down the Peninsula.  The little old church there had its graveyard all around it and right in front of the door!  I guess that's one way to make sure no one forgets exactly what's ultimately in store for them . . . .helps them to take the sermons seriously I'm sure!

Church at Sandy Cove

The harbor at Sandy Cove was calm and quiet, with a couple of fishing boats moored at the wharf.  We couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to live there - peaceful for sure, but you'd sure feel like you were at the end of the earth . . .

Sandy Cove Harbor

Halifax, the capital city of Nova Scotia, is a busy modern seaport with a rich maritime heritage.  We took a short tour of the harbor and admired the bustling waterfront and graceful sailboats - Seattle could learn a few things from the Haligonians about how to make a waterfront beautiful, fun and exciting.  There was a festival of street performers called the Buskers Festival, so there was plenty of action on the streets, along with lots of sidewalk cafes and pubs - many with live music going on.   We discovered the Garrison Brewery - we're famous!!  Bob didn't really like their beer, though . . . . 

Sailboat in Halifax Harbor

Garrison Brewery

Halifax Waterfront

From Halifax we moved our base camp north a ways onto Cape Breton in the town of Baddeck.  Cape Breton is the heart of Gaelic culture in Nova Scotia - has lots of traditional Cape Breton music, which is mostly Scottish and Irish . . . lots of fiddling!!!  And more charming fishing villages with colorful boats . . .and the world-famous Cabot Trail, a driving route around the peninsula with panoramic views of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Atlantic Ocean from the tops of the rolling hills, some 1500 feet high.  Needless to say we loved it here, especially me . . .music everywhere!  And fabulous fiddlers . . .

Fishing Fleet at  Mabou

Derrick and Melody Cameron Play Cape Breton Music at the Red Shoe Pub

Scenic and Remote Meat Cove on the Cabot Trail

Meat Cove is at the very end of the road at the northernmost tip of Cape Breton - there's a lonely windswept campground here with a spectacular view . . .where the Gulf of St. Lawrence meets the Atlantic Ocean.  You have to drive on a steep and winding dirt road with precipitous dropoffs to get here, but it's well worth it.  On the way we stopped at a little chowder house on a bluff - the seafood chowder was magnificent!

On the west side of the Cabot Trail we stopped for a couple of hours to hike on the Skyline Trail - a 5 mile roundtrip hike through the sparse forest out to a panoramic lookout over the ocean.  Penny and Mark and I decided to take a slightly less travelled route back in hopes of seeing a moose, while Bob decided to return the way we came . . . .guess who saw a moose??!!!  Yep, Bob . . .two moose in fact, one a huge one with a 6 foot rack, or so he says . . .he didn't have a camera so we'll never know for sure, but the thing is he had witnesses . . other people saw them too, so we have to accept the fact that they were real . . .we were happy for him, but mad we didn't get to see them too!

Skyline Trail

The Cabot Trail

One day we went to the east side of Cape Breton to visit historic Louisbourg, a French colonial town abandoned in 1753 after the British took it over, and restored in the 1960's on the original foundations.  It's now a Canadian National Historic Site staffed with people in period costume who have an encyclopedic knowledge of its history and give tours and demonstrations and answer any questions you might have about what it was like to live in a French colony in 1744 - fascinating and educational . . .

Louisbourg

Our campground was near the small town of Baddeck which is on Lake Bras d'Or, a giant lake which opens to the ocean in three places and is 75% salt water.  One sunny day we rented kayaks and paddled out to a small island with a lighthouse.  The kayak that Bob and I had seemed to be getting lower and lower in the water til it felt like paddling a bathtub. . . when we reached the island I checked the back and noticed some duct tape that was kind of torn and ragged and coming loose, so when we got back I told the guy we might have a leak and he said,  "Oh yeah, that's the one that's patched - I guess it's coming off"   !!!!!  We enjoyed the trip anyway - it was a beautiful day and the views were lovely, and we really didn't get too wet!

Baddeck Lighthouse

Kayaking on Lake Bras d'Or


We're sorry to be leaving beautiful and musical Nova Scotia, but excited for our next stop - Newfoundland!!!!!!