Week #6 - Finishing up Newfoundland and on to Labrador!

The photos just keep coming!  Lots more again this week, plus a couple videos.  So if you wish to skip the banter and jump straight to the photos, please go here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/crisp_travels/albums/72157672905727198

So last week we finished up Gros Morne National Park.  There was more there that could have been done, such as the boat ride into the fjord, but we did that the last time we were here, and the weather wasn’t ideal this time, so we figured we would press on.  This week we'll finish up the Northern Peninsula, and make it across to Labrador!  But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

First we visited Cow Head, within spitting distance from our camping spot in Shallow Bay.  They have a nice trail network on their remote point (or “Head”) which is connected to the town via an isthmus.  The trails are all connected and proved to be an enjoyable hike before beginning the trek north.  Next stop was the unassuming but quite interesting Arches Provincial Park.  The arches were huge and very accessible, and the large rounded stones on the beach were both colorful and interesting.

As we were beginning our trek northward, we thought you might want to get a sense as to just how “boggy” virtually all of Newfoundland is.  So we took a couple photos of what they have to do to secure telephone poles in the ground.  And that is to build a “crib” and fill it with rocks, as the peat is not strong enough to keep the poles upright.  We’ve seen these everywhere we have been.  OK, so the weather was getting windier as we pulled into Port au Choix, and while they have a nice archiological area to explore, it just wasn’t a day for walking around outside.  So we went to the end to see the light house at Point Richie.  Wind gusts must have been 60-70 MPH!  And in addition to briefly seeing the lighthouse, we were able to visit with a small herd of roaming caribou!  They were not bothered at all by the cars stopping along the road to take pictures.  Still no moose sighting, however!

The weather continued to deteriorate, so we boondocked at a picnic area where we had a usable cell signal and checked the forecast.  We wanted to wait for good weather to visit the Viking settlement in L’Anse Aux Meadows.  And that turned out the be the next day, so we booked it up there and arrived soon after they opened.  We had a great tour by a local resident who has lived there all his life, and was an 11 year old when they began the archeological dig in 1960.  He said he visited the site regularly, and watched what they were doing over the years of exploration.  In short, they found the only archeological “proof” of Norse/Viking presence on North America, in what appeared to be four separate encampments over a decade or so about 1000 years ago.  They used this location probably as an intermediary point for further explorations to the south into what is described as Vinland in the Icelandic Sagas.  Here is a wikipedia link for those who are interested in reading a bit more:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Anse_aux_Meadows .

That visit took most of the day, and they have a nice trail that loops around the point.  It was interesting to be able to actually see Labrador quite easily (it is only about 30 nautical miles away), and know that is ultimately where we were headed.  But still lots of cool villages and trails to check out along the way before heading back down to the ferry.  So we stopped at the Pistolet Bay Provincial Park; no services, but we had a nice campsite.  We asked if there were some local trails we could try and were directed to the Burnt Cape Ecological Reserve.  It sounded right up our alley, but the description given to us did not match the road conditions, which were such that I did not want to risk driving to the end, so we got out and started hoofing it.  Quite a long way.  Uphill.  Finally we spot a car coming back and flagged them down to see how much farther … and they said “lots”, plus then you begin another 3km in and out hike.  Well it might have been great, but we decided to turn around, discretion being the better part of valor, and all that jazz.  But our reward for such discretion was a beautiful sunset back at our campsite, and we’re still married ;-)

After that we decided to make our way to what passes for the “big city” in the Northern Peninsula, and that is St. Anthony.  Hey, it’s got the only Tim Horton’s for miles and miles, and that’s our criteria.  Anyways, driving through we saw lots of signs for the Grenfell Centre, so we pulled in.  Dr. Grenfell was a missionary doctor from England that devoted much of his life (and was knighted by King George V for his work) to helping Newfoundland and Labrador fishing communities that were ice blocked and isolated for many months of the year.  Here’s is a brief video regarding his contributions to these people:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD-i_86GDGI   His center was stunning with all of the flowers coming into bloom just when we arrived.  We’d seen nothing like this since coming to Newfoundland, so of course, we took lots of pictures ;-)

That night we found a boondocking spot near the Lamage Point Trail and had a nice candlelight supper ;-)    The next morning, I took this trail and despite somewhat wet conditions, saw some interesting “art” and did a little ocean meditation (and a short video in case you are in the mood ;-).   Weather kept improving and we went off to a handful of the small fishing villages around St. Anthony — the signs in the pictures will guide you through St. Carol’s (how appropriate ;-), Great Brehat, Goose Cove, and then back to Fishing Point Park in St. Anthony, which has a network of nice trails and vistas.  You’ll see us tackle Daredevil Trail and its 476 stairs.  For the record, Carol picked *this* trail as the one she wanted to take (that’s my girl ;-).  I then strolled around the four inter-connected trails that loop around the point, got some vicarious dog thrills, and after finishing up, found a 5-star boondocking spot overlooking the bay with our panoramic windows facing a sunset.  Not too shabby!

So after all that adventure, we decided it was time to grab our Timbits and head to the ferry.  Sure enough, we made the last crossing, but not without a scare.  As we are lined up to get on the ferry, when the loadmaster signals it’s my turn, I turn the key and — nada, zippo, zilch — not even a peep when I turn the key.  I was able to quickly conclude it wasn’t the feared fuel pump issue, but something going on with the battery, likely a loose terminal.  Grab a hammer, and give'r a few raps, and she started right up.  But now we are in the “penalty box”, and it’s not clear they are going to let us on the ferry.  Finally, second to last vehicle, they load us (I figure to ensure we don’t potentially delay the *un*loading after we get there).  But no issues since (and none before).  Quite a fluke, and I later cleaned the battery terminal and tightened the connections.

After a 90 minute ferry ride, we are in Labrador!  The roads were just about as bad as we had heard.  In the short 30 miles or so that we drove that night we had good pavement, old broken pavement, pot-holed-but-patched pavement, unpatched-pot-holes (the worst), good gravel, and washboard gravel (the slowest).  I don’t know why there is such variety for such a short distance, but it does look like they are making improvements, however piecemeal.  We we’re scouting for a boondocking location, and Carol saw a sign for the First Pond Municipal Park (shockingly, I did not photograph the sign ;-).  But it had a nice pond, we got there in time for sunset and … blackflies!  We may get our PETA card revoked, because we’re officially now blackfly killers.  Oh well, FWIW I do feel badly about it.

We awoke to some rain, and so we decided to head out and see if there were non-hiking things to do along the road toward Red Bay, our next target.  The visitor center near the ferry terminal had been closed when we got there, so we were flying somewhat blind as to what might be interesting.  When I saw a sign for L’Anse Amour I thought we should give it a try.  Sure enough we found the oldest recorded burial site in North America, and continuing on, came to the tallest lighthouse in Newfoundland-Labrador.  And what a massive, well-built structure it is.  Still standing and being used, without any reconstruction needed.  Built entirely out of limestone, the walls are 6-feed thick at the base, and it sits directly on bedrock.  It was constructed and began operation in just 3 years, in 1858, and after 3 more years was covered in cedar shingles to protect the mortar from the harsh climate.  It is an impressive structure, and the most modern and sturdy structure we’ve seen since we have been in the province.  (BTW, what's in a name?  L'Anse Amour means "The Cove of Love". But the original same-sounding French name was Anse au Morts, or "Cove of the Dead", due to all the shipwrecks that occur there!  How's that for a PR name change. ;-) 

So that finishes things for this week.  We made it to Red Bay, and are currently boondocking outside the town office and using their WiFi (it's getting harder and harder to get to the internet; I know I should be happy for the break, but I do like to stay connected).  After considering the roads we’ve traveled so far, our current thinking is we are going to “go for it” and try the Trans-Labrador route back into Quebec, and from there, home.  It will take a long time, and use a lot of gas (did I mention I average a whopping 8.5 MPG?).  But hey, that’s all part of the adventure.  So until next week, let’s see if we change our minds ;-) 

That does it for the Week #6 summary.  Again, here is the link to our Week #6 photos:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/crisp_travels/albums/72157672905727198

If you ever want to see previous albums, you can go to my album page here:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/crisp_travels/albums

Week #5 - Gros Morne National Park -- let's do this!

Lots more photos again this week, plus some videos you may enjoy.  So if you wish to skip the banter and jump straight to the photos, please go here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/crisp_travels/albums/72157697326938142

As we were finishing up last week's adventure on the eastern coast of Newfoundland, we were hit with some rain.  Like … a lot of rain.  And it seemed to be hitting all of Newfoundland.  So we had two options, head north to St. John’s (the provincial capital), and find some indoor things to do, or pack it in and head west (basically backtracking on the TransCanadian Highway).  We chose door #2 — because we did St. John’s pretty thoroughly on our previous visit (albeit, that was 12 years ago in a car), but also we are just not really keen on cities, especially with an RV.  It is certainly doable, but, as they say about ships in a harbor, that’s not what RV’s are for. ;-)

So it took us about a day and a half of driving to get into some new territory, which is Gros Morne National Park.  And once we got there, we decided to slow down the travel, and spend a couple of nights in each campground, especially if they had some good trails within walking or running distance (for Steve’s early morning outings).  And we are still here!  (It’s a big National Park.)

The first part of Gros Morne is the southern arm, which we had never done before.  So we stopped at their Discovery Center, and found they had what sounded like a great hike right there.  The Lookout Trail sign says it's not too long but a little strenuous, with great views.  Well, little did we know (or did they tell us), after all that rain, and in conjunction with repairs that were being made to the trail, this was a mud-fest in sections, many of them steep.  Carol was none-too-happy about that development ;-)  But she was a trooper and made it to the top and back down again!  The weather was not great, but the views from the top were still really nice.

After that we headed down to the tip of the southern arm to the Trout River Campground, and spent a couple days exploring the town and hiking more trails.  First though, I went out for only my second run while on this trip, and explored a service road and ATV trail near the campground.  It was great.  Then we walked around their little fishing village, and I got tired just thinking of what these guys had to do to survive back in the day.  Next we headed to the Tablelands trail, which went out to a nice little waterfall.  And finally, I decided to tackle the long, but interesting, Green Gardens trail, which also includes lots of elevation change and stairs.  No need for the gym on that day!  The weather was perfect and the scenery really great, especially down at the sea cliffs and beach.  You will also get to see just how friendly the Newfoundland red squirrels are!

We stopped at two more trails on the southern arm, only to find they were both closed due to the heavy rain that had washed out a bridge!  Crazy.  So we decided to head north a bit and check out the rest of Gros Morne. We made reservations at Berry Hill and Green Point Campgrounds since we were told they will be sold out each day.  Berry Hill has three hikes right at the campground, so that worked out well.  First up was the Berry Hill Pond, which was quite scenic (albeit a bit muddy too), and Carol and I did that once, and then I did it a couple more times, as there are little nooks and crannies to check out if you have the time (and we have the time ;-)

I also took the somewhat long but flat Baker’s Brook Falls hike, and was amazed how much of the 4+ km trail was boardwalk.  I cannot imagine the maintenance.  It went through some really varied landscape, apparently due in large part to the moose population which really wreaks havoc with their boreal forests.  In the area where this trail is, there are supposedly more than 4000 moose.  And how many did I see, up early, first one on the trail?  Nada, zippo, zilch.  But the trail did not disappoint with the waterfalls.  Those were spectacular.  Then we completed the trifecta with Berry Hill trail (and another loop around Berry Hill Pond for good measure).

On the way to our next campsite, we stopped briefly at Lobster Cove Head, and what did we see there, but another Lazy Daze (from Texas).  We briefly met the owners, Martha and Barry Barnes, who we knew of from their posts on the Lazy Daze Owners forum.  And that is coupled with a report of another Lazy Daze spotted from Florida (we have not seen that one ourselves).  So these family-built Lazy Daze RVs do get around!  At Green Point Campground, I took the Coastal Trail in what started out as stormy conditions, but it soon cleared and later Carol and I took the trail together.  Some interesting nooks and crannies (sort of Tolkeinesque in places, with the short, squatty tuckamore trees).

Finally, we are currently camping in the northern most point of the Gros Morne National Park, called Shallow Bay.  This one has the first sandy beach I have seen in Newfoundland.  Pretty, but oh my is it windy.  If I can get the videos downloaded (a challenge with campground WiFi, you’ll see better what I mean.  But you should be able to tell by some of the photos as well.  We may stay here another day, or head out; we are not sure yet.  Our target is the tip of the Northern Peninsula, where a Viking settlement has been unearthed.  And then, if we can stand the black flies that we keep hearing about, we’ll venture into Labrador via ferry.  But depending on our pace of travel, that could be another week or two.

So that does it for the Week #5 summary.  Again, here is the link to our Week #5 photos:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/crisp_travels/albums/72157697326938142

If you ever want to see previous albums, you can go to my album page here:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/crisp_travels/albums

Week #4 - North Avalon Peninsula, South Avalon Peninsula and a couple of stories!

Lots more photos this week, and a couple of stories for you.  If you wish to skip the banter and jump straight to the photos, please go here:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/crisp_travels/sets/72157699959927764

The first story relates the some of the early photos this week, and might be titled “Happy Anniversary — how do you like your gift of capelin and cod?”   

So after waking up in the Subway parking lot on our 39th anniversary, we decided to look for a more scenic spot for breakfast ;-)  Watching the GPS and seeing various roads toward the ocean, we picked one and found an old-timer to ask if it was OK to park there — “Oh sure you can park there as long as you want … hey, have you ever seen the capelin run?”  Next thing I know he’s talking Carol’s ear off and pointing at the shore line.  I have never seen such a mass of fish in one place.  The shoreline was black with them.  These are capelins, we are told, and they run twice a year here.  This is their spawning process, similar to salmon, and they will soon die after birthing the next generation.  So locals can come and scoop them up; apparently they make fine eating.  Later that morning, another fisherman pulls his boat in and starts to chat, and offers us one of his limit catch of five cod.  A very nice offer, but since we're vegan, we politely declined ;-)  But I will say Newfoundlanders are the most friendly people we’ve met so far.

The second story relates to five photos buried in the middle of the pack.  The title of the story would be something like “Between a rock and a hard place.”  Which would not literally be true, but you'll get the idea.  So after a long day of driving, we came across the little known Chance Cove Provincial Park.  We enjoyed our last provincial park, and it was pretty late in the day, so we thought we would give it a go.  Five miles later over a very rough rocky road we get there.  It’s small, loaded with trailers (which turn out to be parked there for the season, with no one in them), and for the first time in Newfoundland we’re surrounded by black flies.

As much as we dreaded the idea of taking that road again so soon, we’re driving it again.  And I keep hearing this minor thump-thump in the passenger-side dualies.  So when we finally get to the main road, I stop and check the tire pressure to see if I have a flat.  Nope — all the tires have the correct pressure, so we head out on the road, until we hear THUMP-THUMP and can go no faster than 10 mph.  After a mile or so I find a spot to pull over (they don’t waste any money on breakdown lanes here ;-).  And sure enough, there is a large rock wedged between the two tires.  Carol and I spent about an hour trying to remove it, and eventually let out enough air that both rear tires are flat.  Still no luck.  Finally a Good Samaritan stops and offers to bring over a very large sway-bar to see if that will help.  Still no luck (these are notoriously hard to remove), until he cleverly finds a way to have me roll the RV forward, secure the bar, and then back up enough to force the rock out.  Yeah!  About 30 minutes more for my trusty Ryobi battery-operated inflator to air-up both tires, and we are off.  Phew!  (And for the record, we have now purchased more tools to hopefully help us resolve such a situation on our own, just in case.)

So anywho, Week #4 includes leaving Cape St. Mary’s in the fog, and heading off to explore the North Avalon Peninsula.  Our first stop is Blackhead, one of many small fishing villages, and this is where the capelin and cod story comes from.  The eastern coast is very dramatic with high cliffs meeting the Atlantic, and culminates at the tip of Bay de Verde (supposedly world famous for its rock walls — but they don’t know about New Englanders ;-) Ultimately we camp for a couple of days at Outside Pond, which has a wonderful swimming area, and nearby trails.  This is another example where more than 65 of their 100-odd campsites are occupied by seasonal campers (basically they own the spot for the season; indeed often in perpetuity for a very modest price).  This is a very inexpensive alternative to a cottage on the lake, and somebody even comes by to pick up the trash ;-)  Anyways, it’s a nice area as you’ll see in the photos, along with my red squirrel buddy on one of my early morning adventures.  

Moving down the western coast of this peninsula was somewhat less scenic, so we decide to take a back road the heads over to the other side.  This is not where the GPS wanted me to go, but I tried it anyway, and amazingly we run into a couple we met earlier and have bumped into 3 or 4 times; what a remarkable coincidence!  So we decide to have dinner together after walking around the towns of Brigus and Cupids.  The next morning Carol and I hiked the Burnt Head Trail to both great scenery and delicious blueberries!  

We next decide to head south around the Avalon Peninsula, and make a brief visit to Salmonier Nature Park, which houses indigenous Newfoundland animals that have been injured, for rehabilitation, or to avoid being euthanized.  The southern part is sparsely populated, and after reaching the point and heading back north east, you’ll see my video which I call “Nowhere”.  Thistle Dew Too’s motto is “Nowhere to be and all day to get there”.  Well, we finally got there ;-)  Finally you’ll see Chance Cove and my rock story photos, followed by our current camping area La Manche Provisional Park, which is very nice, and has some nearby trails (which, of course, you will also get to see ;-)

So that does it for the Week #4 overview; bravo if you made it this far.  Again, here is the link to our Week #4 photos:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/crisp_travels/sets/72157699959927764

Week #3 - Finish Fogo Island, Bonavista Peninsula (Puffins!), and Cape St. Mary's (Bird Rock!)

Internet has certainly been a challenge in Canada.  Cellular coverage is actually better than I expected, but not being able to use it most of each day, given Verizon's unmetered 1/2 GB limits, has been frustrating.  Oh well, at least I am avoiding most of the current events in the world ;-)

Week #3 includes finishing up Fogo Island, making a brief stop in Terra Nova National Park (the weather was not cooperating), moving onto the Bonavista Peninsula and seeing the Puffins (wow!) and historic and picturesque town of Trinity.  We still have more to see on that peninsula, but we departed early due to weather.  We next went down to Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve for a visit to Bird Rock (wow again!).  This place is often blanketed by fog, but we lucked out and had a good evening for viewing, until we were finally socked in and had to boondock in their parking lot for the night.

Once again you'll see too many pictures (though these are severely pared down from what was actually taken).  And again these are a combination of Steve's and Carol's photos.  Steve has a full-format camera, but Carol has a nice pocket camera with a 40x optical zoom.

As for traveling, ThistleDewToo is holding up pretty well.  Right now her levelers are on the fritz, so we do a little more rocking and rolling in the wind.  But in general, we've been quite comfortable.  And Carol is keeping us well-fed with healthy, yummy, vegan food, supplemented by occasional visits to Subway.

And today is out 39th wedding anniversary.  Our desired campground was full, so last night we boondocked behind Subway.  Happy Anniversary honey ;-)  Hey, at least I got you some WiFi ;-)

Here are the pictures for Week #3 (8/3/18-8/9/18):  https://www.flickr.com/photos/crisp_travels/albums/72157696884342272

Week #2 - Northern Central Coast of Newfoundland and Fogo Island

Hi Folks,

Week #2 involved visiting the northern central coast of Newfoundland and Fogo Island.

Among the destinations are:  Fleur de Lys, Seal Cove, Boyd's Cove, Twillingate's Long Point, Dildo Run Provincial Park, Fogo's Brimstone Head, and Joe Batt's Point

Oh yeah, and Thistle Dew Too turned 100,000 while driving to the Ferry for  Fogo Island!

And we became Newfoundland Screechers in one of the four corners of the (flat earth) world!  (I am not even kidding ;-)

Here is the link to our pictures for Week #2 (7/28-8/2):  https://www.flickr.com/photos/crisp_travels/albums/72157699810292255

Enjoy!