Day 12 - 13 Sep - Port aux Basques, Nfld to Sydney, N.S.

We made it off the Rock! We were up early and took the 9 am ferry and once again, I climbed out of the LuvMasheen, plopped into a chair with my pillow and slept until 11:30. I would probably have slept longer but we were right by the lounge and a pair of (not so great) musicians fired up their instruments and started to play and sing.
It was a very calm crossing and the ships are big enough that there's lots of room to find a quiet spot. However, I suspect that during the summer months, it's much more hectic. Once off the ship, we headed for the KOA, both for the night and to retrieve our caboose.
We will start around the Cabot Trail tomorrow and were really hoping that the weather holds. It's cloudy tonight and the weather report says a chance of rain tomorrow. I'm not sure if we will do the entire drive in one day or stop at one of the parks along the way...depends if they are open and how tired we are.
I'd forgotten we were going to Louisburg so that will probably our destination on Sunday. It's an historic sight with an old fort something like Fort Henry I believe and Wayne would like to see it.

Day 11 - 12 Sep - Deer Lake to Port aux Basques, Nfld

Our last day in Newfoundland was a beauty...sunny skies and warm temperatures. We've enjoyed having the roads virtually to ourselves although there were still a few RVs heading north...but not many. Most of the parks close 15 Sep or before here so these slow pokes may find places to stay few and far between. I'm not sure if the early closure is because the locals are fed up with tourists or just afraid it's going to snow any day. The weather changes quickly here and the guide at L'Anse aux Meadows said they were still clearing snow off the boardwalks in early July.
There's no doubt that the people who live in Nfld, especially along the coastlines, are hardy. The same guide told me that the few older people who live on the fringe of the park...at the northern most part of the island, came and/or stayed here because of the fish. After the cod moratorium most of them couldn't afford to move anywhere else. He said he'd grown up here but it was a god-forsaken place to be in any weather and the park has already make their intentions known that as people die, the parks will be buying their houses/properties--this is rather than expropriating same as most of the remaining residents are 75+ years old. There's nothing here to bring anyone that would want to buy the houses anyway. It was in one of those houses on my first trip to Nfld that I met an old man with a goat named 'Job' that was his guard dog. He told us a wonderful tale of how the goat had fended off polar bears more than once that had come across the ice from Labrador (which you can see from this coastline). I expect he's dead now and I've often wondered what became of Job. I suspect that the declining ice probably keeps the bears away now anyway.
We took a detour off the main Trans Canada Highway and went in to St Teresa. It had a unique coastline in that a 20-ft sandbar separated the ocean from a small lake--which I'm sure is saltwater as a good storm would send the water over the sandbar. I took some photos from high on the cliffs above the shoreline. I never get tired of looking at the ocean, the waves, and listening to the rocks as the waves go back out.
It was an early night. The last RV park before the ferry is 28 kms away. Called Little Paradise Park, it's quite a gem and a pleasant surprise given the crappy sign and dirt road leading in to it. We've been very lucky with the majority of the RV parks we've stayed in and have no complaints. They might not be quite as flamboyant as some of the big RV 'resorts' in the States but the owners have been delightfully pleasant and helpful and without exception, will talk your ear off...even I have a hard time getting a word in edgewise. I met a lovely woman who had an RV in the last night's park. They live an hour from the park but because it's on a river, they use the RV as a cottage. She was just walking by, asked where we were from, and we ended up talking for an hour and solving all the problems of the world. "Well girl," she says, "time is short and death is long so go while you can, eh?"
We will take the 9 am ferry tomorrow and stay at the same KOA as we did coming over...they have our Thule 'caboose' anyway. Saturday we plan on going around the Cabot Trail and Louisburg and then we'll head for Hubbards on Sunday I guess. TTFN.

Day 10 - 11 Sep - Port au Choix to Deer Lake, Nfld

We awoke to a dry bed and a sunny sky. It was still extremely windy but it seemed to be much less dreary without the cloudy sky and rain.
Today ended up being 'my' day to take photos so Wayne pulled on and off the road numerous times so that I could get some of those shots of the weather-worn fishing huts with lobster or crab traps piled along side. I'm not sure what makes that stuff so attractive...if it was here, we'd tear it down...but it's all part of the Nfld tradition and landscape. I'm so frustrated because I can't tell whether or not I've got any descent photos; they all look good on the 2 inch display! It's time to have do a 'check-off' sheet for the LuvMasheen. We never forget the toilet paper nor the laundry detergent but the technical gadgets seem to get lost in the rush--at least this time.
Another stop at Western Brook brought us to a long walk to an inland fjiord (which is the one you see most often in Gros Morne advertisements). It's a 2.5 km walk through the bog (on a boardwalk) to the dock where a boat takes you to see the huge & very impressive cliffs. I did about 1.8 kms and then my back reminded me that I still had to do the return walk so I did an about-turn and Wayne continued to the lake. I saw lots of moose tracks and moose poop and moose trails...but no moose! Given that I was in the boonies, my myself, not seeing a big moose in the middle of the rut season probably wasn't a bad thing. I need one of those bear bells girls!
The drive wasn't quite as strenuous today but we stopped at the first RV site we came to--right on beautiful river. The butterfly house was right across the street so I went in and took some photos. Very well done for a small community and it's open year round. They had three floors of displays, including the open area where the butterflies are and terrariums with terantulas and the like. Interesting.
We decided we were eating out for a change so based on the recommendations of some of the locals, went to the restaurant at the Irving gas station...you heard it right! It was excellent--I had scallops and E-Wayne had fish (cod) & chips and they served home-made dinner rolls. Only in Nfld you say!
Tomorrow will be a shorter day so we can afford to stop and smell the seaweed on our last day in Nfld. It's been a great trip and I don't think we missed too much.

Day 9 - 10 Sep - L'Anse aux Meadows to Port au Choix, Nfld

What a day! I don't know if the wind had anything to do with 'Hurricane Whatever-It's-Name' or it was just another 'windy' day in Nfld, but it was a doozy! I had woken up through the night to hard rain and then the van started to rock! Believe me...all from outside influences! It wasn't unpleasant...kind of like sleeping in a rocking chair.
When we finally got up we could see it was not a nice day and you could hardly stand upright outside. I was for holing up for the day but future weather reports indicated that if we wanted to see the Cabot Trail during a sunny day, we had to start heading back down south to make the ferry to Cape Breton on Saturday.
We drove into L'Anse aux Meadows to see the viking settlement. Although I had been there, Wayne hadn't and it really was worth seeing again. It was dermined to be an authentic Viking settlement in 1953 by an archeologist from Norway who had looked at the various routes Lief Erikson had taken to Iceland and Greenland. Ancient manuscripts had described another landing he'd made and had called 'Vinland' and the archeologist felt Nfld must be the place. It took many years but a chance conversation with a local in L'Anse aux Meadows, who described the 'mounds' that were in the area, led to excavations and artifacts that were Viking in origin. Parks Canada has built a wonderful interpretation centre as well as a re-creation of the settlement beside the original mounds. It is the only Viking settlement to have been discovered in North America.
While we were getting ready to leave the interpretation centre, someone pointed out a huge male moose not too far away with a glorious rack of antlers. I only had my small lens so doubt the photo will do him justice but we'll see.
We then hit the road and it was a real rough ride down the highway...the cross-winds were around 40-50 mph and after a couple of hours, Wayne's shoulders were aching from holding the LuvMasheen on the road. We pulled in to Port au Choix and had there not been an RV park open, we'd have checked in to a motel.
There WAS an RV park, run by the Lion's Club, that had electricity & water and we drove in, only to find it was right on the ocean...maybe 75 feet from our van, and while it certainly had a spectacular view, it made me a bit nervous as the waves were huge and a real gale blowing. In the end, we figured we'd leave the back door unlocked and if we felt 'damp' through the night, we'd just bail out through there. Once more 'check-off' on the bucket list!
I can tell you that the sunset that night was beyond beautiful....the entire sky was pinks and oranges....and we slept like logs. Must be that 'rocking chair' effect.

Day 8 - 9 Sep - Gros Morne to L'Anse aux Meadows, Nfld

This was an extraordinarily, superlative day! We woke up to warm winds and sunshine and decided we'd hit the road, stop anywhere that looked interesting and drive until it started to get dark--which brought us further 'up the road' than we thought.
After breakfast and a LuvMasheen tidy-up, we drove through Gros Morne National Park and stopped at so many wonderful little fishing villages, oceanside pull-offs and provincial parks. We went in to one place where a boat had just pulled in after having done some cod fishing and we stopped to talk...not that we could understand half of what they said...and take some photos. They cleaned and filleted the fish right there so there were hundreds of (the very biggest) seagulls which one of they guys said, "We yust'a call does tings 'chickens' a few yers ago when tings was tuff boys". We had lots of good laughs.
We passed through, or stopped at Rockey Harbour, Sally's Cove, Cow Head, Bellburns, Bird Cove, Plum Point along Hwy 430 before crossing the Northern tip of the island on Hwy 432. At Cow Cove we found the most wonderful beach...miles and miles of sand...which we want to stop at on the way back. We both had a hankering for fish chowder and weren't disappointed with the fare in the local restaurant/motel.
As we got closer to L'Anse aux Meadows, we stopped for a few minutes along the highway to stretch our legs. When I got out of the van, three large birds, about the size of bluejays, flew to a tree beside me. I went into the van and got out a cookie and within minutes, had the three of them eating out of my hand. Don't know what they were...looked like gray jays but no crown.
As we were driving along the highway, I told Wayne that whoever said there were moose in Nfld (or deer at Long Lake) were full of you-know-what and I was tired of having my camera at the ready for that 'big' photo. Within 10 minutes, Wayne said, "Two moose on your side!" Sure enough, there they were...male and female...probably wondering what all the confusion was with that crazy women climbing around in the van changing lenses and yelling, "Turn off the motor...there's too much vibration to steady the camera!" I'm happy to say that they stood there and posed for as long as I needed and we left before they did. Hunting season opens here on 13 Sep and the hunters are busy outfitting their hunting cabins, or trailers, in preparation.
We are at a small RV park with only one other van. They are from BC (just outside Kelowna) and we've just had a long conversation with them about trading houses next year...they are anxious to visit Ottawa and see all the sights we take for grantide. Kelowna in the summer is a fine place to be so who knows...we will exchange e-mail addresses tomorrow.
All in all, a great day. It is supposed to be rainy tomorrow but we'll do some historic stuff, museums and the like, and then it's 4 days of sun. The owner of the restaurant told us this morning that Nfld has had it's best summer in years and that "Global warming is going to make Nfld a year-round resort destination in a few years". Who knows? Maybe we'd better start buying up some of millions of acres of property that hasn't seen a human footprint yet.

Day 7 - 8 Sep - Gros Morne, Nfld

This was a very quiet day but probably one which we needed and really says “we’re on a holiday and don’t have a schedule”.
It was raining when I woke up at 8 am…Wayne had been up for God-knows-how-long…and it rained steadily for most of the day. We are both caught up in good books so between eating and lounging under the covers (nap included), there was no problem to entertain ourselves. There was no traffic in the KOA…I’m not sure if there are more that one or two other rigs…and about 4 pm the sun came out and it was warm and very pleasant. I went for a bit of a walk, took some close-up photos of some interesting and different plants and then it was time for supper.
We’ve been watching Planet Earth every day that we don’t have cable hook-up and although I’d seen some of it on television, we are enjoying it so much. I had bought a couple of DVDs in Corner Brook but one is in Spanish with sub-titles and we are both so damn blind that we can’t read it from where we sit so it’s going to have to be an ‘in bed’ movie some night I guess.
The predicted heavy rain hasn’t hit and it seems clear outside tonight so we will be on the road early tomorrow to see the park and some of the stunning scenery at Gros Morne. I’m not sure how long we’ll stay here before heading North along the Viking Trail to Lance Aux Meadows where a Viking settlement has been excavated…supposedly built around 1000 AD. I was there the first time I came to Nfld and anxious to go back for another look. There’s some amazing scenery along the way as the road follows the coast to the Northern-most tip of the island. I’m also looking forward to taking some of those roads off the TCHwy to the smaller fishing villages along the coast on our way back. I’m glad we did the Eastern side of the island a couple of years ago as it’s almost impossible to see, and experience Nfld, in one visit.

Day 6 - 7 Sep - Doyles, Nfld to Gros Morne, Nfld

It was a wet, dreary day but nothing could disguise the rugged beauty of Nfld. We decided to head for Gros Morne and after a stop in Corner Brook and Deer Lake, we made it to the KOA near Rocky Point. The nice part about traveling now is that it’s very quiet in the RV parks—and that’s a good thing. This is the only KOA in Nfld and we try to stay in these parks when we can as they have a very high standard which doesn’t often vary.
It appears that it is going to rain most of tomorrow—the last hurrah of Hurricanes Hannah and Ike and I’m not sure what we’ll do--we've booked for 2 nights. The wind has picked up a bit and the radio keeps saying ‘heavy rain’ tonight and tomorrow. We each picked up 3 novels on one of our stops so if it’s really miserable, we may just stay here and relax for the day—not a bad thing. Reports say some sun tomorrow afternoon and sunny Tues so we’ll hope for the best.
I did try to pick up some cables for my camera—with no luck. Each of my cameras has a ‘special’ cable head which just makes me furious but it seems to be the same way with memory cards and batteries. I think I’ll have to get extra ones off the internet from Olympus and just keep them in the van.
The Trans Canada Highway (TCH) that goes around the coast of Nfld is excellent but I remembered from previous trips that once you are on it and see a gas station…stop and fill up…they are few and far between. Roads off the TCH leading to the small towns along the coast end at each location so if you are low on gas and make the run to one of the small towns that happens not to have a gas station…you are screwed. There is one highway which crosses the island but there’s virtually nothing along that stretch. Everything is very green and the landscape is rugged with just enough vegetation to make it interesting. Like most of the Maritimes, there are lots of small lakes, bogs, and rivers and I'm looking forward to better weather to start taking some photos.
In the meantime, no moose, no deer, no raccoons, no road-kill.

Day 5 - 6 Sep - N.Sydney, NS to Doyles, Nfld

We were up early and made the 9 am ferry—which didn’t leave until 10 am. It was a warm day with the sun trying to peek through the clouds and virtually no wind at all. We each took a couple of Gravol—just in case—but it was an extremely smooth crossing.
I guess the Gravol wasn’t the kind that prevents drowsiness because I fell asleep about 10:30, woke up and ate lunch at 1:30 and then slept again from 2 pm until 15 minutes before the ferry landed at 4 pm. There could have been whales, icebergs, whatever out there—I saw nothing but the inside of my eyelids.
We only drove about 30 miles to the first campground—Grand Codroy RV Park at Doyles, Nfld—and found a nice sheltered spot in case of bad weather. So far the radio isn’t saying much about any kind of weather, other than a chance of showers, so we’ll see but we aren’t too concerned. Supposedly there is rain tomorrow morning and if there’s no big wind, we’ll probably head for Gros Morne, although there is so much to see between here and there—perhaps one more night along the way.
We met a nice older couple in the ferry line-up from Tennesee who are driving a big bus and pulling a car. It cost them over $400 one-way but they said although they really can’t afford it, the chance to see Nfld was just too good to miss.
As soon as you get off the ferry you see the particular landscape that is Nfld. There are so many plants here that aren’t found anywhere else in the world and lots of birds that stop here for the winter or on their way south. It’s really just a huge rock with a bit of dirt on it—or rather moss—but very green. We’re told that the moose are everywhere right now so my goal is to try and get some good photos. Mind you, I can’t seem to get a picture of any deer at the cottage—and they come right up to the windows there!

Day 4 - 5 Sep - Moncton, NB to N.Sydney, NS

Another fine day on the road. We had to get to the KOA at North Sydney today in order to get to the ferry tomorrow morning and this KOA is only 15 minutes away. The sun shone today and it was warm and wonderful...no sign of bad weather...yet.
We stopped at Antigonish...what a beautiful town! It was rolling hills with some of the most beautiful farms I've ever seen as well as some magnificant homes, high up on the hills, overlooking the ocean. I guess the Americans haven't bought all the shoreline in Nova Scotia...yet, and there are lots of places for sale.
We were looking for a place to stop and have lunch and saw a sign for McGregor's Beach and followed the road. What a delight! It was a sandy peninsula with sea grass down the centre and only a couple of people sitting enjoying the sun. One guy was from Carson Road (2 streets over from us) and another couple from Ranfrew...no kidding! They were staying at a camp site in Antigonish and had decided to wait out the storm on high ground. Not us.....we are heading for the ferry and a big body of water! I expect Sunday will be a quiet day for us as the forecast is for rain...and lots of it.
We are hoping to get to the KOA at Gros Morne tomorrow night and should be fine. The couple staying next to us tonight were showing us some photos they had taken at Gros Morne and it should be an incredible experience. I may test my endurance and try climbing to the top of Gros Morne...that's where the best photos will come from I think. They told us there are so many things to see and it won't be difficult to spend a week there.
The owner of the KOA here is keeping our Thule (caboose) as it's empty (so far) and would drive the cost of the ferry amount up $40 due to the additional length. Nice guy and we'll bring him a bottle of wine when we pick it up on the way back. We'll probably stay here anyway as it's almost at the entrance to the Cabot Trail.
I've got to try and find a cable for my camera so I can attach some photos...expecially from Nfld. That's it for today, it's an early night tonight.

Day 3 - 4 Sep - Bangor to Moncton, NB

We were up early and on the road by 8:30 am this morning. We drove Hwy 9 East through the mountains and it was a spectacular drive. We've already decided we are going to take this route home as the leave should be out in full force. However, knowing the way we make plans...and then change them...who knows how we'll get home.
We crossed the border at Calais, Maine to St Stephens, NB and within 10 minutes Wayne spotted a sign for 'wild blueberries' so it was our first stop. Of course, there was a snack bar there and it was lunch so we pigged out on hamburgers & fries....gotta get that daily allowance of fat. Once back on the road, we opened up the windows and let that salt air pour in. A quick look at Black's Harbour and the fishing boats coming in satisfied the immediate need to see the sea, and we got back on the highway.
It seemed like a long day of driving but we only did 475 kms...I guess because it was long, straight highway with nothing much to see made it seem longer but still a nice drive.
If I had a 'bucket list' (and I don't really need one because I seem to be busy doing lots of different things I didn't plan on doing and life just happens to me), experiencing a hurricane probably wouldn't be on it. Given that Hurricane Juan is due to hit the eastern seaboard, including all of the Bay of Fundy area and Nfld by late Saturday, we don't seem to stand much of a chance of missing it. In case the ferry goes down kids, here's the plan: we are driving to North Sydney tomorrow, stocking up on food & water, cigarettes and liquor, and other essentials, and hoping to get on the Saturday (9 am) ferry to Nfld. If the storm hits earlier and they cancel the ferry, we'll hunker down in the LuvMasheen at the KOA in N.Sydney, read books, play cards, etc. until it blows over and either get the next available ferry to Nfld or do the Cabot Trail. The idea here is that if we can get to Nfld BEFORE the storm hits, we can hunker down there and then be ready to travel on Monday. Remember: I don't choose chaos--it choses me!
I forgot the cables to my camera so unless I hit a camera shop or Future shop that has one, chances are I won't be downloading any photos until I get home...bummer!
Who wants me to bring Dulse home? xx

Day 2 - 3 Sep - Burlington VT to Bangor Maine

It's been a beautiful drive and once again, we've seen what America does best...and that's it's small towns. We followed Hwy 2 east which is very much like our Hwy 2 in that it goes through all the small towns.
The views and vistas of the White Mountains are hard to beat and there is a hint of colour in the leaves which means the whole area should be in full autumn splendor on our way home. As much as I'd like to nap for a bit while we are driving, I just can't...I don't want to miss anything. I love the huge red barns with the tall cupolas on top. Most of the towns along this route were established in the early 1800's so the larger towns have those wonderful big Victoria homes, most of which have been renovated and decked out with red, white, and blue bunting along the verandas.
The main streets of these towns are splendid and I've figured out what makes them so grand! Although there MAY be a Walmart in the much larger towns, there are no big-box stores and all the old, original stores are open and flourishing. No Costco's, no Home Depot's, not a Rona in sight. Every little town as a hardware store that puts out it's best seasonal offerings every morning and then takes it all back in at night. There's always a big, old, white town hall building as well as various sized town squares, perhaps with a statue of the founding father or just a big gazebo for the town band. There are still men's shops and ladieswear boutiques and a small town newspaper. Totally Norman Rockwell! We rarely saw a MacDonald's or Wendy's and it was nice to try and decide between 'Sandi's Diner' or 'The Riverside Cafe'. We both laughed though, when we drove through Newport and saw our very first Tim Horton's in the U.S.
We had stopped in St Johnsbury to switch drivers and there was a bakery right beside us called 'The Bankery'...it was in an old bank building, complete with the old vaults. I went in and bought some goodies, got some free samples (warm pumkin cake), and then bought more goodies. It's now 6:30 pm and I'm still waiting for the supper hunger pang to hit.
We are at the Pumpkin Patch RV Resort in Bangor and it's really nice. I'm looking forward to a very long, hot, shower tonight. We will cross the border to New Brunswick tomorrow and head towards Cape Breton. I haven't taken any pictures yet.

Day 1 - 2 Sep - Ottawa to Burlington, Vermont

We are on the road again! It's been a long, wet summer and although we may hit some of that again in the next couple of weeks, so far it's been hot and sunny. After stopping at the IGA in Malone and stocking up on all those 'mini' sized food things I love so much, we drove right through to Burlington and the Onion River Campground. Nothing memorable about the location, except I paid a quarter for a hot shower and ended up with cool water.
However, as we were driving along Wayne asked what the Western side of Nlfd was like. I went in to a long litany of what was there and how I missed never having gotten to Gros Morne National Park. He pointed out that we will be right at Sydney, NS, where the ferry goes across to Nfld and this would be the time to go...vice having to make the drive to Cape Breton again. So....Boston is OUT, Newfoundland is IN!
We are totally ignoring the fact that Hurricane Something-or-Other is going to blow up the eastern seaboard at some point and will deal with that if and when we have to.
The LuvMasheen is working great; the new television/DVD player is also fab and all is good in the world.

Day 105 - 12 Apr - Georgetown, ONT

We've spent a fabulous week with our baby HoneyB...he's has turned into a real little boy since we've been gone. He is using full sentences to communicate what he wants...and DOESN'T want...and we've had lots of fun with him. If his toast & jam doesn't arrive on his breakfast tray at the time he feels is reasonable he'll ask..."I'd like my toast now, please!" Eating is not a problem as he'll eat most anything...and lots of it if he's really hungry... I can sit and watch him play for hours.

He has a wonderful imagination and it's most fun when he's in the bath a night making up stories between his dinasaur and his Dora action figures, and others. Great battles happen or Dora is having to save the dinasaur from disaster time after time.

We've had him outside playing as the weather has been quite nice here. He has worn me out running around this huge yard kicking the ball and pretending we are playing soccer. He has lots on energy and can go much longer than Honey or Poppa. He still loves all his Thomas & friends trains but the movie 'Cars' and Lightening McQueen is his new favourite and he plays with them constantly. We L-O-V-E this child! Tim was the same at that age...loved little dinky cars and carried them with his everywhere.

We are heading home this morning with stops at Corky & Scott's for a quick hello. Although we don't have regular contact, we talk frequently and I've missed them while we were away so it will be nice to see them, even for a short time. I'm told there still lots of snow at home, although it is melting, but I know once we are in the driveway we'll be so engrossed in all the things that we have to do, ie, unpacking the LuvMasheen, that we won't notice it for quite a while.