“Twas The Week Before Christmas”

And all through the camper, everything was packed and ready for Travelman’s trip. Propane tanks filled, every tank winterized for the northern start to the southern sunbelt terminus. Lists checked and re-checked. Everything was ready except for the weather. You know those Nor'easters could keep Travelman and Travelwoman from a scheduled start. This is where age comes in as patience is developed and if the weather is bad, tomorrow will always be the option.
It’s been a long fall season, but a busy season. The best thing about the present is my feeling to start blogging again. Yes, I was in a so called writers slump this fall. Well, actually, it all started way back in early summer when we were afar up north in Labrador. I couldn’t access my blog site from within Canada. At first I was blaming the Canadian government for changing my blogspot.com to blogspot.ca, but eventually, back home I discovered that the two step verification was the problem when trying to access the site from a different server. Well, that’s behind me now.
The journey south to Key West, Florida will go something like this. Leave very early, sometime during the night and drive a full day into Pennsylvania or even into Virginia. Spend the first night in a motel, yes, we could sleep in the camper, but our queen-size bed would be already occupied with our two mountain bikes. I am trying to eliminate the road salt brine from creeping into the bikes’ coasters. This happened last year and I had a hard time correcting the problem. On the second night stay we should be far enough south to not encounter any salt being applied to the roadways. I will than place the mountain bikes on the front bike carrier and reclaim our bed for the rest of the season. My plan is to drive I-81 south. This is to eliminate the heavy congestion and constant tolls of I-95. The disadvantage of I-81 is that it hugs the easterly side of the Appalachian Mountains and with a higher elevation, snow might follow us down into the Carolinas. I’ll deal with this if and when it happens.
Our first visiting stop will be in Hendersonville, NC for a visit with Peggy and her mom. Peggy was Roger”s wife (Helen’s brother). Roger passed away 13 years ago to the day. From Hendersonville we’ll head southeast towards Columbia, SC and visit the Marcotte family. That’s Helen’s aunt and cousins. From here we will be relatively close to the Florida border and warm sunshine. Jacksonville will most likely be night stop at the Naval Station Jacksonville. Pelican Roost or Osprey Cove RV campgrounds on base should be our roosting spot. From here we will head towards the center lands of Florida for several visits with friends and relatives. We might spend a few days here. We will link up with our truck camper friends Sam and Joan and discuss our plans for a military space available flight to Europe next fall. Between family and friends Leesburg will be our hub for many good conversations.
The direction from here is still uncertain. The east coast is the home of truck camper friends, the west coast is home to hometown friends. There is nearly no rush to head to Key West, but the longer we delay to chances of getting a good spot in KW decreases.
The photo below is a view from Chandler Wharf next to Demillos Restaurant on the Portland Waterfront. We spent part of last weekend at a condo with my brothers’ family. Many of the sailboats were covered for the winter, but a few were inhabited and were decorated for the Christmas Season.

Merry Christmas’


That is what we saw and did!

Weekend Get Away!

Technorati Tags: Baby Boomers,Truck Camping,Travel Adventure,Retired Military

Homeward Bound, But The Adventure Continues!

Friday, July 18, 2014
      Location this morning is Deer Lake, Newfoundland. The sun is shining with a bright blue sky. Our plan was not to rush home, but to explore anything that caught our fancy.

Salmon Fishing ~ Deer Lake

We weren’t even a mile from our night’s stay location at the truck stop, when we were intrigued by a row of fishermen, with waders standing nearly waist deep in the inlet of Deer Lake. What looked odd was the shoreline filled with spectators. After talking to some of them, we discovered they already had their two Salmon limit, hence they were cheering their fellow fishing buddies. For those of you who are wondering, the fisherman were catching Salmon left and right.

Bringing in the Cod!

Traveling South towards Corner Brook, we looked at many side roads that followed Deer Lake. If they looked interesting, we just meandered of the main road and explored the small villages. I was always looking for that special photo opportunity. In no time we arrived in Corner Brook and revisited the tourist info center. “What have we missed in this area”, I ask the young lady. She said, “Have you

Fishing Village Life

been to Lark Harbour”? “Yes”, I said. “How about the, ‘very scenic hiking trails near Little Port’? “No”, was my answer. It was only mid-morning as we headed towards Lark Harbour. This time we looked very carefully as the road weaved passed small fishing villages. I spotted several small red boats on shore in the village of Frenchman Cove . If anything else, they would make for a colorful picture. A dock just prior to the little red boats

Lobster Trap ~ Harmony Wave

caught my eye as a fishing boat was starting to unload some fish. I parked and started to walk over to get a better look and take a few pictures. I could see the fish were Cod and soon I started a conversation with the fishermen. A lady wearing a safety vest and hardhat was taking tally of the basket weights and recording the numbers on a clipboard. She was obviously from the fish processing plant. Helen and I walked around the dock taking pictures and finally walking through the village towards those small red fishing boats for more pictures. A little further at the end of land, a half dozen larger boats were on shore. I imagine they only put them

The "Cave" in background

in the water when the fishing season is open, for that particular type of fish or lobster. What really caught my eye was the names of these boats. Some were female names, one as to wonder who they were named for?… Girlfriends, wives, children or grand-children. Another noticeable thing about the locals, walking around the village, was their rubber knee-high boots. I’m sure they looked at us and said, “Another bunch of tourist with their sneakers”.

Wild Raspberries!

Our forty-five minute ride to the end of the main road brought us to this huge pile of Lobster traps. They were constructed a little differently than the usual type and warranted a picture of them all piled along the fence line. We had driven through villages of Benoit’s Cove, York Harbour and finally the end of the road here at Lark Harbour. One final side road called Little Port road was were the Visitor Center had sparked our interest in some hiking trails.
On a side note…  Last year, on our first visit

Odd Rock Formations

to Bottle Cove, we had stayed overnight in a gravel parking lot at the end of Beacon Road. This was our destination today. We weren’t too excited about tracing last year’s adventure again. The parking lot overlooks Bottle Cove and a spectacular view of a fairly large cave facing the ocean. At high tide, water enters the cave. I don’t think one could explore the cave unless a boat was used. In any event, it was still a spectacular view for us this year.
What we didn’t do last year, was hike this area. On the edge of the parking lot ,was a crew of men working on the trail. We talked to them and they assured us it was worth the hike of the views we would see on the other side of the mountain. The trail made a large loop. Another couple ahead of us took to the left and we took to right just to keep the journey as pure as it could be. The trail had primitive rest areas with log benches here and there. At this junction, so far the trail we heavily wooden with softwood spruce

Clear Ocean Water

and pine trees. No ocean views, but peaceful forest with moss covered grounds.
The trail soon opened up to a meadow with wild raspberries and flowers sprawling throughout the large meadow. The trail led to the edge of the meadow and rocky cliffs, with the emerald green ocean below. The water, even though green emerald in color, was clear and the multi-colored stones below the surface shined in the sunlight. The camera was at the ready and I was looking for composition from different angles. Miranda Cove is, in my book, a five star location for photo composition. The unusual thing is the rock formations. Unlike glacial rock that is scratched, scraped and worn,

Little Port and the Mountain

these formations seem to be melted together as in  some sort of volcanic lava creation. We spent some time admiring these formations before hiking to the higher cliff locations.
So far, we enjoyed this hiking relatively alone. Hiking to the higher terrain, we could see more hikers on the lower trails. I carefully made my way to the highest point of the land. You know I’m always looking for that magical photo opportunity. This brings me to a note of caution. For many years, I feared no heights, able to walk a 2x4 wall on many construction sites. Well now that I’m nearing my 70th year of adventure, I must say I must now plan my footsteps.My balance is still there,

Edge of Miranda Cove ~ Volcanic Rock Formations

but now I have to think about it instead of being on auto pilot. In any event, this old dog still plans to travel and see what’s on the other side of the hill and share what I discover.
After our little hike we left Bottle Cove and drove a couple of miles to Little Port. We had visited here last year, but I wanted to see how many  boats were anchored. Little Port lies adjacent to a very high mountain. If we would have had more time I think we would have taken the trail up this mountain. I’m sure their would have been impressive views from the top.

That is what we saw and did!

Technorati Tags: Baby Boomers,Adventure Travel,Truck Camping,Retired Military,Nature

The Ferry Crossing…Local Talk…The Best!

Thursday July 17, 2014
For the first time, I made reservations for the 3:30 pm sailing across to St Barbe. It was now 6 am, dense fog, drizzling and I was ready to hit the road. There was an earlier ferry, I would gamble and try to make the 9:30  am sailing. Maybe I would loose a $10 dollar deposit, but that would be better than hanging around

Drizzling wait to board the ferry

and peering into the fog. The ride back from our roadside campsite to Blanc Sablon was slow going due to the dense fog and drizzle. I didn't want to run into another oncoming vehicle or for that matter a moose.
We arrived at the ferry terminal and where sixth in line for standby. Surprisingly, the ticket agent credited our deposit and or total cost was only $19.95.
When you are on standby, you sit in a waiting room with everybody else and wait. This is where I enjoyed the wait. You see most of the people are locals and know each other. I listened and picked up some of the conversations. They, the locals, talk low and in a drawl, but listening very carefully, I could follow their conversation. Many of them

Not a good photo, but a view of hundreds
of Lobster traps waiting for the next season!

were construction workers and old timers. They were scattered in Labrador from many construction projects, from road construction, to power  transmission line work. One of the conversation that caught my ear was that of a guy saying to another. “I saw one of your wolves.” The other said, “What do you mean?” “Remember those wolf pups that you were feeding? They are grown up now. One of them was within 15 feet of the welding gang. They hollered at him, but he wasn't skittish at all. I figured he might have been one of yours.”

Rain most of the way to Deer Lake! 

Stories like that were being told among the local standby passengers. Another guy was retelling how he left Quebec city early morning and by 9:30 at night he was already in Churchill Falls, Labrador. The other guy said, “very good time”. When we tried that route last year it took us two days just to get half that distance. He must have been flying!
The ticket agent said, “I want the first six numbers.” That was an indication that the first six would make the ferry. We were number six!
The ferry crossing was uneventful. No extra conversations with passengers except for a couple who were in their wet weather gear, which also carried a humongous spotting scope. They spent the entire crossing outside of the ferry in the rain. They were looking for Whales, Dolphins and Sea Birds. Yes, they did spot some. They spoke with a French Canadian accent. We answered them in French and they were surprised. Montreal natives they were. They didn't even bring their vehicle across. They were just walk-on passengers. When you think about it $6 a piece is very reasonable for a whale watch! Tourist pay as high as $200 for a private whale watch.
Upon reaching the shores of St Barbe, I headed for the gas station as the price of gas on the Quebec side was very expensive because of their taxes.
Lunch was on the Newfoundland side in the camper. It was pouring rain and a good day to head towards Deer Lake. We did see one accident on the way down. A vehicle rollover, but by the time we arrived the ambulances were gone and the police were just wrapping things up. In Deer Lake, the sun broke through the clouds and it turned to be a mild end of the day. We looked around for a parking spot for the night. The Canadian Legion parking lot was a possibility, but the highway was just yards away and the traffic was noisy. We settled on a large truck stop, but it was set back from the highway. There was a local campground just a mile up the road, but why would you want to pay good money to get the same amenities at the truck stop!

That is what we did and saw!

Technorati Tags: "Baby Boomers",Nature,Retired Military,Travel Adventure,Truck Camping

Pinware to Red Bay…The Basque Whaling History

Wednesday, July 16, 2014
This morning we awoke to a very quiet campground with only the gentle sound of ocean waves rolling on the shore. It was foggy and stepping outside of the camper the dreaded Labrador mosquitos invasion attacked. Luckily we only had a few steps to the washrooms. I later emptied the holding tanks and filled with fresh drinking water.

Setting the fishing nets!

To the North up to Red Bay our last section of paved road. I must say that we met a fellow camper here at Pinware Provincial Campground and I had an interesting conversation with him about his travels. He was from Virginia traveling alone except for his dog “Galette”. I asked him if he was traveling further North? He said, “No, I just came from the North”. How were the roads? “Well, I had too flat tires, ripped the wire harness for the trailer. (He was towing one of those very small tear drop travel trailer with his SUV) He further said that there was considerable wait time as blasting was being done on the road from Red Bay to

Whale Oil shipping barrels from long ago

Port Hope Simpson. He also said he was having car trouble, but didn't elaborate. At this point in time I made the decision that going up to Happy Valley Goose Bay was not in the cards. So far the adventure has been without major incidence and we both want to keep it that way.
Arriving in Red Bay we were surprised to see many, many people walking around the small community of 300 local inhabitants. This was due to the cruise ship that was docked in the bay. Eighteen hundred to be exact. If you think they looked odd to us, you should have seen their expressions when they saw us

One of the fatal shipwrecks

and realized that we were from the States and where here with a truck camper. “How did you get here?” This question was repeated several times. The cruise ship will eventually travel to Cartwright, Labrador, Greenland, Iceland and the Scandinavian Countries.
The history…Red Bay was the major Basque whaling port. The port sheltered the whaling ships from the storms coming down the Strait of Belle Isle. It is said that 25,000 whales where caught here by the Basque. They processed the whales here in Red Bay. The shipping barrels were brought

Giant Whale Bones Flower arrangement

from Europe, unassembled, and reassembled and made watertight here. The whale oil was then shipped back to Europe in the barrels. We boarded a shuttle boat which took us over to the island to view the archeological excavations, shipwreck site, the boiling stations and processing points for different parts of the whale carcass.
The island is just off the mainland by a quarter mile or so. The weather, as expected, was raw, windy and cool to cold. There are well marked walking trails around the small island. Every few hundred feet were markers with numbers that corresponded to our legend map describing what took place at that spot. One has to stop and think how these people worked and surviv

Sea Urchin carried on shore by Seagull

ed in this northern land. Remembering that we were here visiting in the best climate time frame. Our boat captain, a native to Red Bay, said that in his youth he remembered the bay freezing sold and the locals would drive their pickup trucks onto the ice to go ice fishing. Remember that this is salty ocean water that does freeze at 32 degrees, but at a much lower temperature. We made the circle foot tour of the island and headed back to the shuttle boat for a return to the mainland artisan shops and relief from the harsh winds.
Lunch in the camper, a short rest and off again to the edge of town and a look at the fork in the road. To the right, the sign said; Battle Harbour, Happy Valley/Goose Bay, to the left Blanc Sablon. The road to the right was muddy red with fresh memories of our fellow camper friend’s troubles from the north. I’m not afraid of boon docking, but by the same token I’m not looking to deliberately put the

Last of the paved roads!

truck/camper at risk of damage or excessive ware and tear. To the left we went after taking a picture of the road sign. It was the second time that we decided not to venture way up to Happy Valley/Goose Bay. I've accepted that it just wasn't meant to be…the forest fire on the first trip and the horrible road conditions on this trip.
Our adventure wasn't exactly over yet. Returning towards Blanc Sablon wasn't the end of the road and a wait for the ferry. On our first trip, we talked to two Canadians who mentioned that traveling pass Blanc Sablon was a unique geological adventure also. The barren rock formations were very

Stream next to our roadside
campsite

notable. That was our direction after stopping on the road side and watching local fishermen set their fishing nets.
With Blanc Sablon behind us to the east the paved road soon was filled with construction signs ahead. A major road paving projects was being done for many miles as we found ourselves in the middle of all of that reconstruction. The road was now gravel and as we climbed onto the plateau it started to drizzle. We kept watching for a good spot to stop for the night. Nothing was even close to being acceptable. At one point we encountered a handful of cabins with each driveway gated off with a large wire cable. There was no sign of people around. The cabins were probably fishing or hunting camps. In any event the cable plainly said keep away. We had been on the road for a little over an hour and with no place to pull off the road I made the decision to head back some fifteen miles to a off road parking lot. I pulled in to the farther side away from the road. During the evening made a half dozen vehicles went by, some not even noticing us. We hit the pillows around 9pm and had an extremely quiet night.

That is what we saw and did!

Technorati Tags: Truck Camping,History,Baby Boomers,Retired Military,Travel Adventure

       

Labrador…Here We Come Ready or Not!

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Our night stay at Plumley Cove was quiet and peaceful. The prior evening had been full of locals and visitors coming and going to take a look at the massive Iceberg. Icebergs, in this area, are common. This big boy was large and what can happen, as the tide goes in and out, the Icebergs tend to shift and move around. This action could possibly block access to

Iceberg at the mouth of Plumley Cove

Plumley Cove. I think this was why there was so much local interest. Like I mentioned in the last blog, all these people came to the trailhead parking lot and never gave us a second look and walked a few hundred feet to the Iceberg.

This morning the clouds and fog were gone. The sun rose over the little hamlet of Plumley Cove. We got are cameras and walked around taking pictures. The Iceberg had split in two during the night and the danger of blocking the channel to Plumley Cove appeared over. The village looked different with the sun to it's back. We have and will continue to have fond memories of Plumley Cove and the big boy Iceberg!

The drive to St Barbe was about a hundred miles. We would try and make the late morning ferry over to Blanc Sablon, PQ. With no or very little traffic, the road was ours. That’s not to say we could speed down the highway at will. The road, in this part of Newfoundland, has frost heaves, remnants even in summer. We arrived at St Barbe at 8:45am. The ferry building was open, but the ticket office window opens only two hours

Point L'Amour Lighthouse

before departure. That was ok. We were the only ones there and a fifteen minute wait would give us time for a coffee break in the camper. A 9 am sharp, six tractor trailers pulled along the highway and the drivers were inline at the window. I was now seventh in line and managed to get a standby ticket. Next, a two hour wait to board the ferry and as usual the suspense of waiting to see if we would have a spot onboard…remember no reservations. Yes, we were second to last to board! After leaving the truck camper on the deck below, we found seats and a table on the top deck solarium. Soon we were joined by people from a tour bus. The accent of our neighbor passengers appeared to be European. It wasn't long before we were in conversation with them. Germany was their country of origin and we soon were learning more travel information on Europe. Italy is a possible destination this fall and any tips on travel was appreciated.

The ferry ride over to Blanc Sablon, PQ is only 90 minutes. Soon, we were headed in a northerly direction towards the Labradorean border, 6 km up the road. First on our agenda...always to find a Visitor Center for maps and tourist attractions. The Visitor Center was a converted church filled with tons of information brochures and most of all a lady, a volunteer staff person, with answers to our many questions. She also noted that we could stay just about any spot off the highway to dry camp. Helen prepared a quick lunch and after filling our tummies, we slowly headed up Route 510.

The road climbed over these rocky mountains, descended back into the Ocean level several times. One of our first major stops was Amour Point to visit a lighthouse and in L'Anse Amour, the site of the oldest known burial monument in North America. The Maritime Archaic people buried a 12 year old child here 7,500 years ago.

Oldest Burial Monument in North America

The lighthouse is the tallest in Atlantic Canada. Both sites are very impressive! I've included a short video link of the road leading to the lighthouse. Road to Point L'Amour LighthouseOne has to stop, step back and think of the history of this area. Many settlers lived, worked and often times died from harsh living conditions. I imagine that there was some good times also. I tend to reflect on this because my great- great- grandparents were first to winter in a new settlement in Paquetville, New Brunswick, Canada. http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/19883156.jpg This link is of a picture of the Catholic Church that my great-great-grandfather helped build. It is said that when renovations were made in the mid fifties his smoking pipe was discovered between the masonry walls. 

That is what we saw and did!

Technorati Tags: Truck Camping,Culture,Nature,Baby Boomers,Retired Military,Travel Adventure

  

The Vikings Are Coming! ~ L'Anse aux Meadows

Monday July 14, 2014

Viking Welcome Party

Our plans in St Barbe were not to immediately take the ferry over into Labrador, but to do the National Historic Site in L'Anse aux Meadows. at and "Meadows" would mean meadows as in a field. Well according to Wikipedia: L'Anse aux Meadows; Jellyfish Cove...so much for my translation....Who would have guessed!
So many new site discoveries were uncovered since 1960 (the Norse and or so called Vikings.) First the name "L'Anse aux Meadows" translated (by me); L'Anse would mean handle such as a tea cup handle "aux" would mean

Re-constructed Norse Dwelling

The highway from St Barbe followed the westerly coast line for another 40 to 50 miles before turning to an easterly inland direction. Here, the landscape changed to a softwood forest. We really started to notice firewood piled for hundreds of feet long along the highway. Another unusual site was homemade lobster traps by the hundreds.

Life in the Dwelling

That's what they do! Remember, that the majority of lobsters are caught for only two months in the spring. That's followed by the Cod, followed by Stone Crab and so on.

The road here was paved, but more noticeable frost heaves were present. We turned left on Route 430 for the last leg to L'Anse aux Meadows.

It was overcast, foggy with a slight drizzle, but as we arrived at the National Historic Site, we were greeted with metal sculptures of a Viking Scout party. The parking lot did have a handful of cars and we watched a bunch of motorcycle tourist arrive. This gave us the courage "if they can brave the fog and drizzle, we certainly

Natural ~ Nature's Beauty!

can also. We marched towards the Visitor Center for tickets and a view of the glassed in replicas. We waited our turn to also view a documentary film of the Vikings settlement in this very area. We would be on the guided tour for 11am down to the recreated village and the actual building locations that were discovered in the relatively near past...1960.

By eleven, the drizzle had stopped and our tour guide led us down to the board walk towards the excavated building sites. He had a very good presentation about the Norse and the elite Viking warriors. I was totally surprised to hear that the Viking were not all savages and wild warriors as I had

What is he looking at?

thought. They were the only nation in Europe that bathed regularly. Some say, to attract the local women. Our guide also said that they weren't trying to establish a permanent settlement here, but this place was used as a forward base to get lumber for building sailing ships (locally) and also to make cotton sails from the sheep they raised in this area.

The ocean has receded several feet from the location of the original settlement. They were a busy people building their ocean going vessels from harvesting the wood to actually forging nails. Yes, by burning peat moss there was enough iron in the ashes to produce the iron for the nails! Remember this was 1000AD!

Looking

Goose Cove, NL

around this Viking site, one has to imagine how harsh this part of the world would have been and still is. The wind, rain and snow must have taken a hardy group to survive. Even on this July 14th day, one could see pockets of snow in the sheltered areas around the bay.
Another thing that I hadn't realized was the fact that they didn't sail all the way across the North Atlantic in one shot. They did have permanent settlements in Greenland, Iceland and England. Their time spent here in L'Anse aux Meadows was relatively short, about 15 years from the archaeological digs. The site has a few side trails that lead to other parts of the bay. After our guided tour and

Goose Cove

meeting period Viking people in the different buildings, our tour ended and we headed back to the Visitor Center via one of those alternate trails. This turned out to be rather a pleasant surprise. We encountered many wild flowers and the foliage with it's many shades of green, after the drizzle. It was just what the camera ordered!

It was lunch time and after leaving the Viking site, we found an excellent restaurant, "The Norseman Restaurant" down by the bay for lunch. I had a combination of local delicacies. After lunch, we strolled around down towards the water and discovered one big Viking statue in an unusual outcropping of rocks. I took my pictures of the Viking and all of the quaint fishing shacks and the fish nets and such.

Onward to St Anthonys. This was the only good size community for everybody to resupply... for food, gas and even a decent size hospital. It was mid to late afternoon when we arrived and we headed towards the bay. Who did we meet there, but the lady traveling alone with her "A" frame trailer. She had left the trailer back in St Barbe and did a day trip up this way. We had a long chat with her the night before. She told us of the set of stairs that climbed hundreds of feet to a wonderful overlook of the bay. She hadn't climbed because she is not in a healthy condition.

Got Wood? Winter is coming!

For that matter, we also declined to climb hundreds of steps. The view from down here at the lighthouse wasn't bad. Oh, there were three Icebergs in the bay! They weren't that far out, but it did call for my 300mm lens (another good photo shoot). After I was finish shooting the Icebergs, I was taking some shots of the wild flowers at my feet. A lady sitting on the bench...a local, said, "Why are you taking pictures of flowers"? "They're only flowers", she repeated. This was the first time in my life that I've heard that one! I really didn't know what to tell her. She was an older lady and I guess she never "smelled the Roses!" We moved on going Southeast towards Goose Cove. St Anthonys looked too busy to find a place to beddown for the night.
Arriving in Goose Cove, we got surprised again. This time the Icebergs were just a few hundred yards from shore. I kept driving to scope out the little village. Ah, I just spotted a huge Iceberg, I drove towards it to a place called

Plumley Cove ~ Notice the boat for scale!

Home for the night ~ Iceberg looming above

Plumley Cove. The end of the road, with a nature trail boardwalk, pointing directly at the massive Iceberg. Parking was available and off we went to checkout this monster. It was like we ordered this Iceberg to park just in front of us. We both took several pictures including selfies. We followed the trail that was paralleling the ocean to see if another Iceberg would be present just around the corner from our view. None was present, but a sign describing the Icebergs and where they were from was inspiring. We headed back to the truck camper and decided this was our campground for the night. After supper,

were we surprised to see all of the locals come down to this spot to walk the trail and view the Iceberg. They didn't even take a second look at the camper. They never realized that we were inside.

Their mission was the Iceberg viewing!

Note: Click on the upper right hand corner to enlarge the map and zoom in to see our detail adventure locations!

That is what we did and saw!

North Western Side of Newfoundland…Still Plenty to Visit!

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Water Taxi to Woody Point, NL

"The Arches Provincial Park"

This was another sunny morning and perfect to head on our northerly trek for more places to explore. Helen read, in a tourist brochure, that Humber Village had several tree carvings and Totem Poles. It was the first exit off the TCH-1. Not all of our side trips are successful. We found Humber Village OK, but the tree carvings must have gone away on holiday as we didn’t find a single one! Not to be discouraged, I soon was back on the TCH-1. The terrain in this part of Newfoundland is heavily forested with plenty of mountains and ocean to look at.

The next major town is Deer Lake. Here the

Multi-colored Stones at "The Arches"

road splits to the right and your headed Twillingate and  St John, the biggest city in Newfoundland. We would be taking a left fork here for our journey towards St Anthony’s way up North. The road traffic would decrease by 75 percent. In Deer Lake, we stopped to fill-up with gas and one last stop for groceries at a reasonable price. 

The road here really starts to be hilly with miles of climb up hill and down hill. Soon, Bonne Bay was visible and we could see Woody Point in a distance across the bay. We had fond memories from our stay in Woody Point last year. It was time to slow down and

Port aux Choix ~ Lighthouse

we did just that and took a side trip to Norris Point. This a very small village, but the craft shop and it's owner made up for small size with quality. I couldn't believe how many clever items were displayed. We talked to the lady proprietor for a considerable ~time about the novelty crafts. She told us how many other craft people have come to her shop to pirate ideas for crafts.

Endangered Flora

The restaurant next door, with its bay facing windows, was just what we needed to sip our morning coffee. The local water taxi was just about to leave for Woody Point. The operator hollowed last call for Woody Point. He then began to sing as happy as a lark. He pushed away from the dock and headed across the bay. We also pushed away from the restaurant and headed back to Route 430.

We were now in Gros Morne National Park. No stop at Western Brook Pond this year,as we had explored this hiking area last year. Back home, I had contemplated the idea of hiking deep into the back country for a spectacular photo opportunity of the Fiords. I was told that this was an overnight-er and we weren't really equipped for this type of hike. A short distance

Natural Driftwood Art

up the road and we were out of the National Park and in Arches Provincial Park, a day use area. Here, we made a stop as this is such a beautiful place. The Arches, the multi-colored well rounded, weathered rocks are just irresistible to photograph as well as good ballast. Last year, we had stayed overnight without any problems. This was also the farthest point north traveled last year. Everything from here north was a new experience. Generally, I hate to repeat travel experiences, but I strongly felt that northwestern Newfoundland and certainly Labrador  was worth a repeat route experience.

Our first new adventure experience was Port aux Choix National Historic Site. This site has so much history, Natural and Cultural, that one has to study the web site to capture a glimpse of this gem. After visiting the Park Visitor Center, I decided to take the gravel road to the lighthouse, a couple of miles to the point of land. What a photogenic place from the “Barren Limestone” to the endangered, greenish-blue flowers (Fernald’s Braya), to the lighthouse itself, to even the drift wood on the limestone (Calcareous) barrens.We spent

Norris Point, NL

time walking and exploring this historic place. Except for one other couple,we were alone and enjoyed the lighthouse experience. I did think of staying here overnight, but being a National Park, we might be asked to leave and I didn't want to look for an alternative late in the day or night. It wasn't that far to St Barbe, the ferry crossing point to Labrador and for sure a private campground available, if we  struck out for a boon-docking site.
From Port aux Choix, the road stayed fairly close to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. We side- stepped into the many coastal communities to see what they were like. With names like Bird Cove, Plum Point, Black Duck Cove and Currant Island, they were beckoning for a truck camper visit. The one thing that we started to notice was the ever increasing amount of firewood that is used for heating in the winter time.

St Barbe, a busy place with a community owned campground, had many tractor trailers lined up to get road salt from a freighter at the dock and a busy restaurant across from the campground. This was to be our sleeping port for the night. Now, the campground was full of motor-homes, the same bunch that we encountered way back in the Codroy Valley. All 24 of the big rigs were deserted. They all left their RV’s and took a bus tour over to Labrador. That meant that we had the whole

Truck Camping at its Best!

campground to ourselves. The facilities were brand new with outstanding washrooms, WiFi, cable TV, activity rooms. The only other camper present was Theresa who was traveling alone in her “A” frame tag along trailer. She also was a military retiree or at least her Quadriplegic husband was a disabled military retiree. He was not with her on this trip, but another friend had been traveling with her, but she had to return back to the west coast for a family emergency. It was a long story, but an interesting conversation.


That is what we did and saw! 

Note: Click on the upper right hand corner to enlarge the map and zoom in to see our detail adventure locations!

A Day's Ride to Another Country

Wednesday, July 9th 2014
First day on the road and I feel beat! Not my usual upbeat self. This is because yesterday was a day of packing and running around. I usually am in the sack by 9:30 or so. Last night, we were winding down well after

New River Provincial Park

11:30pm. At proximately 11:20pm, the power to the whole city went out. We stumbled into bed in the darkness. It seems that all of our good flashlights were in the camper. As soon as I was under the covers, Helen said “What about all the food in the camper fridge?” I got up and went to the camper, just outside our upper garage. I turned on the propane and after three try's it stayed lit. (This hesitation usually happens when the propane lines have not been purged enough). Back to bed and ten minutes later the electric power comes back on. Now the TV comes back on along with two computers. I said to myself, “I’d better get up and get everything squared away. Oh, yes, I’d  better go out to the camper and switch back over to AC and save propane for the road trip.

New River Provincial Beach

Now you have some idea why I’m tired today. We drove 325 miles, crossed over into New Brunswick, Canada. We decided to find a Provincial Campground. New Beach PC was our destination for this first night. Remember the hurricane that went up the east this past weekend? Arthur was his name and four days later they still haven’t restored electrical power. No problem with us! That generator is humming just sweetly. The only problem was that the Provincial Park wouldn’t lower the rate except for our senior citizen discount. $25.00 is a hefty price to pay for overnight parking. We’ll be out of this Province tomorrow and things should get back into place.

New Beach Township, NB

Oh, I must mention the weather. It was up to 88 degrees driving over here. In just ten minutes, the temperature dropped down to 59 degrees here near St George. A cool fog bank rolled in off the ocean. Later after dinner the sun boiled through and the temps rose to a comfortable level. We took a walk down by the beach and watched the tide crest around 8 pm. (Already a one hour time change)

That’s what we did and saw!

Corner Brook, NL...A Place to Explore!

Saturday, July 12, 2014

The small community of Rose Blanche
at the end of highway 470

On this day, after a short morning nap in the mall parking lot, I drove East toward Isle aux Morts and to the end of the road at Rose Blanche. Most of this side trip was very slow driving and scenic. The town of Rose Blanche is built on the rocky coast line. We visited in the area of the lighthouse, but didn't want to pay an entry fee to the trail leading to the lighthouse itself. Instead, I drove around the small cove where I could actually get the photos I wanted. Next, I was sort of embarrassed when I tried to leave the tiny community. Every turn led me into someone else's driveway. There was so many hills and curves that it was impossible to head in one straight direction.

Trail head to Rose Blanche
 Lighthouse

We had a good laugh and finally I asked this lady... which way out of town? She said take a left after the Post Office and we were on our way back towards Channel-Port aux Basques.

Lighthouse at Cape Anguille...Codroy Valley

Trail system in Corner Brook, NL

Our next destination was toward the Codroy Valley to the West. This area was reported to be a great birding area along with more lighthouses. It did have Codroy Provincial Park, but it was still early and we did more exploring of this fertile farmland. In late afternoon, I spotted a private campground in Doyles. It turn out to be a neat and perfectly managed campground. They had a "World Tour" caravan of 24 motorhomes there for the night. Our site was adjacent to the washrooms, That's what they call the restrooms in this part of the world. This was perfect, because those big motorhomes use their own onboard showers. We use the washrooms to conserve our own utilities.
I made a campfire with (free) supplied firewood. I even cooked a steak on the open fire grill. Helen, prepared the salads and with a cold beer, you can't beat that for camping in the Codroy Valley.

Corner Brook from Captain Cooks Monument

Leaving in early morning, from  Grand Codroy Campground in Doyles, our destination up on Trans Canada Highway (TCH 1) was Corner Brook. We arrived fairly early. The sun was shining and our spirits were up. We visited Corner Brook last year, but didn't get to really do this charming
hilly town justice.
Our first stop was to the Visitor Center. This Center has a dump station, fresh water, WiFi and best of all they don't mind if you park overnight. The two young ladies inside gave us maps to the town, told us what was going on downtown. They even gave us several parking solutions for the downtown.
The events for this day were located in a park in front of city hall. We were a little too early for the festivities, several groups were setting up tents, food concessions, craft vendors and musicians were tuning up to play.
We walked back to the Gin Mill Hotel parking lot, our camper location and elected to take the convenient, close by, hiking trail from there. The trail system was developed by the Corner Brook Paper Mill. It meanders along the brook and pond. They spared nothing in arranging flowers along the path. Since the 1920's, Swans have inhabited the pond area. Only one was visible as we walked up to the walking bridge.
For a mill town, Corner Brook is well developed considering everything sits on one hill or another. The only flat land is down at the paper mill.
On the trail, we met this gentleman walking his dog. We asked him what special place should we not miss seeing in town. He said, "Captain Cook's Monument". It was a

Home for the night at
the Visitor Center

good thing I had folded the city map as to the directions to the monument. It involved zigzags all over the southern part of the city. It also carried us up, up and up through residential neighborhoods. Finally, after that long climb up a mountain we came to Cook's Monument, of course this was in our truck camper.
Captain Cook started his career as a Naval Master and came to Newfoundland as a young British Navy officer. One day here in Newfoundland, he noticed this gentleman looking through this surveying device. He was intrigued and learned the trade. In five years, he mastered this trade and mapped Newfoundland extensively.
The King of England wanted to have Australia and New Zealand mapped, but the person who was scheduled to go had no Naval experience. This is where Captain Cook's qualifications came in. He was sent to the South Seas never to return to his beloved Newfoundland. As a tiny footnote, while we visited Australia and New Zealand in 2005, our tour included a visit to Captain Cook's house. People back then appeared to be a lot shorter in height as the house front door was barely high enough to enter without crouching.
Later in the afternoon, we attended mass at the Cathedral, then picked up food supplies and returned to the Visitor Center around 7pm and we were the only ones there. I set up our chairs on their deck, plugged in the laptop and spent the rest of the evening blogging and watching the beautiful sunset to the west of Corner Brook, NL.

That is what we did and saw!

Click on upper right corner of map to enlarge. Click on the pointer for additional information.