July 28. Bonavista and Elliston

The travel Saint must love us, because she has truly blessed us with the great fortune of seeing some incredible things and having the perfect weather for doing it!  When we woke up yesterday in Witless it was so foggy you could hardly see 50 ft. Away, but the night before it cleared up enough to allow us to see the fabulous view from Elaine's B&B.  Today, as we hit the road south along the coast on the Irish Loop it was so foggy we could hardly see any of the scenery.  After a short drive we turned around and cut across to the Canadian Hwy and went to Bonavista instead.  We got away from the fog, but it was gray and cloudy for the entire drive (5 1/2 hours), but as we came over the crest leading in to Bonavista we got blue sky's and sunshine!  We went straight out to the light house at the very end of the peninsula where John Cabot landed in 1497.  Gorgeous lighthouse!  AND, right beyond it were about a dozen whales spouting and playing.  Truly amazing sight, but very hard to catch a picture.  I think I may have gotten 1 or 2, but nothing really special.  AND right there behind the lighthouse on a huge rock outcropping were the Puffins!  When I read about them I thought they were about the size of a penguin, but in reality they are very, very small, but so adorable with their black coats, white face and orange beak.
We couldn't find a room available in Bonavista, but two really nice young (teenagers) who were meaning the Visitor Center found us a room in the next town of Elliston.  Turns out the back way in to her place was right through Dungeon Provincial Park so on the way we got to see that rock formation as well.  Magnificent is all I can say.
After we checked in we did a drive around Elliston, had dinner in a new little restaurant in what use to be a church and then another drive out to a Puffin Colony there.  That was really amazing because it got me a little closer to the little guys and I think I got a couple of really great pictures.  Just getting to them over this huge rocky bluff made me think we had leapfrogged over to Ireland.  Wait until you see the photos and you will understand exactly what I am saying.  I really go crazy over the rock formations you find along the coasts here in Newfoundland.  I know there is a better word than amazing, which I use over and over, but in my limited vocabulary it's the best I can come up with to tell you how awesome this place is.
It kills me not to be able to post pictures yet and now I am so far behind.  I do hope when I finally get them up you will have a chance to see what we are seeing.
I forgot to mention yesterday when we were touring around Witless we saw two more moose on the side of the road.  Got a couple of nice photos of those guys.  They were pretty young and just as comfortable with all the cars and people with cameras shooting at them, but once they got bored they just ambled across the road and disappeared in the trees.  I really don't want to run (literally) in to them while driving down the highway at 50 or 60 miles an hour, but it is excited to see them.  So far they have not been as big as the ones in NH.  Oh, and NO DEER here in NFL, also no snakes.

July 23 to 27 Update from St John's

We drove over to St. John's yesterday and are staying at a Quality Inn.  Silly me, I did not bring my laptop and photo hard drive....I could be catching up with the blog photos!  Well, maybe not as we were both exhausted after the drive over and then walking tour of St. John's last night.  This morning I have a little time before we head off for more touring so want to do a quick update.
July 22 we made the trip with the RV to Gander.  Had never heard of the place before, but oh boy, have we learned a lot since we arrived.  Come to find out Gander has had a major influence on Aviation history because of it's location as the closest landing place in North America for most flights from Europe.  More on that in a minute.

July 23 we drove up to Twillingate to another area we had heard was great for whale watching and ice bergs, but sadly, the ice bergs have all left!  No prob, I got some great ice berg shots in St. Anthony.  We did see a couple of whale's, but barely got a decent photo.  I am still on the search for a great whale shot!   However, seeing the coast line and meeting the tour guide was well worth the price of the tickets.   We continue to be amazed at the hardiness of the Newfoundlanders, of Newfies as they call themselves.  These coastal communities are all a million miles from a tea kettle and until the last 40 or 50 years there were no roads to or between them.  Transportation was by boats or snow mobiles (they get up to 20 feet of snow).  The land is so rocky and rugged that hacking out homesites is a major feat in itself.  It's from the water that you look back and see just how difficult it is/was to settle in these areas.  The lady that was our tour guide was a 5th generation fisherman/woman that because of the devastation being done by the International Fishing Companies and bottom dragging that is destroying the fishing grounds they have had to find a new way of life.  Hence, tour boats!

On a sad note we received an email from my cousin Linda that one of our younger (68) cousin’s passed away after a massive heart attack.  I am so saddened by this news.  Unfortunately I had not seen him in many, many years, but always thought the time would come when we would make that extended California trip and visit all my cousins.  It seemed that “some day” would be a good time to do it, but I think that “some day” has come and gone.    I will always regret I didn’t do it when was Buz was still with us.  I missed an opportunity to see all my cousins together when my Uncle Gordon passed.  I had just had knee surgery and couldn’t fly, but I really wish now I had found a way.

July 24 we went to the North Atlantic Aviation Museum in Gander where there was a section that was a Memorial to 9/11 and their part in servicing the 38 flights  (and 6,595 passengers) that were diverted to Gander after 9/11.  Gander's population was around 10,000.
We also went to the  Memorial for the 101st. Airborne that crashed here and killed 269 soldiers who were returning home.  What an emotional day.  To top it of I purchased a book at the museum: The Day The World Came to Town 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim Defede.  Once I started this book I could not put it down.  I HIGHLY recommend the read, but have a box of Kleenex near by, I cried my way through every page.  So moving and so incredible the fortitude, kindness and generosity of a people to complete strangers.  Considering the overwhelming demoralization that 9/11 had on most people, these people made you realize that the world really is a good place, it's just a miserable few that are trying to destroy it.  Gander played a lot larger part in Aviation history, but less I forget some details I will post photos of some highlights of what we learned.  SOME DAY!

July 25 We drove to St John’s, which is the biggest City we have seen in all of Newfoundland.  It a good size City built around a harbor full of history.  Once we arrived and got settled in a hotel we walked up and down the 3 main streets.  This is where the houses are all painted bright and different colors, George Street is similar to Bourbon Street in New Orleans and suddenly there are glass commercial buildings like any City in the US.  We have seen nothing like this since we arrived in Newfoundland.  There’s even a COSTCO!!  When we were on the West Coast and did that boat in Gros Morne National Park we noticed Kirkland products at the snack bars….yup, they come all the way over here to Costco to do their shopping!   Remember, there’s not much in between so really, this is as good as it gets.

July 26 We started on the Irish Route from St. John’s down to Witless.  We are staying at a lovely B & B (Elaine’s) right on the harbor.  Unfortunately it’s a foggy day and the view is limited, but earlier the fog lifted and we had a fabulous view.  Her husband runs Eco Tours so if weather is good we will take one tomorrow to see Puffins and hopefully some whales.  Still have high hopes of getting one awesome shot!

July 27 After starting off on the Irish Loop that goes all the way down to Tresspasy and back around we changed our mind because the fog was so thick.  The whole road runs along the coast and we didn’t see any signs of a let up so have decided to head back to Gander by way of Bonavista where John Cabot first landed in 1947.  Reportedly loaded with some of the oldest buildings in Newfoundland we may need all day to explore.
 At breakfast we talked to guests who had done the Irish Loop and their comment was the roads are terrible and it takes twice as long as you would think to make the loop.  One couple went yesterday and had lunch is Tresspasy.  They had a long chat with the waitress and she was telling them that the Cod fishing industry has been so devastated  that all the men have had to leave the town and go in to Canada to the oil rigs to find work.  A population of 3000 is down to less than three hundred and mostly  woman and children.  The school  for many years had a basketball team that was national champions, but this year there are only 47 students in the school from kindergarten to 12th grade so they have had to drop the program.   Now that is a very sad commentary on what has happened to the local fishing industry and the folks whose families have survived on fishing for over 5 generations!

July 21 Update from Rocky Harbor

Newfoundland update at of 7/21/2016

We are experiencing lousy to no wifi connections so keeping up with the blog has become a real trial.  For now, pictures are pretty much out of the question, but I do want to keep updated as much as possible. 

This has been an absolutely amazing adventure and I would have to say that if you are going to take a trip out of the USA and want to see something unique…this is the place.  The people are warm and friendly, the landscape is magnificent and mostly untouched.  There is only one major road that goes East to West from the S.W. tip at Port Aus Basques (where you land on the Ferry from Sydney, NS) to St. Johns on the SE side of the island where you can take a return Ferry to Sydney.  The return trip from there is about 14 hours whereas the one to get here is only 5 or 6 hours.  It’s also triple the price!  For that reason we have decided not to go all the way to St. John’s, but double back from wherever we decide to stop (making that decision today) and return from Port Aus Basques.  A little disappointed not to make it all the way to St. John’s , but I have to say that just exploring North to South on the Western coast has been so incredible that we can feel satisfied we have seen a great portion of this beautiful country.

One of the issues with touring here is that every road you take to see the sites and villages is a one way road, meaning none of them circle around and bring you back to the main road.  You have to double back from every place you go which is a little frustrating and very time consuming.  And, most of these places are 40 to 100 or more miles off that main road. 

Rocky Harbor is about 85 miles off the main road and 300 miles from where we landed in Port Aus Basques.  We have to backtrack those 85 miles before we can begin to move further east to our next major stop.  However, Rocky Harbor is in the heart of the Gros Morne National Park, which is truly a magnificent location with lots and lots to see.  We do day trips from here to many of the visitor sites and coastal villages.  The highlight of the time here was taking the boat trip into the Fjord at Western Brook Pond (Pond being a huge lake here!).  We stopped by chance when we saw tons of cars in the parking lot.  Once we started walking we decided to go to the end and there was the opening to the Fjord and the boat tour.  Turns out they had 3 seats left so we signed up!  What a gorgeous and amazing experience.  The weather was perfect and I got some great pictures.  This is one of the purest lakes in the WORLD.  We had to hike in about 1.5 Kilometers on trails over bogs and meadows just to get to it. 

On Monday we left the RV in Rocky Harbor and drove the 349 Kilometers up to St. Anthony with many, many stops along the way.  It was an all day trip, but we were fortunate to find a delightful B&B for the next two nights.  With what we saved in gas alone we paid for the B&B which also came with a very nice breakfast each morning.  From St. Anthony we did driving tours.  Each of these drives were about 80 to 100 miles round trip, but oh my gosh what views and what a fascinating part of the world.  They didn’t have a road up here until the 70’s so until then the only way to get around was by boat or snow mobile.  Each little village is pretty much self-sustaining, although how they do it is beyond me.  The ground is so rocky that nothing grows.  However, after they put the road (Hwy 430) which is the only road from Rocky Harbor to St. Anthony they had dug deep enough and put dirt along the sides of the road.  Some enterprising guy figured out the soil might be good for growing so he put up a garden on the side of the road and low and behold…root vegetables such as potatoes and turnips did grow.  Now, all along the highway are small vegetable gardens.   No one owns the land, you just pick a spot, fence in your garden and plant away.  The gardens are usually located near one of the little lakes that are just off the road so they can have access to water.  The other interesting thing you see along the road is huge piles of firewood all cut and stacked.  At times there is not a single tree for miles, but there will sit this huge stack of wood.  Come to find out that in the winter folks get a permit to cut and then they haul by sled and snowmobile their wood, cut it and stack it to let it dry out along the road or by the coast to be picked up in the summer for the following winter.   No one bothers the stacks (no theft) and they don’t own the land, it’s there and they can use it.  There is a very small population up in this area and mostly people live in very small villages along the coast.  There is NOTHING on the Eastern side of the Hwy but bare land, forests and ponds for as far as you can see.  The little villages MIGHT have a small market/variety store, but very, very few have restaurants, coffee shops or really shops at all.   MAYBE one gas station, but those are few and far between.  The other significant thing we have noted is that literally EVERY house is covered with vinyl siding.  We have never seen so much vinyl.  Sure would like to be the vinyl supply guy up here.  On the rare occasion we have seen parts of an old house being covered with the vinyl so you can see that it’s still the old wooden house underneath, but they slap that vinyl on and hokus pokus you have a new house.  New windows too.  Sadly we have noted that they are doing the same thing to the old churches so they look like new, but are losing their charm.  One church we visited we learned they took those old bottle glass windows out and threw them away.  I almost cried!   I wish I could have loaded them up and brought them home.  I asked why they didn’t attempt to sell them…they could pay for the new siding!  Just not the way they do things here I guess.

While we were in St. Anthony we drove up to Wild Bight and Cape Harbour which involved a lot of backtracking, but we wanted to see “everything” so off we went.  The next day we went to Cape Onion which is the furthermost tip of NFL and L’Anse  Aux Meadows where the Vikings landed in 1000 AD.  That night we had dinner at the Liefsburdir Viking Festival Dinner Theater which included an evening of authentic Viking food, fun and feuds in the only sod covered dinner theatre in North America at Fishing Point in St. Anthony’s.  The last morning we caught a whale watching tour and saw one whale and a couple of awesome ice bergs.  We had one last meal in St. Anthony’s at the Lighthouse restaurant where we had an incredible fish chowder and shared an Iceberg Beer….truth…made from melted ice of an iceberg in St. John’s NFL.  Pretty tasty stuff!

We are back in Rocky Harbor now.  Today was a down day so we could catch up on laundry, Fred cleaned the car and RV and I’m catching up the blog.  We are trying to make reservations in Gander for a week.  From there we will do driving tours and we are HOPING to get all the way to St. John’s by car.  If we make it there we will have gone all the way North and South and West to East.  Pretty good coverage of a place we never thought we’d see and are pretty sure we wont see again.  We would however highly recommend a visit if you get the chance.

This is the map of the Western coast of NFL.  We have traveled from one end to the other (furthest south to the furthest north) along the coast. 

This is the section of map from the center of the country to the far East.  St. John's is on the far right and Gander, where we hope to stay for a week is about the middle of the page on the green line.  The green line is the only way to get from one side of the country to the other.  All the orange roads are the side roads that take you to the tourist areas and small villages along the coast.  Some look like they will let you make a loop, but generally there is one way in and you backtrack to point A to go to the next stop. 

The Happy Campers at Western Brook Pond, Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland.  The boat tour through the Fjord was amazing and beautiful.

July 12 and 13 Arm of Gold and the Ferry

This was our campsite at Arm of Gold. 

Our campsite from another angle. 

We were near the front of the line for the Ferry.  I actually took a nap while we waited for our turn.

We are next in line to enter the Ferry.  It was actually a very luxurious ship with plenty of room to wander, dine, be entertained, shop or sleep in recliner chairs.....which is what we did.  The only complaint was it was COLD.  On the return we will wear long pants, sweater and maybe bring a little blanket to snuggle under for the 6 hour trip. 

It is amazing how many vehicles....large and small that they were able to load on.

As we were leaving another one was coming in.

Our site at Grand Codroy RV Park.  Another FANTASTIC facility.  The sites are spacious and spread out so you don't look right at your neighbor.  This is where the campground that did the Screech In for the RV tour.  What a hoot!  We would highly recommend it and other than a Provincial Park it's the closest one after you arrive on the Ferry.

Just love the wild Iris along the shore line

We missed the Lupines in Sugar Hill and Franconia, but they are in bloom everywhere around here. 

The Pitcher Plant is the floral emblem of Newfoundland and Labrador. 

Everyone hangs laundry out to dry and it makes for a fun photo op. 

July 10 and 11 the Road to Sydney, NS

Probably one of the nicest campgrounds we've stayed at so far.  Perfect location, only 3 Kilometers to the Ferry and they easily handle multiple RV tour groups.  The facilities are immaculate, the price more than reasonable, and the views spectacular.  All grassy areas, huge function room, game room, wifi room and a mobile kitchen that sells burgers, dogs and fries.  We will stay on the return as well.

We stopped in here and picked up two TWO pound lobsters all cooked and ready to go.

We ended up with enough lobster for two dinners and two meals of lobster rolls. 

Finally caught a sunset!!! 

July 15 Newfoundland update

We have been in Newfoundland now for 3 days and it is truly a beautiful area, but we have had lots of surprises.  We arrived at 2 AM at the Grand Codroy RV Park and after a quick electric plug in we jumped in to bed and crashed.  When we checked in later in the morning they didn't charge us for that night since we got in so late, but we stayed an extra two days to explore that area so it was a good deal all in all.  VERY nice park.  They also cater to RV Tours so fill up quickly and empty quickly as the tours come and go.  Most of the RV's that were there when we were are from the USA (about 15 rigs on this tour) and they are the BIG rigs.  It's quite a tour that lasts for 39 days.  Not our cup of tea (besides we'd be the small fish in a very big pond!), but the group seemed to be having a great time.
On the 13th, once we got up and running, we did a drive along the SW coast to the Rose Blanche light house.  I bet we didn't pass 6 cars the whole 3 hours we drove along that road.  We went through about 4 small villages.  What we have found fascinating is that all the homes we have seen so far look to have been built since the late 60's to early 70's and ALL have vinyl siding.  We are not seeing any little old wooden houses at all.  The terrain in this particular area was very rocky and looked like a volcano had erupted hugs rocks and over time they got covered with moss.  It's very green, very few trees of any height and tons of small ponds and lakes.  Truly gorgeous and rugged countryside.  NO markets....don't know how far they have to drive to buy groceries, but not a single store in any of the villages.  No farming or dairy either.  And, not a whole of fishing fleets that we could see.  We only saw one restaurant in that whole coast area.  VERY un-touristy and that was a surprise.  The lighthouse was AWESOME.  I have lots of pictures, but such lousy wifi I can't upload yet.

On the 14th we had a rainy day, but took off to tour a little north on the SW coast.  Again, hardly any cars...even on the main Canadian Hwy which is the ONLY way to get from point A to point B in the whole country!!!  We checked out a couple more lighthouses and a beautiful old church.  The groundskeeper happened to be there and invited to go in and have  a look.  He gave us a little of the history.  He was a young man in his 20's named Zach.  He couldn't wait to "get the Hell out of Dodge", but was currently spending time with his Gran.  Nice kid and nice to hear his perspective on things.  They were working on the old church and covering it with VINYL!  Also getting rid of those beautiful old windows with new ones and throwing the old ones off the cliff!!  It really upset him that they were making the changes, even though he did not even belong to the church.  It is sad the way they are destroying the historical value of those old buildings, but the congregation is old and keeping up the old building was too much I guess.   The terrain was quite different here with rolling hills and mountains, bigger pine trees and again every shade of green you can imagine.  We only saw 2 fishing fleet areas and one very large farm, but again no markets or restaurants.  They do have Variety Stores in some of the Villages that carry a little of this and that, but you would be hard pressed to fill your frig!  Again, no cars on the highway and maybe 4 or 5 on the side roads we were on.  This is the middle of July so should be tourist season or summer vacation time we would think.  One other thing of note is that with all the big lakes and all you see VERY FEW pleasure boats or any boats at all for that matter, but we see RV's and trailers alongside about every 3rd house.
The topping on the cake this day was that we were invited to watch a SCREECH IN!  It's a Newfoundland tradition that our friend George had told us about.  What a HOOT!  The Campground owners at Codroy put these on for the bus tours.  They bring in this great local band (2 guitars and an accordion) that honestly made me think we were in Ireland.  The music, very much so, but even the lilt to the speech when they talked.  Mostly stories about Newfoundland life or folks and it got your feet stomping and your hands clapping.  Screech is a Newfoundland Rum that when you drink it makes you want to screech!  No kidding...it burns all the way down.  However, before they give you the Screech you have to go through an "initiation" which included eating like a Newfoundlander (a small chunk of baloney), talking like a Newfoundlander (repeating several of the Newfy slang), dancing like one by doing a quick jig and finally....kissing a live Cod!  Immediately followed by downing a shot of Screech.  After all that the owner (Alice) anointed each of the participants by tapping them on the shoulder with a large empty bottle of Screetch and bestowing on them the honor of being a TRUE Newfoundlander.  Certificate and all.   It really was a fun evening.

Today we drove up to Rocky Harbor which is more of a tourist area AND a fishing village.  Several restaurants, but again, no markets, just smaller variety stores!  We went to the local fishing wharf and bought fresh fish for dinner tonight.  We are in the Gros Morne National Park so hope tomorrow to explore the area.  We did a short drive up to Lobster Cove to see the lighthouse there and explored the main drag and a couple of craft stores.  It was raining most of the day and quite windy so didn't get to enjoy as much of the view coming in as we'd have liked.  We will probably backtrack tomorrow so we can see some of the beautiful areas we passed.  We've made arrangements to stay here for a week.  On Monday we will leave the motor home here and drive up to St. Anthony for about 4 days.  Thought we'd give staying in a B&B a whirl.  So much cheaper to drive the car than the RV and it's about 400 miles up there.  That's where we should see the ice bergs and the whales.  Excited about that!

Looking forward to being able to upload photos.  If I wake up early or manage to stay awake late I might try to do it while here.  Have to do it when all the other campers are asleep!   WIFI has been a big disappointment and we are without phone service quite a bit so even texting can be spotty.  NO TV so no news or weather reports which is very frustrating.  Definitely feeling a little cut off from the world so really, really appreciate the emails we get from time to time.

July 11 We leave tomorrow for Newfoundland

We have spent two days in Sydney, NS because of bad weather and the delay in getting tickets for the Ferry.  This campground is called Arm of Gold, but the correct name should be Pot of Gold!  There is almost always a line of RV's waiting to check in.  It's a gorgeous setting, huge and only 3 kilometers to the Ferry.  We've had rain since yesterday and today was pretty heavy all day.  Fortunately by tomorrow it's supposed to be clearing and since we are not leaving until 5:30PM it should be fare seas for the trip. 
Today we stopped at a little store on the wharf that was selling cooked lobsters for about $7.50 per pound so we got two HUGE ones for dinner tonight.  OMG were they delicious!!  We got so much meat out of them we figure we have at least two more meals ahead.  Tricia would be so proud, we cleaned out every little pincher and knuckle and thought of her the whole time we worked on them.  Every Christmas she always spent hours cleaning out the leftover parts of the lobsters and made an amazing dip for Christmas day.  We miss those times so much.
The Ferry was a little over $400 Canadian. 

July 9 Bay of Fundy Tidal Bore

Low tide

A sample of how low the tide gets.  Pretty amazing stuff!

Low tide at Burncoat Head Park

An interesting tree at the park.

We followed the incoming tide from Burntcoat Head, then about 25 minutes later we made it to Maitland and 45 minutes after that we saw it coming in at Truro.  At this time of year it was not a huge wave, but at a full moon it can be as much as a 20 foot wave!  It was pretty cool to watch it come in and it is fast.

Maitland low tide

Here come the rafters following the tide in from Burntcoat to Maitland.

The tide is moving fast.

Some very foolish kids were swimming in one of the river off shoots, but in a matter of minutes the tide rose 6 feet or so.  They got out safely, but it was a foolish thing to do!

On the race back to Truro we passed these cuties.

Many of these same folks we saw in Maitland and one couple we saw in Burntcoat

Here it comes...this is the begining