We had no problems driving the pickup and camper onto the ferry. It took off at 9:30 a.m. and we docked in Sidney Nova Scota on July 29th at 11:00 a.m.. It was a beautiful day to be riding along on the Atlantic Ocean.
Sidney was our "supply stop" before going on into Newfoundland..... We spent 3 days in Sidney, restocking on food, fuel, and anything we thought we might need ahead. We cleaned the campers and took a day to drive a few miles out to the water's edge, stopped along the way and picked fresh raspberries from some bushes along side the road..... I made some jam that afternoon and we had it on waffles for breakfast the next morning.....
On August 1st we put the pickup and camper on another ferry for Au Baske, Newfoundland
With the hull of the ship up we drive on and get the pickup and camper snuggled in, then we go on deck to enjoy the ride. A guy we visited with told us it would probably be raining when we got off but not to worry it's was just a sign of God's blessings and His way of welcoming us there. We didn't land that night until 9:00 and yes it was raining. It was pitch dark but I could see the outline of a lot of rocks and mountainous country as we drove to our campground.... We found our way, got a good night's sleep and woke up to the beginning of a wonderous journey......
Morning light brought a day of exploration to get acquainted with this new land we're in. We had breakfast with some of the locals at a little cafe, hiked to some falls, and drove to "Rose Blanch, a restored light house.
The next day plans were to drive to a campground in "Corner Brook", but after looking at the map we decided to drive to Provincial Park where we stayed by the ocean. There are no hookups there so we dry camped. On the way there we took a wrong turn and ended up right in the middle of a busy downtown, in a big parking lot surrounded by one way streets! We spotted a cop so Jim ask for help getting out of there and he was very nice..... He could see the mess we were in and laughed at our mistake of missing the right road where we should have turned towards the park but found ourselves in the middle of the city instead. He stopped the traffic and allowed us to go around the block to the road out of town....... Finally finding our way we arrived at our camp spot about 1:00 that afternoon and spent that night. It was a gorgeous place, very peaceful and quiet. We climbed the mountain that afternoon and took this shots of our little place in heaven.
We hated to leave this place it was so peaceful, but with a good nights rest we pulled out in the morning on our way to the northwest point of Newfoundland where we will catch another ferry to Labrador. Our route took us through Gros Morne National park but we didn't stop as we will be coming back this way later in our trip. On the way we stopped for a break around lunch time and seen this Moose standing out in the pasture.
We drove that day to Port Au Choix, about 10 miles from where we catch the ferry at St. Barbe. We will leave the campers at the campground, pack some clothes for a couple of days on the shores of Labrador. The next day our ferry didn't leave until 1:00 in the afternoon so we took a short drive that morning out to an area we had read about. As we parked the pickup we walked to a massive rock covered beach and there before my eyes were miles of crystal rocks......
Of course I knew I had died and gone to heaven, I couldn't bring them all home with me, but I spent a wonderful couple of hours combing the beach and picking up what I could carry back to the pickup.
Settling in to a little motel, we took off to visit the area......That afternoon we visited a light house and climbed to the top to get a good view.
We drove along the river to the town of "Red Bay".....stopped in a little shop and bought some souviners including my first piece of "Labradorite" a beautiful grey or black mineral containing jewels found especially on "Paul's Island" near the town of Nain Labrador further north from where we were.
That evening we attended the coming home get together held inside a tent on the shore of Red Bay. They had some welcoming speeches and introductions and a few of the "old timers" shared some memories of growing up here. One gentleman in his 80's pointed to a place just outside the tent where his boyhood home used to set. He spoke of remembering his mother working hard throughout the summer months in preparation for the coming winters when they endured months of snow and ice. His Dad was a whaler and gone for many months at a time. Tears came to his eyes as he shared his visualization as a kid growing up in Labrador.
Returning to our motel for a short sleep we arose the next morning early to catch the ferry back to Newfoundland. As evening fell and we took a walk down to the shoreline I captured this final picture of the sun setting over the lands and seas of Labrador.......
We spent two days touring the park and got some great wildlife photos.........
The following day we drove out to the "Dungeons"...... Following directions we entered a large pasture filled with herds of goats, and a few cattle. taking the dirt road which was barely more than a trail, we approached an area with some "warning signs" and some fenced areas....
I could not help but stand and stare at the awesome wonders around me
Morning light brought a day of exploration to get acquainted with this new land we're in. We had breakfast with some of the locals at a little cafe, hiked to some falls, and drove to "Rose Blanch, a restored light house.
The next day plans were to drive to a campground in "Corner Brook", but after looking at the map we decided to drive to Provincial Park where we stayed by the ocean. There are no hookups there so we dry camped. On the way there we took a wrong turn and ended up right in the middle of a busy downtown, in a big parking lot surrounded by one way streets! We spotted a cop so Jim ask for help getting out of there and he was very nice..... He could see the mess we were in and laughed at our mistake of missing the right road where we should have turned towards the park but found ourselves in the middle of the city instead. He stopped the traffic and allowed us to go around the block to the road out of town....... Finally finding our way we arrived at our camp spot about 1:00 that afternoon and spent that night. It was a gorgeous place, very peaceful and quiet. We climbed the mountain that afternoon and took this shots of our little place in heaven.
Our friends came over for supper and just as we finished eating the sun was going down and my friend begin stuttering and pointing out the window. She seen this fox who wandered by and paused to look around. I grabbed the camera quietly opened the door and took his picture.
We drove that day to Port Au Choix, about 10 miles from where we catch the ferry at St. Barbe. We will leave the campers at the campground, pack some clothes for a couple of days on the shores of Labrador. The next day our ferry didn't leave until 1:00 in the afternoon so we took a short drive that morning out to an area we had read about. As we parked the pickup we walked to a massive rock covered beach and there before my eyes were miles of crystal rocks......
Of course I knew I had died and gone to heaven, I couldn't bring them all home with me, but I spent a wonderful couple of hours combing the beach and picking up what I could carry back to the pickup.
Jim almost had to drag me out of there and back to the camper in order to get our bags and board the ferry, but we made it on time. We loaded the vehicles and us on board then hit a storm so it was a pretty rough ride across the sea to Labrador. It was pouring down rain when we stepped off the ship in "Blanc Sablon" but I knew immediately we were in a very special place. We got the vehicles off and drove a short distance to find a place to stay for the night in "Modeste" Labrador.
Settling in to a little motel, we took off to visit the area......That afternoon we visited a light house and climbed to the top to get a good view.We went to a restaurant for a delicious supper of fried Cod and while there the waitress told us that it was "coming home week". Anyone who has ever lived in Labrador tries to return every year for a reunion during this week. They were having a large gathering at a tent set down on the shore the next evening and to please come since we were visitors we were now part of their family. We promised her we would try to make it. Just as a side note I can't say enough about the warmth of this community. Since we hit the shores in both Newfoundland and Labrador we've been welcomed with open arms and indeed made to feel like family.
The next morning we took off early to tour everything we could find..... We went through a whaling museum and learned the history of what the first settlers endured, it was such a hard life. We took a short boat ride over to "Saddle Island" and "Tracy Hill" where we seen old ship wrecks, took a hike, had an impromptu lunch on the hillside and studied the history of the area.
Lunch of some cheese 'n crackers on the hillside
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| Labradorite |
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| the "coming home" reunion |
That evening we attended the coming home get together held inside a tent on the shore of Red Bay. They had some welcoming speeches and introductions and a few of the "old timers" shared some memories of growing up here. One gentleman in his 80's pointed to a place just outside the tent where his boyhood home used to set. He spoke of remembering his mother working hard throughout the summer months in preparation for the coming winters when they endured months of snow and ice. His Dad was a whaler and gone for many months at a time. Tears came to his eyes as he shared his visualization as a kid growing up in Labrador.
Returning to our motel for a short sleep we arose the next morning early to catch the ferry back to Newfoundland. As evening fell and we took a walk down to the shoreline I captured this final picture of the sun setting over the lands and seas of Labrador.......
And I kiss Labrador farewell leaving a part of my heart
Arriving back in St. Barbe Newfoundland the next afternoon we hitched up the camper again and left the following morning for St. Anthony's where we visited an old Viking settlement at Le Aunse Aux Meadows. The next day we took a whale watching tour and visited the Grenfell center, a museum dedicated to the early medical community and Doctor Grenfell who serviced the ill around the area, also traveling on his hospital ship to Labrador, treating the worst on board and reaching many communities by dog sled.
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| Discoveries of a Viking "house" with demonstrations inside of how they lived including cooking, basking weaving, and rug weaving  |
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| Click to read text |
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| Click to read text From St. Andrews we stayed the night in Rocky Harbourand then on back to Gros Morne National where we spentabout 3 days touring the park. The following picture wastaken on a day's boat trip thru the forids. It was an amazing area. |
Moose in a pasture
Bear crossing road in front of us
From Gros Morne National Park we traveled back North to the little town of "Twillingate" where we visited a museum and hiked to a lookout point where we had lunch and watched a pilot whale play in the water for a couple of hours. He appeared to be catching lunch also and made a few great rolls in front of us though I was never able to capture a full shot. Then Jim and I hiked on over the mountain and our friends picked us up at a pull off where they could reach us.
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| click to enlarge for the best shot I could get of the whale |
Lunch on the trail
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End of the Trail This Poem (copyright 1987 by Ron Young) was displayed in the museum titled "Manitou of the Beothuk. Manitou is an indian word meaning spirit. The poem touched me, as while in this area I feel the presence of those who came before us.  |
A Twillingate scene from the top of the mountain
Leaving Twillingate we drove on towards the northern most coast in Newfound to a place called Bona Vista..... We seen a little campground on the map about 2 miles this side of town, called them and yes, they could accommodate us. When we arrived we met the owners who showed us where to park and then stayed to visit for a while telling us about themselves and things to see in the area. We had planned to stay here only one night but ended up staying four. As it turned out it was my most favorite place in all of Newfoundland.......Little did we know, but much did we learn........
Come to find out the folks who owned the place had inherited the family farm from his grandparents a few years before. Being one of the first to go to college and not stay in the fishing industry, he and his wife are both doctors. In the winter time they work part time in the Halifax Nova Scotia hospital, then in the summer they come back to the farm and had made the decision to turn part of their land into a campground. It set on a beautiful little lake and was the perfect place to run around from. Our camp spot was named aptly named "Paradise Park" and indeed it was.......
When they started telling us about all there was to do, we taked it over and agreed to adjust our schedule as best we could and spend more time in Bona Vista. The first day we went to "Puffin Island". Not knowing what to expect it was probably one of the more fun days we'd had.......Learning that "Puffin's" are a little bird we became best friends with them by the time the day was over.
Puffin's live in holes they bury into the dirt on top of the rocks that rise from the sea level. They are very "cute" little black & white birds with a large orange beak and white face. They are primarialy water birds for eating, but breed on ground and are very clumsy flyers..... Making their way from the water flying up to the land gave cause for many rough landings after coming in on a skid, but made us laugh at their determination to get where they were wanting to go......The rocks around the water held thousands of colony's and we were able to get up close and personal with them setting on the rocks beside them.
Hiking out to the point of one of the rocks we observed the Puffin's most of the day
Hiking down to take a closer look we read a sign that explained the sight before us was where the sea through eons of erosion had washed under the land appearing again as various areas as open caverns. We spent most of the day exploring these places gazing down into the Atlantic Ocean while standing in the middle of a pasture with the goats more than two miles away from the water's edge.
Spending the next day in town we toured a replica of "the Matthew", a replica of "Cabot's ship, had a nice lunch and took in an outdoor lecture tour learning about history of the cod fishing industry.
Click to enlarge text
The Matthew
A cod salting demonstration
 Enjoying our campsite in Paradise Park Bona Vista  Sunset out the back of the camper window on the little lake  Sunset on Cabot's Bay.........One of the most beautiful places on earth.......Bona Vista Newfoundland |
Leaving Bona Vista was hard, we had fallen in love with it and swore to go back some day......
We had deadlines to meet though so we hit the road again for St. John's Newfoundland.......
Our campgroud in St. John's was called "Pippy Park"..... It was perfect for the whole mood of the area which portrays a fun loving and bright atmosphere including the people, the houses and business owners.
We had deadlines to meet though so we hit the road again for St. John's Newfoundland.......
Our campgroud in St. John's was called "Pippy Park"..... It was perfect for the whole mood of the area which portrays a fun loving and bright atmosphere including the people, the houses and business owners.
We begin our visit there with a day to do laundry, restock on supplies, and clean the pickup and camper, then set out the next day by hiring a driver and car to take us on a tour. He was a great guide and we enjoyed his humor and knowledge of the area very much. I believe it was here when I suffered my first bout with homesickness..... I missed the kids, my home, and "normal" way of life. The light hearted attitudes of everyone around me helped a great deal.
The driver took us to "signal hill" where we viewed the harbor from high on the hill, then into town where the houses are all painted in beautiful bright colors.
The driver took us to "signal hill" where we viewed the harbor from high on the hill, then into town where the houses are all painted in beautiful bright colors.
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| The view of St. John's Harbor from Signal Hill The next day we ventured out on our own to visit Cape Spear and hiked to the most easterly point on the Northern Continent, then spotted a whale out to sea, far in the distance but I did get a picture of his tail. Cape Spear was also where they received the first wireless signal in 1901. The first ships sent to help the titanic came out of St. John's......
 Also in St. Johns we visited the "Geo Center", a wonderful museum dedicated to the minerals of Newfoundland. The had an oil field section and many displays of the rocks and minerals taken out of this great land. 
 We spent two days in St. Johns, and then took a day's drive to St. Shotts, what they call "the Irish loop" and the southern most point in Newfoundland Traveling across the land to the south now through grassy plains....... On the way we spotted a small herd of Caribou...... We had been told they will travel this far south and to watch for them as it's open range and they have the right away.......    The southern coastline of Newfoundland We drove back to St. John's and slept fast, then left the next morning to travel to the small town of "Argentia" where we will set in the ferry parking lot all day and board it at midnight August 28th for the return trip to Nova Scotia This sign hangs in downtown St. Johms  Newfoundland.... Otherwise known as "The Rock" Of all the different places we've been before and since, I loved this land so much. The people, their strength, the rocks, the ocean, the landscape, it's small villages and beautiful cities. I will never forget you............. God did rain his blessings upon you. Please continue on to "Canada" Part III as we return to Nova Scotia |
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