NL #8: Final Roads and Reflections

Waterfront View

This is the is the view over the Riviere-du-Loup Marina (where we almost stayed for the night; maybe next year!):

Day 35: July 19, 2017

We were up and out early and enjoyed a great drive through New Brunswick on their fabulous and fast (110 km/hour) highways.

There were french fries at Florence-Bristol, the French Fry Capital of the World and a GPS failure at Riviere-du-Loup, though we did drive by Fu Xing restaurant (twice).

We got to the marina and found a lot of beachglass:

but no Belugas. Though we thought we might stay on the wharf for the night, we decided on the Walmart. There were 45 RVs when we arrived and we settled in for the free night and this Roadside View:

Day 36: July 20, 2017

We got up early among the now more than 60 RVs! We decided to try for Belugas again and were not disappointed. First, there were 20 or more Great Blue Herons on the mudflats:

then some white things in the water off the pier. Not icebergs! Not whitecaps! Belugas!!!!

A perfect end to the trip.

We took the Route de Navigateurs for awhile and enjoyed the fields (what has these blue flowers?):

but not the tight roads, bicyclists and busy tourist towns, so we headed back to the Trans Canada, and I finally got this long overdue photo:

We got home, unscathed, around 9:30 PM.

Here are my reflections:

David is an amazing driver, excellent travel companion and wonderful husband

Mandy is a great little traveller

We love our Roadtrek; we have a list of things to work on, but it is sleek and comfortable and suits us

Newfoundland is still our heart place, but the terrible roads may keep us away for awhile (don’t let that deter you from visiting, but be warned)

Canada is an amazing country, and Canadians are proud. We saw so many wearing Canada and Canada 150 t-shirts everywhere we went. We are proud Canadians.

Go to Newfoundland during Iceberg Season; they were amazing this year

After eight months at home, with some health issues and some worries, travelling with someone you love, and a pet that is cute, to a place that you love is the best medicine!

NL #8: Hello and Farewell to Nova Scotia

Waterfront AND Sunset View

This is the view from our campsite in Dunvegan, Nova Scotia:

Day 31: July 15, 2017

After a good sleep and a free RV Dump and Water, we hung out at the ferry chatting with bikers and RVers. Everyone agreed the province is beautiful and the roads are awful.

We had a smooth and uneventful sail, though our neighbours were very talkative! We got in around 6:30, got some food, and spent the free night at the Indian Cove Park right beside the ferry.

After a short beach walk:

we enjoyed this view from my chair:

Day 32: July 16, 2017

There’s always time for a final beachglass walk:

Then we headed to a free National Park Pass visit to the Fortress of Louisbourg, which we visited together 30 years ago. There was architecture:

.

…people:

…some noise:

…and some food:

It was a fun day, followed by a drive up to the Broad Cove campground of the Cape Breton Highlands National Park on the Cabot Trail. Here’s the view of our site (#92, $24.50 Unserviced): small, unlevel, and very close to our neighbours (the exact opposite of what the staff people told us!). But we had no reservations and some sites were larger and better (and booked a year in advance!). I walked, met Roadtrekkers from Woodstock, Ontario and joined the community campground for some blueberry tea:

Day 33: July 17, 2017

It was a gorgeous morning for an early drive on the Cabot Trail. we met a lovely man from Missouri travelling here for the first time and on his own. We convinced him, with road warnings, to spend as much time as possible in Newfoundland!

We headed up to the northern tip to Bay St. Lawrence and a whale watching tour. It was cheap ($25) and a fun ride in a small, lobster boat, but we were skunked on whales, though we saw Bald Eagles and Seals and interesting coves:

We drove some more:

and found ourselves at MacLeod’s Campground (Site 110, $41.40! Unserviced). I walked the gorgeous and peaceful beach:

And enjoyed the beautiful sunset view from my chair:

and NOT the view from the serviced sites (yay solar!):

Day 34: July 18, 2017

This day was all about driving, albeit on lovely highways! We pulled into the Amherst Shores Provincial Park (Site 31, $24.35 Senior, Unserviced) and enjoyed sitting outside in our new bug tent (goes up in seconds and will eventually come down as quickly when we remember how!):

Here’s another Cat’s Eye View:

NL #8: Ocean Au Revoir

Roadside View

Here we are at J.T. Cheeseman Provincial Park, between the Barachois and the Ocean. Beautiful!

Day 27: July 11, 2017

We booked the ferry for Saturday, so we have four more days to enjoy this lovely province. First stop: the Port au Port Peninsula on this sunny and warm day (yep, I said it!). We drove up the “right” side since we usually do this in reverse. At Mainland, we were entertained, yet again, by these houses:

Up to Cape St. George and the beautiful cliffs and views of the ocean that go on forever. We first parked on the edge of the cliff, but the winds were strong:

We hiked around, looked for Whales (I think I saw a Minke) and and Seals (David saw one), chatted with Tim from Ottawa (first trip), Cindy from the Bruce Peninsula (like us, a frequent returnee), and a young couple from Quebec (also on their first trip). It was fun to make recommendations and swap stories.

This is the final view from my chair: less dramatic, but much safer! And the Sunset View was just steps away:

Day 28: July 12, 2017

Another sunny start, though clouds came and went all day. Our first stop was a hike to the site of a 1941 Plane Crash. David found this “hidden” stop via Bob’s Newfoundland web site. a good one.

The debris was eerie (doesn’t this look like a skull?):

and a little sad.

It also seems to be the scene for some parties by humans and a lot of Moose. We have decided that these two pictures will have to represent Moose #11 and #12 (my goal for this trip) which we never saw:

We saw the “hoodoos” on the way and the Alpacas and more Lupins, still in season:

and got to another favourite place, the Codroy Provincial Park, home of the Endangered Piping Plover (we actually saw chicks here four years ago). I love walking this beach. We had a few beach finds (glass, shards and bones):

AND sightings of four Piping Plovers. Man, are they fast runners. But we got some good shots. Meet #64 and #41:

You can’t stay overnight at this Park, but we have a secret spot nearby for this beautiful sunset view from my chair:

Day 29: July 13, 2017

Sad to leave this spot on a sunny day, but another beach awaits! First, we stopped at the Cape Ray Lighthouse (and got a shot of an intrepid Robin. They’re everywhere, and we can’t figure out how they survive here!

The young man staffing the exhibit was so cute and thorough. He’ll be a History Major at Memorial in the Fall. His interest and enthusiasm will serve him well, but he’ll need to stop saying “like” so much!

We got to Cheeseman, not our favourite spot for staying (Site #15, $13.10 Senior, Unserviced) but a great spot for beachwalking and Piping Plover sightings. Oh, and some snow:

So we spent the afternoon beachwalking and birding. Both David and I were dive-bombed by Terns:

but we were undeterred and saw some more Plovers:

We had a quiet night. The view from my chair is just in front of The Falls, which we heard all night and the next morning:

Day 30: July 14, 2017

We inch our way to the ferry today. But first a drive along the south coast with a stop at the Barachois Falls Trail.

Our first hike here was on a rickety, broken down path. The next was a path improved with gravel and a new boardwalk (the end point from which I took this next picture). This time, the path was extended to the falls. So the enjoyment (and number of steps!) improves each time:

And there were floral and feathered friends to accompany us:

Next stop was Diamond Cove:

a view of the Rose Blanche Lighthouse from afar:

and a stop at Harbour Le Cou (which features in a Great Big Sea song Deb Sloan gave us!):

The landscape here is very different with mountains and freshwater ponds on one side and rocky barrens and ocean on the other:

Next stop was the Port Aux Basques waterfront which was pretty empty except for “the boys” and some grass cutters. The gift shops and nightly talent only begin at 6:30, when the ferry lands. So, this is a two-hour-a-day town:

We headed back to our favourite spot at Grand Bay West for a final Newfoundland beachwalk (complete with Schists for my Geology friends):

The parking lot was filled with locals enjoying this beautiful spot. We’ll stay here on our last night, as we did on our first. The difference is that the view the first night was obscured by rain and fog (and here it is this night):

And here’s the other side view from my chair: