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: