NL #8: The Road to the Isles

Waterfront View

Ah, the one shot of us both together. AND it’s in front of water and icebergs in Twillingate!

Day 11: June 25, 2017

Nothing like a couple of icebergs to start your final day in Labrador:

It was sunny with blue skies…okay, and a little fog. We headed to the ferry. At a coffee stop, the guy driving behind us said the road from our campground to the ferry (paved!) was worse than the gravel Labrador Highway! Poor residents of these pretty towns.

We had to hang out for first come, first served spots on the ferry and were lucky. While waiting in line, the woman ahead of me solved the ambulance/family mystery from a few days ago. A young man, 58, I think, died in Labrador when his truck rolled back on him. The people we saw were his family gathering (there were 55 of them for the church roast beef dinner) for the funeral. Granny had been in St. Anthony after falling and was being transported to her young son’s funeral, a real snapshot of family life here.

It was a choppy ferry ride, but we arrived to 20F warmer temperatures and sun! We got to The Arches in time for a cobbled beach walk:

and a beautiful sunset view from my chair:

Day 12: June 26, 2017

We had a great sleep with the windows open to the sound of the ocean. I saw whales spouting way in the distance and then we saw Moose #7 and #8, a cow and calf:

We stopped in Norris Point and decided on a spontaneous boat trip  on Bonne Bay. Since there was a bus tour on board, we got the benefit of the funny and informative banter of the crew, four Bald Eagles, a Minke whale and the Screeching In of the bus people (it would have cost us $10!):

Next stop, the Baie Verte Peninsula, Moose #9, and the campground at La Scie we found years ago. Beverly, the operator and a real character (she said “I likes the way you talks” and I returned the compliment), set us up in site #7 ($22 E/W) overlooking the cove.

Here’s our view from my chair:

Day 13: June 27, 2017

Wow, a sunny AND warm morning. I walked up Lookout Trail then we chatted with Michel, a neighbour. He’s retired from the military and travels in a Class A with his rescue dog, Nina. We discussed life, politics and religion…

David and I then followed the series of trails into town:

Inspired by this (some of you will know why):

we stopped for this (oh my):

and felt like this:

and, fortunately, had to continue the hike back home (total 2.7 miles).

Back at the campsite, we relaxed in the sun, then watched as the Coast Guard ship cruised the harbour and lay down some buoys. A couple of weeks ago, a boat had been sunk there after hitting pack ice (we remembered hearing this and didn’t relate it to where we now were). The crew was rescued (no one was hurt) via helicopter and the boat sunk. Apparently, the boat held crab pots and there was worry that the pots and ropes would begin to float and cause troubles for other boats. Very exciting to watch:

We met Ted and Sandra (from Oshawa, my hometown, now Newcastle) who are in the next site for a month. They met people from La Scie a few years ago and return often.

After dinner, they took us for a Jeep ride to several small villages: some abandoned, some busy, one inhabited by one man each summer. We saw some amazing sights:

Ted and Sandra are great storytellers and tour guides, and Ted is an excellent and FEARLESS driver, so we had the best evening!

The last stop saw an incredible sunset and even a Fox!

Here’s another view from my chair:

Day 14: June 28, 2017

It was time to move on. But first a second stop at the Dorset Soapstone Quarry:

and a few other bay-side sights:

No Moose on the Trans Canada, but a Mama Duck and five ducklings crossed that busy highway, safely, just in front of us! Jeesh.

It was a long driving day after busy yesterday, so we headed to Dildo Run Provincial Park and settled in for a quiet evening.

Here’s the view from my chair (nice “cabins”!):

Day 15: June 29, 2017

Yay, the sun was out! We headed to Twillingate but first drove up some roads to iceberg hunt (not a hard task):

On our way to the Crow’s Head Lighthouse, we saw these (so hard to get that blue with a camera):

At the lighthouse, we saw these:

and they were everywhere!

Wow.

We decided to head to the ferry for Fogo Island. We got there in time, but were victims of the “new ferry” trials and tribulations. One is in dry dock after having been damaged by ice a few weeks ago. The rear ramp on the other (these cost millions and are brand new!) has malfunctioned, so people have to enter and turn around onboard, or, like us, have to enter then back off at Fogo. It was a fast and beautiful sail and a harrowing disembarking, but we got here safely and headed to our favourite boondocking spot at Joe Batt’s Arm. The icebergs on the way were unbelievable, and breath-taking where were parked.

We walked the little beach:

met Laura and Jim who own a home beside the little park and chatted about how people are retiring to Fogo or choosing to build here, some because they visited the Fogo Inn and fell in love with the setting. We liked the free spot we have, and here’s our almost sunset view:

NL#8: Bergy Bits to Big Bergs!

Roadside View

Here we are in Red Bay, Labrador:

Day 6: June 20, 2017

This was a banner morning of firsts.

First Moose pic (third Moose):

First Bergy Bits:

First Big Bergs:

First beach glass:

First Black-backed Woodpecker (Life Bird):

We drove north to Ship Cove and were directed to a great lookout (‘up the road, not to Cape Onion, out past the cemetery, onto the hill…ya can’t miss it”):

Not only were there icebergs, there was also a miniature village David had read about on Facebook:

This itty bitty lighthouse was overlooking this itty bitty iceberg:

On our way to Raleigh, we got these woodpile and ditch garden examples:

then were awestruck by this garden of bergy bits in the cove:

Here’s the Cat’s Eye View of our lunch spot:

We saw Moose #4 on our way to L’Anse aux Meadows (and #5 on our way back) and did the free pass tour of the site. We were alone with the Vikings and enjoyed the warmth from the propane fire (they burned through the roof two years ago and now use gas). And learned “the fewest words to describe the most things in Newfoundland”: “arn or narn” (in relationship to if there are or are not any fish!)."

There were so many icebergs today; our eyes are full. Here are a few more:

Here’s a view of the campsite three over:

Day 7: June 21, 2017

We headed back to St. Anthony, saw Moose #6, and got to the Fox Point Lighthouse IN THE SUN!. And there were icebergs and whales!

We got supplies and drove to Goose Cove and walked the trail for more icebergs:

and had lunch in Great Brehat before heading back to Flower’s Cove as the fog started to build. We spent a quiet night on our favourite secret spot and booked the ferry to Labrador for tomorrow.

Too foggy for a view!

Day 8: June 22, 2017

We had time to visit the Thrombolites before heading to the ferry:

There was a large family gathering, often in tears and hugging, along with an ambulance. We tried to figure it all out. Though we had decided they were returning to Labrador with the body of a loved one for burial, we later saw (since we were the last vehicle off the ferry) that the ambulance had a very alive though old and infirm Granny. We’ll never know now.

We drove to the falls in Bras D’Or thinking we’d boondock there:

but ended up at the Ile aux Perroquets (Puffin Island) and were happy to watch the large icebergs just offshore. This one was COVERED in Puffins as was the surrounding water. Amazing:

Here’s the view from my chair:

Day 9: June 23, 2017

Despite the arse who honked his horn twice on the highway behind us and the yowling prowling cat outside (neither of which disturbed OUR cat), we had a good night and woke to 15 icebergs in our view!

We saw more and more large icebergs as we travelled along the coast. this definitely is Iceberg Alley as advertised:

At L’Anse-au-Loup, we stopped for some beachcombing:

and got to Pinware Provincial Park (2 nights, no services, senior $26.20) before lunch. They had just opened Friday and all the tent sites were still closed. But the washrooms were freshly painted, and we got Site 16 with an amazing view of icebergs.

It was nice to stay put, look:

walk:

gather glass (yep, that’s snow):

and enjoy the glorious view from my chair:

Day 10: June 24, 2017

A nice quiet, if chilly, night. It’s damp and dreary and quite cold (it is summer after all). But, it’s Labrador!

We drove to the Red Bay National Historic Site for another free pass tour. Truman, our advisor, from a former visit, on cooking an Eider: “stuff ‘er full of Stove Top and stick ‘er in the oven”, took us over to Saddle Island and the Basque Whaling Site. We walked some and took some pictures:

and got back before the rain and the tour bus full from Vermont.

Back home to rain! After relaxing, I took another beachwalk and ended the day with this Cat’s Eye View from my chair: