Newfoundland #8 (NL #8): Bailieboro to Bergs

Roadside View

This is a new feature, named for our new Roadtrek Motorhome. It will feature a view FROM or OF our MoHo. This time, it’s a view of our first iceberg as we travelled north near Green Island Cove on the Viking Trail:

Day 1: June 15, 2017

It has been a tough year of health-related issues which are now mostly resolved. We had a shortened Fall trip and no Winter trip, so we were delighted to leave for five weeks in our special place, Newfoundland and Labrador. And, we are in our new Roadtrek. We’ve had two short trips (to Presquile, Long Point and Algonquin Provincial Parks in Ontario), but this is the first “biggy”

Day 1 featured a smooth, mostly traffic-free ride all the way to de la Republique Provincial Park near Edmunston, New Brunswick (Site #105, No Services, $25.20 Senior). David said the MoHo was easy to drive and easy on fuel.

Day 2: June 16, 2017

it was a sunny, fast, smooth drive through New Brunswick and Nova Scotia: no traffic and no Moose (though four Deer). We saw our first East Coast Lupins near Perth-Andover and, again, laughed at the “No Trespassing” and “Please Close Gate After Use” signs along the Moose Barrier fences. We got to St. Peter’s Canal, a favourite free campsite, and settled in for the night, watching the locals fish for Mackeral. At one point, I looked out, and there was David being coached!

He caught three on his first cast. and no one caught any more, especially after I showed up with my camera. This wounded Gannet hoped for more!

Here’s the view of our campsite:

Day 3: June 17, 2017

We were up early and had an easy drive to North Sydney, directly into the Ferry Terminal. There were more of the usual chats with those lined up near us, especially the motorcyclists. We boarded and left on time in a ship about 1/2 full. We met Cathy and Dave from Manitoba, on their first trip to Newfoundland, and enjoyed their company and the chance to recommend some favourite places for them to visit.

We landed about 6:30 in the rain, found our favourite Port-aux-Basques boondock and breathed a sigh of relief to be safely in this beautiful place.

Day 4: June 18, 2017

What promised to be a miserable day turned in to being a mix of sun, clouds and drizzle. There was even snow in the mountains.

We took advantage of our free 150 Anniversary National Park Pass and visited the Lobster Cove Lighthouse:

and the Broom Point Fishing Exhibit:

These place which preserve the lives of former Newfoundlanders really touch me. And, at the Broom exhibit, we also saw a colony of Common Eiders and other water birds:

A quick trip further north found us at The Arches where we chatted with a Saskatchewan couple who has a business selling Snowy Owl Photo Tours to the rich of Europe and, especially, China. Hmmm… I was accompanied on my post-dinner walk by two Pine Grosbeaks:

…and we enjoyed this quiet view from my chair:

Day 5: June 19, 2017

it was a dreary morning, so we decided to forgo some visits and head towards St. Anthony.

We passed 14 Motorhomes in a “Yankee On Tour” Caravan (nothing could appeal less!) and decided to stop at Port aux Choix for another “free” National Park visit. But it was so foggy and the road was so bad that we decided to turn around and head further north. We did stop in Port Saunders for some fishing wharf shots:

Our lunch spot near Castor’s River South featured beach, fog and snow: another typical Newfoundland sight! and we met another Saskatchewan couple. the Wild West is invading the Wild East!

The ditch gardens were mostly dug along the way, and the woodpiles are mostly complete for next winter. I’ll get some photos on our way back.

Typically, we got to St. Anthony in the fog, having seen one Moose (our current count is two Moose and one Mink). We saw one iceberg before the fog came in:

…and decided to head to Pistolet Bay Provincial Park (#21, No Services, $58.70 for two nights, including a Park Pass, Senior).

The view from my chair promises Moose or Caribou sightings (ha!):

F16: Assateague Part 2

Waterfront View

Ah, horses in the saltmarsh near our campsite at the Assateague Island National Seashore:

October 2 to October 7

Days 7 to 10

The weather reports say we will be avoiding Hurricane Matthew for a few more days, so we decided to head back to Assateague, but to the National Park. We snagged A24 for four nights ($30, No Services), and here`s the view from my chair:

We decided to take advantage of the sunny day and headed to the Ferry Landing to launch our boats. It took 15-20 minutes to set up and get into the water; not too bad. We paddled among the Egrets and Herons for a couple of others and just relaxed! Aaaah…finally:

The sun shone again this morning, so we bird and deer walked:

…visited fellow campers, I walked the beach (Dolphins):

and rode David`s bike. In the afternoon, we went for another paddle amongst many Little Blue Herons and enjoyed the late afternoon in our bug tent (a necessity in this buggy place):

It was another sunny morning and there were horses in the saltmarsh. I took a long beach walk, and David started HIS cold! We drove into Historic Berlin, MD, for coffees and a Peach Dumpling:

After lunch, I rode the bike past horses and a turtle and viewed the continuing flooding of the State Park:

It was a lovely, relaxing, warm day.

Well, the clouds were heading in this morning, and we had to make a decision about how long we were going to stay in Maryland. Our next destination, on Chesapeake Bay, was predicting more rain and wind as Matthew swung nearby. And despite the fact that we were going to spend the weekend with our good friends Linda and Denny and Ellie and Denny, we decided to cut our losses and start home tomorrow.

So I took one last beach walk (the Kite Boarders loved it), and we packed up ready to leave in the morning:

Days 11 and 12

Of course, it was a sunny, warm morning, but we needed to trust our bedraggled instincts and head north. We wanted to test a toll-free drive for next year and headed towards Lancaster, PA. We passed through Newark, DE, a cute university town (except in a Motorhome!) and continued for a while on some backroads but decided to get onto Highway 10 north to I76 to I81 (and decided to TAKE the toll road next time-though not the short hop around Scranton)! We stayed at our favourite Flying J near New Milford, PA and enjoyed pizza and medicinal wine (we were both sick by now)!

Today was another gorgeous morning, and though we regret ending our trip early and missing our friends, we were happy to get home and start getting better. And we had one last Fall trip view of the colours (near Preble, NY):

Fall 2016: Assateague National Seashore Part 1

Waterfront View

I love Sanderlings and I love this beach!

September 26 to October 1

Days 1 and 2

With a bunch of medical appointments for late October, we headed out early for our Fall Trip. It was a beautiful day for an uneventful drive.We had another easy border crossing, despite the sniffer dog! We saw very few election signs (Pennsylvania may ban them on interstates) though the Ron Paul 2012 sign is still there near Kingston, Ontario. We took the Turnpike and regretted the tolls on the first, short part (never again) but stayed in the relatively quiet Hickory Travel Center (and watched the debate!).

Our trip continued through Delaware (more election signs here), and we got to Assateague State Park (Site I9, No Services, $14 weekday and $28 weekend with Maryland Golden Age Pass) and settled in for four reserved nights. I took a beach walk, toured the campground on my bike, and saw our first baby horse (Hank Jr.):

Here`s the view from my chair:

Days 3, 4 and 5

Thunderstorms were expected, but it was a pretty nice day, I took three beach walks, cruised the campground, sat on the beach for a while, then we took a 10 mile bike ride in the National Park:

We saw another horse family (a baby female this time):

…but cut the ride short with black skies and a bent tire rim (my bike, of course). Back home, we watched three sites fill with young couples and families from some religious sect (long skirts and head covering for the women; trucks and flashlights but no indoor lights). Thinking Amish.

Well, it turned out to be a crazy, mostly sleepless night as those black skies turned into thunder, lightening, strong winds and relentless rain. So we spent the day inside, reading and waiting for a break. Since we were being broadsided by the wind, we drove to the Day Use area so we could face into the worst of it. We even spent the night in the overflow area so we could avoid being buffeted by the wind for another night. Oh, and after some sneezing yesterday, I developed a full-blown head cold. What a day. Here`s our view for the whole day:

We woke to this view of our campsite and those around us:

The washrooms were surrounded by water. Campsites were flooded. And we headed into Ocean City for a break from the wet. And some BBQ, so all was not lost. I even walked the beach some; people had crawled out from a day and a half spent indoors:

Day 6

It was another rainy night, and we decided to head inland to avoid what`s been promised to be more bad weather. And we hoped to paddle at Pokomoke State Park, known for canoe and kayak trails. During a stop for bread, I saw a woman dressed like our Amish neighbours and asked her about her faith. She, like the neighbours, are Mennonites, and there`s a church in Snow Hill. So, now I know.

When we paid for our site, we learned that there would be no paddling: the river has crested the banks and sewage was dumped. With my cold, bent tire rim, terrible storms and rain and some credit card problems we resolved (not our fault!), we wondered what could happen next. But the sun did come out, and I even took a walk. Here`s the view from my chair (Site 34, E, $34 on weekend):

One Last Island, Then Home!

Waterfront View

This time, it’s a beach on the St. Lawrence River in Riviere-du-loup:

Day 30: July 25

There was a ferry and another island, so off we went to White Head. We took our bicycles and enjoyed the 30 minute free ride.

We rode almost every foot of road here, looking for real estate (nothing perfect yet), but enjoyed this pretty place complete with an interesting cemetery, beautiful, rocky beach, and busy harbour:

…and some icecream (well-deserved):

We also witnessed four more parts of the dulsing story: by crane from dories onto a truck , by ATV, by hand and by rake right in the harbour. Oh, and by mouth on the ferry (and we both spit it out after smiling our thanks!):

We enjoyed another quiet evening (and I had one last beach walk). Here’s some “beach art”:

Day 31: July 26

We were up early to fog, but needed to dump and take on water, hit the bakery, and make the 9:30 ferry. Despite the murky crossing, we did see a “Marine Mammal” (likely a seal) then six or seven whales! There were also some Common Murres and, I think, a flock of Shearwaters!

The drive north through New Brunswick was uneventful, and we decided to spend the night at the de la Republique Provincial Park ($28, E/W). Here’s the view from my chair:

Day 32: July 27

Having read that Beluga Whales have been sighted from the wharf in Riviere-du-loup, we headed there early. Thanks to another whale watcher, we DID see some: white and shiny and too quick for photos. But amazing!

We found a little beach and found the last glass of the trip. Oh, and a Santa’s Village of sorts:

 

Then we decided to head east along the river via Route 132 instead of the highway. It was lovely and interesting between the small towns and the water views. And the roadside crucifixes and shrines. And artist studios and art installations. Even our lunch spot was interesting: what we thought were swans turned out to be Snow Geese!

The rest of the Quebec drive was uneventful: no construction, no accidents and very little traffic, even below Montreal. We decided to try crossing back into Ontario via Salaberry-de-Valleyfield this time and would do it again. Our last night on the road was a noisy one at the Flying J. Here’s the view from my chair (tucked among the transports):

Day 33: July 28

It was nice to have only five hours to go. Another easy drive across this part of Ontario, just as the long weekend traffic was beginning.

This was a great trip. I think the best part was that we stayed put in places for two, three, even four and five days to enjoy the waterfront campgrounds we found and these pretty Maritime provinces. We would love to have found a summer home, but not yet. So more East Coast exploring awaits!