June 8 (Day 31) to June 10 (Day 33) – Grand Falls – Windsor to Twillingate, Newfoundland.

We left the highlands of the Gros Marne region and again caught the Trans Canada Highway at Deer Lake, but not before spending a couple of hours at the Newfoundland Insectarium at Deer Lake.  This three-story building was filled with amazing insects and exhibits that spanned most of the continents on earth.  We just had to top it off in the butterfly wing with hundreds of the most colorful flyers in existence – eat your hearts out airlines, your airplanes don’t look anywhere near that cool!  

Then it was on to Grand Falls – Windsor for a “campout” at the Wal Mart parking lot.  Say what you want, but we had the best and fastest WiFi for free.  On a long trip logistics are not always easy, but we found a trusty GMC dealer to get our faithful GMC Canyon toad serviced by the friendliest dealership she has ever been in.  Kudos to Newfoundlanders once again!  June 9^th found us along the Trans Canada Highway heading for Twillingate and hoping for whales and puffins.

The view from Dildo Run Provincial park

Canada is well known for its magnificent national parks administered by Parks Canada, but we have found wonderful lesser known parks in the Provinces.  This was no exception as we settled into Dildo Run Provincial Park for a few days.  Yes, that really is the name of the park!  The ranger staff was outstanding and ordered a day of sunshine just for us the next day.  We have found our early arrival in Newfoundland to be an advantage as the tourist season really doesn’t start until the first of July and in the case of our camp we were one of a half-dozen units in a campground of 75-80 sites.  

Twillingate

We toured Twillingate in the morning and booked an ice berg and whale boat tour with Captain Dave.  Unlike many of the tour boats that are large, Captain Dave offered a bare bones 23 foot open bow boat that maxed out at five passengers.  We got within reach of yet another magnificent ice berg with more fantastic photos and captured some glacier ice along the way.  We also had the hands-on opportunity to help Captain Dave pull and check his lobster traps on the way back to his wharf.  

Chaco's wondering where the squirrel went..

Another iceberg boat ride, this time with Captain Dave's Prime Berth

June 8 (Day 31) – Meet The Newfoundlanders!

As we leave Newfoundland’s western region and Northern peninsula behind, we wanted to share some cultural observations that we haven’t seen in other places.  This is a rugged and beautiful land, and it takes resourceful people to make it their home for generations. 

Roadside woodlots, a common site

Roadside woodlots are very common along the main highway – woodlots with VERY large stockpiles of firewood.  We learned people get wood cutting permits, and own or are otherwise allowed to stockpile their firewood in small lots next to the highway.  We frequently saw wooden sleighs which appear to be used to transport wood to their homes.  Wood piles close to homes were uncommon.

Community gardening, Newfoundland style!

Roadside gardens are also a common site, especially in the northern peninsula.  We learned that when the road was built, top soil was pushed to the side.  Since the soils are rocky and shallow, home gardens aren’t practical.  People are allowed to use the roadside soil to create their vegetable gardens.  Root crops and cabbages are common produce in these gardens, and people don’t mess with gardens or woodlots that belong to others.

Doors to nowhere

It's common to see ‘dead end’ front doors on homes, leading us to wonder ’‘what’s up with that?’ They are the main entry doors in these homes, but have no steps and are obviously not used.  Many are on the second floor with a long way down!  When asked, most people didn’t know why.  The funniest answer we heard was “that’s the in-law entry”.  A more practical answer was that friends and family always enter through the back door, and the front door is required by code (fire exit requirements).  No one seemed to know for sure.

Many homes have long laundry lines attached to the deck on one end and a distant solid object such as an electric pole on the other, with pulleys used to move the line as clothes are hung or removed.  Very practical and also made us wonder how they dry their laundry during their very long winters…

June 4 (Day 31) to June 7 (Day 34) – Gros Morne National Park

We motored south along the Gulf of St. Lawrence to a small village with a big reputation – Cow Head.  The coast is lined with small villages of fishermen and others who settled in conclaves based on family ties and common interests and needs.  Cod fisherman needed each other’s help leading to larger villages while lobster and crab fishermen were more independent.  Cow Head features a fine music venue and a dinner theater attracting folks from miles around.  We settled in our first night with two fine local female singers who focused on songs of the Province and the sea – classic!  The second evening we attended the dress rehearsal of Mary’s Wedding, a two-actor play written by an Alberta playwright and although billed as a dress rehearsal they didn’t miss a line even when changing their own stage props.  It was impressive.

While staying a couple of nights at a wonderful eight site RV park overlooking the bay, we motored to one of Canada’s premier national parks (Gros Morne NP) for a 3 Km hike to connect with a boat tour of Western Brook Pond.  The land-locked fjord is a heavily glaciated valley with towering cliffs and countless waterfalls.  I was reminded of the first park I worked in, Yosemite NP in so many ways.  Glaciers do that!  

We followed the boat tour day with a big move (30 miles) to Rocky Harbor for a heavily recommended evening of entertainment.  We heard only one complaint - that you’ll leave with a painful stomach because of so much laughter!   We were not disappointed as we took in dinner and “Anchors Aweigh”, at a local pub.  Our stomachs dutifully hurt!!!!  Anchors Aweigh is a musical group of five locals – a tour boat captain, a high school music teacher, two tour boat deck hand/interpreters, and a marine services businessman making wonderful music of the area, park and sea.  Check out a sample of their show at https://youtu.be/ZCouZiogZLk.

Lots of moose 'signs', but no sightings in this park
except for the droppings Chaco and Jesse found :)
Caribou sightings were common

Now we’ve toured Gros Morne for two more days and will hit the road in the morning toward the Atlantic coast in search of more icebergs and whales.  Gros Morne has beautiful geologic features that were used by geologists to develop and test tectonic plate theories. We finished the day taking a loop hike with the “girls” where they sniffed tons of moose poop, tried to eat some, and waded through mud up

to their bellies forcing a major cleaning before letting them back in the truck.  All they had to say for themselves was, “what’s the problem”?   

rare blue lobster at Bonne Bay Marine
Station Aquarium

Highlights of Gros Morne National Park, western coast of Newfoundland - spectacular!

Gros Morne National Park

May 30 (Day 26) to June 3 (Day 30) – Port Aux Basques to St. Anthony, Newfoundland. Icebergs!

endangered piping plover (not our picture)

We spent a couple of nice days touring and birdwatching around southwestern Newfoundland, and were fortunate to see some Piping Plovers, an endangered shore bird that nests in a small area of the Codroy valley in southwestern Newfoundland.  

We headed north on the hunt for icebergs in time for good weather … and drove our longest day so far, 413 miles.  We weren’t disappointed as we entered Newfoundland’s famous ‘Iceberg Alley’, and saw several beautiful icebergs close to shore and many more in the distance.  A boat trip took us up close and personal with several, most in the 75-100 vertical foot range.  With 8/9ths of the berg underwater that’s a lot of ice – watch out Titanic.  It’s amazing to see these giants that broke off the Greenland ice cap 2 years ago and have traveled this far on ocean currents with some winter vacations locked in sea ice.  Some of this ice is 10,000 years old and our taste test from a dip net sample confirmed perfect quality!   Despite their incredible size the skipper told us they will be melted away in 2 months.

So many beautiful icebergs!

We explored several coves and corner of the peninsula, and were rewarded with our first moose and caribou sightings – yay!  

A moose - finally!

Caribou

Jesse wonders why Chaco is jumping into a wet bog!

We also visited L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site, the only known Viking site in North America and the earliest evidence of Europeans in the western hemisphere.  Who knew Christopher Columbus was a johnnie come lately??  It turns out this historic site was occupied by Vikings in the year 1000, some 500 years before Columbus “found” the New World in 1492!  The site is a Parks Canada and UNESCO World Heritage Site.   As humans migrated from Africa across the planet, this is the place where eastern met western migrants.  It’s a significant site in human history.  The park has re-constructed Norse buildings based on the archeological evidence found here and developed an excellent exhibit, well worth visiting.

We end our visit to this remote corner of Newfoundland with a ‘Viking Feast’ dinner theater.  We’ll head south to visit Gros Morne National Park in the morning.

L'Anse Aux Meadows National Historic Site and Unesco World Heritage Site

May 29 (Day 25): North Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada to Port aux Basques, Newfoundland, Canada and 4 and a half time zones from home (yep, Newfoundland is one-half time zone from Nova Scotia).

North Sydney to Port aux Basques ferry

We checked in and settled into our assigned line for the ferry to Newfoundland leaving at 11:45 am.  As departure time got closer there were a couple of other RVs, quite a few cars and tons of semi-trucks in line.  It appears that the port at North Sydney is the “stuff” pipeline for Newfoundland.  Our ferry was delayed for a couple of hours, but we met so many great folks waiting that it was worth the time. We met several couples moving back to NL after being away to make their fortunes – as Dorothy and they said, “there’s no place like home”.  One character, a retired professional wrestler, was moving back after years in Toronto and proudly sporting a large “Ford/Mayor” bumper sticker related to the infamous mayor of that city.  They packed us in and made up some time along our 92 mile crossing to Port aux Basques and our quick getaway from the ferry got us to a fine little provincial campground in just a short drive.  We have consistently heard that Newfoundlanders or “Newfies” are very friendly folks and our arrival at the campground did not disappoint.  Marv came over from an adjacent campsite and helped direct me into our site and invited us over to share their campfire and conversation.  When he told us he was a retired liquor store manager it opened up all kinds of interest from Michele about local wines.  We’re on the hunt today!       

 J.T. Cheeseman Provincial Park - first night in Newfoundland

May 24 (Day 21) to May 28 (Day 24): Hopewell Cape, New Brunswick, Canada to Baddeck, Nova Scotia, Canada along Bras D ‘OR Lakes (Cape Breton).

Five islands on the Bay of Fundy

Our original plan was to spend June in Nova Scotia, then ferry to Newfoundland for the month of July.  Since we’re flexible, when some other travelers told us the icebergs in Newfoundland would be melted in July, we decided to head north and change our ferry plans.

Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site
in Baddeck, Nova Scotia

We’re deep in Scottish influence now nestled in The Highlands of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and wanting more.  We wanted to save as much time as we could to explore famous Cape Breton Highlands National Park so after settling in to our RV park near Baddeck we drove into town to visit Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site to discover that Bell is not just for telephones anymore!  Born in Scotland and later moving around the U.S. and Canada with his family he ultimately sold his telephone patent and while living elsewhere along the east coast of the U.S. purchased property here to spend summers with his family and experiment on other interests.  Among many others he made strides in powerless flights, building concepts using tetrahedral kites, hydroplanes, data transmission using light waves, and many others.  He noted in later life that his greatest joy was the significant work he did to help deaf children “speak” using various techniques.  Helen Keller credited Bell and the techniques he developed with changing her life.  For more on Bell and his contributions Google Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site – I encourage taking the time. 

Beautiful small churches in almost every town

We topped off our first day with a visit to the St. Ann’s Gaelic College and a visit to a staff member I had emailed with months ago.  She sent us away with countless suggestions of things to see and do and of course we left the gift shop with two CDs of Scottish music to help us along.

We spent our second day driving through the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, a spectacular park in northern Cape Breton.  A full day of driving, and we saw dramatic coastlines along both the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Atlantic Ocean.  Alas… still no moose even though this park boasts a large population in their wilderness.

Cape Breton Highlands National Park

We’re now ‘camped’ in a Walmart parking lot in North Sydney, and will embark on a 6 hour ferry ride tomorrow morning to Newfoundland – for more scenery, culture, and (hopefully) whales, icebergs, puffins, and moose.  Stay tuned…

May 22 (day 19) to May 23 (day 20): Bar Harbor to New Brunswick, Canada; 4000 miles and 4 times zones away from home!

The view from our front window

One of the most enjoyable experiences along our route and traveling in general is the unplanned and unexpected.  Since Nova Scotia was one of our main goals we were happily main-lining along the Trans-Canada Highway when I spotted a New Brunswick information center and pulled in for a break.  Our friends in Bar Harbor had mentioned a small village called Hopewell Cape where the Bay of Fundy tidal influence was very noticeable and the folks at the information center confirmed that.  We made a trip recalculation and found a nice campground there with a killer view through our windshield across a pond to the tidal flats and beyond across the Bay of Fundy.  

11am, low tide

4:30pm, approaching high tide, our heads would be under water!

Hopewell Cape was not disappointing offering a Saturday breakfast at the local town museum/social center/Saturday market and then a short drive to Hopewell Rocks to see interesting geologic formations that are accessible by walking across the sea floor at low tide and completely inundated at high tide.  The staff there was very friendly and Megan offered great suggestions including a video clip of her, her supervisor and another staff member standing on the sea floor when the tide rolled in. You just gotta take a look at the YouTube link here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbU0c9798sY)  .  

noon, high and dry

We then headed over to Alma to see Fundy National Park and the town harbor with large fishing boats lying on the sea floor next to the slips waiting for the tide to return and float them again.  The all-time record tidal change stands at 46 feet (world’s highest tide), but today only 38 feet – yeah only, when the average global tidal change is 3 feet.  Off to Nova Scotia tomorrow and perhaps bye bye WiFi for awhile.

3 hours later

May 20 (day 17) to May 21 (day 18): Durham, Maine to Bar Harbor, Maine (Acadia National Park)

It was an easy morning and a relatively short mileage day to Bar Harbor, the home of Acadia National Park.  We drove the infamous Hwy 1 along the Atlantic Ocean that added time to our day, but it was well worth it to see the small towns and the Maine countryside.  After settling into our new RV park “home” we picked up some general information at the park visitor center and took on the 27-mile loop road along the spectacular Atlantic coast.  One side trip took us to the highest point along the Atlantic sea board, Cadillac Mountain in the middle of the park.  For you Coloradans don’t fret, it’s just 1530 ft. above sea level!  The numerous lobster pot floats along the coast got us revved up to head into Bar Harbor for the local favorite, lobster rolls with fries. 

The next day we took the girls on a hike in the park – the Great Head trail with wonderful views of the ocean and Acadia shoreline.  We ended the day with a visit and dinner with an old friend, Superintendent Sheridan Steele and his wife Barbara.  We enjoyed our visit to Acadia – a worthwhile park – and are getting out just in time before the Memorial day weekend crowd comes.  Tomorrow it’s on to Canada and our primary destinations – the Maritime Provinces!  Our cell phones will be turned mostly off and we’ll be relying on Wi-Fi from now on for this trip, so our updates will come when we have internet access.

May 18 (day 15) to May 19 (day 16): Sturgeon Falls, Ontario to Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec to Durham, Maine

Denny and Michael Greco

Test – what city is the capital of Canada?  We guessed correctly – Ottawa.  The treat for today was winding our way through the countryside around Ottawa to visit an old friend I had worked with on the board of the River Management Society (RMS), Michael Greco.  Michael had a severe stroke many months ago and his recovery has been painfully slow.  He was recently awarded the RMS annual award for lasting contributions to the work of the Society in managing rivers.  It was a joy to visit with him, congratulate him on his award, and wish him well on his journey.

It’s been interesting to watch the countryside unfold as we travel from west to east.  Temps have been below freezing in the west to the mid-80’s in Valleyfield where we boon-docked in a Walmart parking lot (a French Walmart!).  We knew things were looking up when the managers of the KOA campground in Thunder Bay were thrilled that the next day was going to be 18 degrees!  18 degrees!  Get out the heavy parkas!  Oh, that’s Celsius - duh.  To mirror the rising temperatures we have observed the deciduous trees flow from no leaves in Thunder Bay to full on here in Quebec and dark time thirty go from 10:00 PM to 9:00 PM.  One complaint so far – we have seen hundreds of signs warning to watch out for moose and as hard as we've looked we haven’t seen a single one where the signs were.  Go figure!

Tuesday we sprinted a short distance to the US border crossing near Champlain, New York, sliced across a small corner of that state into Vermont and on into New Hampshire and Maine.  We learned that back country roads in Maine are narrow and rough, especially for a motorhome! The White Mountains are beautiful, as are the thick deciduous forests that cover these states, and lakes everywhere.  Fortunately we entered the digital zone once again with cell phone coverage and wifi – for a couple of days!     

Entering the US from Quebec (into New York)

crossing the bridge over Lake Champlain, New York

Chaco watching the road through northeastern forests