Newfoundland3

Before we took our afternoon cruise up the fjord, we stopped at yet another lighthouse/geocache, Lobster Cove Lighthouse.  The weather this day was cloudy, windy and chilly.  The geocache was close to the lighthouse, so we didn't think twice about the weather.  Looking for this one was fun because we had to walk around to the "front" of the lighthouse and the view proved to be unique. Massive, jagged rock is a really good reason for a lighthouse!

Authentically restored, the lighthouse keeper's quarters show the spartan life of a lighthouse keeper.  The guide graciously offered tea - hot, of course.

Back on the TransCan, we found Sea Breeze RV on Shallow Bay, just a stone's throw from our next geocache.  It was getting colder and wetter, so we decided to wait for the next day to search for the cache.  In "town", we had dinner overlooking the bay and it is shallow as evidenced by the receding tide.  I had my first taste of Bakeapple on ice cream.  It's not an apple, nor is it baked.  It is a raspberry-like berry the color of an apricot that grows on low-lying bushes between the rocks.  It wasn't until much later in the trip that a guide pointed out the bushes.  The berries usually appear in August.

Not feeling so great after the day's outing in the cold and wet the day before, we skipped going after the Cow Head geocache.  Instead we stopped off at the Port Au Chois Historic Site. Spread out over 3-4 kms, several Dorset and Beothuk archaeological sites dot the landscape.  We were told to watch for caribou.  Okay, bears, moose, caribou....

I was impressed with one of the guides from Montreal who told just how special it felt to him to be on this land overlooking the sea that had provided food and shelter for thousands of years.  I began to get it.  Newfoundland's shores have been inhabited for thousands of years because of its unique location.  Ancient Eskimos travelled long distances to fish the rich waters.  The land provided shelter. A 1000 years ago, the Vikings discovered it and for generations, French fishermen came as the seasons allowed to fish and then sell their dried, salted fish in the Caribbean and in Europe. And then some stayed, followed by the British.

Sea Breeze RV on Shallow Bay

Port Au Chois Meditative Point

Not far up the road, we turned to take a look at some sea arches, carved by the relentless movement of the tides. But, more importantly, we got a good look at some dying trees that we had caught a glimpse of earlier.  Whether by an infestation of a bug or by sea spray caused by hurricane-strength winds, what remains are ghostly statues of gnarled and twisted wood.

Listening to weather reports, we realized that Newfoundland was to receive more rain in the next few days, so we opted to take the ferry to Labrador.  We waited for the 3:30 pm ferry along with a few others at the terminal/motel/restaurant.  Moving up to the lounge near the bow of the ship we watched patiently for any sight of a whale.  Briefly and I mean briefly, we caught just a partial view of one as it slid back into the water. 

The news reported that the eastern shores of Newfoundland were disappearing in dense fog, but the NE winds were blowing icebergs ashore.  My heart fell; I just knew they would all be blown out to sea by the time we returned and worked our way around to the east.  But, I was totally taken by surprise when the white speck I saw in the distance proved to be an iceberg!  Yes, of course, Labrador has an eastern shore, too.  Things were looking up.

Newfoundland2

Next on our lighthouse/geocache list was Cape Ray Lighthouse.  It is also the site of a Dorset archeological find; to be exact, a site where Dorset Paleoeskimos occupied for some 800 years about 1800 years ago.  Now, I'm from Indiana.  We have corn and soybeans and towns that date back to the mid-1800's.  Indians roamed the area before that, but we do not have Paleoeskimos.  I am in love with this island!

We promised ourselves that we would make a special effort to get ourselves off the main highway. Thus, when we read about The Codroy Valley Wetlands that attract hundreds of rare species during the migratory seasons, we knew we could not pass this area up.

Across the road from the Interpretative Center, a  wetlands trail of 3 kms or so seemed to be a great way for us to enjoy the fresh air and cool breezes.  The young woman told us that the trail had just been groomed up to a road and then we had to follow the road and then pick up the trail again, going past a wildlife preservation center.  Bears and moose, bears and moose.

Mike led the way and in due time we found the road.  Then we found the bridge to nowhere.  Absolutely nowhere.  Scrambling around, stepping carefully, we finally crossed a large expanse of field, followed a long driveway back to the road some 6-7 kms later.  It was close to noon and we saw a total of three songbirds and few geese on a lake in the distance.  Oh, and fresh moose tracks, too!!!

Despite our poor timing, this is a beautiful area and birding should be wonderful.  The town of Stephenville Crossing boasts a Piping Plover nesting site, so off we went.  Before we got there, we found a cafe out in the countryside.  I had my first moose burger.  Not too bad, but a bit stronger in taste than a bison burger.  Again, the Piping Plover nesting area was fenced off; but I respect their efforts of save these little shorebirds.

In Stephenville itself, we found a Chinese restaurant that had been there for 52 years.  Stephenville was the home to Harmon Air Force Base from 1941 to 1966.  It is apparent that the local government is trying to utilize the remaining buildings and space for small businesses and a regional college.  We found the Zenzville Campground just out of town.

Not quite ready to get back on the main highway, we turned toward Lark Harbor and  Cox Cove. Not disappointed, in Cox Cove the ships were unloading tons of fish right into the fishery.  We ate our lunch in a Take-Away.  Fish is abundant, but most of it is fried.  In Lark Harbor, we saw the Viking boat replica which was used in a movie set in this quaint fishing village.

Bears and moose, bears and moose...driving along the TransCanadian Highway toward Rocky Harbour we finally saw a real moose - startled, it ran quickly into the nearby brush.  Fortunately for the moose and us, a fence kept us apart.  Designed with openings, it allows a moose to run for cover behind the fence, but it can't exit onto the road. 

Gros Morne RV Camp is well-kept, quiet and convenient to Gros Morne National Park where we were to hike 3 kms across expansive bog and join a cruise up the fjord at West Brook Pond the next day.  We had to wait a bit to find out if the cruise was on because it was cloudy and foggy and they would cancel if it did not clear.  It did, slightly.  Huddled together against the 30 kt wind, we enjoyed the tales of the grandson of the gentleman who started the cruise up the fjord.  Of special interest to any boater is his description of how they helicoptered in the current boat, too large to be trucked over the bog.  Piece by piece arrived and then was fitted together.

Gros Morne is a backpacker's and hiker's paradise.  We knew we could not do it all and so walking the 6 kms out and back to the fjord and then taking the cruise was our focus.

Newfoundland1

Our reservation for the ferry to Newfoundland was set for June 1. We arrived in North Sydney, port of call, the evening before.  It was an opportune time to do laundry.  North Sydney is certainly a working-class community, owing to nearby mining and a good-sized port.

After doing our laundry, we headed back out of town toward the campground to have lunch at Lick-A-Chick.  I kid you not.  We had to try this local hang-out; burger and fries seemed safe enough.

We then drove to the parking lot to wait our turn to load.  We had a few hours to wait, so we strolled over to the terminal.  There we met an engaging Newfoundlander whose grandfather had been one of these ferry boat captains who used to sail the straits between Newfoundland and Labrador, often being paid in moose meat or fish from the villagers scraping a living out of the rock and sea, nothing going to waste.  She told us the story of her grandmother who kept saving the wrapper from the store where she had purchased meat and then reused it, hiding the fact that she was feeding her granddaughter moose meat instead of the hamburger listed on the label.

After arriving in Port Aux Basque eight hours later, we headed east to Rose Blanche Lighthouse.  Once in sad repair, locals banded together and have given it a facelift, making it open to the public.  The gravel lane to the lighthouse was closed by an iron gate and chained.  We crawled over it anyway; it was 8:30 in the morning on a Sunday after all. 

Walking down the lane toward the lighthouse several small buildings were shut up, but it looked like a couple of souvenir shops and a "take-away".  Rose Blanche Lighthouse is unique because it was made from granite which sure seems to be in abundance on this island.

My first Newfie geocache find!

Under restoration



Cape Breton Highlands

So this is where the driving gets interesting: either 16% grade or howling winds cascading to the valleys below and across the narrow ribbon of highway between mountain and shore.

After much studying, we decided to approach Cape Breton by driving clockwise, starting at Margaree Valley area.  We stopped at The Dancing Goat Restaurant, not to eat, but to get a nearby geocache; but if we ever get back, it looks like a nice place for lunch.

At the Visitor's Center in Cheticamp, the nice lady who helped us suggested we go on farther north because the next day was going to be cloudy, rainy and windy (50 kts).  We were able to use our Discovery Pass which we had purchased in New Brunswick for the Cape Breton Highlands National Park of Canada.  Instead of paying for our visit as we entered the park, we paid at the end of our trip. It is possible to drive around Cape Breton in one day and not pay a fee, but we did not want to cruise past some of the inviting "look-off's" along the way.  Our pass saved us the entry fees, although we still paid a small camping fee.

We chose to dry camp at Big Intervale campsite in the northerly reaches of the park, more of a parking lot next to a stream.  By ourselves again, although two young campers arrived by car and set out on foot.....bears and moose, bears and moose.

The next day was, indeed, cloudy with pockets of drizzle; but we carried on, stopping first at Black Brook Cove.  Boy, what fascinating rocks!  It was a good beach walk, but I was not allowed to bring home any of the lobster pots washed ashore.  Such a shame!

We hiked out Middle Head Trail which starts near the Keltic Lodge, former home of Alexander Graham Bell.  It follows an old trail that was used to lead his cattle out to a grassy clearing near the end of the point of land.  We were treated to small flocks of Black Guillemot, nesting on the rocky ledges above the sea.

Another geocache was not far away so we detoured to the Freshwater Lake Trail.  If we had found four others within the park, we could claim a special geocoin.  Maybe we should go back...

Lunch at The Clucking Chicken was a really good soup and sandwich combo while dozens of ceramic chickens stared at us from all corners of the room.

So that we wouldn't backtrack and we could proceed on our way to drive around Bras d'Or Lake, we chose to take the St Ann's Bay ferry.  Near South Haven, I left Beetle Bailey #6 travel bug in a cache.  It was snapped up soon after and has been touring Norway this summer!


We followed the GPS down a couple of rough roads until we could get our bearing again and continue around the lake toward North Sydney.  It is definitely cottage country  We found Arm of Gold Campground 5 km from the ferry which we were scheduled to take the following evening. The campground wasn't officially opened for the season, but the owner let us stay anyway.  It is a beautiful campground situated on a family-owned farm that hasn't been sold since the 1700's.

South shore of Nova Scotia2

Just to the northwest of downtown Halifax is Woodhaven Campground in Hammonds Plains, a convenient family-oriented campground close to the city, so it became our destination after Peggy's Cove.

Arriving in downtown Halifax early on a Monday morning was perfect for finding a parking space next to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.  You gotta love those Roadtreks; we can park that vehicle in a parking space and not have to search out a football-sized parking lot on the outskirts of town.  We wanted to visit this museum for its display of Titanic relics since 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of its sinking and Halifax played an important role in its recovery.

Maybe more interesting was the exhibit of wireless trans-Atlantic communication artifacts and the importance of the cable-ship industry to this area.  We were to learn even more about this in Newfoundland.

One of the museums I would have liked to have taken the time to visit is the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia, in Darmouth.  Just as white Southern planters who remained loyal to England during the Revolutionary War were given land in the Bahamas, there were former slaves who joined the Loyalists and were eventually re-settled in Nova Scotia.  I learned later that this bit of Black Loyalist history can also be found at the Black Loyalist Heritage site in Shelburne on Birchtown Bay.

By this time in our journey, we had concluded that we really didn't need reservations for a campsite. Many were just opening up for the season  and if the water wasn't turned on, the electric was. Hooray!

We found St Mary's Riverside Camp just down the road from Sherbrooke Village, a restored gold-rush-era community run by the Nova Scotia Museum.  We strolled around the village, finding one shop owner stocking his store, but missed the period actors by about six weeks.  The mill and other buildings are worth a visit and nicely preserved.  We noticed one thing different about this village: it seems that mixed in among the "museum" houses and buildings are privately-owned homes.  Reminds me of New Harmony in southern Indiana.

One note about the St Mary's Riverside Campground: for our $20.00 per night fee, we parked our Roadtrek Shorebird along the pleasing St Mary's River and for the next few hours we watched a pair of loons swim and feed peacefully in the dwindling light.  When Mike went to pay our bill, he didn't return for some time; I guess a beer or two is included in the cost of the campsite.  The owner is a former long-haul truck driver with enough stories to keep one entertained into the night.

South Shore of Nova Scotia1

Lupine, wild and fresh, dot the sides of every road and trail. I just kept snapping away, thinking that each one would be the best yet; so please indulge me as you begin to see many in the blogs to follow.

 Small, white church with typical window style.  In Quebec, Catholic churches were very prominent; but in Nova Scotia, more United, Presbyterian and Baptist churches sit side by side.

From Digby on the Bay of Fundy, we cut across Nova Scotia on Hwy 8.  It would have been nice to stop at Kejimkujik National Park for a trail hike, but we were on a mission: we promised Tom and Arden - friends who winter at Jekyll Harbor Marina, on Jekyll Island, GA - that we would find Covey Island Boatworks, Lunenburg, NS, and get them a couple of t-shirts.  Their boat was custom-made by this master boatbuilding company.

Finding Covey Island Boatworks proved to be more difficult than we first thought, but an adventure is an adventure, right?  We first stopped at a service station and asked where the company was located. The attendant pointed us toward the town of Bridgewater and told us to go on the opposite side of the river.  It was a lovely drive, much like a drive along the coast of Maine, scenic and inviting. Yet, no Covey Island Boatworks.  Before we ran out of road, we stopped at a LaHavre bakery and asked.  One of the young men eating lunch pointed across the river.  Fortunately for us, we were able to hitch a ride on a ferry which landed close to the boatworks.  Apparently, the boatworks had been on the opposite side until two years ago when it burned down.

We did find the boatworks, but no office.  We had been told that Covey Island was involved in the re-construction of Bluenose II, replica of the original schooner that appeared on the Canadian dime.  In town, down by the end of the docks, Bluenose was definitely being re-born.  I still didn't find the office.  I must have been staring at it and didn't see it.  All was not lost, we found the Farley Mowat instead.

Farley Mowat sits idle with paint peeling and rust running down the sides, lines askew.  Two years ago, the SeaShepherd crew was stopped from interfering with sealing operations.  The boat was brought to Lunenburg and has apparently been abandoned, owing more than $29,000 in docking fees.  The crew was recently arrested in Germany on a Cosa Rican warrant that is 10 years old.  Stay tuned for more Whale Wars!

Lunenburg is a UNESCO World Heritage Site based on its official founding in 1753 on the site of an earlier Acadian village.  The fisheries industry and boatbuilding have been important commercial enterprises to this day.  Given its UNESCO status, buildings and houses reflect the 1700's and preservation is extremely important.

I couldn't help do a bit of geocaching since one was just steps away from our campsite, Board of Trade Campground, high on a hill above town.  Before we left the next day, we searched a nearby cemetery for my 100th find, close to the old Lunenburg Academy.  I don't know if I should mention the 45 minutes I looked for one next to a trail just down the hill from the Academy.  I hate giving up.

While enroute to Peggy's Cove, we stopped at the Swiss Air III Memorial and Internment.  There were only two beaches along this coast that gave the Coast Guard rescuers a place to bring passengers ashore.  Nova Scotians from the surrounding area provided housing and hospitality as families came to search among the remains for their loved ones.  Not the first time or the last have the peoples of Nova Scotia stepped in to aid their fellow man.

Peggy's Cove claims to be the world's most photographed lighthouse and with good reason.  The smooth rocky shoreline with pools of water beg you to climb and sit, letting the sun and sky, the squawk of shorebirds and the quaint village fill your horizon and spirit.

Before moving on to Halifax, we backtracked a bit to locate a geocache.  What a lovely, peaceful view of the lighthouse across the bay!  The hike was over rock and moss, but the view was worth it all.  I left a TB that had begun its journey in Nashville, Indiana, at the Brown County Inn.  I hope I gave it a journey of a lifetime.