Summary

We spent 31 days and 6500 km./4000 miles on the road without any mechanical problems or serious mishaps.

Two years ago we did a B&B tour of Newfoundland. For the most part the weather was beautiful. This year we saw more typical weather - a lot of cold wet windy weather. But we had several days of clear weather and found the province stunning and even lousy weather has its charm.

The weather in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Quebec was more benign.

The biggest issue was the wind. During our first night at the northern tip of the western peninsula we carelessly got caught in the open and parked broadside to the wind. The trailer shook and creaked a lot and we did a middle of the night brace and tie down. The wind lasted for a couple of days.

After the wind weakened we met a couple with a large fifth wheel who had felt they had been at risk of blowing over. So in perspective the little Chalet did well. Surprisingly we didn't loose our pilot lights.

We learned to listen to the weather forecasts, use a compass to align ourselves facing into any expected high winds and to select spots offering shelter. Our wind kit consisted of an extendable fibreglass pole to brace the sidewalls internally - it fits nicely over the rubber pads on each wall near the peak and we carried a length of nylon rope to toss over the top. Last year during a lunch break we saw the roof sections open up a couple of inches during some gusts. We used our kit several times during this trip.

As we did not have any schedule to follow we stayed put several times rather than risk folding up in the wind and rain. Except when we got caught the first time, we probably could have folded up with one person keeping the rope over the top tight. We had many hours of entertainment on our laptop.

We had to repair the caulking around the cassette toilet access door, regrease the hitch and tighten up a few loose screws. Now that we are home it looks like a couple of other seams on the trailer should be recaulked. Given the rough roads this is not at surprising. At one point I hit a bump too fast and saw the trailer airborn in the side view mirrors. No drawers or cupboards opened.

We started our trip at the peak of the post Rita/Katrina gas spike and paid dearly. The highest gas price was C$1.399/l =US$4.54 gal. It dropped to C$1.05/l by the end of our trip.

We dry-camped about a third of the time and used less that than a tank of propane. We used a 1500 watt electric heater when we could and just used the furnace to warm up quickly when necessary.

The Norcold fridge with it's new wiring harness gave us no problems running on propane.

We spent several consecutive nights on batteries we never came close to depleting them but we are very stingy with 12 volt power.

Another issue that we encountered was that because of poor weather many campgrounds and attractions were closing earlier than advertised in our tourism books. The closed campgrounds actually had their telephones disconnected. The lesson learned is to call ahead. We always found a spot to camp but the choices were few towards the end.

All in all it was a successful trip. We are going to add somekind of shoe rack to the inside of the door to get them off the floor and a dry erase board for a shopping list. Maybe also a decent radio with a marine antenna . The existing 12 volt outlet is only rated at 90 watts and won't power the inverter for our laptop so I'd like to add a 130 watt outlet like we have in the Highlander. We'd like to get better information on campgrounds but aren't sure its available.

All our photos are here.

Day 31 - Home

The day started out cold and windy. We crossed the St. Lawrence via Hwy 73 at Quebec City and followed the river's north shore on Hwy 40. Although this route is not a picturesque as Hwy 20 on the south shore, it has the distinct advantage of providing a multilane bypass around most of Montreal.

By the time we reached Montreal the weather had completely changed. The sun was starting to shine and the temperature was well above 20°C, closer to 27°C according to the radio. We picked up Hwy 20 at the west end of Montreal, which changes to the 401 in Ontario, and drove home.

Day 30 - Quebec City

We started out the day only a few km from the Quebec border and the first order of business was to get information on camping options in Quebec. The information we ordered online did not arrive in time for our trip.

We were fortunate to find the Information Office open and very helpful. They had a copy of the Camping Quebec booklet that we had ordered.

Today's drive took us through the Appalachians and beautiful fall colour. The weather was hazy and dark so we didn't get any good pictures.

We arrived in the Quebec City area early in the afternoon so decided to stop at Camping Transit in Levis. We set up the trailer and went for a quick tour of Old Quebec City. We parked in Levis, on the south shore, and took a ferry across the St. Lawrence to the city.

We had planned to do a walking tour suggested by a booklet we'd picked up at the border but ended up just walking around to see what we could see. We saw the Plains of Abraham, the Citadel, the Governor's Promenade, the Archbishop's Palace, a seminary, Montmorency Park, Notre Dame Basilica, the fortress walls, many cannons and mortars, several statues, restaurants, shops, etc., etc.

We were able to get a feeling for the city and will return to see it properly another time. Despite being late in the season there were still a lot of tourists in the city - mostly tour buses. It must be very crowded in the summer.

Day 29 - Across New Brunswick

We left Kouchibouguac and drove to Miramichi. This area is as beautiful as its reputation. We turned inland and followed a secondary road, #108 to the Trans Canada Highway on other side of the province. Highway 108 is not a tourist highway. It is very rough in areas. But except for a few logging trucks there isn't much traffic. There are no communities or homes for most of its length.

Although we caught glimpses of mountains and fall colours through gaps in the forest for the most part we drove through a tunnel of trees.

The campground where we expected to stay was unexpectedly closed as where several others in the area. After several phone calls we found an open one near Edmundston. We eventually arrived at Camping Panoramic. It's further than we intended to go but it puts us within 10 or 11 hours of home. Many of the camp sites are seasonal with trailers apparently on them year round. We were the only transients. We self registered and never saw anyone.

Day 28 – Summer Returns

This has been the best weather day we have seen in weeks. We booked another night in Kouchibouguac, made a few telephone calls and roughed out our travel plans for the rest of the week. After lunch we changed into shorts and tees and went to the beach. We watched the local lobster fleet return and that’s about it.

Day 27 - Marshes, Rivers and Bogs, Oh my!

Another bright warm day in Kouchibouguac. We explored the dunes, salt water marshes and a raised bog. Finally we hiked some of the river trail. There are a few campers in the serviced section but we have the rest of the park to ourselves.

Day 26 - Kouchibouguac

We left the Minas Basin and drove to Springhill where we had hoped to visit the coal mining museum. It is supposed to be open but a sign on the door reads “Closed for Season”.

After a ‘phone call to confirm that it was open we drove to Kouchibouguac National Park. We tried to visit a winery on the way but after a lengthy side trip found it was closed for the season. Same with the information centre in Bouctouche. This is becoming a pattern.

Today we have enjoyed some of the best weather of the trip. It is sunny and almost warm. The forecast is for even better weather.

The campgrounds are beautiful. There are about 400 well groomed sites in a lightly wooded setting. Each has a paved drive. Less than 20 are occupied. We have taken an unserviced site with trees on all sides.

Oct. 01

Day 25 - Minas Basin

The wind last night was heavy but short lived. It knocked down a few small branches in the campsite but didn’t do any damage that we saw. Some areas further south are without power today. The wind was followed by rain which stopped by morning.

We packed up and drove south to mainland Nova Scotia along the coast. It is an attractive drive but the roads are a little rough. We finally stopped for the night at a campground on the Minas Basin. We had hoped to go a bit further but the campgrounds which are supposed to be open have closed. The one where we stopped is closing tomorrow. It is supposed to be open for a couple of more weeks but the proprietor explained that because of the cool wet weather they aren’t getting the business.

We got a nice sheltered site on the small cliff over the water. This area claims to have the highest tides in the world of up to 56 feet. We took a couple of low and high tide shots and it didn’t appear to be that much of a difference.

Sept. 30

Day 24 - Much Moose

It was a warm, sunny but windy day. There is a severe wind warning in effect for tonight. Gusts in excess of 100 kph are expected.

This morning we hiked the Skyline trail which leads to the spot where the poster shot for the Cape Breton Highlands is taken.

About ½ way to the lookout we noticed a couple of hikers off the trail looking intently at something. It turned out to be three very laid back moose; a large bull, a large cow and a smaller cow. We got several photographs before continuing on to the headlands.

When we reached the headlands the view was spectacular but the winds were very strong so we did not complete the trail to the final lookouts. We have been here before and didn’t feel inclined to take the risk.

On our return hike we found the moose were lying contentedly a few feet the trail. I had to use a wide angle setting to get all three into one frame. Another hiker had set up a camera on a tripod and was getting some once in a lifetime shots. We watched them for some time. Only once when I moved more quickly than I should have, did they show any signs of alarm but quickly settled back to chewing their cuds.

On our way back to the campground we stopped and walked a rocky beach near a pair of rock pillars in the ocean.

We spent the afternoon cleaning up and shopping. We found a good wi-fi spot to catch up on e-mail and upload some blogs. We bought a couple of pounds of fresh mussels for next to nothing and a fresh $1.10 baguette from a boulangerie near the entrance to the campgrounds. With the fresh tomatoes from our garden that have ripened nicely and some Chardonnay, supper is looking promising.

We have moved the trailer to face into the expected winds and have installed our wind gear. We are hitched to the car and are in a sheltered spot so we shouldn’t have any problems. We intend to move towards the Annapolis Valley tomorrow.

We met the Aliner people. They live near Ottawa and we have common friends. They have moved to a more sheltered spot near us for tonight.

Day 23 - L'Acadien Trail

The day turned out as promised – sunny, mild and reasonably calm. After being confined to the trailer by heavy rain for most of yesterday we were ready for some hiking. We headed out on L’Acadien Trail which conveniently starts at the campground.

We climbed about 350 m vertical height along Roberts Creek. About half way up, we encountered a washed out bridge across the creek. We were somewhat stymied but were able to use some of the dislodged boards as a temporary bridge and continued our uphill climb.

As we approached the top, we heard a snorting sound that was probably a moose but we couldn’t see it. The view from the top (picture shown) is of the town of Cheticamp, Cheticamp River estuary, Cheticamp Island and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The descent was more gradual and afforded several excellent views.

In the afternoon we toured the western half of the Cabot Trail, checking out possible future campsites. Along the way we stopped at several lookoffs (as lookouts are called around here), passing through the town of Pleasant Bay and turning around at The Grand Intervale, where the North and South Mountains are bissected by the Aspy River. We stopped to hike a couple of small trails, The Bog and The Lone Shieling. This second one included a recreated Scottish crofter’s hut within a stand of 350 year old maples.

Day 22 - Cheticamp II

It started as a relatively warm but wet and windy day. We cleaned the trailer and fixed a couple of minor problems. We caught up on our photographs. THe temperature has been dropping all day but is not expected to go below 7°C overnight.

I went into Cheticamp and bought some fresh fish and some grease for the trailer ball. After a lot of searching I found an unsecured wi-fi connection to upload blogs and downloaded email. THe highlight of the email was several pictures of grand-niece Sophie who was born the day before we left on this trip.

The Aliner we spotted yesterday is also from Ontario. There are a lot of campers here today. It is foggy in the highlands so people are pulling off the road.

THe weather is supposed to pick up tomorrow and the next day. We'll probably explore from here and move on Friday - maybe down to the Bay of Fundy.

Bill

Day 21 - Cheticamp

It was a surprisingly noisy night with constant truck traffic. It seems to be mostly tandem dump trucks - probably related to coal mining. Nonetheless we slept reasonably well and awoke to cloudy skies.

We picked up supplies in Sydney and then drove south west through light rain and mist. After an hour or so the rain stopped and we enjoyed some nice scenery. We found the cheapest gas of our trip ($1.049/l) on a reserve along the way. We followed an arm of the Bras D'Or Lakes. The Bras D''Or Lakes are ocean inlets not freshwater lakes. The divide Cape Breton into two islands and numerous peninsulas. After a short ferry ride at Little Narrows we hit highway 105. Shortly afterwards we turned west through the Margaree Valley and followed the South Cabot trail to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. We turned north and stopped just north of Cheticamp inside the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.

We have a very sheltered campsite amongst a stand of paper birches. As the forecast is for wind and rain we plan to stay here for a couple of days. We noticed a couple of seafood stores in Cheticamp and we are planning a seafood supper. We are also going to look for an internet connection.

Today the trailer started making a lot of creaking noises which we traced to a dry hitch ball. A generous dose of oil quieted it but we are going to try and find some grease for it.

There's an Aliner in the campground - not sure where it's from.

Day 20 - Louisbourg

We awoke early to bright sunshine and 10°C! We packed up and headed to Louisbourg.

The Louisbourg historical site is very impressive. The 18th century French fortress and community was restored in the 1960’s and 70’s. The site is very well staffed with knowledgeable workers dressed in period costumes and playing roles of those who lived here. While only about a quarter the entire site has been restored we spent over 6 hours and did not see it all.

There are several nice looking and very economically priced campgrounds in the modern community of Louisbourg but we decided to move on.

After leaving we visited light house point and drove the rough Marconi trail to Lingan near Sydney where we took a site at the only campground in the immediate area. There are 2 other trailers at the campground. The first is a fifth wheel unit which looks like it’s been here for a while. The second is an apparently derelict unit that has been here a very long time. The water smells of sulfur and the campground doesn’t show much evidence of either use or maintenance. We have found a reasonably level site as far from the road as possible and we’re only going to be here for one night. We should have stayed in Louisbourg.

Tomorrow we plan to drive through the Bras d’Or Lakes and then towards the Cape Breton Highlands.

Day 19 - Nova Scotia

After leaving Rocky Harbour yesterday we drove in occasionally heavy rain to the Codroy valley about 45 minutes from the ferry terminal. We camped at the Grand Codroy RV park. It is a well maintained attractive but open campground just far enough off the road to be quiet.

The weather cleared overnight and was reasonably calm for us to pack up in the morning.

We didn’t have any problem getting ferry tickets without reservations but we had a half a bag of potatoes seized. For reasons which aren’t clear to us they don’t allow root vegetables off the island. It’s actually the soil that’s the problem.

By the time we sailed the wind was high again and the first half of the trip across the Cabot Straight was rough. A lot of passengers were sea sick. It took about 6.5 hours to cross. The wi-fi on board was out of order but we cleaned up the photographs from this trip and our spring trip to Mexico. If we can find a good connection somewhere we'll send them to a online processor and have them mailed home.

After landing in North Sydney we headed towards Louisbourg and camped for the night at a Waterpark/RV campground near Marion Bridge. There are a lot of rough roads in the area. It seems to be largely a seasonal campground with a lot trailers that didn’t appear to have moved in quite a while. The campgrounds were still noisy at 11:30. We turned on the fantastic fan to drown it out and slept well.

Day 18 - On the Road Again

As forecast the wind dropped overnight. We are heading to the ferry. The winds down there are supposed to be high tonight and higher tomorrow. Unless we can get something really well sheltered we'll take a room or maybe the midnight sailing.

Day 17 - Wet and Windy

It was another dark and stormy night. The wind howled and drove rain all night. The wind intensified at dawn and continued blowing all day without pause. The rain however stopped in the afternoon. The wind is forecast to get worse this evening but will then drop overnight before picking up tomorrow p.m. But it is not expected to be as strong as it has been.

We are considering making a run for the ferry tomorrow but it would be an overnight sailing which would not be comfortable. We have to pass through the Wreckhouse area to reach the Ferry. This area is known for its frequent category II hurricane winds. The narrow mountain valleys funnel the southeasterly winds. The velocity of these winds increases dramatically when they spill into the barren lowlands. Unfortunately this is also where the only highway is. Fortunately the winds are forecast to be south westerly changing to north westerly.

We drove into town this afternoon and have a good appreciation of how much shelter we actually have at our campsite. I have a nasty abrasion on my leg where the wind blew the door of our vehicle into it. The harbour is really churned up.

We have the trailer hitched up to the SUV for additional support and have the rope over the roof pulled down tight. The side walls are braced and the corner supports are cranked down tightly. It should make for a comfortable night.

Bill

Day 16 - Weather Bound

It was a dark and stormy night but we were sheltered and warm so we slept in until 9:00.

The weather forecast is dismal: high winds to 90km. and rain until tomorrow afternoon when it gets a little better. We don’t want to drive in these winds so we are spending at least another night in Rocky Harbour. While downloading the weather forecasts we discovered that a nearby campground has wireless internet. We checked it out and found it also has some reasonably sheltered sites so during a lull in the rain and winds we moved. It also has heated comfort stations.

We threw up our "high wind gear" and hunkered down. Except for a brief trip for some groceries we have been inside all day. We took advantage of the internet to book a trip to Santiago de Cuba in December. We are confident it will be warmer there.

Unless the weather forecast changes we are planning to leave Newfoundland and take the ferry to Nova Scotia on Saturday. It looks quite a bit better there. We are reluctant to leave because we haven’t accomplished everything we had in mind for this trip to Newfoundland but it is an excuse for another trip.

Day 15 - Bakers Brook Falls

We had a quiet night sheltered amongst the spruce. It rained a little overnight but the day was dry and only partially clouded. Temperatures were up to 14C. We decided to spend at least one more night here.

The propane detector went off again last night. It s the second time we have had trouble with it on this trip. The common element in both events is a synthetic sleeping bag we use. After we removed it from the vicinity of the detector it behaved itself.

In the morning we drove into Rocky Harbour to purchase a few supplies. We cleaned the trailer and did some repairs. The outside cleanout door for the cassette toilet is leaking so we recaulked it. As well some adhesive hooks have been failing so we cleaned up the mess and replaced them with better quality ones.

In the afternoon we hiked the Bakers Brook Falls Trail. It is a fairly easy 10 km. hike which took about 3.5 hours. It passes through bogs and forest to a beautiful series of waterfalls. There was a lot of evidence of moose on the trail, which we tried to avoid stepping in, but we did not see any. Lots of interesting plants and wildflowers in this area. Took pictures and samples for later identification.

On the way back we noticed a new motel and discovered that it is broadcasting a strong wi-fi signal so we uploaded yesterday’s blog and took care of some business.

The forecast for tomorrow includes winds gusting to 70 km. by midday. Although we have become very skeptical of the forecasts, we are considering leaving and heading south east where the weather is marginally better.

Day 14 - Rocky Harbour

The high winds we expected last evening didn’t materialize. There were a couple of gusts but nothing sustained. The weather forecasts have been less than precise and the weather changes very rapidly.

It was sunny again this morning but heavy black clouds rolled in quickly. We wanted to head north along the unpaved road from Red Bay to St. Mary’s Harbour but the weather forecast for the next several days is now for cold, wind and rain. Assuming the forecast is roughly correct and rather than face the prospect of being trailer bound for several days with no services, we decided to head back to Nfld. The weather there is forecast to be a little warmer, calmer and drier and there are a few indoor activities.

We arrived at the ferry terminal in Blanc Sablon, Quebec early and we took advantage of the extra time to explore some of the countryside in Quebec. The geography is the same as Labrador but the communities appear to be more prosperous. There are more retail outlets, larger homes and several provincial offices. There is a paved road which heads west for a long way but there are communities on it. It just appears to end in the wilderness. Maybe it’s part of a long term plan to get a land route into this area.
The ferry was not crowded and we did not have problem getting a ticket.

We drove to Rocky Harbour in Gros Morne. Two years ago we spent several nights here and we stopped here for supplies on our way north last week. The route from the ferry landing at St. Barbe Nfld. follows the coast through numerous small fishing villages. Although very picturesque the road, although paved is rough.

The view of Western Brook Pond, a fresh water fiord, was stunning. The clouds were low and mist was swirling amongst shafts of light cutting through the clouds. It looked like a movie set.

We arrived in Rocky Harbour in light drizzle and camped at Juniper RV Park. We have a south facing site incised into a dense stand of spruce. It should shelter us from the moderate to high winds predicted tonight and tomorrow. We have water and 15 amp. service. There are 99 sites. Apart from a few seasonal trailers there only seems to be one other party here.

Day 13 - Red Bay

We awoke to light overcast skies and almost 10C. With a poor short term weather forecast we decided to stay put in West St. Modeste where we have power, water and best of all wi-fi.

We found the location of some geo-caches up the coast near Red Bay and set off to find them. For most of the way we followed the Pinware River. The first cache, a multi-part was on top of the local mountain. It was a healthy hike up the boardwalk to the first waypoint. Either we messed up on the math for the second set of coordinates or the cache is in a delicate mountain meadow which we were reluctant to trample over. By this time the wind had become quite strong and the temperature was dropping rapidly. We could see rain coming in off the Ocean so we aborted.

When we got down to where we had parked we found one of the locals had driven his truck into the ditch trying to turn around and we pulled him out with the Highlander. We learned a bit about local community from him.

We then drove into Red Bay where there is a National Historical site presentation about 16th century Basque whaling in the area. When at its height there were up to a 1000 men involved but now the population is only 300.

In the late 70’s the wreck of a whaling ship was discovered in the harbour and several years of intensive archaeology followed. The exhibits are based upon that activity. It is really quite well done.

Red Bay is where the pavement ends. After we left the museum we drove several kilometers up the gravel road to the north. If the weather was more cooperative we would like to head off there with the trailer but not now.

We returned to the trailer and used the pressure cooker to prepare a pot roast. It only took 35 minutes and we had a roast beef dinner.

There is supposed to be a hopefully brief period of strong wind this evening but we have tightened the levelers, braced the sidewalls and heaved a rope over the top.

Day 12 - Labrador

The wind dropped overnight. The concern du jour is a couple of weather systems coming into the area. Hurricane Ophilia is moving in from the south and a strong low is coming down from the Labrador Sea. We have decided our best strategy is to go to Labrador as planned. A couple with a 5th wheel spent the night next to us. They got pretty shaken over the past couple of days and are going to hunker down for a couple of days. They are planning to go to Labrador after the weather settles.

We had a beautiful day – mild, lots of sun and not too much wind. Traveled the coastal route back to the west coast, #430. Only others on the road to St. Barbe appeared to be out looking for moose. Good day for a ferry ride. No problem getting on the ferry without a reservation. Ticket girl laughed when I asked if there would be room for us. The trip was about 90 minutes long and fairly comfortable.

The landscape is different again. Limestone cliffs, headlands and coves, lots of green but nothing very tall. Camped at the Oceanview Resort in West St. Modeste. We’re about 50 km from the ferry terminal and about 38 km from the end of the paved section of road. From Red Bay, where the pavement ends, you can travel another 325 km on gravel road to Cartwright. From there it’s either snowmobile (in season) or boat. Not sure how far we’ll go. Strangely enough this is the first spot we’ve stayed where we can get wi-fi internet connection.

After dropping the trailer, we did a bit of exploring around the West St. Modeste and Capstan Island area. Hiked the Battery Trail through increasingly stunted vegetation through a meadow reminiscent of Scottish highlands to a cliff where a memorial plaque and fence was erected in memory of a local hero who, in 1930, rescued a woman who had fallen over the cliff while picking berries. From this spot, there was a good view of the Strait of Belle Isle and the Newfoundland coast.

Not sure what time zone we’re in but think we gained ½ an hour.

Day 11 – L’Anse aux Meadows

We awoke to a cold, wet and rainy morning. Shortly after we got up we were visited by a moose. I believe it was a young male because he had small antler stubs. He paused to allow us to get a couple of pictures. We have seen many dead moose in yards and on vehicles but this was the first live one.

We have decided to stay here one more night. It is still very windy and taking down the trailer could be difficult. We called a couple of places in Labrador and the plan is to take the 1 p.m. ferry tomorrow.

We visited the L’Anse-aux-meadows National Heritage Site. This is the only confirmed Viking Settlement in North America. It dates from about 1000 A.D. about 500 years before Columbus. Several buildings have been reconstructed. The site is well presented. The Vikings abandoned their efforts to colonize North America apparently because of a hostile reception from native Americans. If they experienced many days like today I think it was the weather that drove them out.

We have 30 amp. service and as much as possible are using a 1500 watt electric heater instead of the furnace but the heater is struggling to keep us warm so we fire up the furnace from time to time. The site has a boil water advisory so we are living off our storage tank. The owner says her sister lives somewhere nearby and has good water we could fill up with. We confirmed that we can get good water in Labrador so we have declined the offer.

We lubricated the levers that join the walls and ceiling with a little soap and it quieted things down a lot. We tightened the bal levellers and moved the Highlander close to the windward side which seemed to stop some of the shaking a bit.

Day 10 – St. Anthony

We drove across the Northern Peninsula. The highways are largely deserted. We saw many roadside gardens far from any apparent signs of habitation. The local people plant gardens in the rich soil alongside roadsides with barricades to keep the moose out.

We set up the trailer at the Viking RV campground near Quirpon (rhymes with Harpoon). There was one other trailer at the site. It is very open. The few trees in the area are dwarfed by the harsh conditions.

We explored St. Anthony and Fishing Point where there is a park and interpretive centre.

At about midnight the winds changed to the northeast and became very strong. At about 1:30 a.m. we threw a rope over the trailer and braced the side walls internally with an expandable pole we had brought for this purpose. The trailer shook and creaked all night.

Day 9 – Plum Point

Travel day, heading up the Northern Peninsula toward L'Anse aux Meadows. Still haven't become immune to the awesome sights of Gros Morne N.P. It's misty today, giving in a Tolkienesque feel. Stopped at Rocky Harbour for gas, cash, upload blogs, check e-mail, scout out other campgrounds (we'll be back to this area after our trip up north) and, most important of all, buy fresh fish fresh at the pier we discovered on our last trip - it's scallops tonight

Continued up the coast, stopping to see "The Arches", a strip of limestone that's been carved by storm action to form a large 3-chamber archway. The terrain is changing from mountainous and forested to limestone and tuckamore. A little further up the land becomes gravel flats with litle vegetation.

Stopped at Port au Chois to see the National Historic Site - making good use of our passes. Excellent video and displays about the various peoples who have made this location their home over the past 5500 years - Maritime Archaic Indians from Siberia (from 3500 - 1200 BC), Groswater Paleoeskimos (from 800 - 100 BC), Dorset Paleoeskimos, Beothuk (from 100 - 700 AD) and other recent Indians (from 0 - 1200 AD), then Europeans (Norse, Basques, French and English, since the 18th and 19th centuries). All were attracted by the abundance of fish, seals and whales.

The mountains of the long range petered out as we left the Gros Morne Park area but re-appeared near Port au Choix. Accents are becoming more difficult to understand, like the guy we bought propane from in Port Saunders and the women at the campground.

We camped at Three Mile Lake near Plum Point where, again we were the only campers. The campground is in disrepair but is well off the road and suited our purposes. Our surroundings are arboreal forest at the edge of an inland lake, lots of reindeer moss drapes the trees - quite a change.

This is our 4th consectutive night of dry camping but our batteries still show 12.47 resting voltage - between 80% and 90%. Other that some minimum lighting and heating they have mostly been used to power a CPAP every night.

Day 8 - Green Gardens

Awoke to sunshine. Moved the trailer to site #11 for a better view of Killdevil Mountain and registered for one more night. Bought the Gros Morne Park Trail Guide at the Discovery Center on our way to “Green Gardens Trail”. Did the “short” hike, only 4 hours. The long hike would have taken 6-8 hours and required fording a river in two spots. Climbed about 1½ km through the Tablelands terrain which took us up about 60 m in elevation, then descended through forest to sea level, about a 200 m descent over 2½ km . We spent about 45 minutes at the coast where we explored sea stacks, a sea cave, basalt cliffs, rock pillars, wave-cut platforms and tidal pools. Returned on same trail. Out-of-this-world scenery.

Day 7 - Rain/Laundry Day

Rain started during the night and persisted until mid-day, then just periodic drizzle. Good day for doing laundry, fixing the radio, calling Mom & Dad and general recharging. Visibility was poor so took no pictures. Did laundry and made phone calls at Middle Brook Cabins – good spot.

The highlight of the day was being “attacked” by a gray jay requesting food. He was joined by two friends, who appreciated our bread offerings, and observed by a crow who was much more nervous. After I left the trailer, he mistakenly thought he was alone and got up the nerve to pick up the bread we’d thrown out for him.

Day 6 - Gros Morne Park

Off to a late start but only intended to go an hour or so down the road to the south end of Gros Morne Park. Set up camp at Lomond River Campground – part of Gros Morne Park, about 12:30 pm. All sites have excellent views of Bonne Bay and the mountains of the Long Range on the other side. Went to the Discovery Center about 20 km away to buy Park passes, bought annual passes for all National Parks and National Historic Sites, good until end of Sept ’06. Hiked to 2 look-offs – the first was about 5 km return, 300 m elevation, 2 hour hike. Fabulous views of Bonne Bay, the Long Range Mountains and the Tablelands. The second was much shorter hike with a memorial bench to help enjoy the view. Dinner was spaghettini with clam sauce and Rodriquez’ Blueberry Wine (made in Newfoundland). Toured the campground then settled in for a potentially wet and windy night.

We have no electricity but there is good water available from a central location. As we don't know when we will have power again we are lighting with kerosene and heating with a little catalytic propane heater to conserve. There are 2 or 3 other parties at this site.

Day 5 - That Isn't Really Snow?

The grande portage is now over so it’s time to slow down and relax. We had tentatively planned our next stop to be Lomond River, just outside of Gros Morne Park, but decided to stop at Corner Brook instead. We had admired the city from a distance on our last trip and wanted to get to know it better.

The scenery is stunning between Part-aux-Basques and Corner Brook. We met many hunters returning with moose and caribou.

We found a Kinsmen Campground on the outskirts of the city which worked very well as a base from which to explore. It’s not particularly attractive but we got a fully serviced site for only $20.00. After setting up the trailer, we set out to see the sights and check out Blow-Me-Down Provincial Park, about 45 km past the city. Unfortunately, the rain became quite heavy with hints of snow and visibility was very poor. We decided to leave the trip to the park for a clearer day, hopefully tomorrow, and turned around to explore the city and pick up a few more supplies.

Powered up and watered up, ready for the unserviced sites in Gros Morne Park.

Day 4 - Newfoundland

Drove to North Sydney to catch the 12:30 pm ferry to Newfoundland. The departure was delayed to 1:30 pm for no apparent reason. Another warm, pleasant day – almost hot. The Chalet attracted lots of attention in the parking lot when we set it up for lunch. Had an offer from a gentleman living in Peterborough to buy our Highlander when we’re ready to sell.

The ferry crossing was long and uneventful which was probably a good thing. The sea swell has minor. It was cold in mid-sea but warmer by shore. We were able to get a flaky internet connection to upload these postings and check mail. We arrived in Port-aux-Basques at sunset which made for some very spectacular views of “the rock”.

We camped nearby at J.T. Cheeseman Provincial Park. As expected, there were several groups arriving at the same time, all eager to get set up before total darkness set in. However, check-in was rather slow as the park ranger was quite interested in everyone’s background and chatted pleasantly before completing each transaction. We’ve arrived in Newfoundland where most people seem irrepressibly friendly and time means nothing. You can’t help but smile.

We settled in just in time for the weather system to change from warm and misty to clear and cold. The night sky was beautiful, dark and full of stars. The temperature dropped to a few degrees above freezing and we needed that extra blanket.

We had no electricity and there was a boil water advisory. We used the furnace to take the chill off in the morning.

Day 3 - Antigonish, Nova Scotia

Another gorgeous morning. Inspired to go for a walk/jog around the campgrounds while waiting for Bill to wake up. Still no one at the office, no one anywhere. Visited with the ducks who were obviously comfortable with campers and looking for a handout.

We finally managed to rouse the proprietor, Mel, with the help of his dog and his neighbour. That may have been a mistake as he then wanted to visit. Quite amazed with our trailer and generally just wanted company. We finally paid our bill and were on our way.

The truckers’ protest continued today. There was a suggestion that supplies in the Maritimes could be impacted so we stopped in Moncton for food, batteries, etc. While there we found at wi-fi connection at a Staples parking lot and downloaded mail, including a movie clip of our new grand-niece Sofie.

Camped at Hyclass Campground near Antigonish NS. with a westerly orientation for a beautiful sunset. Spotted an Aliner, and they spotted us too, so exchanged tales and advice.

Day 2 - Bear Island, New Brunswick

Day 2 Sept. 7, 2005

Awoke early and were on our way by 7:30 am, glad to have Montreal behind us. Beautiful views of the countryside – long, narrow strips of farms running down to the St. Lawrence River. Filled up the gas tank at Berthier-sur-mer PQ and had our first sticker shock experience, more to come - $84!

Stopped for lunch at Notre-Dame-du-Lac, near the NB border, and were treated to a lovely view of Lake Temiscouata.

This was Day 2 of the truck drivers’ protest in New Brunswick. The highway around the border was lined with hundreds of transport trucks. We had learned earlier in the day that they were not preventing car traffic from passing through so stuck to our plan to drive through on the TransCanada. The reports were right. We had to go slow, for safety reasons, but the truckers were polite and didn’t cause us any trouble. We voluntarily signed their petition for lower gas prices and continued on our way. There were a number of clusters of transports all along the TCH from Edmunston to Woodstock. On the bright side, the driving was very easy since there were no transports on the road.

Left the TCH at Pokiok and drove along the north shore of the St. John River toward Hagerman’s Great Bear Campground. It was a great campground, a little out of the way but totally worth it. Mature, well maintained grounds on the banks of the St. John River --- and we were the only ones there!! A sign on the office door invited us to go ahead, choose a site, set up camp and return to register later. No one ever showed up at the office.

Weather was excellent all day and evening too. The sky was clear and full of stars.

Day One - East of Montreal

Left home at 3:15 p.m. After a brief stop at Chantry, we picked up the 401 at Brockville and headed east.

The weather was good and it was a nice drive until we left highway 20 to try and bypass Montreal. It was slow and we lost our route twice. Better than the alternative but a good Montreal by-pass would be nice.

While in the car we heard on the radio that striking truckers had blockaded the highways into New Brunswick and were intending to keep them closed for 3 days to protest high gas prices. We called CAA and were patched into their NB office. They didn’t know anything about the blockade and had a `holy cr*p!’ moment when they checked the RCMP web site. They were no help but promised to have more information by tomorrow. Later we heard that the truckers were allowing cars to pass – not trucks. Unless we hear differently we are going to chance it tomorrow.

We stopped at the Alouette Camp site about 15 minutes east of Montreal about 8 pm. We couldn’t get the non-serviced site we had reserved and had to pay extra for a serviced site. It’s an odd place. There are a lot of high priced RVs parked here, apparently for the season. It’s very close to the highway and it’s appeal is lost on us.