Sept 11, 2019

We decided this morning to head toward Fogo Island.  Debbie has always been intrigued with this island.  She has learned that it is known for its quilters that live on the island.  She is also hoping to visit the Fogo Inn, a very eclectic and high-end hotel. 

We broke down our campsite, but before we left we went over to visit for a spell with Robert.  He explained that he was in Pistolet Provincial Park when Dorian struck that area of the Peninsula.  He was afraid that his tent trailer would be damaged in the high winds so he closed it and slept in his truck for the two nights.  We compared stories of the storm and then said goodbye.  Robert told us that he has plans to come to Nanaimo and Vancouver Island and he will look us up.

We took off and a short time later, arrived at the ferry dock for Fogo and Change Island.   The total ferry toll for us came to $29.80, which is a round trip cost!   The ferry called “Veteran” is a new and modern vessel and joined the Newfoundland/Labrador ferry system two years ago.  It took 45 minutes to reach Fogo Island.  There are 10 small communities on this island and the total population is about 2800. After we disembarked we stopped in at the Marine Vessel Interpretive Center to get our “tourist” information and a map of the island.  We learned more about the island and intend so see as much as we can.

The Fogo Lion’s Club manage the RV park in Fogo.  We found the park at the end of the road, right the headlands called Brimstone Head.  There were only two other campers in the campground and we chose a campsite facing the bay.  Debbie phoned the manager and told them who and what we were doing.   They told us to settle in and someone will be around later to register us and collect the funds.

Debbie started supper while I set the camp.  About a half hour passed when a motor home backed into another site.  The driver, Kevin came over and introduced himself.  Kevin and Wanda are from Stephenville and are here for four days. We all sat around the picnic table and told our stories.  As we were about to start eating a beautiful silver fox came out of the rocky hills to visit us.  It had obviously smelled the great stew that Debbie had made.  

As nightfall began Debbie and I ate our dinner at the picnic table, and several other campers approached us and wanted a tour of the Armadillo.  We ended the evening with us all standing around an open pit fire talking and telling stories.  Off shore about 500 meters, three fish boats were bobbing on the water squid jigging. They were still out there when we went to bed!  The breeze was stiffening and quite cold and it eventually convinced us to go inside. Tomorrow we explore Fogo Island.   

Sept 10, 2019

The sun was bright as it rose above the trees.  Debbie was still sleeping so I slipped out quietly to go for an early morning paddle in my kayak.  There was a slight breeze and it had a bit of chill to it.  It is obvious that the summer is over and fall is creeping up.  The leaves have not yet started to turn color.  I paddled in the bay for about an hour and a half, checking out the coastline and the small islands in the bay.  The coastline here is rugged with very few beaches.  The rocky shore falls right into the ocean and spruce and pine trees grow aggressively to the edge of the high tide line. 

I returned to the trailer and Debbie was up and had started breakfast.  We had agreed that we were going to explore Twillingate today.  We enjoyed a breakfast and a shower and headed north to Twillingate.

Twillingate is a bustling fishing town, with several fish plants.  The town has a series of small coves right inside the town with small quays and fingers reaching out into the main harbor.  We are now in the off season but it is evident that Twillingate has capitalized on the tourist trade and supports many small quaint restaurants, B and Bs, and offers iceberg tours and kayaking adventures.  The harbor opens up to the Atlantic and is directly in front of “Iceberg Alley”.  We dropped into Annie’s, a local restaurant, and I enjoyed a fish and chip meal and Debbie a bowl of pea soup.  

We visited the small local museum, which features many artifacts of the history of the local fishing industry.  We then toured the Wooden Boat Building Museum.  This museum is situated beside the oldest wooden church in Newfoundland.  It was built in 1842 and is still being used today.  It is in pristine condition.

The displays inside the Wooden Boat Museum depict the history of the wooden schooners, longliners, dories and punts which are the backbone of the fishing industry.  The entire main floor exhibits depicts the many aspects of how the wooden boats are built and provides stories relative to the different boat building techniques, materials and tools used to build these sturdy boats.  We visited the upstairs floor, which is an active wooden boat building shop.  The resident boat builder is Tony, who spent the next hour showing us how he is building the 15 ft. wooden punt. (The Newfoundlanders also call them Rodneys).  He is using traditional building methods.  Tony comes from a long line of wooden boat builders. He showed us how the boat is designed from a small-scale wall model, and where the wood and materials are harvested from the local forests. He then explained the actual assembly processes. It was a very informative tour.  We bought a ticket for the punt that Tony is building.  It will be raffled off in mid December.  

We left Twillingate, for Crow Head.  The end of the road is at the base of the Long Point lighthouse. This lighthouse stands 300 feet above sea level at the top of the headland overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. It is still a fully functioning lighthouse.  Inside the main building is a display that features the events and stories surrounding the Titanic disaster.  The Titanic actually sank 400 miles south of this area, after striking an iceberg.  This area is part of “Iceberg Alley”, a large region of the ocean where icebergs drift into because of the ocean currents. This is one of the best places to observe icebergs.  This lighthouse plays a significant role in keeping ships aware of the many dangerous reefs and locations of icebergs.

Before we left Nanaimo, our friends Jim and Nan had given us a small satchel of pebbles that they had collected on the beach at Neck Point in Nanaimo.   As we looked out over the vast expanse of ocean and watched the waves crashing against the headlands below us we felt this was the perfect place to throw out those pebbles.  We watched as they arched out into the turquoise waters below

It was now late in the afternoon and we made our way back to the campground.  As we arrived we noticed that Robert had made it into the campground.  We had last seen him in the Pinware campground in Labrador. 

We were both tired so we had a light snack, Debbie read and I worked on the blog and then it was time for bed.  Tomorrow we plan to explore another part of the north central region of this interesting province.  

Sept 9, 2019

We both slept well last night.  We listened to the news before we got out of bed.  It seems that Dorian is near the tip of the Northern Peninsula and heading out into the Atlantic.  There were extensive power outages and Port au Basque reported waves as high as 30 meters (95ft.)!

The skies here are clear and there is a slight wind.  We decided that we were heading to Twillingate today.  Debbie made a nice breakfast and after showers we broke camp and hit the road. 

Before we went to Twillingate, we visited the town of Botwood. It was the first RCMP posting of our friends Gerry and Lynne.  They are now living in New Brunswick and we will be visiting them later next month.  

Botwood was an important town in the Second World War as it was the home base of the flying boats.  This base had several amphibian aircraft that did the patrols of the eastern seaboard searching for German U-boats.  Since then the town is still an important port for north central Newfoundland. A few years ago there was a campaign to have artists come to Botwood and paint murals on several buildings in town. The murals tell the story of the history of the town, including recognizing the men and women who joined the armed forces to serve in the various conflicts.

We drove around the town searching and taking photos of the many murals on the buildings.  It gave us a chance to see the whole community.   

Our destination is the Dildo Run Provincial Park. (I just love the names that the Newfoundlanders give to some of their communities)! Dildo Run Provincial Park is at the tip of a peninsula near the community of Twillingate. It looked like a great place to do some kayaking.

We stopped at an Information Center and found it closed for the season!!  When we checked in at the Dildo Run (I just had to say it again)Provincial Park, the attendant told us that it was the last weekend that they will be open and the gate will close! This should make it interesting for the rest of our trip!

We chose a great campsite, right on the shoreline.  There are only about twelve people in the campground.  I started a fire, and Debbie prepared supper and I barbequed a steak.  We sat outside and enjoyed a glass of Proseco, toasted Dorian, and all those people who worried about us!  The supper was delicious. I took my kayak and did a paddle in the bay until dark and then joined Debbie in the net tent.  It was a great day and hopefully tomorrow will also be calm enough for a paddle and some more exploring of this area.  

Sept 8, 2019

It was a rocking night!!  The wind was gusting and roaring through the trees.  We were positioned so that the truck and trailer were facing into the wind.  I had left the trailer hitched to the truck.  The trees that were near our campsite were small birch trees.  

We checked the weather and learned that Dorian was heading towards the south end of the western shore – exactly where we had been. Gros Morne National Park was closed and St, Georges Bay and Corner Brook were directly in its path.  

The clouds were whizzing by, but it had not rained in the night.  We were going to sit tight today and stay in camp.  We hade breakfast, and listened to the news occasionally.  Debbie did some laundry at the campground laundry facility and I worked on the blog.  The WIFI connection here is adequate to post the blogs without the photos.  I was able to totally catch up and posted ten blogs! Shortly thereafter, the e-mails and phone calls started.  

I want to take this time to thank all those family, friends and readers who e-mailed, texted, blog commented or called to check in on us. It is nice to see so many folks are concerned about us.  

There were times that the gusts rocked the trailer to the point that we were nervous, but as the day progressed the gusts became less frequent and less powerful.  Blogging, reading and listening to good old Newfie songs kept us entertained for the day. 

My brother Piet had e-mailed us after he had used Google earth to determine our location. He suggested that we go out for supper at a Chinese restaurant within walking distance, so we did.  We had driven past the restaurant when we came in and had commented on how busy it looked.  The walk in the strong wind was invigorating and we needed the exercise.  We held onto each other as we walked. At times the wind gusts would almost knock you off your feet!  The supper however, was not very good.  It was rated 4.5/5 on Tripadvisor but we rated it about a 2. There was a table of six bikers, all wearing their colors, at a table next to us. That should have been our first clue. We returned to our trailer, (it was still standing) and Debbie had downloaded a movie, so we enjoyed watching it between phone calls from friends and family.  The winds had calmed down by 11:00 and we went to bed.

Sept 7, 2019

The sun was shining and we had blue skies and no wind. Today we can go kayaking! I went for a shower and Debbie started breakfast.  As I was arranging a few things outside, the Park attendant drove up. After we greeted each other, he told us that we had to leave the campground as Parks Canada was shutting down all of the Gros Morne campsites. Hurricane Dorian was still quite a threat, and the forecast called for high winds and rain for the Western Shore of Newfoundland! Well so much for our idea to go kayaking!

We packed up our trailer, and stopped at the campground office to get a refund on the shortened registration.  We checked out the little amount of Internet available to us and made the decision to drive to Springdale, about 120 kms inland from us.  It was kind of eerie to drive out of the campground and to see only two campers still in their sites.  We gassed up the vehicle and along the way Debbie stocked up on a few more groceries as we drove inland.

When we arrived in Springdale, we did not feel secure as the sites were quite exposed.  We also drove to King’s Point.  This village is also tucked into a cove but the campground there is situated directly on the water, and all the sites are exposed.  

We then made the decision to go further inland, to Grand Falls-Windsor, another 120 kms east.  By the time we got to Grand Falls-Windsor, we were both hungry and needed a break. We stopped in at the local Tim Hortons’s and had a sandwich and a latte.  We spoke to a couple of local men, one a trucker, who suggested that we try a truck stop in Bishop’s Falls.  Our daughter Myra, who had worked in Puerto Rico after the hurricane in 2017, suggested that if we could tuck in with some large transports trucks we might be safe from high winds.  The truck stop that the men suggested turned out to be entirely vacant, no transports there! 

We did find a local campground, Brookdale Country RV, that did have some sites available.  It is located in a bit of a hollow. Phil the owner operator, showed us to a great site and we set up. Phil told me that there is several of us evacuated Gros Morne campers in the campground. He has a reasonably strong internet service which will allow me to post some blogs while we wait out this storm.  As I am typing this blog the winds are picking up, and light rain is starting to tap on the roof.  Debbie is hoping that our trailer is not going to be blown away to Kansas. It should make for an interesting night! 

Sept 6, 2019

Today was another day of exploration.  The Chefs in Residence were putting on a breakfast in the Anglican Church social room, and the cost for the breakfast was by donation, profits going to the local school arts program.  The Chefs served up Irish Griddle cakes and potato bread, with scrambled eggs and bacon.  The cakes were delicious and a perfect way to start the day.  

We are driving to Corner Brook and area.  Although the roads in Newfoundland are paved they are still very rough, with huge bumps and potholes.  We had decided to leave our trailer in the campsite and use it as a home base.  We want to kayak in Gros Morne but so far the winds were not going to allow that. 

We have also been following the latest updates on Hurricane Dorian as it was starting to travel north into the Maritimes.  We were not sure yet what we were going to do, but if it was going to become a threat in this area, we would be moving inland.

The town of Corner Brook, reminded us of Port Alberni.  It is situated at the end of a long cove, is a port city and the residential areas fan out from the down town core into the hills and niches along the coastline. 

After driving through Corner Brook, we decided to visit Cape St. George.  This point of land juts out off the coast into the Gulf of St. Lawrence.  It is surrounded on three sides by water but the coastline is sensational, with very high headlands and then small coves with fantastic beaches.  The winds are still high and the surf is rolling against the shores.  It was simply a beautiful drive and certainly underscores the many televised Newfoundland tourist advertisements.

We had purchased tickets to see a performance in the Gros Morne theatre in Cow Head.  Since we were having such a great time in Cape St. George, we suddenly realized that we had better start making our way north again in order to be on time for the show.  As we started back onto highway #1, Debbie did the calculations and if all goes well we should make it back about 15 minutes before showtime!  All things were going well until we met the paving crew, about 20 kms south of Cow Head.  We sat in the line up for about 10 minutes as the paving crew was moving their equipment off of the highway for the night.  Those packers do not move very quickly.  Nevertheless, me made it to the theatre and into our seats just as the general instructions of no cell phones and photos was being announced.  Whew, another close call!

The show was a one-man performance.  It was a self-portrayal of Joey Smallwood, the colorful and egotistical premier of Newfoundland.  Smallwood is well known in Canadian politics and is regarded as the “father of Newfoundland” for bringing the province into Confederation.  The actor, Colin Furlong did a brilliant and entertaining performance.

We carefully drove back south to our campsite (hoping not to meet a moose). Debbie calculated our mileage for the day and realized that we had driven almost a total of 600 kms today!  We have certainly seen a lot of the Western shore of Newfoundland.

Sept 5, 2019

Thunder and lightning woke us up early today, but by 8:00, the sky was clearing although it was still very windy.  After a leisurely breakfast, we drove to Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse.  It is the last lighthouse to be automated.  Parks Canada has made this site a historical site and a museum. Visitors can see how the lighthouse keeper and his family lived and maintained a lifestyle when there were no roads and very few amenities. 

While speaking to a Parks employee we learned that there is a program in Gros Morne that Parks Canada is promoting called, “Chefs in Residence”. This program puts on various meals at different venues in the park, using traditional Newfoundland foods. The money raised goes to local school programs.  Today they would be serving cooked mussels at the Glass Station, a local artist gallery in Rocky Harbor.  We decided to take it in at 3:00.

We drove out to Norris Point, another tiny village tucked in at the end of a fiord in the park.  The drive was scenic and the village is another beautiful quaint setting. We then returned to Rocky Harbor to have the mussel meal. The Chefs were there, Chef Andy Rea is a visiting Irish chef and he is working with Chef Alain Bosse, an Acadian chef.  Alain is the cooking ambassador for the four Maritime Provinces.  He is well known on the East coast as the Kilted Chef.  Outside of the Glass Station, the chefs have set up a large cauldron, and boiling inside was a huge mound of mussels.  They smelled fantastic.  When they were ready, they served the mussels in small bowls that we could eat inside the Glass Station.  It was a perfect setting for the 15 of us to enjoy.  After we had enjoyed two helpings we left.  

Debbie had mentioned that she wanted to eat as much seafood as she could in Newfoundland, so we stopped in at the local fish plant and bought 3 pounds of mussels for $5.95!  We bought some fresh bread, and then went back to the campsite.  I set up the Coleman stove on the picnic table and heated up our pot for the mussels.  We sat outside, drinking wine, and eating a fantastic meal of fresh mussels, and fresh bread.  It was a wonderful way to end the day.

Sept 4, 2019

Port au Chiox is a picturesque fishing village that has an interesting history.  There have been five different cultures that have lived in this area.  Archeological digs have uncovered many artifacts and Parks Canada built a very interesting interpretive center. Parks Canada has designated the peninsula a National Historical Site.  At the end of the peninsula is a lighthouse overlooking the Gulf. As we drove to the lighthouse we stopped to look at a small herd of caribou lying in a small hollow.  I was able to get some great photos of them. The locals tell me that you can walk right up to them, but I felt I shouldn’t try to. 

We hiked to an area called Phillip’s Garden.  This is an area that archeological evidence proves that a large community of Paleo-Eskimo inhabited the region as far back as 2140 B.C!  The dig area is about five acres in size and is carved out of the boreal forest, on the edge of the shore.

We returned to Port au Chiox, paid for our campsite and hooked up the trailer.  We are now on our way to Gros Morne National Park to set up a campsite there and use it as the base for more exploring of the area.  

We passed “The Arches”, an interesting pull off along the way. The rock along the shoreline has been eroded over many years by the tidal waves and have created large holes in the rocks creating these arches.  

Back in May, we had met Laura and John while camping in Bragg Creek.  We had stayed in contact with them as they followed our blog.  They were now in Newfoundland on another vacation and we are meeting them in Gros Morne.  

Debbie had learned that there was a popular Newfie band playing in the local pub in Rocky Harbor.  The band has been performing for 23 years every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and they sell out every night.  We had agreed to meet them there. The problem is that the show starts at 7:00 and we still had to find a campsite, set up camp, get dressed and go into Rocky Harbor to catch the show.  We registered into Berry Hill campground, found our site and unhitched.  To say that we made it just in time is an understatement.  

When we got to the pub we found out that we needed to buy the tickets at a different location.  Debbie saved the seats, as I drove to the other side of Rocky Harbor, bought four tickets (not sure whether Laura and John had bought them in advance) and roared back. Whew, we made it and Laura and John arrived in time, and the ticket thing worked out!   

Another crazy thing that happened was that Debbie started a conversation with a lady while waiting in line for the washroom.  It turned out that this lady was also from Nanaimo and she and her husband were on a hiking vacation in Gros Morne! 

The show was fantastic.  The band was called Anchors Aweigh and they sang Newfoundland songs continuously for an hour and a half.  It was nice to see Laura and John again and we caught up on our latest news. We drove back to our campsite singing Newfie songs and laughing about the jokes and things that we heard.  It was a perfect way to arrive in Gros Morne.

Sept 3, 2019

We woke up to the sound of rain, beating on the roof.  The wind was gusty and harsh, so we cancelled the idea of kayaking.  There’s a lot to explore here so after breakfast we headed out.  We also had to fill one of our propane tanks before we got too isolated. 

St. Anthony is the largest community on the north end of the peninsula and had several interesting things to see.  But first we had to stop in at Tim Horton’s and enjoy a latte and a hot chocolate.  We also need a star screwdriver to tighten a small screw on the stove, and another small clothing hook for the trailer.  The local hardware store, Shears, is a well stocked store and served all of our needs. 

During Debbie’s research she learned that we had to stop and look at some ceramic murals in the foyer of the hospital.  Brochures in the hospital explained the themes of each mural that depicted the life and the relationship that the hospital had with the many different cultures in the region.

We noticed the name Grenfell on many of the buildings and the Grenfell interpretive Center was just across the street from the hospital. Dr. Wilfred Grenfell was a doctor in this area in the early 1900’s.  He came from England to Newfoundland in 1892 at the age of 21.  He practiced medicine in the northern region of Newfoundland and Labrador.  He is responsible for developing several hospital and missions up and down the western coast of Newfoundland and the south-eastern coast of Labrador.  

Grenfell was an extremely energetic man.  He serviced the areas in a small hospital ship, started several remote medical missions, wrote over 30 books and developed the International Grenfell Association, a NGO to deliver medical and health care to the area. It operated until 1981, when the provincial government took over that responsibility.  He survived possible freezing to death in 1908 when he got stuck on an ice pan making an emergency medical visit to a village.  He sacrificed some of his sled dogs by skinning them to make a fur cover to keep him warm until he was rescued several days later.  Along with many other awards, he was knighted in 1927 and his legacy lives on.  He was a remarkable man.  

We enjoyed the Grenfell museum.  After leaving the lower north shore last week we understand why medical issues are so important in these isolated and remote villages that dot the coast. 

The rain had stopped and we started heading south along the coast.  At one point, Debbie spotted two caribou entering a small pond.  I was able to stop, turn the rig around and come back to the pond.  The two caribou waded towards me as I stood on the shoulder of the road watching them. They climbed up the embankment and then crossed the road 50 feet in front of me.    

We stopped in Flower’s Cove to look at the thrombolites. The only other place to see them is in Australia.  Thrombolites are ancient forms of microbial structures that formed millions of years ago to look like large stone buns.

As we headed south, we were stopped in a construction zone and met Constable Steve again.  He rolled down his window, we filled him in on our recent travels and then he had to remind me by saying, “I’m following your blog and you are behind a few days!”  Thanks Steve. 

The wind was blowing strongly off of the Gulf and we drove into Port au Chiox to find a campsite in the Lions Municipal Campground. It was right on the edge of the shore, and waves and the wind were invigorating.

Debbie whipped up a delicious beef stew with dumplings.  We watched a movie, and fell asleep to the sound of the waves crashing on the shore. 

Sept 2, 2019

It is another windy day, but sunny, and according to the campground manager, – a typical day.  After breakfast I tried to post some blogs, however the WIFI was quite weak and after posting one blog I stopped.  I will find a stronger WIFI at some other place.  

Our destination was Pistolet Bay Provincial Park, and the drive for the majority of the trip was along the coast.  We followed the coast, passing through several quintessential quaint villages.  The waves are rolling off of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and crashing onto the rocky shore. This is a very picturesque drive. We found a spot on the highway that had cell phone service and I pulled into a parking lot of a business in order to make several phone calls.  

While parked there, a RCMP patrol vehicle pulled in and the constable said that he is an avid kayaker.  He had noticed our sea kayaks and wanted to meet us.  We had a great conversation on the side of the road and he told us of several places near by that would be great paddles. I told him that I was a retired member and we talked about policing for a short time, but the conversation stayed mainly with kayaking in the region.  Steve and I exchanged business cards and I encouraged him to follow us on our blog.  We said good-bye and we went on our separate ways. It was obvious that Steve enjoyed living in this area. 

We carried on to Pistolet Bay Provincial Park.  The road winds inland for about 40 kms and the boreal forest meet the sub arctic tundra in the region. The forest is thick with short pine and spruce trees and the ground cover is short thick bushes and low growing grasses and lichens.  Melt ponds dot the landscape. All along the sides of the roads are large piles of stacked firewood. Heating by wood is main source of warmth here in the winter. The firewood is cut from different woodlots designated by the government and firewood permits are sold for a small fee. The wood is left on the side of the road on the honor system.

We want to visit the L’ Anse aux Meadows this afternoon, so after checking into the campground we unhitched the trailer and drove there. 

L’Anse aux Meadows is a National Historic Site.  It is the place where the Vikings first landed in Canada. Archeological digs has found conclusive evidence of the remains of sod huts, tools and artifacts dating back to 1000 AD.  The National Parks Canada has reconstructed the site with buildings and employees provide tours of the site.  Volunteers wear period Viking clothing and discuss and explain what the way of life would have been like it those times.  It was very informative and provided another look at the history of Canada.

We were hungry and decided to go to a recommended restaurant nearby.  We had supper at the Norseman restaurant and enjoyed a delicious meal.  Nearby the bronze statue of Leif Erikson was staring out to sea.  The statue is quite imposing and was gifted to the Province of Newfoundland by the citizens and friends from Norway. 

It was getting dark so we decided to make our way home before we end up with a moose as a hood ornament.  We drove to Raleigh, a nearby by village to check out a recommended kayaking spot.  The forecast for tomorrow is high winds with rain.  We will see what tomorrow will bring.