Once committed to a return to the Canadian Maritime provinces for the St. Lawrence sail with Ron, it seemed a logical step to revisit places in the Canadian Maritimes I'd seen from Kelly IV and to enjoy new places and people in this terrific wonderland.
While camping in Houlton, ME I met a gent who was raised in New Zealand, but emigrated to Maine many years ago and had great stories about Maine and NZ. We were later joined in conversation by a lady who is an artist and was visiting her mother in Houlton. The next day I drove through New Brunswick on my way to Matane, QC and saw my first moose on the roadside. Sorry, I missed that photo.
Returning from my sail with Ron, I enjoyed a bus trip to the ferry in Godbout, QC which took me directly to Matane where I camped for the night. The next day I drove across the Gaspe' Peninsula enjoying dramatic vistas of boisterous rivers, colorful wooden covered bridges and mountains still touched with snow.
Evening brought me to the small port of Richibucto, New Brunswick, where Kelly IV and I met my ex-wife while she was visiting me during my 2011 cruise. As Kelly IV was in the marina for about a week, I got to know the dockmaster and even bought his two CDs from him. Yes, he is a singer who performs his lyrics in both French and English. I was playing his English CD on the radio when I pulled into the marina to see if he was still there. Lo and behold, there he was in the parking lot right where I pulled in! He was pleasantly surprised to hear his music being played in a car with Pennsylvania plates and we enjoyed a wonderful chat catching up on old times. And he directed me to a splendid campground on the water at the edge of town.
The next day was a lot of driving to reach Baddeck, Nova Scotia where I camped for the night. After a foggy exercise jog along the Bras d'Or Lake, I drove to North Sydney, NS and caught the ferry for Newfoundland. People waiting for the ferry were out of their vehicles enjoying the sunny weather, so I met folks from Punxsutawney, PA (geocachers) and Americans (from NJ/CO) who owned property in Newfoundland and enjoyed their summers there. On board the ferry I met and enjoyed the conversation and company of several “Newfies” who gave me tips and suggestions for how best to enjoy their rugged corner of the world. My ferry trip proved to be fun and very helpful as I learned so much about what to do and where to go. The ferry arrived at the port of Argentia, NL on Friday morning, June 27. Having learned that there were two icebergs just off Cape Spear and the harbor at St. John's, I drove directly to Cape Spear, the easternmost point of the continent of North America. According to my GPS, I was standing at N47*31.463' W52*37.247'. Just a few yards across the rocky cliff lay the Atlantic Ocean and nothing but water between me and Ireland.
Unfortunately, no iceberg was visible. In fact, nothing more than a few yards offshore was visible! The water was so cold and the air so warm that a thick fog prevented all visibility beyond a quarter of a mile.
Not to be deterred, I drove to the other location for sighting the icebergs, Signal Hill on the north side of the harbor entrance at St. John's, about an hours drive from Cape Spear. It was a beautiful, clear, brilliant day of sunshine in the city of St. John so it was a fun drive through town to Signal Hill. There were lots of tourists so I walked along the western wall enjoying the view over the harbor and city. The view was so dramatic, I just kept walking along forgetting about the icebergs entirely. As I got to the southern point and began following the wall along the ocean front, I noticed patchy fog with thick wisps blotting a view of the ocean, but scattered openings in the fog showed bright blue sea peeking back.
Suddenly there it was, an irregular, almost triangular shape of pure white with a small “My Favorite Martian” spaceship landed on it! It was the iceberg I had been hoping to see. Then through another hazy clearing in the offshore fog to the southeast appeared the second iceberg. I was fortunate to see both icebergs from the same vantage point on Signal Hill, St. John's.
The next morning I packed my gear from the campsite in Pippy Park, St. John's and began the Irish Loop drive around the Avalon Peninsula, the southeastern corner of Newfoundland. It is such a windblown stretch of land that much of the ground is barren of trees or the trees are small and just clustered into the hollows and dips in the landscape. The open views are dramatic and awe-inspiring.
As I drove back north I passed a large waterfall inland south of Whitborne, NL at Colinet. This portion of the drive was along a provincial route that was dirt and gravel, pretty common for all but the major roads and those in the larger towns.
After crossing onto the “mainland” of Newfoundland, then turning south onto the Burin Peninsula, I discovered a small beach lakeside campsite.
Apparently, many campers (mostly with trailers or RVs) just pull off the rural roads and camp where they please. And many of the sites have magnificent views near the many inland ponds and lakes. My little campsite was only a few hundred yards off the main highway, but very secluded and private with a grand panorama looking across a sizable lake.
While the biting flies and mosquitoes were thick at sunset and in the morning, my purposely smoky fire kept them at bay while I prepared my meals.
The next day my trusty Suzuki carried me south along the western coast of the Burin to a couple small, picturesque towns, Terrenceville and Harbour Mille.
Even at the wharfside, the water was so clear I could see the bottom in 10 to 20+ feet. That evening I set up camp at Frenchman's Cove, my home for a couple days while I toured the southern extent of the Burin Peninsula and rode the ferry to France. Yes, France holds two small islands off the coast of Newfoundland, St. Pierre and Miquelon. While touring the Burin I spent some quality time at the Provincial Seamens' Museum in Grand Bank, NL, south of Frenchman's Cove.
While the weather was clear when the ferry departed Fortune, NL bound for St. Pierre, it was not long before the fog closed in. It was a fine example of “thick enough to cut with a knife.” The fog remained as I spent the day walking about St. Pierre. When clear, I'm sure the views would be magnificent, but they were still quite stirring, even through the misty haze.
My last day in Newfoundland found me motoring back to Argentia to meet the ferry returning to Nova Scotia. Arriving a bit early for the ferry, I stopped in a nearby cafe and met a gregarious couple from New Zealand who lived in Australia and were currently touring Canada and the US aboard their huge 5th wheel trailer and massive pickup truck. Their style of camping sounded quite luxurious compared to my one-man tent and old scout cook kit. :-) And it was great fun swapping stories about their travels and mine.
I learned about Hopewell Rocks from my new Aussie friends, so made the long drive that day so I'd be able to enjoy learning about and observing the huge tide changes on the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick. As it was late in the day I made plans to visit again in the morning after the tide ebbed and I could catch the imposing rocks as they stood clear of the receding waters. Later that same day I caught the next tide at the “Reversing Falls” in Saint John, NB. It is quite thrilling to watch as the huge flow of water changes direction and begins flooding upstream!
The drive through new Brunswick as I began the return trip to Annapolis was an adventure as well since I had to drive through Tropical Storm Arthur as it flipped large trees out of the ground and scattered branches and debris across roads, flooding the low lying, smaller throughways. Gradually, as I made my way south to Bangor, ME, Arthur was left behind. The next day proved to be clear and sunny so I completed the return trip to Annapolis in one day from Bangor.
Newfoundland is a grand place with monstrous icebergs, magnificent camping, friendly fun people and vistas unique to the northern landscapes. It was an adventure I was lucky to enjoy.
