A leisurely morning spent cleaning the camper and doing laundry at the KOA “Kampground.” After some local sightseeing we headed to the ferry terminal at North Sydney. We were instructed to get into one of the numerous lanes with the camper. Once in line you shut off the motor and essentially have a tailgate party with other campers, motorcyclists, truckers and locals. The tourism office has some local Scottish highland dancers and singers performing folk dance and music in an outdoor stage adjacent to the “parking lot.”
The ferry crossing was nice in that we had a 4 bunk room with bath and shower to escape to from the deck and indoor public areas. Dinner was buffet style and actually very well done! It was, of course, the best part of the day for Maddy and Eric.
We arrived in Newfoundland around 12:30 pm local time (they’re 30 minutes ahead of Nova Scotia and 1:30 ahead of us on the east coast). Camping was easy - all the RV’s just pulled off at the tourist info station located just off the ferry and we “boon docked” there for the night - no charge of course!
Day 10: Channel-Port-aux Basques to Gros Morne National Park
A very early start today got us to Gros Morne for lunch. We hiked to the famous Tablelands where rock from below the earth’s crust was thrust upwards on top of upper layers when Africa, Eurasia and N. America collided over 250 million years ago. It’s the best example in the world of ultra-mafic rock that is so easily accessible. The kids enjoyed playing in the waterfalls at trails end more than the geology but what can one expect?
We camped at Trout River Pond and attended an evening “cultural” program at the Trout River Cove Beach. We all had to sing-a-long with some local musicians playing Newfi toons.
Day 11: Gros Morne all day!
The boat tour at Western Brook Pond was rumored to be a “can’t miss” activity. After a 45 minute wake-up hike in to the west edge of the “Pond” we were met by a tour company that runs a small generator-powered outpost complete with dock and boat. The ten mile ride to the east end of the lake took us through 1000-2000 foot sheer cliffs on both sides. The lakes depth only feet away from the cliffs was 450 feet! The lake was a fiord at one time that had been cut off from the nearby ocean by glacial rebound. Numerous waterfalls fell 1000’s feet down towards us as we made our way. At one point a moose was spotted on the nearby shore. It had no escape up the cliffs and must have swam all the way up the lake.
We spent the night at the Shallow Bay Campground in Cow Head.
Day 12: Cow Head to L’Anse aux Meadows
A five hour drive brought us to the northern tip of Newfoundland this morning. We toured the famous site where Leif Ericson spent the winters in between his forays to the south collecting hardwood supplies to sell back in Greenland. This was the fabled “Vinland” that many had spoke of. Maddy and Eric learned how the Vikings built sod houses for shelter capable of handling the brutal winters, wove wool clothing and sail cloth on the loom, and collected iron nodules from the adjacent bog turning them into iron nails in the blacksmith hut (this was their favorite as they got to work the bellows of the furnace!)
Just down the road was another site called Norstead. Similar in nature but more aimed for the kids, an entire Viking outpost was re-enacted in an authentic yet entertaining way. I was most impressed with the massive Viking sailing vessel housed on sight. It was capable of crossing the open ocean with sail and oar. No fiberglass here - just great workmanship with wood.
Day 13: St. Anthony’s boat tour
Another early start had us on the water with Northland Discovery Boat Tours by 9am to see the sights. A cold driving rain with building winds kept many inside the small cabin until something worthwhile appeared. It didn’t take long for us to spot a small group (pod?) of humpbacks feeding. We also managed to see puffins, seals and dolphins. On the way back the seas were so rough that many became seasick (even Sue). The visit to the icebergs more than made up for the physical discomfort however. We even chomped some of the collected “bergy bits”. I learned that ice tastes the same if it’s a day old or 15,000 years old. If there’s a difference, I can’t tell.
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