September 10, 2017 thru January 2018

The Rovers have had a wonderful 2017 summer spending 6 weeks with our great friends Gary and Carolyn who are from St Augustine, checking out NY, NJ, Vermont, Maine, touring the Canadian Maritimes for 60 days with new friends from Adventure Caravans, traveling over 4,000 miles and a fantastic week with the cousins, Dawn and Bob, Paul and George, enjoying Kingston, New Hampshire and the Cozy nest on Plum Island, Mass.

Guys heart doctor from Alabama called while we were in New Jersey and wanted us to return. They wanted to tell us that the monitor that keeps track of his pacemaker/defibilator was showing that the batteries and or the devise needed to be updated. Yikes!!! We explained our travel schedule for the summer, was it imperative that we return then (May) or could we wait until we got back in September. We were told to be in the office on Sept 20, and keep the activity minimal. It was a two fold relief for us that we didn’t need to change our schedule but at the same time it was unnerving.

We had an extra week before needing to head to Birmingham, so after our cousin time, we looked at each other, both thinking where did we want to go…..we decided on the Hershey RV show. I got on the phone calling campgrounds all over, we finally found one an hour away from the show in Gettysburg. Of course, as we were heading there alarms were going off on the dash board of the coach, neither one of us could figure out what was happening, there was nothing in the maintenance books about it either. We taped it and played it back to the maintenance department at Monaco, they didn’t have any idea either…hmmm…what to do….and making the decision to keep heading to Gettysburg. We played with all the bells and whistles on the dash and on the side panel…finally…Guy figured it out…the tire monitors…they were showing that a battery had died!!

camping amongst the horses

 

Both of us were so tired from all the traveling we did over the summer that we just relaxed and never did go check out Gettysburg and all the history of our country. The campsite we had was surrounded by horse corrals, there were about 50 horses that could wander between the corrals. It was great sitting in our chairs, wine in hand, just watching the horses.

We did manage to roust up enough energy to attend the RV show…this is where our life makes a big change. If you have been reading our blog for any length of time you know we have a polaris razor side x side that we wench up on the top or our truck. It is a time consuming and difficult to rope down, we tend to not use it as much because of that. Guy also needs to climb around the top of the truck and buggy tying it down.

We started looking for an easier way of taking the buggy with us, and making it easier to load and unload. While at the RV show we looked at the new model motorhomes that have a garage under the bedroom, where the master bed moves up and down when the buggy is there in the garage. But much to our dismay they are not wide enough. We then started looking at all the many brands of toy haulers, which to us did not seem to be made for full time living. We finally decided on the RV Factory, our main reason for this decision was our ability to design the rig our way and make it more full time friendly.

They only build 5th Wheels if they are preordered…and build the way you want…so we got to design ours the way we want, colors of cabinets, flooring, counters and everything in-between. We upgraded the suspension, tires, springs, brakes, outside steps, and many other things…. our new 5th wheel won’t be ready until April/May. Since our meeting in September, we met with the RV Factory again with many changes between them and us
(all for the good)…it will delay the build slightly.

While at the show we happened upon Tom of Classy Chassis Custom Trucks. They make Rv style Aluminum Hauler Bed Conversions which we will have done on our new 450 Ford dually.

Things have moved pretty fast since then, we finally landed in Birmingham, Alabama and parked at the Hoover Met for a few weeks while Guy had his surgery. Things went great, they put in a new pacemaker/defibrillator with all new batteries and new leads into his heart. He now feels so much better and has so much more energy and back to his old self.

We are happy to report on his last check up there have been no new episodes of A-Fib or VTech.  He also was rechecked for cancer with it also coming back great. We have one last Doctor appointment before we are back on the road and we are looking forward to heading out on this amazing journey.

It was great being near our daughter, Kristi and son in law Jason and grandkids for the few weeks we were there in Birmingham. We attended their soccer, basketball and volleyball games, had wonderful dinners together and even had the grands over to spend the night in the coach. Of course, there are those Dad things that need to get done, our daughter found a great deal on antique tin hanging lamps, it took awhile to figure out how to hang them from a single whole in the ceiling but with 6 brains working at once…it is up!!

 

Our son had ordered new shoes for the coach at his shop in Auburn, Al, so we camped close to his shop.  We spent time with our son, Stephen and his girl Cari and Ryan our grandson, having dinner one night at the campsite and going out to the restaurant where our grandson works, Vendatoris.

We then headed to Camp Alexander in Blue Ridge, Georgia where we still are and will be until our new toy hauler and truck are ready to pick up. Our friends Steve and Paul came to Camp Alexander to hang with us for a couple of days as they made their way over to Texas for the winter. We have mutual friends, Karen and Al, me thru her blog and friends on Facebook,  Steve and Paul thru Key West where they both own RV lots.  Karen and Al also have an RV lot in Blairsville, Ga about 12 miles from us. We invited them over for drinks and a campfire, then headed to our favorite pizza joint, Cucina Rustica. It was a great night of laughter and stories.

 

We put our coach on the market and sold it about one month later to a wonderful couple from Virginia. They came to get right when we were having a snow storm, which they are used to driving in snow, but had Guy take out of our community as the road is pretty narrow with lots of curves. It was a bittersweet moment, we enjoyed the time we spent living in it and traveling in it was pretty easy. But we are on to new adventures with the 5th wheel, we hope to boondock a lot more as we won’t be as heavy, the 5th will also be a lot lighter.

As you know our coach is our only home….what were we going to live in now? We scoured the papers, and the internet looking for something used, we found a really great 2008 Cedar Creek 30’ 5th wheel, had it delivered and moved onto our lot. It has been an easy adjustment moving from 45’ to 30’, except for 2 issues, 6 gal water heater and 30 amps!! I keep blowing the circuits every time I turn on the blow dryer, coffee maker, toaster or blender while the electric heater is running!!!

This year so far has been the coldest November and December in years, we have had 10″s of snow, temps down below 0 with the wind chill, freezing rain and ice. Our little 5th wheel has been really warm, no frozen pipes. Our neighbor and I have been walking the mile around our community with a snow day making it more fun…can anyone say

“Snow Angels” 

My girlfriend, Kathi came to hang with us for a month before she headed west and back to California in her coach. She has been traveling since August, following the same trip we had taken thru the Maritimes. We had a marvelous time enjoying our girlie talks, campfires and sitting outside until the snow came and her little rig froze, even after unplugging everything and keeping heaters on her pipes. She didn’t unfreeze until she left the mountain and headed into Alabama to see more friends.

It has been 4 years since I have decorated for Christmas, since we were stationary, I decided a tree would be awesome. When we went to our daughters for Thanksgiving,  we got in her attic and there was an awesome small fake tree with my name on it….Walmart had lights, bulbs and ribbon that were just right for my (her) little tree. I also snagged some garland and ribbons to decorate the inside with. But decided the tree was enough and took it all back. We went to our daughters for Christmas so two days before we left I took it all down…I guess it will be my last time to decorate for a while…we usually leave our RV in Bullhead City at my sisters and drive the truck back to Al for Christmas.

We have been having a wonderful time since being back and have kept pretty busy…so come on back and check out our time here…

 

 

Sept 2, 2017, 185 miles
Hadley’s Point Campground, Bar Harbor, Maine

Its been 60 days traveling with the Adventure Caravan group and time to be on our own. Our day started with everyone gathering at Will and Cindy’s coach for donuts and coffee for our last morning together. Slowly each couple walked away and drove to their next destination. Guy and I had decided to head back to Bar Harbor, Maine to spend the holiday weekend. Which meant we had come full circle, as we had ended our trip with Carolyn and Gary and started the Canadian trip all from Maine.

Mount Desert Island is the largest island off the coast of Maine with 108 sq miles. It is also the second largest on the eastern seaboard. It is widely known as Acadia National Park. The area draws 2-2.5 million of visitors and by far out numbers the 10,615 residents. There is only one road on and off the island, which can be bumper to bumper traffic taking hours to drive. There are transit buses that will take visitors to many of the sites on the island.

 

When we made reservations to stay out on the island at Hadley’s Campground, we knew that being the labor day holiday, traffic would be bad. There was so many areas we had not seen while we were there over the July 4th celebration. One place was Cadillac Mountain, so we got up early and headed up to the mountain, which is located on Mount Desert Island. It is 1,529 feet and the highest point in Hancock County. From Oct through March of each year Cadillac Mountain is the first place to view a sunrise in the United States, we did not get up early enough to see the sunrise.

We had also not gone near Bar Harbor over the July 4th holiday due to the traffic and the crowds.  We wanted to walk thru town, check out the stores and have a nice dinner. Bar Harbor is a seaside resort on the northeastern side of Mount Desert Island, there were many boats sitting in the harbor, just bobbing in the water. We also could see that a cruise ship was docked out off the shore, with the whole ship walking the town. One of the boats off shore had been there for over 30 days and was rumored to be owned by a Russian Oil Magnate.

Our friends, Paul and Steve were also staying in the area, so since Monday, Sept 4, was our 47 th wedding anniversary, we called them to see if they wanted to spend our anniversary with us. We walked around the town looking for a nice place to eat and decided on Jack Russell’s Steak House and Brewery. The restaurant looked like it used to be  someones home and was redesigned as a restaurant, we sat up stairs and enjoyed a great dinner and more important wonderful conversation with some awesome friends.

Our stop on the island was short, we got a lot done, Guy washed the very dirty coach and truck, while I finally did 8 loads of laundry and cleaned the inside of the coach. We were heading to New Hampshire to meet up with my Cousin Dawn and Uncle Bob, Cousin Paul and George. We have always tried to get together once a year but since Guy and I went on the road, I’m sad to say we haven’t been able to, so I was looking forward to this visit.

Come on back to check on all the trouble our little family gets into in Kingston, New Hampshire. Until then y’all have a Blessed Day.

 

August 22, 2017, 210.8 miles
Gro Morne Rv CG, Rocky Harbor, Newfoundland

Retracing part of our route which was full of potholes, the drive was 210.8 miles Guy and I took a ride thru the park and the town of Rocky Harbor, the town seems to be pretty active with many restaurants, taverns, gift stores and museums. We also rode over to the town of Norris Point which is another area on the bay with a marina, whale watching tours and ferries to other islands.

Driving thru the Gros Morne National Park was the most dynamic and picturesque landscape of Newfoundland. The park is the 2nd largest National park in Atlantic Canada. The name is French meaning ”large mountain standing alone”. The park was made a national park on Oct 1, 2005. The park is a diverse panorama of beaches, forests and barren cliffs. There are fjords and mountains that tower above the land. There are pathways leading along the coast where you can wander among the sea shacks.

The landscape is quite barren and desert like due to the magma that has been forced to the surface several million years ago. There are only 7 places in the world you can see this, 3 of the 7 are here in Newfoundland. This area is also the beginning of the Appalachian Mountains.

The area is also very rocky, due to the magma rising to the surface, there are heavy metals in the rock which make they extremely heavy. With all the rocks in the area and very little dirt normal vegetation cannot grow. There is an area called the green gardens where the area is very thick with peat soil about 12 to 15’ thick, the vegetation is much thicker here.

 

One of the side trips we wanted to take was into the Western Brook Pond-Fjord. We made reservations for 8 of us to go, not sure how the weather would be that day since it had been raining the few days we had been there. We all decided to brave it and hope it didn’t rain. There was a 45 min walk along the natural bog and forest, with boardwalk in places to wet to walk, then a 2 hour boat ride at the base of sheer cliff walls and waterfalls rage into the Western Brook pond. The lake is a fresh water fjord which was carved out by glaciers. Once the glaciers melted the land which had been pushed down by the weight of the ice sheet, rebounded and the outlet to the sea was cut off. The water in the fjord is the highest purity rating for natural bodies of water. There were clouds and some wind as we walked, but we were so happy that the day stayed dry, with the clouds adding contrast to the pictures.

 

The boat cruised into an opening between two 2000’ mountains with almost vertical cliffs. We cruised 10 miles to the other end of the pond, along the way we saw many waterfalls cascading down along the high cliffs. When we reached the end of the pond the boat pulled up to a wooden dock and let off 4 hikers that would be hiking for 3-5 days. The hike would be about 25 miles, over peat bogs and thru rivers, using gps to guide them. The guide on our boat explained that some of the areas could of peat bogs could reach up to their knees or higher.

 

 

One couple, David and Yvonne, on the tour with us did not bring a tow car which made it hard for them to get around and see things, others were kind enough to take them to see the sites. Guy and I asked them to spend the day with us. Our first stop was for breakfast, eggs, bacon, potatoes, fruit and toast, it was so nice to sit and chat with them about their travels and life.

We then headed to the Lobster Cove Lighthouse, which was outside of town on the rocky hills. When we arrived the clouds were black, the wind was blowing, and it started raining just as we arrived so just David and I were brave enough to walk along the path to the lighthouse. In 1889 the lighthouse first started with each inhabitant of Rocky Harbor contributing a pint of oil each week to help fuel the light. It was one of 4 lighthouse sites along the west coast of Newfoundland. Automated equipment was installed in 1969. The lighthouse was designated a Recognized Federal Heritage building in 1990.

Later that evening we attended a musical performance called Anchors Aweigh by a group of local musicians. The song they sang was lively and extremely funny, their songs were about their island, you could really tell they had great pride in where they lived and of their island. They brought the audience into their performance by asking everyone where they were from and then played a song that corresponded with their region or state or country. Of course, for Guy and I they played,                                       “Sweet Home Alabama”, by Lynyrd Skynyrd.

We now head to our last campground here in Newfoundland before we board the 6 hour ferry back to North Sydney, Nova Scotia. Come on back and check out Fort Louisbourg and attend an 18th Century dinner with us.

August 19, 2017, 70 miles
Triple Falls RV, St. Anthony’s, NFLD

This morning we sure took our time getting up and hitting the road, with only 70 miles to our next destination there was no need to hurry. We got up and I even had time to make a breakfast for Guy…eggs on toast with sausage. Guy had time to apply some stuff to the jacks, while I cleaned up the breakfast dishes and got the coach ready for travel. I think this schedule is finally getting to us….we don’t normally travel from place to place so fast.

Lou and Karen were in the lead today, which gives me some down time from navigation. We travel with our walkie talkies on so we can keep in touch, when all of a sudden Lou is saying something that I don’t make out….Guy got it….he thinks he sees an iceberg out in the ocean…I grab the binoculars…yes, I can see it…Guy stops so I can get a good look and all of a sudden it breaks in two…no pictures…Darn!!

After a few minutes Lou is on the walkie talkie again….there was a moose walking down the center of the road…now we are getting excited…but Guy and I can’t see it…then it takes a left turn to the side of the road….then it makes a right in front of Lou…then another left…so glad we were crawling along the road…it finally heads into a field and starts grazing…Guy and I stop and take a million pictures…some of them are not to clear thru the window…he also is moving but the same direction as we are…we find out that it is not a moose but a caribou…

That afternoon after setting up camp, we went on a whale watching trip…it was cloudy..cold and very windy…the waves were at least 5-6’…there were whales but they were so close to the rocky cliffs trying to eat the small fish, we could not get to close. We were rocking and rolling so much that I could not hold the camera and the railing to steady myself for pictures, but I snapped any way.

Sunday is an other day off to do as we wish…since we have not had internet and no cell service we head to a Tim Hortons…it is like a McDonald’s. We get some coffee and egg muffin, then get on their wifi and check emails. I text our daughter to see how things are going…when we drove into the parking lot there were 6 cars from our group there doing the same thing.

Guy and left Tims following the map up to the tip of the island, so we could see a little more of the area. It was nice to just drive where we wanted and stop when we saw something of interest. It was a great day, we even had LaciLou with us, I think she enjoyed being with us and not left behind.

It was fascinating to see the coastline, with the rocky cliffs and the fishing villages dotted along the shore and on the hills. This area had more white houses and sheds, the fire wood was stacked in long rows, getting ready for the winter months. You must get a permit early in the season, when you get the permit you are told where you may cut and given a number. After you cut your trees, they dry them by standing them up, then they lay down pallets and split the wood and stack on the pallets, the number of the permit must be visible on the trees. To haul the wood they use a sled, sort of like what you would use in snow, with skis on the bottom. There is no stealing or crime, so they are not worried about the wood being left stacked along the roads.

You may also have a garden, of any size and you may put it any where you choose, along all the roads, in fields or where ever there is good sun.  It is fenced in with wood about 6-7’ high to keep out the moose or caribou. We saw many beautiful gardens and could see that they were well taken care of and then there were those that had been abandoned.

Today we toured a Viking archaeological excavation site located in L’Anse Aux Meadows National Park. This is the most northern tip of Newfoundland. This site was were the viking first discovered Newfoundland and built their village as a supply port. The village was unearthed over 7 years of digging, the remains of sod building were discovered along with numerous artifacts which are on display.

 

We also toured the Norstead Village which has a replica of a viking boat, that had transported 32 tons of cargo from Iceland to Newfoundland and the village. There were people dressed in period clothing demonstrating blacksmithing, knitting, cooking over an open fire and trading.

Later that night we attended a Viking Feast, which was in a peat sod hut. The meal was buffet style but drinks were served by Viking maids.

We sat at long tables and benches, with metal plates, and spoons and a knife to eat with. After dinner a Viking tribal court was held. Diners in the restaurant were asked if they had a gripe by any one and to please stand up and state their claim. The audience was then to vote on the guilty or innocent verdict. We even received a certificate that we were now official viking yellers. It was pretty loud in that building with every one pounding on the tables and yelling, guilty or innocent.

Guy and I really liked this little town and the surrounding area, it is pretty far off the beaten path, not many restaurants or shopping. It was a great experience visiting the viking village and learning the history of the area.

We are now headed to Rocky Harbor where we will explore the Gros Morne National Park and head into the fiords….so come on back to see the beauty of the fiords.

Y’all have a Blessed Week until we meet again…

August 17, 2017,
235.2 miles, Big Bonnie Bay Pond, NFLD

These pictures were taken while we were traveling along the highway from Twillingate to Big Bonnie Bay Pond.

Our travels have us leaving the coastline and headed up to higher country. It is starting to get cooler and raining, lots of low lying clouds on the tops of the mountains. The roads seem to be getting worse, there are so many potholes, you can’t drive around them. They do give you fair warning with the “Potholes Ahead” signs. What we find amazing is the white or yellow lines are painted right down the middle of the potholes…go figure. There is a speed limit but you can’t drive it, we are about 10-15 miles below the limit due to the rough roads.

There was one highlight on our drive as Guy spotted out of the corner of his eye, a small moose, about 2yrs old, with antlers, that means there was a mom close by…but…no we didn’t see her nor could we stop and take pictures…so no proof…

Our trip to Big Bonnie Bay Pond was relatively easy, we did only stop once to let LaciLou out for a walk. We arrived at 1:00pm, I was thinking great I can get some blogs written and saved to the computer, with no internet for the last month and a half, I haven’t been able to publish them but I have them all writen. As the coaches started arriving at the campground, everyone starting converging outside and talking and laughing…you would think after the month and a half we would have nothing to say…LOL!!!

That night we did not need to cook again….yea!!…the campground had a restaurant so we all preordered dinner, the campground even provided music. Guy had ordered a moose burger and salad, he said it tasted like hamburger and I ordered the traditional Newfie dinner, called a “Jegs Dinner”, corn beef and cabbage, with potatoes, carrots and turnips. I really was looking forward to it as my mom made this for us many years ago, but I was so sadly disappointed as it was not like hers at all, it was very dry and no flavor at all. Oh Well!!! There was a guy singing for us while we were there, a few of us danced and stayed for a couple of hours until it got down to 6 of us and then it was time to call it quits.

We were going to leave the next morning, only spending one night at this camp and heading out to St. Barbe to go on the ferry for Labradore. There was the Newfoundland Insectrarium & Butterfly Pavillion not far from the camp. We left at 8:30am the next morning so we could be there when it opened.

The owner, took us on a tour of the main display area with mounted insects from around the world, and organized by geographical region, thru the butterfly indoor garden where the tropical butterflies from all around the world were flying around us.

 

 

We went up to the second floor where the insects were located. The owner talked about honey bees and the queen and her roll as the queen, as well as the drones (males), and the roll of the females.

172.1 miles
Pigeon Cove/St Barbe RV Center, NFLD

After the tour we packed up and headed to St Barbe to get ready for our ferry ride to Labradore. It rained the whole way and continued the rest of the day. There were a couple of stops on the way that Guy and I wanted to see, one the Torrent River Salmon Center. The information said there was a boardwalk down to an area that it was great for viewing “moose” and salmon. It was raining so hard when we got to the turn we decided that neither one of us wanted to walk in the rain. Darn!! We have missed the elusive “moose” again!!

It was still raining that night, Guy and I had dinner in the coach hoping it would stop before we needed to leave the next morning. The ferry to Labradore was leaving at 7:30am the next morning, we left our coaches at 6:45am…due to the rain and rough weather the ferry was late getting into port, we didn’t leave until 8:15am.

We were standing out in 50 degree weather with 35 mph winds for over an hour waiting for the ferry.   The ferry ride over to Labrador was ruff due to the high wind and seas.

Our bus was picking us up at the ferry…we were surprised when we saw the bus, it was your typical school bus…we sure laughed about that…it had been a long time since any of us had been on a school bus. Let’s just say I would not want to do it again, the roads were so rough, the bus must not have had springs, we were thrown around that bus like toothpicks….it was a miserable trip. Hence, we sat on the school bus bouncing for 50 miles down the only road in Labrador, and you guessed it with lots of potholes.  Once we got to Red Bay we had lunch in what was the only restaurant in town. The whole town has a population of 115 people and it is one of the largest towns in Labrador.

After lunch we walked across the street to the Red Bay Museum.  This place was interesting because it was full of items from the 1500s that had been dug up in archeological digs in the area. They dug the bay due to the numerous ship wrecks that had taken place in the 1500s. The recovered may artifacts from the bay area and are on display in the museum.

After the museum we went to the Red Bay Straits display that was just a block away. It was all about the discovery of a sunken whaling ship. They also had in this building a 400 year old Chupla boat that was found buried in the bay.

 

Our school bus also took us to the Point Armour lighthouse, which was not far from where we had lunch. The lighthouse is the tallest building in Labrador and the tallest lighthouse in NFLD and Labrador. It is 90 ft above ground, has 6 ft thick walls, with windows that are 1/4″ thick. The lighthouse remained in service until the early 1960’s, it started service in 1903. The occulting light produced 3 beams of light every minute.

 

We can all say we have now been in Labradore!! Labrador is a very large area, it is dry, not many trees, lots of rocks and low lying shrubs. There is only 2 main roads in Labradore, the one we were on, which was about 60-70 miles long and connects to a dirt road which is closed.

If you head towards Labrador City about 1,100 miles away, the road is dirt/gravel, and eventually closer to the city it will be paved. The only way to have access to any of the coastal towns, which is where the indigenous people live, is by plane or boat. Most of the young people that grew up in Labradore have left the area, which leaves an aging population.

Thanks for following along on “Our Rovin Journey” thru Labradore, come on back and see what we see what it’s like to attend a Viking Feast and Village, in St. Anthony, NFLD,

 

August 13, 2017, 215.8 miles
Peyton’s Woods Park, Twillingate, NFLD

Guy and I have once again scored with our camping site, we have a marvelous view of the ocean. We can sit in our chairs and just stare, even from our dining room in the coach we have an awesome view.

I think, I have fallen in love with Newfoundland, with its numerous different shapes, sizes and different colors of the trees, lakes, streams and ponds at every open area, the tundra that goes on for miles only broken up by the ponds, rocks and pine trees surrounding those ponds, the rough wildness about the area, the cliffs that surround the coastline, crystal clear blue water.

The colorfully scattered houses, bright yellows, reds, greens, purples, the lush green grass surrounding homes, moss on the roofs, sitting on low hills with views of the bays or ocean. The wildflowers, reds, purples and yellows all along the roads, in yards and popping up around the ponds. The stunted trees from the wild winds and bitter cold winters. Small and large gardens surrounded with old wooden fences. The mountains interspersed with rocks and trees so thick there is no way you could walk thru them. The old coloful fishing sheds and wooden docks, wooden dorries (boats) sitting beside the shed waiting for their return to the water. The signs of times gone by…The small villages where everyone knows each other, the pride the people have for their wonderful Newfie Land.  But most of all the people who are so happy that you are visiting their Newfie Land, always ready to help or tell a story, always with a smile on their faces.

Then I think about the winters and realize….snow, wicked, wild, cold winds…icy roads…..no can do….I will stick with the South.

Twillingate is a town off 3,000 people which consists of two islands connected by a causeway. The town is at the mouth of the Exploits River that flows into the Notre Dame Bay. The islands provide an excellent sheltered harbor and access to fishing grounds. Twillingate is know as the “Iceberg capital of the World”. Due to the location of the town icebergs pass by and get stuck at the mouth of the harbor or on some of the small islands off shore. We kept looking and looking for icebergs but they were as elusive as the moose. The icebergs are the most plentiful and come through the north area of the island in April and May. Since we were now into August it was very unlikely that we would get to experience seeing them. There are many boat operators you can hire to take you on a tour of the icebergs, whale watching and out to watch the numerous sea birds.

 

 

Newfoundland has gone through its hard times, due to the moratorium on Cod fishing put on by the Canadian government in 1992 that last for 25 years. Imagine that after years of making a living from cod fishing, you wake up one morning and it’s all over…a whole town…all the towns in Newfoundland, what was going to happen to all the people….most people had never gone to school, they started fishing, cleaning fish, salting fish with their families at the age of 7…they say the lights went out in most of the villages…the government had to help with a stipend, some people went to bigger towns, some went to school to get a degree…committees were formed to find a way to put people back to work….by opening museums, giving fishing village tours, lighthouse tours, harbor tours, house tours, whale watching tours, iceberg tours, all were tried to attract the tourist and bring in money. There were fines to pay if you were caught with a fish in your boat, so boats sat, the wood rotting where it sat…Fishing has started again but you must buy a license and can only catch 5,000 cod a week and it must be from 200 miles off shore. Their way of life will never be the same, fishing will never be their primary source of income again.

Our first stop while in Twillingate, was the Prime Berth Fishing Museum, (meaning “the best spot”). Dave, 70 yrs old, and a long time cod fisherman, his wife, Christine and their cat, started and still run the museum.

 

They have 6 buildings sitting along the water, with one being his dad’s old fishing shed, these buildings are loaded with every kind of fishing artifact, as a tribute to his fisher forefathers. Dave told of his time spent and the lessons he learned in his father’s fishing shed. Dave is the son of many generations of fishermen and he has taken it upon himself to help preserve the knowledge and tools that were used by fishermen up until 1960.  He has collected many artifacts from his father and others to help start the museum, he now is dependent on visitors to earn a living.

 

This place was just amazing to see, we felt it was much better than most of the Canadian museums we have been to. It was much more interesting to see how they process a real fish verses the stuffed animal that was used at the National Historic site. When he finished there was nothing left except a perfectly butterflied cod fish ready to be salted.

 

 

Of course, if there is a brewery or winery around our noses will always lead us in that direction..and it did not fail us…we soon arrived at the Auk Island Winery for a tour and all you can drink wine tasting….ok, now we are talking our language….

 

This wine is made with the fruit and berries found around the island of NFLD. They also make some speciality wines using iceberg water. The majority of the berries used, are wild and free of pesticides or fertilizers. None of their wines are made from grapes. The wines are sold locally and in area restaurants, they do not ship to the US.   They stated that the wine will only last about 5 years in the bottle before turning into vinegar.

Some of the wine names are;
Fifty Shades of Bay (blueberry/blackberries ), Funky Puffin (blueberry/rhubarb), Jelly Bean Row (strawberry/partridgeberry), Moose Juice (blueberry/ partridgeberry), and Krooked Cod (blueberries/rasberries). Guy and I tasted 3 or 4 but we like a dry wine and since these are fruit and berries most were to sweet for us, we did buy the Fifty Shades of Bay, it was the driest and not as fruity.

 

We attended two shows while spending time in Twillingate, one was a dinner and musical show, “Newfie Dinner & Show”. There were 3 men and 2 women who performed skits, music and singing. One of the men, Jody Hale, sang and played banjo, guitar, mandolin, and flute, while two others played the squeeze box and guitar.

The Split Peas were performing at the Touton house, which is an all women group that could sing accapella, or with 2 women that played the banjo. All 7 are retired and have been performing for 25 years. They bring the “Kitchen Party” to the stage every Tues. and Thursday.

The music was Irish and quite lively, they had the audience up dancing or up playing with the “Ugly Sticks”, which are carved wooden sticks with heads, shoes and bottle caps down the side which make a big racket. At intermission we were served tea, coffee and “Toutons”, which are fried bread dough with cloudberry jelly.

Guy and I finally took an off day to get a few chores done….he cleaned the truck and coach, then got out his banjo and sat outside to play but soon was reading the inside of his eyelids…I stayed inside and did 7 loads of laundry…which took all day as the electricity went on and off all day…cleaned the inside from front to back…gave LaciLou a bath, much to her dismay…cut and colored my hair…took a walk down to the little fishing sheds along the water…took pictures and LaciLou and I put our feet in the water.

 

There was an active lighthouse about 5 miles from the campground at the tip of the island. It is located 331 feet above sea level,  off the northeast coast of Twillingate at Crow Head. The lighthouse was completed in 1876 and is historic to the town. It is said that you can walk the scenic trails along the coast that surround the lighthouse and watch icebergs and whales. Because I am very scared of heights there was no way I was walking the trails. We did not go into the lighthouse, the museum is $8.00 per person and $4.00 to climb to the top where the lights are.

The time we spent here in Twillingate was filled with plenty of different experiences but once again it was time to move on. Our next adventure takes us to St. Barbe where we will tour the Insectarium and Butterfly Pavillion and take a day to ferry over to Labrador. Come on along with “Our Rovin Journey” and check out what we see and do next.

 

Thank you for following along with us on our journey thru this amazing country.

 

August 10, 2017, 188.1 miles
Paradise Farm Rv Park, Bonavista, Newfoundland

We arrived in Bonavista, Newfoundland after a bumpy short ride! The roads up here leave little to be desired, there are potholes on every road with yellow and white lines painted down the middle of the potholes.

The country is really beautiful, lots of every different kind of tree,  lots of grass and open areas intermingled with  ponds (in the states we would call them lakes) everywhere you turn. We have not seen any  fishing boats of any kind on the ponds, which we are think maybe they are shallow due to the rocks that protrude out of the middle and around the edges.

Newfoundland and Labrador form the most easterly province of Canada. The population is estimated at 526,702 people. Between Newfoundland and Labradore, 92% of the population live on Newfoundland. No part of the island of NFLD is more than 62 miles from the ocean which greatly influences there cooler summer weather. In July the temps range from 66-71. The climate produces more variable weather, humidity, clouds, less sunshine and high winds. Their official bird is the Atlantic Puffin, while the official dogs is the Newfoundland.

The fishing of cod was the primary work for most people, most started with their families, some as early as 7 years old, catching, cleaning and salting the cod. There were cod factories with 1500 or more working, earning a living, most with out an education. After over 500 years of lives and communities on Canada’s eastern coast, the fishing of cod collapsed entirely in the early 1990’s due to overfishing. Canada then forced a moratorium on cod fishing. If anyone was caught cod fishing there was a fine levied. Many people with no education could not find jobs and went back to school, others left the area. After 25 years the waters showed that there were an abundance of crab, shrimp and other fish as well as cod, the moratorium was lifted but with strict restrictions. The cod fishing will never come back to the way it was as most have stopped eating it and the younger generation have never learned to eat it or like it.

Guy and I left St John’s around 9:00am and were the 3rd coach to arrive at our new campground, and how excited we were when escorted to our new site! We scored a spot looking at a beautiful blue pond with tall grass and flowers all around. I thought we would be so lucky and see moose in the morning…Ha Ha…the owner of the campground stated that there would be no moose, as they had been hunted so much on the island that they were scarce. But we talked to others that said there were plenty of moose, who knows because we never did see any.

Darn, I was so hoping to see them while drinking a cup of coffee, looking across the lake, in the morning. We had thought we would head into town and check things out as we arrived by 1:00 but the view was so inviting that we set up our chairs…made lunch and just relaxed watching the water move. Soon our neighbors, Lou and Karen with Lady, brought out their chairs as well, Paul and Steve our other neighbors soon had their chairs out as well.  Later that night after everyone arrived we had a great potluck and socialized.

After dinner, Paul came by to see if we wanted to take a ride before dark to see the Atlantic Puffins….of course, who wouldn’t want to go,  we were looking forward to seeing them. The Puffins could be seen up close if we went at dusk as they fly and eat during the day. It took us a little while to find the Puffins, once we parked the car it was a little hike along the top of the cliff out to see them.

Once out there we were surprised to see them so close to us…almost close enough to touch them. The majority were on another island across from where we were. Another plus while watching the Puffins was seeing the whales swimming off shore, we could see the black dots and them shooting water in the air,  none were breaching nor lifting their tails.

 

Some facts for you on Puffins:
95% of Atlantic Puffins breed around NFLD’s coastlines…Puffins always return to the same island where they were born…they even return to the same burrow and mate…Puffins can carry as many as 22 fish at one time…

Puffins swim better than fly and keep their eyes open under water…Puffins do not sit on their eggs ike other birds, they tuck the egg in close and hug it with their wings…in cold weather Puffins lose their bright colors, their white feathers turn grey and their orange legs turn dark…

Puffins spend more time in the water than in the air…North Atlantic Puffins live in the ocean and return each spring to the island where they were hatched.

The next couple of days we shared driving to different highlights around town. We teamed up with Sharon and Steve with Steve driving. Our first stop was at the Ryan Premises which is a National Historic site. It is an example of a merchant operation for the town of Bonavista. We toured the propietor’s house, a retail shop, a fish factory, and a salt store. We had a demonstration and talk about the cod fishing industry and learned how to cut up a cod with a toy cod.

 

We went as well to view the Matthew Legacy which  is a replica of the 15th century ship that transported John Cabot on his voyage in 1497 to discover the coast of North America, with his first landing site at Cape Bonavista, NFLD.

 

 

 

The Cape Bonavista Lighthouse was about 4 miles outside of town, as we were headed there we spotted a little roadside restaurant, that served ice cream….yes, we stopped!! It was a great treat as the day had turned warmer, Guy had blueberry ice cream in a cup, while I had a soft serve vanilla dipped in chocolate!! Yum…

The Cape Bonavista lighthouse was built in 1843, it is the only one of a few lighthouses that you can climb the stone tower and see the seal oil fueled light used in the 19th century. The lighthouse served for 46 years from 1859 until 1962. The light used 650 gallons of seal oil every year. The lights turn by the use of weights that are pulled every 2 hours and takes 15 mins to pull the weights into position. The lighthouse is not in use today but there is an automated light just outside the original.

The next day we headed to Elliston, which is the Root Cellar Capital of the World.
We watched a movie on Root Cellars which explained how root cellars came about hundreds of years ago and why they were used, there are over 140 cellars scattered around the area. Root Cellars were used to store vegetables such as potatoes, onions, rutabagas, carrots and many other root vegetables.

The cellars were all different, some with wood roofs, or cement, all are different sizes. They keep cool during the summer months which keeps the veggies from spoiling.  After the cod moratorium cities were trying to find ways for folks to earn a living, Elliston realizing that they were the only place with so many roots cellars decided to capitalize on this and started to revitalize the root cellars. Now visitors come from all over the world to see the root cellars.

The root cellars were not far from the puffins so off we went to watch the puffins again, we could see them on the island across from us but there were not any on our side. Most of the puffins were out in the water or flying, some flew by with fish in their beaks.

Later, we also headed about 60 miles to the town of Trinity which we heard was a quaint fishing village. This a small town and was once a fishing village in the 16th century. It was not like any other village we had been to but I would not really classify it a fishing village. It seems that they have now turned the town into a commercial venture to entice the visitors.

 

It was right on the water, with lots of brightly colored houses, a couple of churches, parish hall, The Courthouse and Goal and The Rising Tide Theatre. Of course, there were the gift shops, ice cream stores, and chocolate shop. While we were walking around the town a play was in progress, people were dressed in clothes from the early days walking thru town from building to building, acting their parts as they went. There were guests with name tags who had paid to participate.

 

We head back to camp on a different hwy hoping to see the other side of the peninsula, it was a shorter ride than we thought but we did see two small towns along the ocean. There were also many whales off shore blowing water, looking rather lazy as they did not show themselves nor did they breach or lift their tails.

This was a great stop and very interesting, I fell in love with the Puffins and could have just stayed and watched them forever, but it was time to move on to Twillingate, we had a date to see the “Split Peas”….hmmm…what could that be??? If you want to know come on back and check it out.

Thanks for following along with us on “Our Rovin Journey” and God Bless you.