Feb – June 1, 2018
Camp Alexander, Blue Ridge, Ga

Wow!! I cant believe it is June already, where has this year gone….my last post was in January!! I kept telling myself that there wasn’t much to write about and who would want to read about the everyday life here in Blue Ridge? Then I was going thru the pictures on my cell phone, how surprised I was at all the fun places we have explored in the last few months and decided I needed to update y’all.

We are still hanging here at Camp Alexander, much to our dismay. The new truck had been done since January and was waiting for us at Classy Chassis, Valapariso, Indiana. With the weather and health problems there has just not been a convenient time to head to Indiana. We finally flew on May 10th, to Chicago to pick up the truck, then headed to the RV Factory for a meeting about the new 5th wheel and the changes. We also drove down to Shipshewana, Indiana for a short visit and dinner with JoLinda and Craig. They camp host and do odd jobs at the Shipshewana Auction and Flea Market summers.

“No”, in case you were wondering, our 5th wheel has not even been started!!! The new frame design, which will be stronger, took longer than anticipated. We finally got the call May 19th that they have ordered the frame. With a new frame also comes changes in walls, windows, cabinets, electrical and anything else you can think of. We needed to start over designing what we wanted as there were so many awesome changes. We knew this would be a little wait but did not realize it would be 6 months just to start the prototype. If all goes well they say we should have it by mid September, which will be 1 year since we ordered it.

After we picked up our truck we headed out to South Dakota to get our driver licenses and register the truck. We ended up going thru 13 states in 13 days by the time we landed  back in Ga. We did stop along the way to see a few places we have been to before, like the Corn Palace, Custer State Park, Wall Drug and Pactola Lake.

 

 

We took a ride to meet up with friends, Les and Sue that we had last seen in Quartzite, Az 2 years before. They write a blog: The Rambling RV Rat, which is written by POPO, the rambling rat…sitting in the middle of Guy and I. LaciLou is sitting on POPO’s lap. Les and Sue are camp hosts for the next 4 months at Pactola Lake, in the Black Hills of Sth Dakota. We wished we had our 5er and could have stayed, it was a super campground and even had a few sites that can handle a big rig. There is a 14 day limit, there is no electricity, with lots of trees, so could be hard to use solar.

On our way back to Alabama I had read that our special friends, Steve and Paul were in Kansas and heading west. I sent a text asking where they were and if we were close enough to meet up.  Lo and behold, they were about 500 miles from us heading in the direction we were headed. We planned to meet up for dinner and drinks. They arrived at their campground just about 1/2 hr before we arrived at our hotel, love it when plans work out.

We have certainly enjoyed our time here in Blue Ridge, but as we read our friends blogs and what they are experiencing, we get a little envious and want to get on the road. We surely have not been sitting around feeling sorry for ourselves but have been keeping pretty busy.

Our friends, Cori and Greg were in Greenville, South Carolina, holding a few Rv seminars at the  Camping World RV show.  We decided not to pass up the opportunity to see them and headed there to spend the weekend, eating, drinking and enjoying each others company.

We spent time with our long time friends Marty and Debi and the manatees in Crystal River, Florida. We also attended the Super Tampa RV Show.

We have spent lots of time cutting firewood and falling dead trees

Had great times with our kids and grands, celebrating new homes and 6  birthdays. We have one more birthday left and that would be our grandson, Ryan’s, 18th in August.

 

We helped our son paint and do some repairs to his new home in Auburn, Al

Enjoyed many campfires, music and potlucks with our neighbors and friends

 

We tried taking a 15 day cruise and getting kicked off the cruise on day 5 in Granada, with a hospital stay thrown in.

Bob and Jo visited from Florida on their way to Alaska. They owned the cabin across the street from Camp Alexander but decided to go full time and sold to Peggy. They owned the cabin for 6 years and figured that they spent less than 1 year at the cabin.

Bob and Jo were driving out our driveway when they had a regeneration problem which caused the engine to stall and roll backwards 20′ which caused the wheels to go over the edge and almost down a 12’ embarkment. The regeneration problem is caused by carbon and waste in the exhaust system.  The tow truck driver was excellent, not a scratch or any damage after getting them out.

We have done some small hikes checking out the area waterfalls and  taking friends to the highest point in Ga, Brasstown Bald, elevation 4,783.

Our daughter, her husband and kids brought up their TT for 4 days over Memorial weekend, which was a busy weekend. The weather man said the storm “Alberto”  was on its way, 65 mile an hour winds, with 3-5’s of rain and possible flooding, tornados could also arrive. That sure didn’t bother us, we decided to plan and play anyway.

We walked around downtown Blue Ridge, checked out the boutique stores, the beer joints, stopped at the Vine for wine, then hit up the Fightingtown Brewery for burgers and fries. The next day we attended the Art Festival being held in the downtown park. Yes, things were purchased, bracelets, bow and arrow set and a black and white picture of the Eiffel Tower for Mallori. Later that night we went to the Monster truck show, the clouds were really black and rolling but no rain, until we got in the trucks to leave.

 

The last day they were here,  Guy and Jason decided to cut down 3 more dead trees. We had been teaching Mallori to drive the buggy around the neighborhood, so the guys decided to use her to drive the buggy and drag the trees down the driveway. We are having gravel delivered so we can line the driveway to make it wider. We placed tree trunks along the driveway to hopefully help keeping tires on the roadway.

 

For the first time Guy and I  will be here at Camp Alexander thru all four seasons. Fall was absolutely beautiful, the colors were so vibrant.

Spring was very short lived, 50’s during the day with nights in the 20’s, summer has come in with a bang, we have gone into the 80’s over night!! We are in the south so along with the 80’s comes humidity.

Winter was the longest, coldest and whitest on record of snow (10 1/2”), the temps went down into the the single digits.

Guy has added a lean too against his garage to house his side by side buggy. He also purchased a trailer to haul tools and firewood around the property and around the neighborhood.

We have sure enjoyed our time here at Camp Alexander and the surrounding area. There is plenty more for us to explore, it should be a great summer while we patiently wait for our new home. Until next time y’all have a “Blessed Week”

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.