Advertisement
Published: September 19th 2006
Edit Blog Post
Newfoundland - Sept 15/16/17/18
We arrived on The Rock, stomachs settled but somewhat tired, in Port aux Basques at 6:30am, that is, 7:00am NFL time. It was actually a smooth crossing. We have only 4 days to spend here because we are booked on the ferry from Argentia on the other side of the province on Monday. It only runs once a week, on Mondays, at this time of year. So we have to make decisions on what we can see in 4 days. It's a necessity to go through Corner Brook on #1 highway - the only way to the other side of the Island. What a pleasant surprise was Corner Brook. A city of 35,000, it clings to the mountains around the Humber Arm Inlet. So picturesque, we just drove around admiring and taking pictures.
Then, back to decision making - should we spend time at Gros Mountain National Park - a UNESCO Heritage site which is supposed to have absolutely fabulous scenery of mountains and fjords and travel on up the north west side to LÁnse aux Meadows to see where the Vikings landed and had settlements 1000 years before John Cabot arrived in 1497? Or,
should we travel to the eastern side of the Province right away to go to Twillingate on Notre Dame Bay to see typical Newfoundland fishing communities? Both Lonely Planet (my travel bible) and Frommers say Twillingate is a photographer's dream. Driving across the Province on #1 the scenery is very much like northern Saskatchewan - trees, some lakes and more trees. When we get to Grand Falls - Windsor we begin to wonder if we've made the right decision. We stop at the local Tourist Centre and asked if it's worth it to drive to Twillingate. The lady assures us it's worth it and we won't be disappointed. Note - if traveling in Newfoundland, tune into 620AM radio (just like home) to listen to Irish and Newfoundland music - a very enjoyable way to spend your drive! Driving is longer here than on the other Maritime Provinces - it is lot bigger province than Nova Scotia or PEI.
So, now I have only one thing to tell you. If you get the chance to travel to Newfoundland, take it, and GO to Twillingate. We drove north on Route 340 to get to the archipelago which is actually three islands
joined by three causeways to the mainland. I am sure I can't describe it well enough and the pictures we took just don't seem to capture the essence. It was like stepping into a picture postcard of everything you have ever seen or imagined Newfoundland to be. The thickness of the forest receded into rolling rocky outcroppings partially covered with grass and mosses. Houses clung to the rocks in a helter smelter fashion. Some are the colorful salt block houses from times past and some bungalows from more recent times. Those on the waters edge had rickety docks and sheds and boats strewn about. We saw racks of squid drying in one yard. Cloths flapping on the line in others. Every direction had a picture worth taking. Next morning we drove to Long Point to see the area's lighthouse which sits on a cliff 300 ft. above the sea. We stopped in at the local museum and gift shop and enjoyed listening to the local dialect. There are over 60 dialects of the English language in Newfoundland and they actually have a dictionary of Newfoundland English if you feel the need for one. We managed fine talking to them one
on one but when they are conversing in a group of their own, it's near impossible to understand them. They have a lot of neat sayings. We left for St. Johns, wishing we had at least two weeks to spend in Newfoundland.
St. John's has a population of about 100,000. The city is built on steep hills above its very protected harbor. Besides great scenery and architecture, St. John's has history, music and culture. It is the oldest city in North America with the Spanish, Portuguese and French having arrived first (after the native people and Vikings) but again it was the British who eventually laid claim to the land as they did throughout North America.
The NFL Heritage Society has done a great service to the city and province as a whole by ensuring the old city of St. John's has maintained the area in its original style. It is really charming to drive and walk the many steep streets with their brightly painted jelly bean houses as the locals call them. We stayed in an RV park in Pippys Park - over 3000 acres of recreational area in the city. Water Street along the harbor and Duckworth
Street are busy and interesting with many quaint cafes, pubs and shops. On our first evening in St. John's we took a taxi downtown and walked around the harbor and area and ended up in a little Irish pub called O'Reilly's. It was full to the rafters and there were locals having a jam session with fiddles, drum, flutes, guitars, spoons, a bagpipe, accordion and even a fellow tap dancing to the Irish music.
We took a city tour on Sunday the 17th (Happy Birthday Lori) and saw the Lieutenant Governor's house, Quidi Vidi village which has the oldest house in North America and in my opinion should be condemned (or at least refurbished), Quidi Vidi Lake where the famed St. John's Regatta is held each August, the beautiful Basilica of St John the Baptist (who else of course), the Colonial Building (old provincial legislature), as well as famous merchants houses and the colorful jelly bean houses. We went up to Signal Hill National Historic Site where defenses have always been set up for protection against British, French (back and forth) right up to bunkers for the First and Second World Wars to protect against German attacks. Cabot Tower
Cape Spear
the most eastern point in North America sits on top of the hill built to commerate Cabot's founding the area in 1497 and Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. It is also the site of Marconi's first wireless transmission across the Atlantic. Before the city tour we drove out to Cape Spear, 15 km east of town to the most easterly point in North America. The scenery was spectacular.
Monday morning, we headed south down the Avalon Peninsula to Cape St. Mary's to the Ecological Reserve. It was however, the coolest day we've had yet, 10C with a drizzle and fog and horrible wind. So we just spent time in the interpretive center and had a nice big afternoon sleep in the camper. We were not fortunate enough to see icebergs anywhere in our travels of Newfoundland. Besides the fact that it is somewhat late in the year, we were told they didn't have any this year because the Labrador Current was too warm this year to bring them down from Greenland. Also we didn't see the Puffins - the cute little provincial bird of Newfoundland. I guess if we had braved the wind a little more at the Reserve, we may have seen them.
In spite
of the moratorium on the cod fishery in 1992, Newfoundland seems to have a thriving economy thanks to various factors. The fishing industry has diversified into different types of sea food so that it now actually grosses more than it did during the peak of its cod industry. Also Hibernia and a nickel mine have added a lot to the economy, but the big factor has been a huge growth in tourism. However, as in Saskatchewan, the urban areas are reaping the rewards of their new economy and the rural areas are in decline.
The highways were good in NFL'd - better than we found in Ontario. The landscape reminded us very much of the Kerry area of Ireland with their rocky, mossy terrain. If you are into outdoor adventure that is hunting (moose and caribou) and fishing, and hiking, Newfoundland would be a wonderland for you. There is also biking and kayaking but you would have to be the hardy type due to the terrain and cold water.
We sit here now in the Argentia Ferry Terminal, which fortunately has WiFi, waiting for our 15 hour trip back to North Sydney, Nova Scotia. We board at 11:59pm
but have berths and Kelsey has a kennel, so we just hope for smooth sailing. We will travel down through Cape Breton which we have already seen, to Halifax and tour southern Nova Scotia. We realize we have now turned around and our direction heading will soon be west toward home. Our trip odometer is now over 9000 km. Newfoundland is on our come again list if we live long enough to travel this big old country over again.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.188s; Tpl: 0.022s; cc: 9; qc: 49; dbt: 0.0542s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Lori
non-member comment
What a story you tell...
What a story you tell, and what a keepsake this will be, your diary of your travels east... L