Newfoundland - Day 6

We had a fairly quiet day - Jane had gotten too much sun the day before on the walk in and out of Western Brook Pond, so we stayed local and kept it easy. We drove around the arm to Woody Point and checked out the Discovery Centre, where we also hiked the Lookout Trail at a leisurely pace.

Returning to Lomond, we also hiked a portion off the end of the campground of the old trail into Stanleyville, a long-abandoned logging village. Otherwise, we relaxed at the campsite, kept the electric cooler running to combat the heat, and did some reading while enjoying the scenery.

Late afternoon brought a little bit of excitement as we (luckily) realized that we had killed the car battery running the cooler and charging the Jackery and phones for a little too long. Thankfully, we were able to grab the park warden before he left for the night, and he brought his truck down and gave us a boost. Better now than finding out at dawn when we tried to leave!

Given that it was our last night at Lomond, we also packed up whatever we could to ready things for an efficient departure for tomorrow's long drive to the North. 

Right on track!

Happy National Public Service Week!

Lookout Trail in Woody Point

Rugged trail to Stanleyville

Making some dinner....

...which attracted a new friend, this Canada Jay (aka Gray Jay)

A little R&R, Lomond style!

Newfoundland - Day 5

On the way back from a quick washroom trip at dawn, I glimpsed the perfect photo betwixt the trees at our campsite - simply magical. We boiled some water on the butane stove and made some drip coffee, before setting out for the day.

We drove the stunning 40 km or so back through the national park and around Bonne Bay to land in Rocky Harbour, where we grabbed another coffee and some souvenir clothing. From there, we drove out to the fish plant and hiked the Salmon Point trail up over the hill for some great scenery, an eagle, and some new friends - Karen and Barry from BC. 

Returning to the car, we made the trek north and did the flat but overly sunny 3 km walk (with no shade for us fair types) into Western Brook Pond, where we had booked passage on the boat tour of the stunning and deep 16 km long freshwater fjord that graces the cover of most tourist media. No matter how many times we do this tour, we are always in awe.

We also met a lovely couple from western Massachusetts, Arthur and Sarah, who also had a cottage near Kingston. More on them later! On the way back to the dock, our onboard guide also played a bunch of Great Big Sea songs on acoustic guitar and everybody sang along.

After walking back to the car, we returned to Rocky Harbour and had a great baked moose dinner at Fisherman's Landing before heading back to the campsite for a relaxing evening.

On the way back from the washroom at dawn....

Morning coffee!

Salmon Point hike in Rocky Harbour

Eagle eye

Waiting for the boat at Western Brook Pond

Heading out for a two hour tour....a two hour tour....

Stunning inland fjord!

A few waterfalls along the way

Wow factor!

On our way back in....but we'll see you again!

Baked moose dinner

The Jackery hard at work!

Newfoundland - Day 4

We awoke at dawn in our cabin, as the ferry meandered into Port aux Basques harbour on the southwest corner of Newfoundland. Knowing we had lots of time to kill as they offloaded all the other decks first, we watched the process from the bow with a keen eye on the distant landscape.

Since we were last off the boat anyway, around 8am Newfoundland Time (losing another half-hour), we made a quick stop in town for coffee to go before hitting Highway 1 for a relatively short day. We enjoyed wonderful weather as we passed through The Wreckhouse, and then the scenic Humber Valley in the Corner Brook area.

We made a quick stop in Deer Lake for groceries, fuel and beverages, before taking the exit for Route 430, aka the Viking Trail. After spotting a few moose along the way, we entered Gros Morne National Park and arrived at our usual campground of choice at Lomond, where we would spend three nights.

We set up at Site 27, having pre-reserved our spot, and did some short hikes around the park to stretch our legs after long days of driving. The rechargeable inflation pump refused to hold its pre-trip charge, so luckily we were able to plug into the Jackery for a few hours of charging as we did other things....like making a delicious dinner of hamburger helper on the butane stove!

Mattress fully inflated, we settled in for a cool but comfy night in the tent.

Docking in Port-aux-Basques at dawn

Watching the offload while awaiting the call to go down to Deck 1

Back on The Rock!

First Stop - Gros Morne National Park

Be Moose Alert!

Site 27 at Lomond Campground

Trouble afoot, or the welcoming committee?

Beautiful view from The Red Chairs at Lomond

Newfoundland - Days 1-3

As summer approached, once again the East Coast was calling us. This time we would return to Newfoundland, one of our favourite places on earth. Sadly, almost unbelievably, it had been nearly ten years since our last visit to The Rock, back in the fall of 2013. We had taken the "old" brown 2011 Juke, and then traded it in for the current Juke right after we got back. The "new" Juke, now ten years old, received a new oil pan right before the trip.

Jane worked her usual magic and tetris-ed even MORE stuff into our tiny car, including a larger tent, stackable totes, a new electric cooler and a Jackery portable power bank. We set out after work on Friday in a smoky haze (thanks wildfires), with just enough time left to make the six-hour trek to free family lodging in eastern Ontario.

From there, we set out very early on Saturday morning and soon crossed into Quebec, opting for the trusty A-30 bypass and great value ($3.60) toll bridge. Both traffic and road construction were merciful, and we made good time motoring up the east bank of the St. Lawrence.

We stopped for the night at Motel Claude in Degelis, just before the New Brunswick border, after noting some marked improvements in the ongoing widening of the A-85 across the top. The motel has a handy Subway right on-site, and ordering on the app avoids any potential language issues with Jane's allergies....plus you just walk next door to pick up your food! I did also stay up late watching Vegas beat Florida in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

We set out Sunday morning at dawn, and after a quick coffee and fuel stop in Edmunston, we lost an hour to Atlantic Time and hammered on south and east along the Trans-Canada, spotting numerous deer along the way. We listened to the Hunger Games prequel ("The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes") on audiobook to help pass the time, and also made a quick stop for some treats at Peace by Chocolate in Antigonish, once we had passed into Nova Scotia.

Crossing into Cape Breton, we followed Highway 105 through beautiful scenery to North Sydney and the ferry terminal, which had seen significant upgrades since our last visit. With the car parked in line, we walked downtown for a delicious dinner at Alexandra's, consisting of a donair for me and a panzerotto for Jane.

Around 9pm, we were called to board for the 1115pm crossing, and started UP the ramp to Deck 3.....only to be sent DOWN another ramp to Deck 1, where we were directed to spin around and back into the angled nose of the vessel. The helpful attendants also advised us to take our time in the morning, since we would also be the last ones off the ship.

Looking around the ship briefly, we also realized that the Atlantic Vision normally does the "long" summer crossing to Argentia (16 hours instead of "only" 6-7 hours), and therefore seemed to have a lot more options for dining and entertainment. For the first time ever, we had booked a cabin for the crossing, so we had our own TV, washroom, and a pleasant rest as we sailed across the sea to Newfoundland. 

Juke packed to the gills for two weeks of camping!

Bienvenue!

Motel Claude in Degelis, QC

Losing an hour as we continued East

A few more noteworthy waypoints

Waiting in line in North Sydney, NS

Our ferry on the right - the MV Atlantic Vision

A fellow traveller....from Westport by motorcycle!

Boarding the ferry

Down to Deck 1 in the very bowels (and nose!) of the vessel

Our lovely cabin for the night crossing!

Spring into Summer

May rolled into June with little fanfare. We squeezed in a few overdue visits to friends and family in the Barrie and Kingston areas, and brought Dave down for another few days to enjoy the spring weather. The Leafs even managed to win a playoff series for the first time in forever, against Tampa.....before bowing out quickly in the second round to the OTHER team from Florida.

Mike finished installing the new support beam in the crawlspace, and returned a few times to jack the beam up a little at a time over several weeks. Brad also came and replaced and re-routed the ductwork, so that we could have heat again....or more importantly, AC. 

We spent the remaining time cutting the grass a few times, planting garden, and getting frantically ready for the upcoming art shows, first Art in the Park and then Art at the Marina, with a vacation in between leaving little turnaround time. 

Setup was brutal in the heat on Friday afternoon at Art in the Park. Luckily we brought the van AND the Juke for once, so Jane turned bright pink and then sat in the car with the AC cranked. We also left the van parked near the show all weekend rather than running it back and forth.

Saturday went OK but was still uncomfortably warm, while Sunday was pleasant and much better for both sales and for booth packup.

In an exceptionally bad year for wildfires, blazes raging out of control all around us in Alberta, Saskatchewan, eastern Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia. Eventually, the smoke made its way to us for a few days of air quality warnings.

A new scruffy visitor also started hanging around - we've dubbed him Vincent, owing to his wonky ear.

New beam with jacks and cement bases

Tripling up the posts in the middle....where the worst sagging was!

Shoring up the base

A couple rowdy Hooligans ready for a Leafs playoff game!

Spring weather and a return to quality deck time!

Flying the drone with Dave - nice view of the dandelions!

Gronk fishing in the ditch again....successfully!

Long overdue run to the HHW depot!

Pausing to enjoy the night after taking the garbage out

Vincent keeps hanging around

Art in the Park booth 219