Posts by Virginia
Triple Falls
I am trying to catch up on my posts. On July 30th, we left Rocky Harbour and headed north for our spot at Triple Falls RV, just outside of St. Anthony’s. We unhooked and drove into St. Anthony’s to see what there was to see. St. Anthony’s is kind of a funky place. We make a habit of stopping in at all the Tourist Info Centres we find and have collected quite the massive selection of brochures and maps. It really helps to choose what you want to see. Triple Falls was our first back in site but it was spacious and flat and Don looked like a real pro backing in. The next day we were up early for the drive to L’Anse aux Meadows, the landing site of the Vikings. Boy did we luck out! On our way out the door to begin our guided tour, the guide pointed out a cow moose in the meadow. She blended right in to the vegetation. Our guide was a local man who was around 12 years old when the site was being excavated and the archaeologists stayed with his family. As a child he had played on the mounds where the buildings were located. Local lore was that First Nations people had lived there so it was a real surprise to find out that it was a Viking settlement. It was certainly an educational experience that was made even more interesting coming from someone who was there when the discoveries were made. We were left at the recreated Viking settlement and enjoyed the costumed docents. What was a surprise to me (and it shouldn’t have been), was that women had spent time at the settlement. It was such a harsh environment and they came across in an open boat using oars and sails and helped to establish a small settlement that was surrounded by hostile local people who eventually made life so difficult for them that they were driven away after a few years. The Viking loom and the drop spindle were strikingly similar to the Navajo loom and drop spindle. Iron was found in the peat bog and that is what the Vikings used to make the replacement nails to repair their boats. We hiked around the site and then headed to Norstead, another Viking settlement and saw the ship that had been built. The Vikings had come...
Read MorePort aux Basque
The ferry was leaving at 11:45am and we had to be at the terminal 2 hours ahead or we would lose our reservation. It certainly was a very different experience than taking the ferry to or from Vancouver Island. We had to not only book our space for our vehicle on the ferry, but we also booked reserved seating. When we arrived, our ID’s were checked and we were issued boarding passes and key cards for the reserved seating. When we left the terminal to go to Timmy’s for coffee, we had to show our ID and boarding passes to get back in. It took about an hour to get the ferry loaded. They take great care in placing each vehicle. We put the critters in the rig. It would be a 5 hour crossing. Lucy spent the time in her crate but Kitty was in the back of the rig with her litter box. Lucy spends most of the day sleeping so 5 hours in her crate in the rig wouldn’t bother her too much. Then we headed up to our reserved seating. Once you leave the vehicle deck, you can’t go back down. I don’t know how I managed it, but our reserved seats were right in front of the windows. We did have to sit backwards to the direction we were going in but at least we were comfortable. I should have brought up my blanket because it was cold. The ferry rocked and rolled its way across to Newfoundland. Once off the ferry, Lynn’s dad came to meet us at the Tourist Info Centre. He led us down to his house in Port aux Basque where we tucked ourselves into the empty lot next to his house. What a pretty spot right across from the ocean. We discovered Canadian Tire was in Port aux Basque and because our truck was due for an oil change, we decided we had better get it done instead of trying to find another Canadian Tire somewhere else. The technician told us we needed a CV universal joint on the front driver’s side. Luckily one was in stock so we took care of that right away. We could have had a bad experience driving across Newfoundland if we hadn’t. Lynn took us on the boardwalks around the bays. The vegetation is truly amazing. Wild flag irises, bakeapples, Pitcher plants, all...
Read MoreArm of Gold
We stayed three nights at the Arm of Gold waiting for our reservation for the Newfoundland ferry. We had to book it a week ahead and the 22nd was the soonest we could get it. The Arm of Gold was highly recommended to us by several people. Bras d’Or is a pretty spot. There were always lots of RVs coming and going. There was a very pretty little walking trail down to the water and a big field where I could let Lucy run free. I did that until I found the dead rat in the grass and decided that I didn’t want her to roll around in that grass anymore! We took one day to drive the Cabot Trail and we were lucky that most of the way was clear. Our first stop was the Alexander Graham Bell Historical site. The films and exhibits were really informative. The Silver Dart was on display. We spent quite a bit of time there. Going down the far end of the loop, we ran into fog so thick that we could only see about five feet in front of the truck. It is beautiful scenery and I was glad we weren’t hauling the rig behind us. The towns along the way didn’t look like they were thriving. There were several funky little craft shops and it seemed like they were trying to turn it into an “art” drive. We spent another day at Fort Louisbourg. That was really enjoyable. Brandon had emphasized that we had to get there early so we could buy the bread so that is what we did. Glad we did, too, because the bread was really delicious. The docents did their best to stay in their 1744 characters. We got to see the black powder firing squad and the cannon fire. It is amazing that it all is a recreation and was well worth the trip. Our Discovery pass for the National Parks and Historical Sites of Canada has paid off. Pics will come with free wifi access....
Read MoreRed Sand
After leaving Moncton, we headed for the Confederation Bridge and the red sands of PEI. The bridge was an experience. There was no wind and the trip across was scenic but uneventful. As we drew closer to land, you could see the red sand beaches. We had booked 4 nights at Crystal Beach RV Park just outside of Summerside and was right on the ocean. Driving down the country roads sure brought back memories to Don. On the way to New Ananan, He recognized all the old haunts and his relative’s farms and houses in Traveller’s Rest wondering if any of the old family was still there. The first full day we spent exploring the island, going to different spots that held memories for Don. Lots of fields of potatoes and turnips. I spotted a fox sitting in front of a brush pile in a field watching something very intently. Probably breakfast. We stopped on the road and Don honked the horn to get him to look at us so I could get a good picture. Of course we had to visit Lucy Maud Montgomery’s birthplace. Across the street was the most beautiful heritage house nicely renovated and for sale. Tempting…but. We then went on to where she grew up at her grandparent’s home. We were surprised that her great, great (maybe two more greats) granddaughter giving an introduction about Lucy’s life there. Her parents, in their 80’s were still taking care of all of the gardening and had dug out the cellar of the house Lucy lived in. The house wasn’t there any longer, having dissolved into the earth over time. Each of the favourite spots had quotes from Lucy. We walked the path through the Haunted Woods along to Green Gables which is restored to the time period. Then we took a stoll to Lovers Lane and through more woods. I guess I am a bad Canadian because Lucy Maud’s books were never on my library list but after reading the quotes and seeing what an effect just living where she did had on her and her connection with nature, I will have to finally read Anne of Green Gables and the other three books. We took a break from sight seeing to visit Don’s uncles and aunts. The old houses are still there with some modern upgrades. The wood cook stoves had all been dragged out...
Read MoreYogi Bear & the Jellystone Park
All right. We confess. We really didn’t know what it would be like. We stayed at the Yogi Bear Jellystone RV Park in Woodstock, New Brunswick. We got the “couples discount”. Still never clued in. There were great big signs with Yogi Bear everywhere. Lots of kids. Still no clue. I did wonder why the lady in the office referred to herself as the “Park Ranger”. And once we were parked why the loudspeaker kept announcing all these little kiddie events that were happening every 1/2 hour or so. Blame it on being travel tired. I finally clued in when the tractor pulling the hay wagon drove by with Yogi Bear accompanied by a troup of children of all ages. There was another Park Ranger singing silly kiddie songs through her microphone. Ok, I get it now! Duh! It was a kiddie park! Santa had to go into hiding. We didn’t want a mob around us. While in New Brunswick, we visited the Magnetic Hill in Moncton. Who would have believed that our truck and rig could roll UP a hill! Yes, I know, it is an optical illusion but sure looks like you are going uphill. The cars back up (down) the hill but because we were towing, we had to put it in neutral and roll up (down) the hill. I also saw a vineyard on the hillside while we were driving in that area. I didn’t know that grapes could survive the harsher winters. The hill has become quite the tourist attraction. We had to pay $5 just to roll down that hill. « ‹ 1 of 2 › » ...
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