Newfoundland: August 2 - 4

We made it to Newfoundland! We had an uneventful 16+ hour trip, fog all the way. I’m really thankful for radar and GPS and whatever else they use these days so I didn’t have to worry about bumping into an ice berg or some rugged rocky shore. We arrived at Argentia and were camped before noon. Argentia was an American naval base until 1996, all that’s left now is a lot of deteriorating pavement and concrete and a few unused buildings. And I guess the wharf which is likely why the ferry goes there. We drove a few miles to Placentia which was a French settlement in the 1600’s. We visited the fort, Castle Hill, and toured around the town and neighbouring settlements at Freshwater, Jerseyside and Dunnville. We tried to buy some fish but had no luck. We had an early night to compensate for the previous night.

Placentia from Castle Hill Fort

Day 2 – We went back into Placentia and I toured the O’Reilly House, besides being an historic home they have information on the resettlement and the influence of the American base. We then headed south along the west coast of the Avalon Peninsula, to Cape St. Mary’s. There is an ecological reserve and a huge colony of ganets, kind of interesting but smelly and noisy. At the interpretive centre they told us we were lucky because a cable broke on the lift bridge in Placentia, shortly after we crossed it, and if we had been going back that way we would have had to make a detour.We then headed up the east coast of that leg of the peninsula and down the west coast of the other leg and camped at Trepassey. Denis found more cannons. We made a couple stops looking to buy fish but again none to be had, had to settle for smokies. We did see a cow and calf moose. 

The extremes of Newfoundland landscape

 Day 3 – We drove to Portugal Cove and left the trailer while we went to Cape Race and that was a good thing. So far the highways have been pretty rough but that trail would have shaken the trailer to pieces. There was a lighthouse and telegraph station which was very important to Atlantic ship traffic, they received the distress call from the Titanic. From a settlement of 85 people including 35 children, there’s only one lightkeeper today. Along the way we saw a lot of people picking berries, which we were told are called bake apples or cloud berries. I couldn't figure out why they'd be called bake apples but it turns out to be a 'Newfieism', the question in french is 'baie qu'appele' or what is the name of these berries. We picked up our trailer and headed up the east coast stopping at Ferryland, where there is an archaeological dig going on. The colony of Avalon was established there in 1621. After a look around there, we drove on to St. John’s

We made it!

Cape Breton and the Ferry to Newfoundland

July 29 - we left Louisdale area and headed to Baddeck and Denis toured the Alexander Graham Bell museum. We continued on to New Harris to camp for the night. We are on a hill and have a great view of a bridge over an arm of Bras D'Or Lake (I think). Which is nice since we're here for 3 days.

July 30 - We got an early start and arrived at the Fortress of Louisbourg before they opened. We enjoyed the day and the weather co-operated very nicely. About 1/5 of the fortress has been rebuilt using plans that were archived in Quebec/France and from archaeological digs. The French took detailed inventories of a person's possessions when they died, and not just for the wealthy, these were also archived in France so they were used to duplicate furnishings and accessories in the reconstructed buildings. The re-enactors are a mix of young and old, even children. We had soup at the lower class eating establishment and then an afternoon rum tasting. They didn't make beer, only spruce beer of which there were no samples (but I have seen it in the grocery stores). The wine, imported from France, was far too expensive for the lower class so they drank cheap rum, imported from the French West Indies. The rum punch (grog) was very good, made with lemon juice, and they gave us the recipe. We left just after 4 and headed to Glace Bay, to the Marconi museum at Table Head. This is where Marconi sent the first message across the Atlantic.

Gates of the Fortress of Louisbourg



An Infantry soldier at the Fortress

The Fife & Drum Corp

You can't have too many cannons....I always say!

Waiting for our ration of grog

July 31 - This morning we had a bit of a lazy start to the day, it was raining so we weren't  too eager to go exploring. We set out about the time the rain stopped and toured around North Sydney and Sydney. We checked out the giant fiddle on the waterfront, it's 55 feet tall. We walked around town (in the drizzle) and went to the Triangle an Irish pub for lunch. After lunch we toured a bit more and then headed back to the trailer to cook our Alberta steaks because the fridge will be off for the 14 hour ferry ride to Newfoundland. Next post from the Rock!

That's a big fiddle

Goodbye to PEI and on to Nova Scotia

Day 4 – We started our day driving to Summerside, Denis wanted to see if we had missed anything. Leaving there we took the south coast east towards Charlottetown, I think I found my favourite PEI place – Victoria-by-the-sea. We stopped at the Port-la-Joye/Fort Amherst historical site, nothing remains of either the French or British forts. We carried on into Charlottetown for lunch at Gahan’s Brew Pub, walked around the waterfront and some of the older area. By then it was time to head to the Guild for Anne & Gilbert, it was very well done and we enjoyed it. Since Stanley Bridge was not far out of our way we detoured there for a ceilidh. It was a bit different than I expected, no dancing, but really good just the same. Denis won $95 on a 50/50 draw at the ceilidh, so now we can pay our toll to get off the island.



Denis & Sir John A having a chat




So many beers, so little time

One last stop at a PEI fish market, we were going to buy oysters but wouldn’t you know it, they were out. We settled for lobster, mussels and smoked salmon. Oh well I think we might find a bit of seafood in Nova Scotia. I was sad to say good bye to PEI. In retrospect we likely shouldn’t have stayed in Cavendish, but it is kind of central. It’s by far the most touristy part of the island and we would have been good with just a visit. There are only about 141,000 people on the island but I’m sure the population is 3 times that in the summer.

We had only a short trip through Cape Tormentine (New Brunswick) and then we were into Nova Scotia. We stopped at a farmer’s market near Tidnish, it was about 5 to 12 and they were just closing down, but we got some new potatoes, beets and strawberries. We stumbled across a micobrewery in Tatamagouche so a mandatory stop was made. We also visited ‘Creamery Square’ historical site which has the only prairie style grain elevator in the Maritimes. We checked out the Train Station Inn, their slogan is eat, sleep, shop. The station has a gift shop and tearoom on the main floor and rooms upstairs but you can also get a room in one of the cabooses or a converted box car. There’s also a dining car and a club car. We continued on to Pictou and checked out the Hector, a replica of a ship that brought immigrants from Scotland in the 1700s. Very Scottish architecture and they have banners with all the clan tartans on the streetlight poles. The other thing we noticed, they have a very smelly pulp mill across the bay, makes you appreciate DMI, even during the worst upset we never smelled that bad. We had thought we might camp there but decided we’d move along and find some fresher air. Didn’t call Paddy & Dawn, since my computer upgrade I don’t have their contact info, we could have harassed Paddy about the smell. We headed towards New Glasgow, finally bought a lobster pot! We camped for the night at Quarry Island, we had very sociable visitors, Leonard & Elizabeth, they have a cabin on the next island. We enjoyed the new (almost PEI) potatoes and another lobster, we’re going to have a hard time adjusting at home where 1 small lobster costs more than 2 big ones here. Although Denis did say the rotisserie chickens were smelling pretty good in the grocery store the other day.

We got an early start and took the highway (as opposed to the coastal roads we usually take) to the Canso Causeway and on to Cape Breton. We made a brief stop in Port Hawksbury before heading to Louisdale and once there we had no trouble finding Cohen! He was splitting wood with Quinten but we took him away from his work to give us a tour of the area. We had lunch at the ‘Spud Wagon’ on Isle Madame and then went back to have coffee with Viola (Cohen’s grandmother). Mich and Connor stopped in for a few minutes and dropped off a photo album so we had a laugh or two at the old pictures…. Cohen was surprised by the one of Aunty Kelly with a black eye. Then we headed to another site and crashed a family supper, we contributed our bag of mussels. Most of the family is gathered here to celebrate a wedding this weekend, poor Denis was very confused as to who’s who. We had a good visit with Cohen, he’s getting very tall and still very sweet. Sorry Cohen but grandmas get to say things like that.

Wow only one province to go!

  

PEI - Day 1, 2 & 3, North Cape, Summerside, East Point & Cavendish

We got off to a slow start and then a very long stop for construction, moved a half mile and then another hold up for an accident/emergency, but our day got better from there. First stop was in Kensington, saw a unique, former train station which is now a pub, but it wasn't open :(  We headed up the coast towards the North Cape, stopped for lunch in Tyne Valley at The Landings Oyster Bar. We had bar clams, which are called bar clams even if not served in a bar, and the first PEI beer! It was a busy day, visited a shipbuilding museum, Yeo (the shipbuilder) house, the North Cape wind farm, where it was, you guessed it, very windy. Then we headed down the other coast and made a stop at Skinners's Pond where Stomping Tom lived for a few of his younger years. On the way to our next stop we found another poissonnerie... well it is called the Acadian coast, and purchased some fresh cod. We stopped to see some interesting glass bottle buildings then on to Summerside to see 'The Ballad of Stomping Tom' a musical. Denis has been looking at the 'authentic PEI mud dyed' t-shirt, I think if he just wore his white shirt and rolled around in the dirt it would be just as good! We call the truck the beast but at least once a day and usually more often, people (guys) comment, reverently, on what good shape it's in. 


Mix that shirt and that dirt and you'd have it!  This dirt is really red!

Tribute at Tom's old school

 Day 2 – we headed off on the East Coast drive and got our tip to tip certificate at the East Point Lighthouse. If you visit both the North Cape and East Point you get the certificate. We stopped at St. Peters for lunch at Rick's Fish & Chips, it's a 'You Gotta Eat Here' place. We enjoyed our fish & chips as much as Atlantic Kitchen in Fort Sask. Next stop was at a rustic winery, very unique couple, but very hospitable. Then we had to make a stop at Singing Sands beach even though it was drizzling. What a great beach if it had been hot like the previous day, but I didn't hear the sand singing. Our next stop was at a distillery whose claim to fame is Strait Shine (75% alcohol), we settled for aged, amber rum (only 40%). We continued on our trek heading for Georgetown or so we thought but we missed a turn and ended up back in St. Peters from another side. The distances here, or I should say the lack thereof, are still a bit confusing. We made a correction and were only 8 km (x 2) out of our way. Georgetown is very small but has a lot of preserved historical buildings, it was raining still/again so we opted for a drive around tour. We continued south through Montague to Murray River where we checked out the General Store. By then we were tired of touring and decided to head for Charlottetown where we heard there was a party going on. PEI is celebrating 150 years since the Charlottetown Conference so there is a continuing festival from July 1 to September 7. We were fortunate to see Tim Chaisson and Burton Cummings at the waterfront park and the rain stopped. We fit right in with the sea of gray headed fans for Cummings. We also enjoyed the young guys, locals who played a variety of music. The second late night because we have to drive all the way across the island back to Cavendish!

Day 3 - We booked tickets (for tomorrow) to see the musical Anne & Gilbert and the package included tickets to the L M Montgomery homestead, Green Gables cottage, Avonlea village and the Anne of Green Gables museum. We started the day at the homestead and walked through the 'haunted woods' to the cottage, by then Denis had had enough 'Anne' so I did a quick tour of the village. We mailed postcards from the Green Gables post office. We both decided to give the museum a miss and went to the beach. Cavendish/North Rustico beaches are not quite as nice as Singing Sands but not too bad either and Denis enjoyed his salt water dip. Denis bought  his "dirt shirt" today and found out they use a portable cement mixer to mix the dirt in. We came back to the trailer early to cook the fish we bought 2 days ago.

Just dropping in for visit with Anne, but I think she's in the barn



Lazy beach afternoon


Tomorrow it's off to Charlottetown again for a better look around and to see the play.

 

New Brunswick - The Acadian Coast & Across the 'Bridge' to PEI

We walked around downtown (Bathurst) and climbed another observation tower. Then it was a driving day, during a stop in Miramichi we saw an Alberta plate. The plan was to stay at Kouchibouguac National Park but they had no sites with power available and since it was very hot we decided to carry on and find a place with power so we can use the AC. We camped at Cap Lumiere, amongst a diverse group, several from Quebec, 4 from Switzerland and a couple from Arizona.

This morning we continued along the Acadian coast, I knew the basics but I didn't realize that they had a flag, it's the French tricolor with one gold star in the corner. It's everywhere, painted power poles, decorations on houses. We saw the giant lobster in Shediac, which is 'the lobster capital of the world'. So we bought some  for supper  so we could try out our new tools. I visited a unique craft shop in an old church at Murray's Corner there was a lot of sea glass items, I guess the beach there yields an abundance of treasures. I wonder, do these crafts people throw more bottles in the ocean to get more stock? We bought ice cream at Lake's General Store (aka Sam Drucker's) they had everything. After that stop we arrived at Cape Jourimain and headed across the 13 km Confederation Bridge to Prince Edward Island. We are camped at Cavendish, very near 'Green Gables'. This evening, while doing laundry, I met a couple from Westlock.

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Confederation Bridge from Murray's Corner, NB

 

Driving across the bridge (sorry for the spotty windshield)

 

Made it to PEI, only 2 more provinces to go!

Tomorrow we're off to Summerside and the northwest part of the island.
 

Leaving Quebec and on to New Brunswick

We camped in New Carlisle on the edge of Baie des Chaleurs (Warm Bay) named by Cartier, it’s also a member of the World’s Most Beautiful Bays Club. We found another poissonnerie so it was lobster for supper with crab leg appetizer, very yummy! But you would think that two people who love crustasions as much as we do would have come a little better prepared as far as tools were concerned. If you can believe, we resorted to using the back of the hatchet! So today I bought some more appropriate utensils, now we are on the look out for a lobster pot, so we can buy vivant (live) ones next time.

A lobster in every pot, oh I think I may have misquoted, n'est pas?

We have been driving past/through the most picturesque towns and villages, the guide book says Gaspe is comprised of 17 coastal villages spread out over 135 km and Perce has 10 villages spread over 60 km. I read somewhere that ‘the Gaspe is a postcard’, very apt, everywhere you look is a beautiful sight! We stopped in the village of Perce and after checking out the ‘rock’ we walked around, very busy tourist town, like Banff, with few places for our ensemble to park. We parked beside a ‘No Parking’ sign (right behind a motorhome parked beside another no parking sign) so Denis could sample another microbrasserie, Pit Caribou. Since this was our last day in Quebec he had to pull out all the stops!

Roche Perce

Strange customs prevail, yesterday afternoon when we were in Tim Hortons a young man in very strange, skimpy attire with a noose around his neck was paraded through, an early start on a stag party I assume.

Oh, before we left Quebec we just happened upon another microbrasserie in Carlton-sur-mere, Le Naufrageur. My weakness is the boulangerie and we both love the poissonnerie. Denis had planned to visit the Battle of Restigouche Historic Site but their AC was not working so they were closed. This change of plans brought us into Campbelltown, New Brunswick a few hours earlier than expected. We visited tourist information and picked up additional brochures, we are really supporting the pulp & paper industry on this trip. We walked around a bit and read about how terribly my Anglo ancestors treated Denis’ French ancestors. Actually as I’m mostly Scottish and Irish, I think my ancestors didn’t fare much better (with the English) and Denis has not been able to find his family name anywhere we’ve been. We set out on the Acadian Coastal Drive by Dalhousie (where we missed a microbrewery) and on to Charlo where their ‘Summer Splash’ was on, which consisted of a show & shine and country music (my favourite!). They were serving hot dogs, fish & chips, scallops & chips and last but not least huge, heaping plates of mussels for $6.50. Too bad for us we had just eaten lunch! And the country music was live, so it was OK. Everything was set up right on the edge of the beach: kids playing in the water, half a dozen jet skis running around and several boats anchored in the bay listening to the music, If we had stayed later in the day there was fireworks. Travelling pretty much continuously through small towns along the way, we are in Bathurst for the night.

Another Province, and another hour lost! 

 

No Denis, that's not a poissonnerie

We have not seen another Alberta licence plate since KOA in Quebec City, Denis thinks Debby and Glenn were the last Albertans through here.

Only three more provinces to go!

 

Gaspe, Forillon Park & Perce

Whew we finally have an internet connection again, good old Tim Horton's

We are still laughing about our snap decision to try the ferry and the fact that we actually got on. In Matane we walked along the riverside boardwalk and older downtown area. We found a bakery but were too early for the microbrewery. We continued along to Cap Chat where there is a wind farm. Denis took the tour and got the lowdown on the Darius Rotor and wind power generation. Off again to camp in Ste. Anne des Monts, we walked along the beach and watched the sunset.

Being a prairie girl it took my brain a few seconds to process this sign

It was raining quite hard so we drove around town and out onto the wharf where about a dozen people were fishing. We walked around the grounds of Exploramer, an aquarium. There was an observation tower, so of course we had to climb it. We headed out on the road again drove through several small settlements. The rain continued pretty well all day. We stopped at a poisonnerie in Riviere au Rivard and bought salmon and mussels. Continued on to camp at Forillon National Park.

I'd like one of these in the backyard

We drove to Grand Grave in the south area of the park and hiked 4 km to Cap Gaspe, Land’s End. On the way there we saw quite a bit of whale activity in the bay. We took the bike trail back to the truck and it was harder than the path or maybe we were just more tired. We visited a typical fisherman’s home and farm circa 1900 and then the general store where the fisherman also sold their salt cod. It was very interesting, I always knew it was a hard way of life. We drove to the town of Gaspe, then back to enjoy our salmon. Our second day in the park we started with a hike up to the Mont St Albans look out. Up is the keyword here, it was only 1.8 km but climbing 283 m. It was worth it, the day was clear and beautiful views, we couldn’t quite make out Newfoundland but there was nothing but water between here and there. After lunch we drove to Fort Peninsula, there were military installations during World War II. Denis got to walk in the bunkers and check out the guns.

Hey Wyatt, look at Grandpa pretending to be a soldier

On the way back we stopped at a house built in the 1800’s which more history on the area especially on the creation of the park. 283 families were displaced when their land was expropriated, kind of makes you sad to think where you are camped was someone’s farm 50 years ago. We topped off our afternoon with a short 1 km hike to a waterfall. Oh and a short walk to the shore in the evening.  

That's Cape Gaspe (Land's End) behind us