Newfoundland Fjords

Thursday August 20th it was time to head north for our ferry booking on the 22nd. We said goodbye to John and Shamus; what a great visit we had with them. We had one overnight stop before arriving early afternoon at the Arm of Gold campground in North Sydney, Nova Scotia, just 10 minutes from the ferry terminal. While at the lake we had a suspicion there was an issue with the solar not charging the batteries, and after the drive north also didn't charge we knew for sure something wasn't working. Quite a problem since we would have locations in Newfoundland without power. So it was time to move into fix it mode.

A few weeks ago we had identified the fuse holder that leads to the battery was suspect, but had held off replacing it since everything was working. After taking a look we determined yep that melted piece of equipment needs replacing! After a few hours of tricky work in a small area the new holder was replaced and working, hopefully that is the last fix needed.  

Saturday we had a easy 10am check-in for the ferry and were soon onboard. What a difference to the barge, just a simple drive on and into the hold. We had to leave the cats in the RV on the locked car deck for the seven hour ride to Port aux Basques in south western Newfoundland. Somewhat anxiously we settled them in and headed to the passenger deck. It was a smooth easy ride, except for being so freezing cold we had to buy expensive blankets from the gift shop. We will be better prepared for the return ride! The cats did just fine with the ferry ride, and we suspect slept the whole way, at least they were warm in the RV!

It was a beautiful evening and after a stop at the visitor center for maps and advice we had  just a short drive to our campground. We were treated to a gorgeous sunset; what a great start to Newfoundland.

Sunday August 22nd we both woke up with a sore throat and to a rainy day. We checked the forecast which predicted several days of rain, so changed our plans and spent a second night at Grand Codroy campground. It was a lovely location, had great facilities, including a good laundry room which is always convenient when traveling. It rained most of the afternoon, but we were comfortable in the RV, and John watched the Cowboys pre-season game. Finally at dusk it started to clear and we took the cats out before they went completely stir crazy. They had a great time running around and climbing up trees, thankfully burning off some energy.

The next morning it was warm and dry and we all enjoyed exploring the lake area of the campground. Rocket (yellow) and Zeke(red) particularly enjoyed gazing at the lake. Flash (purple) was more interested in the trees, probably trying to keep away from Zeke who has a tendency to stand on Flash's leash so he can't move!

We arrived at Gros Morne national Park late afternoon after a spectacular 200 mile drive. The scenery along the Trans Canadian Highway (TCH) reminds us of Alaska, big, beautiful and wild. We started in a lush farmland valley area and drove past mountains and dense boreal forests of small fir trees which can survive the cold winters and short summers. We left the TCH and headed into the national park on the northern peninsula, along a rugged coastline with 2,000ft mountains on the inland side. We were pretty tired by the time we arrived at our overnight location, but Sara went for a quick hike and found views of a lovely mountain lake.

We woke to heavy rain on Tuesday, Aug 25th. Really glad we only had one night at that site, since it had no electricity and was completely covered by tree branches. Very jungle like and close to other sites, even the cats were reluctant to stay outside long. The rain mostly stopped by late morning and we starting driving north, stopping at one of the many interesting lighthouses on the coastline. 

Everybody we talked to recommended taking the boat tour of Western Brook Pond, and we had a booking for 3pm. The weather was less than ideal with heavy fog and clouds, and when we checked in there was doubt the tour would go. However the weather started to improve  and we enjoyed a fun and interesting two hour tour. Western Brook Pond is a massive land locked fresh water fjord, with a long narrow passage, steep cliffs and numerous waterfalls. Some of the rock formations were millions of years old. The tour commentator was excellent and very humorous and we learned that in Newfoundland a pond and a brook can be any size. This one was ten miles long and over 500 feet deep. 

After a quick stop for some delicious seafood chowder we spent the night at a different campground which was much more enjoyable. It was walking distance to a beautiful sandy beach. It was quite warm and we both considered swimming, but it was almost sunset and we didn't want to walk back along the trail in the dark; maybe in the morning. 

The next day was chilly, and even Sara decided it was too cold to swim. We will need to stop here on the way back! We had decided to cut short our time in Gros Morne so we could drive 400 miles to Elliston on the east coast of Newfoundland. John really wanted to photograph puffins, who only come ashore for a few months to raise their young. We were right at the end of the season before they head back to sea and were hoping to catch them before they left, that will be the next post. For now enjoy these photos!

Click here to see the photos and videos