We drove from Gander to Twillingate on Tuesday September 8th. The day started with wind blowing the rain sideways, but thankfully stopped as we got closer to Twillingate. The narrow road started in dense forest and as we drove further north over bridges and causeways across the small islands we were treated to views of dramatic wind-swept coastlines and calm harbors. Twillingate is known for iceberg viewing earlier in the year, and also whale watching. We called a few boat tour companies and one captain said the whales had moved further north following the fish and he didn't feel right taking our money. Plan B was to call Brian following a tip we had received from a traveler at our first campground in Newfoundland. Brian is the only person in Twillingate who will drive people around and thankfully he was available that afternoon. It was windy and chilly but the sun finally showed up and we had an amazing afternoon! Brian had lived in the area his whole life and took us to great locations for photography - a lighthouse, many small coves and a commercial harbor. We really enjoyed chatting to him about living in the area.
The cats loved the campground fittingly called Peyton Woods. Our site backed onto some great woods which all three enjoyed exploring. For some strange reason they also enjoyed walking around the gravel overflow parking area, until something scared Rocket and he took off running back to the RV and disappeared into the woods. Good thing they all wear a tracker because that was needed to find him happily exploring on his own.
Thursday we stopped at "Annie's" restaurant on the way out of town and had some great seafood chowder. We were loving the chowder that is available in most restaurants and never missed a chance to sample a new recipe; we agreed Annie's was the best so far. We drove back to the Trans Canadian highway, enjoying the views of the coastline before we reentered the forest. We were headed back to the Gros Morne National Park on the west coast which was a two day drive so we stopped at a small campground just off the highway. It was just an overnight stop and we didn't expect to find such fabulous views of the ocean in front of us, and a pretty pond behind us.
We had a leisurely start to the day on Friday September 11th, enjoying the dry sunny weather. We let the cats explore the cove, which they loved. It was quiet enough we could drop the leashes and just follow them as they wandered around; always interesting to see what fascinates a cat! By mid morning it had started to rain again, so we headed out to our next destination - the south east area of Gros Morne National park. We were camping on the shore of a dramatic saltwater fjord surrounded by trees in a remote national forest campground. It continued to rain most of the afternoon and night, but in a short break Sara managed to explore the shoreline which was stunning.
We woke to a chilly but dry morning! After the obligatory morning cat walk, we headed out for the day to explore. First stop was the Tablelands, a massive rust-colored geological formation where a chunk of the Earth's upper mantle has been pushed up to the surface. The rock contains high levels of heavy metals so is toxic to plant growth. The result is a fascinating Mars like landscape which Sara enjoyed during a sunny but windy hike. She thought she was seeing double when she returned since an RV of the exact model and color as ours had parked next to us. We had a delightful lunch in the small fishing village of Trout River with great views of the ocean and afterwards enjoyed a walk along the black beach of the pretty bay. it was a perfect day!
Sunday September 13th was our last night in Gros Morne. The cats took full advantage of the forest and Zeke and Rocket caught a vole each, which we luckily managed to make them release. We had a ferry booking to return to Nova Scotia for the 19th, and had been trying to get an earlier sailing for several days. Finally when we stopped for lunch we successfully found space for Wednesday Sept 16th, it was time to head back to the mainland!
It was a windy day, but thankfully not raining. We drove around the deep fjord and went north to Green Point, a dramatic cliff and bay with layered limestone and shale cliffs that show over 500 million years of Earth history. It was really windy at the top of the cliffs and Sara had to hold onto John while he took photos to prevent both of us being blown into the sea below.We spent our final few days in Newfoundland back at Grand Codroy campground, where we had started the trip. We were treated to some lovely sunny weather and warmer temperatures and spent Tuesday afternoon exploring the valley which had a beautiful sandy beach and a large estuary surrounded by farming land. John flew his drone and got some great aerial photos. It is always fun to fly the drone when we're in a location that allows them, although it is always a bit nerve-wracking when the drone gets so far out it is hard to see. Thankfully the "Return to Home" feature has always worked to bring it back to the take off location!
Wednesday September 16th it was time to drive to the ferry terminal and say good by to Newfoundland. We had an awesome time exploring and left with many special memories!
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