Aug 31, 2019 - L'Anse aux Meadows

Today we took a 2 1/2 hour road trip to the very top of Newfoundland and visited L'Anse aux Meadows. This historical site is the only proven Viking Settlement that exists in North America. The site was found in 1960 and became a National Historical Site in the 1990's. First, the word "viking" is actually very misused. There were never any Vikings as a nation or a group of people. The group of people are actually the Norse. Most Norse were farmers and traders, but raiding became a common way to gain wealth and fame. The term "viking" is Old...

Aug 30, 2019 - Port au Choix

We find ourselves today in the Northwest Coast of NL in the fishing port town of Port au Choix. We are staying at a real neat little oceanside RV park run by the Lions Club. We are right on the beach. We had time for a little more sea glass hunting which was again successful. I just wish I could find something of value other than broken glass. The beach here is totally different than anything I have ever scene. No sand, just thick slabs of granite that are polished by the waves and water. It is beautiful. We went to the visitors bureau this...

Aug 28, 2019 - Bonne Bay Tour and the Tablelands

Our final day at Gros Morne National Park was a big one. We started out this morning on the Bonne Bay Boat Tour. Bonne Bay is the primary fjord on the western shore. The mountains, slopes and scenery are incredible. The guides were amazing and we learned so much. Here are a few more factoids, in no particular order. I have been familiar with "deer browse", deforestation, in the forests of Wisconsin. It is a huge problem there if the population of deer aren't controlled. Similar problem here but a little different. The forests here are...

Aug 26, 2019 - Western Brook Pond in Gros Morne National Park

Today was a boat adventure on the Western Brook Pond at the Gros Morne Park. This 12 mile long deep water lake is surrounded by a mountain range over a billion years old. It is believed that this mountain range at one time may have been as tall as the Alps. These granite walls are a result of over 40 cycles of glaciers that continually pushed their way to the sea. The most recent was 12000 years ago. The views are spectacular. The walls reach as high as 2200 ft. and the pond is over 200 ft. deep. The water is pure. The tributaries that feed...

Aug 26, 2019 - Drive into Gros Morne National Park

It was a pretty drive up the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to our left and the Long Range Mountains on our right. The Long Range Mountains are actually a continuation of the Appalachian Mountains that run through the United States. I found out that this same mountain range actually runs across the Atlantic into Europe. The mountains are green with grasses, bushes and small pine trees. Very different than in the states but very pretty. We have not run into a lot of wildlife on the trip yet. Lots of moose signs, but no moose. The coastal waters...

Aug 25, 2019 - Ferry, Granite Trail, Codroy Valley

We traveled to Newfoundland via Ferry yesterday. It was a 7 hour crossing in very high seas. The Ferry was huge, very comfortable and safe. Seas were about 12 feet but with this size of ship you barely noticed. Today we drove down the Canadian National Highway once again. Through the lower part of the Long Range Mountains and then east on the southern shore of the island. This section is called the Granite Coastal Drive. It is properly named as there is absolutely nothing there except granite. Lots of little fishing ports and at the end of...

Jun 19, 2019 - Norris Point/Gros Morne to Codroy Campground, Doyle's, NL

Wednesday, June 19 Copied this from Parks Canada website.  This is where our KOA is. Very pretty. "Soaring fjords and moody mountains tower above a diverse panorama of beaches and bogs, forests and barren cliffs. Shaped by colliding continents and grinding glaciers, Gros Morne’s ancient landscape is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Wander coastal pathways and beachcomb among sea stacks. Cruise the dramatic, sheer-walled gorge of Western Brook Pond. Spot moose and caribou. Hike to alpine highlands where Arctic hare and ptarmigan thrive on...

Jun 18, 2019 - St. Anthony to L'anse aux Meadows to Norris Point/Gros Morne

Tuesday, June 18   It rained most of the night and was still raining when we got up.  Today, the plan is to go to L'Anse aux Meadows, which is north of here and close to being the most northern part of the Newfoundland land mass.  It is where the Vikings first settled. Of course, we were hoping to to see some icebergs as well. We left around 8:30 as the Park opens at 9. It was 49 degrees at our campsite and dipped to 46 on the way.  Most of the day was around 54. We saw lots of patches of snow along the road, and at the historic sight,...

Jun 17, 2019 - Doyle's to St. Anthony, Newfoundla and Labrador

Monday, June 17 We headed northeast about 8 am.  Today, there were lots of ups and downs a lot of the time, but also a lot of flat land as the road followed the coastline intil sbout 60 milrs before St. Anthony.  At first we were a little bit inland and mostly all we saw were trees and powerlines. Roads were very good at times (Trans Canada Highway) with some 4 lane roads, and good most of the rest of the time.  Once in awhile there would be rough patches. Again, there were many passing lanes along the way. Our first stop for gas was 1.21...

Jun 16, 2019 - North Sydney Ferry to Newfoundland

Sunday, June 16 We boarded the 7 hour ferry from North Sydney, NS  to Channel-Port aux Basque, Newfoundland around 11 am and left at 11:45. It was around 60 degrees. There were comfortable stuffed chairs around small tables for sitting.  You could also pay for a lounger or rent a cabin. It seems like that would be more appropriate for those sailing on the 11:45 pm boat or the truck drivers, but I think people did rent them.  There was a tv, but we didn't watch it. We enjoyed talking a lot of the time with Jerry and Janice, our campground...

Jul 31, 2018 - Port aux Basques, Newfoundland

July 25 – July 27th Today is a banner day worthy of special mention because…..we saw our first and only moose as we drove out the road from Barchois Provincial park where we stopped for lunch! We have been warned so many times that we should expect to see moose in Newfoundland; supposedly they are everywhere and come out to wander the highway at dusk. We are so rarely out driving a dusk that we never expected to see one. We joked that they were hiding about 20 feet back of the tree line lurking in the forest waiting for some hidden signal...

Jul 25, 2018 - St. John's Newfoundland

July 18th , 19th 20th St. John’s We spent three days in St. John’s and surrounding area. Part of our time here included getting an oil change and new front tires on the van. We did all of the tourist things, a visit to Signal Hill a prominent landmark in St. John’s were we saw Rick Mercer from CBC; we drove through the narrow streets of down town; it turned out to be interesting to maneuver the van up and down some of the very steep hills where we saw many of the colourful houses St. John’s is known for. We walked Water St. and ate at a...