Newfoundland in October
- Leanne Haughian
- Nov 8, 2017
- 7 min read
From North Sydney we hopped on the ferry to Port au Basque. It was about a 6 hour ferry ride, we arrived in Newfoundland at about 7pm. I don’t have much to comment about the ferry as it is best for my lunch if I stay seated. At one point I did try to use the computer and with the swaying of my seat the large window beside me and the rolling ocean I didn’t last long before going back to my seat!
We had made arrangements to stay with Karen’s (my sister in law) Uncle Ed and his wife Gene. He was waiting for us on the roadside to guide us to his place. Something we like about night travel is that when you wake up it is a whole new world from what you saw the night before. They live in Codroy Valley. The coast line is dotted with tiny fishing communities. We spent the evening getting acquainted and sharing stories. The following morning they made us a great breakfast, a very welcomed hot shower and a drive up the coast to the most westerly point on Newfoundland, Cape Anguille. As Paul says the second west coast of Canada! It was stinkin windy! But again really nice to see another coast line.
Continuing up the west coast to Gros Morne National Park. Since planning this trip the Cabot Trail and Gros Morne were 2 places first marked on our map. After about 3 hours of driving we arrived at the tip of the Park. It is definitely feeling like fall!! Dipping down to just above freezing at night and low teens if we are lucky during the day with a chill you to the bone wind. No snow yet…. So at night it can be tricky to keep busy. Benny is getting more attention than ever before. We are listening to travel and adventure podcasts, reading, journaling, learning some card games and mastering our shadow puppeteering!! At times joking that we have gone cabin crazy!
Green Garden. 9km return hike. It should take about 3-4 hours. 274m elevation. The Tamarac trees are changing to bright yellow and lined the trail. This trail has many openings with spectacular views. We suspected a coastal opening ½ way along. We were pleasantly greeted with magnificent views of the ocean from the cliffs above and then a staircase down to the ocean. We are feeling so lucky to be travelling at this time of the year because no one is around. We spend at least and hour on the desolate beach looking for lost treasures, enjoying the sun and the surf before hiking back out. The last part of the trail was closed due to cliff erosion which seemed just fine to me. We didn’t see any wildlife other than a bunch of moose tracks.
We spent the night just outside a small fishing community Trout River, people had recommended that we stop at. At first it seemed just like any other small community but with a little digging we found the charm of this little village. Reminding us that beauty is everywhere, even in the least obvious places, you just need to be open to see it.
Travelling further North into Gros Morne Park, we set up camp in another slightly larger community, Rocky Harbour. We had intentions to climb the mighty Gros Morne mountain. The second highest peak on Newfoundland. It is described as a strenuous 16km, 800m climb. In talking with some locals we decided it best that we don’t climb it because of the time of year. It can be 8 degrees colder at the top! And often pretty snowy and foggy. We just weren’t prepared for that and with no foreseeable break in the cold temperatures. We settled for a shorter waterfall walk, no big deal! It was well worth it!
Getting back to the van Paul opted to run up Berry Hill just beside our van while I cooked some warm grub. He met a man at the top and after chatting for awhile this man offered his shower and for us to wash some clothes. We graciously accepted and offered up a beer and some chili in exchange. After some good conversation and a clean up we were off. In the morning we drove a straight shot across Newfoundland to the capital city of St John’s. Its still pretty chilly at this point. 60-80km winds and a temp of a measly 4 degrees Celsius. I’ll be honest I considered not going across because of the chill, but was reassured by Paul that we wouldn’t freeze. So we found a parking lot sheltered from the wind, turned the furnace up and called it a night. The next few days warmed up significantly.
While in St John’s we spent time walking the streets of down town and along the harbour. The core of downtown has 2 streets of shopping and old colorful historic homes winding up and down steep hills.
George Street is a pub street with all types of Irish influenced restaurants and a vibrant music scene varying from electronic to old Irish Newfoundland style music. One night we stopped in at the Shamrock City Pub for a couple cheap beers ($8 a litre) and live music, a older gentleman strumming guitar singing traditional Newfoundland songs. Our last day was really warm so we headed out on the bike to tour around some small communities. We stopped for lunch at a picnic area in a bay in Holyrood. We were entertained by a couple tuna (what I would assume feeding) At times jumping right out of the water! Such an awesome experience!! (last 2 pictures above)
On our last night we stayed overnight atop Signal hill. Signal hill overlooks the city to the west and the ocean to the east. This was a great way to see St John’s for the final night. Paul said in the morning that it was a pretty unique experience to see the sunset the night before and the sunrise in the morning, but to see the sun as it first rises over Canada!
This big dog is Chief, his owner brings him to Signal Hil
Heading back across Newfoundland to catch the ferry. Our health insurance for the states starts the beginning of November. We have been fortunate with warm weather but have had a taste of what the winter can feel like and want to be in the warmth when the cold hits here. However the stars have other plans…..Charlottetown Nfld. Well the governor that we replaced in Castor Alberta has to be replaced again!! Paul is having a hard time finding a replacement, people don’t have vehicles as old as ours here. With some good luck and lots of calling Paul found a governor switch from probably the only guy in St John’s and maybe Newfoundland who has older vehicles laying around. He was able to have a taxi courier deliver it to a small community 45min from Charlottetown. We are on the road the Saturday before Halloween.
Again heading straight west on the Trans Canada, we stopped a night in Cornerbrook on the West coast. We were fortunate to stay with a lady that Paul’s mom used to work with in Red Deer and her mom. We stayed one night, they kindly offered us a shower and use of their laundry. We sat around the kitchen table swapping stories. They shared with us a lovely supper and a Newfoundland delicacy; salty squid! To prepare it they cut a squid and lay it flat coat it with salt and lay it outside to cure. It is stored frozen and reheated when ready to eat. It is reheated and it curls up into a roll. Then peel it off in strips and eat it! It’s good… it reminds me of jerky, pretty salty with a slight fish taste.
In the morning we toured a little through Cornerbrook and headed out. On our way out of town a guy on a pedal bike was walking on the side of the highway, so we stopped.
We are starting to see a big part of our trip that we cherish is the kindness of strangers. Also hearing their stories and seeing the differences between folks. So the times we get to spend in peoples houses we really appreciate. As a way to pay back this kindness we try to offer things when we can, it may be food, helping out with a meal, our stories or our full attention. We also think that not every good dead needs an equal pay back, as long as you pass it down the road. So we stopped, loaded his bike in our van and headed towards the ferry. Dravis has been cycling for a year and a half. He started in Portugal and finished in Alaska!! We offered to take him as far as we were going for the day. His stories are inspiring and insane! If your interested in checking him out his website is www.theendsoftheearth.org
He had a hook up for a place to stay via a website warmshowers.com, a portal for cyclists to connect with people wanting to help out by offering a place to sleep and clean up. This particular place was in the Codroy Valley of Nfld. Winding down rough roads we open up to a river front property. There is a lady digging in the garden, in fact tirelessly digging a 4 foot trench for their upcoming greenhouse. Lana and Roshni are two young ladies living on a beautiful property in the valley. They have big dreams for this property, hoping to have a hostel next year. So naturally they invited us to stay overnight as well. We gladly accepted! These ladies are eager in creating a naturally sustainable living space. It was so interesting to sit and listen to their experiences and the dreams for their home. Before leaving in the morning the girls made us homemade sourdough pancakes from their own sourdough starter. They were amazing! Lana kindly offered some starter for me, so stay tuned for everything sourdough up in this van!!
We exchanged contacts, took pictures and off we head to the ferry at Port au basque. Newfoundland has been an incredible experience. Stunning mountainous beauty, the slow pace of the rock with its rich culture in desolate fishing communities. Genuine Atlantic people in a vibrant and historic St John’s. Next up Maine USA!!
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