Day 10: Back to the Beginning

Today we drove from Riviere du Loup back to Montreal


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At the Riviere du Loup Camping Municipal de la Pointe campground we stumbled onto the Pleins Feux sur la Pointe that was held at the park. We went to bed with music and a DJ (English tunes, French DJ). Then at about 10:30 the fireworks started. They were SPECTACULAR and we could see them from inside our tent!

We took an alternate route, Highway 20, following the south side of the St. Lawrence River to Montreal. It's nice when you can take a circle route and see different country.

We fly out of Montreal Trudeau International Airport early in the morning, so we are staying at the Courtyard Montreal Airport again. We've come full circle. This has been a great vacation. Even with all the driving, it has been a leisurely trip.

Here are some of my reflections:

• It's a long but beautiful drive from Montreal to Newfoundland and back.
  
• Everyone in Quebec made us feel welcome, even with us speaking English.
• There are more people living in the Maritime Provinces than I thought.
• Nova Scotia has lots of small family farms with cows, hay and produce.
  
• Newfoundland was my favourite province to visit.
• Even though the waits were long, the ferry rides to/from Port-aux-Basques were fun.
  
• Sit in airline seats at the back of Atlantic Vision's Deck 8. Hurry, they fill quick.
• The MV Caribou is older but has much better seating. A cabin isn't necessary.
• The highlight of the trip for me was Gros Morne National Park.
• Stop in small fishing villages and sample the local foods.
• Get some hand knit socks or tuques as souvenirs.
  
• Take time to hike and see the land up close.
• Travel in August for fewer mosquitoes and no-see-ums, but still bring bug juice.
  
• There are enough free hotspots to keep get connected.

Thanks for following our trip to the Canadian Maritimes and Newfoundland. We are going to come back for more of Newfoundland and Labrador. -- Margy

FREE HOTSPOT WATCH: Free "wired" Internet at the Courtyard Montreal Airport. It's a good thing to carry a cable just in case.

Day 9: Byway Bypass

Today we headed to our last camping stop in Riviere du Loup, Quebec, before heading back to Montreal.


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We followed our previous course in reverse along scenic Highway 14 to Trans Canada Highway 2 in Truro, Nova Scotia. To break up the monotony of driving on the same roads, we took a scenic byway into Fredericton. It followed the St. John River all the way. It's very wide in some sections, but narrows somewhat as you near town. It looks like a great boating place with water almost slow enough to be almost lake-like.

If you remember, Fredericton is a free wireless town. Wayne and I headed back to Wilmot Park to check e-mail and upload a post using their Fred-e-Zone. It took about an hour and gave us a good break in a long driving day.

Highway 2 changed names at the border between New Brunswick and Quebec to Highway 185. It also changed from a four lane divided highway to a two land road with lots of construction. But it was still pretty easy driving. With Wayne and I taking turns, it isn't so bad having 8-10 hour days.

We arrived at Riviere du Loup before 5:00 and checked into Camping Municipal de la Pointe. It is a nice park at the edge of town near the ferry terminal on the St. Lawrence River.

We have been pleasantly surprised with all the help we've received as English speakers in this French speaking province. We feared the worst, but have found the best. And they even have wireless access right in the camping area. Not bad, but I have to quit before the mosquitoes eat me alive! -- Margy

FREE HOTSPOT WATCH: Fred-e-Zone is Fredericton NB's free citywide wireless service and we enjoyed using it again on our return trip. Our Riviere du Loup campground Camping Municipal de la Pointe has wireless right to the campsite.

Day 8: Long Rides and Big Tides

Today we started our trip back south heading from North Sydney to the world famous Bay of Fundy.


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We left North Sydney too early to stop for "The Best Tasting Chicken on the Island" (Cape Breton) at the Lick-a-Chick Restaurant in Bras D'Or. We saw it on our way north, but didn't have the time then either. You could smell the chicken cooking all the way out on the highway. The adjacent Lick-a-Cone didn’t look half bad either. Too bad, but we were looking for a breakfast stop.

We pulled off the road at Baddeck along the Bras d’Or Lake. This is a long lake that is open to the ocean at both ends. There’s a marina here with large sailboats and cruisers. We walked down to the docks and then up the street to the Yellow Cello Café. It had a good business going, but we got a table inside and our breakfast was ready in no time. Benneck has two claims to fame. In 1885, Alexander Graham Bell and his wife Mabel discovered Baddeck and built a summer home here where they lived until their death in 1922. It is also the birthplace of Canadian powered aviation with the Silver Dart. Now it looks to be cottage country. Busy little place, then and now!

Our drive today is backtracking down Cape Breton on Highway 105 to the Canso Causeway. We had to stop and wait for the bridge to close after three boats made it through the canal. After we junctioned with Highway 102 towards Halifax we decided to try a byway instead. We turned onto Highway 14, a two lane road through farming country. The crops of choice are hay and corn. There were also some dairies along the way. Here they bale their hay in rounds covered in plastic. It they sit in the green fields like giant white caterpillars.

The coastal plain continues to be farm country. We saw vegetables such as broccoli, potatoes, onions, more corn and of course hay. The farms are small family operations with a house and barn near the road. Periodically there’s a small village with minimal services such as a general store and possibly a gas pump. Churches are important here. As you gaze across the green fields you will see a spire rising in the distance.


At Highway 101 (no relation to our west coast Highway 101 that starts in Lund), we turned west for the Bay of Fundy. We decided to stop for an early dinner in Wolfville. This is the location of Acadia University. It has a restored downtown with quaint restaurants and shops. We ate at Paddy’s Brew Pub. Since it was Wayne’s turn to drive, I had their Annapolis Valley Ales. It was smooth and rich, just the way I like it. We grazed on appies and then headed out to the Bay of Fundy.

Just past Canning we found our campground for the night, Blomidon Provincial Park. It's located right on the Bay of Fundy, the location of the highest tides in the world. Our campground was right on the edge of the Bay of Fundy. It’s perched on a cliff of red earth with sweeping views of the bay. We had reservations, but when we checked in they were still assigning sites to drop in campers. Our site is large and protected by trees and shrubs. At least in our section of the park, you don’t feel like you’re crowded up against another camper.

We hiked the Jodrey Trail to a viewpoint overlooking the bay. The cliffs are crumbling so you couldn’t get too close. The tide was just starting to ebb, so you can’t see much difference yet. In the distance we could hear thunderclaps, but so far all we have is a chilly breeze. This is only the second time I’ve had to wear my jacket on the trip. Think I’ll get in the tent and snuggle down in my warm, cozy sleeping bag. -- Margy

Day 7: Hurry Up and Wait

We left the campground to go into Port aux Basques for breakfast since we had several hours to wait for the ferry back to Nova Scotia. We ate at the Harbour Restaurant just like last night. Then we got ice and Subway sandwiches to eat later for dinner on the ferry.


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I will never again complain about BC Ferries. I know the Atlantic Vision (one of two ferries on this route) had a heating unit fire on July 29, but this is ridiculous! It’s August 6 and they’re still running about five to six hours late. And that isn’t the worst of it. Marine Atlantic ferries are just plain disorganized. We arrived 45 minutes early for our 1:00 pm “required” check in, but were turned away by an attendant on the off ramp, telling us to return in half an hour. When we finally got in, there were four entry booths, but then everyone had to merge into one line for the Canada Agricultural Inspection.

After lots of confusion on everyone’s part, we were finally given a line assignment for our two-hour wait for departure. But we know it will be later than that because the ferry was at least half an hour late on their “delayed arrival time.” Are you confused yet? I know we are, plus a little bit frustrated since we lost one of our three planned days here on the “Granite Planet” and two camping experiences.

Enough complaining. We did enjoy our brief (briefer than expected) visit to Newfoundland. We enjoyed the geology, different types of topography, sweeping ocean views, small fishing villages, food and friendly people. I even found some handmade wool socks and a toque for John. We want to return someday, but think we’ll fly direct rather than driving all the way from Montreal. The airfare will be more expensive, but cost less for ground transportation, meals, accommodations and the $278 ferry cost for two adults and a car to get here. Actually, in the end, it might be cheaper. We can spend more time in Newfoundland and then cross over to Labrador to see that province.

Because of our late arrival in Nova Scotia, we had to cancel our campground reservations for tonight. We didn’t want to backtrack into Sydney, so we are staying at the Clansman Motel in North Sydney. That’s where we ate before our departure a few days ago. It isn’t a modern establishment, but it’s well kept. Then we can get an early start to our camping destination on the Bay of Fundy. I’m excited about seeing that. It was one of the places we studied in school that really stuck out in my mind. -- Margy

FREE HOTSPOT WATCH: The Clansman Motel has three (count them) hotspots to choose from. Now my pictures are posted.

Day 6: M&N’s, But No M’s

We left Gros Morne National Park and returned to Port aux Basques, but had a few leisurely side trips today.


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After our dinner in Trout River, we headed back to the campground and set up our tent. After several nights of camping without problems, we’ve finally found the land of M&N’s, mosquitoes and no-see-ums that is. They both can drain a pint of blood and leave a nasty welt! We sat in our chairs outdoors for a little bit, but decided the best course of action was to get in the tent and close the doors. And fortunately that did the trick. We slept well with no more problems.

We took a short driving tour of Gros Morne National Park from our campground in Trout River to Rocky Harbour on the north side of the fjord called Bonne Bay. To get there, you first have to back track to Wiltondale. Glacial cut fjords abound here, but their sides are less steep than those back home in Coastal BC. Even so, they are beautiful and majestic.

We first stopped at the Tablelands to see the orange-brown rock, called peridotite, which is where a piece of the mantle layer was thrust up to the earth’s surface. It is an example of plate tectonics, and being a rock nut it was really exciting to see. About 470 million years ago two continental plates collided and the resulting fault pushed the inner earth upwards. The Tablelands is one of the most accessible examples of mantle exposure. Other rocks around the park formed from sediments that were once on the bottom of an ancient ocean that existed until 420 to 570 million years ago. Uplift and faulting twisted and raised them to form the land of today.

We stopped in Rocky Harbour for breakfast. Wayne went “normal” and I went “traditional.” I had something called toutons. They are fried bread dough. The outside was crunchy and the insides barely cooked dough, but covered in homemade Partridge Berry jam they were really tasty. If we had stayed for lunch, we could have stayed for the moose burgers. In fact, in the land of moose (over 4,800 here in the park alone), we didn’t even see one M. We even took Monsieur Argent off road a bit, but still no luck.

The drive south on T.C.H. 1 seemed quicker than up, but I guess that’s often the case when you know the route. Well, it was faster except when we got behind a “touron” in an RV! Our destination was J.T. Cheeseman Provincial Park near Cape Ray, just north of Port-aux-Basques. We planned that so we could get to the ferry early, but things are still running late.

On the way to dinner in town, we took the back road to Cape Ray and went out to the lighthouse. This coast can be treacherous, and fog is an almost constant problem, especially early in the morning and late in the evening. Tonight, as we sit in camp, we can hear a foghorn sounding every few minutes.

In addition to some spectacular views of the rugged coast, Cape Ray was the site of a prehistoric Dorset Eskimo village. Wayne and I have read quite a bit about them in books about the arctic. Cape Ray was one of their most southerly sites. The Dorset came here to hunt harp seals in the early spring when they migrated to the ice floes for whelping. They also stayed into the summer to fish for salmon in the rivers and caribou in the nearby Table Mountains. Stumbling onto the display and interpretation site was pretty exciting for us.

Cape Ray is too small to have a restaurant, so we headed back to Port aux Basques to get dinner. We are traveling without cooking gear, so eating out has been simpler. Plus, we had a chance to sample some local dishes. But I think I enjoy that more than Wayne sometimes. -- Margy

FREE HOTSPOT WATCH: The Marine Atlantic ferry MV Caribou has a hotspot on board, but it's too slow to upload pictures.

Day 5: The Granite Planet

Elaine (a Newfie by birth) over at A Scattering has been following my trip to Canada's east coast. She's on her way here as well, but we'll miss each other by a few days. "The Granite Planet" is her nickname for this magnificent Newfoundland.


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Our ferry from North Sydney to Port-aux-Basques was nine hours late in leaving. The biggest problem, we would arrive after midnight. That meant we would have to stay in a hotel in town rather than camp as originally planned. On top of everything else, when the ferry docked it was foggy. Wayne called ahead, so we had reservations at the St. Christopher's Hotel. Good thing, a steady stream of cars followed us there. But it wasn't all bad. I got an unexpected shower and shampoo!

This morning we got up and drove north on T.C.H. (Trans-Canada Highway) 1 to Gros Morne National Park on the west coast of Newfoundland. The drive was through forested areas, but the trees here are much smaller. When we pulled into Corner Brook, we drove past the pulp and paper bill. All of the timer stacked for processing was small and short. But if you are grinding it into pulp, I guess the size doesn't matter. From Corner Brook we took Highway 450 to Lark Harbour. It is a beautiful drive along a fjord with little fishing and resort villages along the way.

Back on Highway 1 we headed for the national park and our campground for the evening in Trout River. It is next to Trout River Pond. Here they call a fjord cut off from the ocean a pond. I guess that makes our Powell Lake a "pond" as well. It seem funny calling such large bodies of water a pond, but who am I to argue with a Newfie.

We just finished having dinner in the Town of Trout River at the Seaside Restaurant. It was the best meal we've had so far on this trip. It faces the ocean side of the isthmus between the pond and the sea. Wayne and I tried the caplin fish, a local delicacy. They are a small fish like a smelt that cod and whales eat. We took our turn feeding on their rich flavour. Not bad. Now we are heading back to our campground. Maybe tonight we'll get a chance to sit in our chairs and relax! -- Margy

FREE HOTSPOT WATCH: Seaside Restaurant in Trout River and the Gros Morne National Park. Have a great dinner while you connect!

Day 4: Time to Spare, Go by Ferry

Living in the ferry dependent community of Powell River BC, Wayne and I understand the problems with ferry schedules and service. Today we are getting a taste of it Newfoundland style.


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We woke up early, but knew we had to call the Marine Atlantic ferry to check on the scheduled departure for Newfoundland. They've been having ferry problems up here for a week and everything has been backed up. They thought they would get back on track earlier, but it hasn't happened. Our 10:00 departure was first pushed back to "after noon" then to 5:00 and now to 7:00 p.m.

So we stuck around the campground until the 1:00 pm checkout time. That worked out well, since it rained early this morning and was forecast to stop at noon. And at three minutes before twelve, it stopped. Just like clockwork. We were able to pack up our tent without getting drenched.

We headed over to North Sydney even though we had lots of time to kill. We found a nice restaurant called the Clansman not too far from the terminal. If you go there to eat, watch out. The portions are humongous! Then we drove to the ferry lineup to wait another three hours for loading. While we waited there was a musical group playing Nova Scotia and Newfoundland tunes for the captive audience. As I recall, the orchestra played during the sinking of the Titanic. I hope it isn't an omen (just kidding). -- Margy

FREE HOTSPOT WATCH: North Sydney Marine Atlantic ferry terminal in the ferry lineup. Not bad considering how many people must be online killing time!

Day 3: Oh What a Mournful Sound

Day 3 was from Halifax to Mira River NS. Not such a bad trip considering the last two days, but it still took us over four hours driving time.


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After our exhausting drive back to the campground (our GPS at first led us to the wrong destination), we turned in right away. It was a good thing we put up our tent before we left. As I was sliding into my sleeping bag, I heard a loon crying in the distance. We were surprised to hear one this far east, but the lake environment is perfect for them. We got a mournful serenade as we tried to drift off to sleep. And just when we were almost successful, we heard another mournful sound. Well, if it had been in the distance it would have been. But since the campground was right next to the railroad tracks it was a bit more loud than mournful.

Our first stop (after breakfast at Tim Horton’s that is) was Don and Marilyn’s house. As I’ve mentioned before, it is a small world. Our good friends Helen and Ed from Powell River were originally from Halifax. Helen’s brother still lives here so we stopped by to say hi and get some pictures for Helen. It’s been quite a few years since they’ve seen each other. Don and Marilyn live on two gorgeous acres northwest of town. Don does all the mowing, but I’m sure Marilyn has a hand in all the beautiful flowers. It was a quick visit, and then we were on our way north to Sydney and another provincial park camping spot.

The drive to Sydney was through green pastures then back to the mixed forest. There are more deciduous trees here than in Powell River. I guess that’s one reason they are so well know for their fall foliage. When we got to Cape Breton we had to cross the Canso Causeway across the narrow stretch of ocean that separates it from the rest of Nova Scotia. Just as we arrived the traffic stopped and the small bridge at the end rotates to allow two sailboats to pass. The canal they used wasn’t large enough for anything larger than a fishing boat. Large commercial boats must have to go all the way around the north end of the island.

Our first stop was for dinner in Louisbourg. It is the site of the historic French Fortress. Wayne found us a restaurant that wasn’t too touristy (The Grubstake) and then we went down to the docks to see the skookum fishing boats. Then it was back to the Mira River Provincial Park to camp for the night. We got a much-needed “bath” swimming in the lake and then were off to bed early. People have been coming here for generations. Here's the famous song "Out on the Mira" telling all about it.



Tomorrow we catch the ferry from North Sydney to Newfoundland so it will be an early start. - Margy

Day 2: Big City Lights

Day two of our Maritime adventure was another long driving day.


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After we left Fredericton NB (an extended hot spot stop in the provincial capital of New Brunswick), we got back on Highway 2 heading southeast. That will be three provinces in two days of driving! Our new Garmin Oregon 300 GPS has been quite a help. We've also learned a bit more about how to use it. We set in a destination of Halifax via Highway 2. When we exited at Fredericton, the GPS gave us the routing needed to return to our original route. Nice!

Back on the highway, I saw the first white-barked birch trees. Those few gave way to large groves in some sections. You always hear about birch bark canoes being used by First Nations peoples here on the east coast. You can see that they were in ready supply.

The road to Halifax was doublewide all the way. The climate seems drier here and the terrain in rolling hills interspersed with flat coastal plains. One section had a toll of $4.00. It was short, so they must have been collecting to pay for more than that little bit. Just north of town we turned off onto on Nova Scotia Highway 2 and headed to our campground for the night, Laurie Provincial Park on Shubenacadie-Grand Lake. It’s a small rustic camp, but the sites are nice in the shade of evergreen trees. We were lucky to get one on a bluff overlooking the lake. By evening, almost all of the spots were taken. Here there are more tenters like us.

After putting up our tent, we headed to Halifax for dinner. We entered town from the north through Dartmouth. There are two high bridges crossing the harbour, both of them toll bridges charging 75 cents. Must be the way Nova Scotia pays for transportation services. After a bit of fumbling at the tollbooth, we were on our way to the wharf area downtown. Cars were parked everywhere on the one-way streets, but we found a public lot just a few blocks up. I was surprised at how touristy it is. The boardwalk was very crowded, with lots of street musicians. We found a harbour view restaurant and had a much needed meal. We passed on the overpriced lobster for the Captain Catch plate and a cold brew. Double yum!

Using our GPS, we headed back to the campground. A glitch in the software took us to the wrong location, but our “cookie crumb” trail helped us rectify the situation and get back “home” for the night. That’s enough civilization for me for a long time. It helps me remember why I traded in the big city for Powell River. -- Margy

Day 1: Highway High Jinks

Our landing in Montreal was on time and we took a cab over to the hotel. Jet lag didn't catch us too bad, so we were up at 8:00 a.m. to return to the airport to pick up our rental car. Wayne had reserved one in advance at Budget through West Jet (I love that airline!). We were an hour early, so they gave us a free upgrade to let us get on our way. We ended up with a Dodge Journey (SUV). It turned out to be the perfect vehicle for us. There's lots of room for our camping gear and the back seats fold down. We could sleep inside if the weather gets really rainy. In honour of his heritage and colour, I've dubbed him Monsieur Argent.


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The first day's drive took us through green countryside over mostly divided double-lane highways. Because it was going to be our longest (distance and time) travel day, we drove straight through. Our path took us east, then across the St. Lawrence River at Quebec City to Riviere-du-Loup. From there we followed Highway 2 southeast to a small town on the St. John River called St. Leonard. Most of the towns are either St, Ste, St. or Saint in this region. Must because of their French ties. Even though every local we met spoke French, they were friendly and accommodating with our English. That's a lot different than I remember from our last trip to Quebec by airplane.

We camped at a private facility called Grande Riviere just outside of town. We set up our tent next to a small river. I could imagine a French trapper paddling his canoe up such a stream to catch beaver. We had reservations, but wouldn't have needed them. We were the only tenters and there were hardly any RVs either. It was a nice park with lots of green grass, a few shaded sites, restrooms with showers, and a pool. Quite retro. I'm sure it looked just the same when my parents passed through years ago. After we set up our tent we went into town for dinner at the restaurant at the Daigle Motel. Good home cooking for a good price.

We had a bit of rain overnight, but today dawned sunny and warm. The mosquitoes were out last night, but I think the rain kept them to a minimum. Don't think I have any bites to show for my outdoor experience yet.

We stopped in Fredericton to find a hot spot. That's easy in this town because it has Fred-e-Zone or free citywide wireless service. We are sitting in Wilmot Park downtown under a tree to check e-mail and make this post. But I better get going, our destination of Halifax is still a long ways away. -- Margy

FREE HOTSPOT WATCH: Fred-e-Zone is Fredericton NB's free citywide wireless service. Excellent bandwidth, Wayne watching TV on Slingbox.

Road Trip

Tomorrow, Wayne and I are leaving on our first vacation away from Powell River since we discovered it in 2000 and especially since we got our float cabin in 2001. In the beginning, we were still working in Los Angeles, so we wanted to spend every vacation day we had up the lake. Now that we have our Canadian permanent residency, we feel we can take two weeks to explore a bit more of our new country.

One aid we will have on this trip is our new Garmin Oregon 300 GPS. We have Mac computers and sometimes companies like Garmin don't offer software compatible with our machines. But we were in luck, according to our friend George (Mr. GPS) at Marine Traders in Powell River. We purchased the Oregon to use when we ride our quads in the bush. But we also got the City Navigator North America road map software for our upcoming trip.

We're flying commercially from Vancouver to Montreal, then renting a car to drive to Newfoundland, camping along the way. I'm not sure if I'll be able to post about our adventures along the way. If I can find Internet connections, I will. A special thanks to Elaine (a Newfie by birth) over at A Scattering for the list of free library hot spots. I'll try to use one or more of them along the way. Stay tuned. - Margy