June 25, Back to Nova Scotia

The long ferry ride back to Nova Scotia was much more pleasant than the trip going over to Newfoundland. The seas were calm and there was a fast internet connection. Joe and I had a hearty(that means bacon was included) breakfast in the dining room.




This is a shot of a model of the ferry.

We had to spend the night on the loading dock because we had a 6:30AM departure time. This was fun because we had to "rough-it". That means perking coffee on the propane cooktop instead of the electric pot.

One of my caravan friends, Yvonne, took this picture of our rigs going down the road. Pretty impressive, huh!

We arrived back at the Arm of Gold campground in Bras d' Or, which has been our base camp before and after our trip to Newfoundland. Today we rode by car to Baddeck, where we had a Yankee breakfast at the Historic Telegraph Hotel. Fabulous French toast!

This is where Alexander Graham Bell stayed on his visits to Baddeck, prior to building a home there. I never knew of his many interests and inventions, other than the telegraph and telephone. He created man-carrying kites and airplanes. Water inspired him and a young engineering associate, Casey Baldwin, to produce the fastest boat in the world.

Bell's father, grandfather, and brother had all been associated with work on elocution and speech, and both his mother and wife were deaf. This profoundly influenced his life's work.

This is his Hydrofoil flying machine.

This afternoon we went on a boat tour out to Bird Islands to see all the amazing birds, seals and other water loving critters. Here are some shots from the trip.

We saw Atlantic puffin, grey seals, lots of bald eagles, herring gulls, cormorants and lots of other interesting birds whose names I don't remember!

Tomorrow we drive 250 miles to a cg near Halifax . Can't wait to get to Halifax - that means mussells and drawn butter and French bread - YUM !!

June 21-22, Rocky Harbor and Gros Morne National Park

We are making our way back down the Northern Peninsula. To the right are the Long Range Mountains and on the left is the Atlantic Ocean's Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Labrador Straits. Another absolutely beautiful drive down Route 430 along the Straits of Belle Isle, we hooked up at camp and then drove over to Rocky Harbor.

This is a view of the town of Norris Pointe. We saw a film at the Gros Morne Visitors Center which explained how the shifting of the tectonic plates and glacial movement has created one of the most intriguing natural landscapes on the continent.

The Bonne Bay boat tour we take today is a 2 1/2 hr. ride around the bay and into the St. Lawrence. I learned that, 420 to 570 million years ago, the rocks of Gros Morne (means large montain) were part of an ancient ocean. When two continents collided, these rocks were pushed up to become part of the Appalachian Mountains. This spectacular landscape and the geological dynamics qualified the area as a World Heritage Site designated by UNESCO.

I got to see a little Minky whale and a pirate (who looked a lot like a member of our crew).

Here's Joe, watching out for pirates!

I shot about 40 pictures during this boat ride, but have included only a few. Most of them speak for themselves.

The village is being lovingly restored to its original charm.

The lobster fishing in this area has suffered a sharp decline. A fisherman may set out 250 traps and catch only about 15 lobsters. Hard to make a living that way. Some depend heavily on the tourist business, but that lasts only about 4 months.






This is an Anglican Church.

Below is an example of what a fisherman's house really looked like in this village.

The mountain in the background is called a tabletop. Easy to see how it got its name. Due to the composition of the rock, no vegitation will grow.





It does, however, serve as an excellent platform for snow and this fellow "hates" snow.

Our tour ended with some foot tapping, hand clapping Newfoundland music. This was another magical day. Tomorrow we head for the ferry back to Nova Scotia.

I will miss this place.

June 20 "A Viking Experience"

Today we drove out to a reconstructed Viking settlement in L'ans aux Meadows in northwestern Newfoundland. The Vikings, from Norway and Greenland, came to Newfoundland around 1001 AD. They only stayed a short time about 7-8 years and no one really knows why they left. Could have been the natives didn't like their looks, with the light skin, red hair and metal ornaments.

Leif Erickson was the first to come across this area and named it Vinland for the wild grapes he believed he saw.

Joe really had a big time exploring the different structures and hearing about the history. Me thinks he's a true warrior at heart!

This is the chief warrior's wife; not one to mess with!

The young moose were not at all afraid of us.

Tonight we went to a Viking feast in a sod hut. Don't be fooled by the exterior, it was heated and pleasant inside

The costumed performers conducted a ceremony of "All Things". After explaining the offenses and punishments used during the Viking rule, each table was to create an offense, accuse the person or persons and then the audience determined guilt or innocence. It was pretty hilarious.

"Yours truely" was put before the judge!

The appetizers came first. I didn't recognize the items and only AFTER I had eaten one of them did I find out it was fried cod tongue!
The actual meal (buffet) was delicious - lots of steamed vegetables, corned beef and cabbage, roast beef, moose stew, salmon, potatoes and bread. And of course desert and coffee or hot tea.

Interesting Day!