We are in the land where the Vikings landed in Canada over 1,000 years ago.  L’anse aux Meadows is a National Historic Site.

Adventure is our goal, laughing is a by-product.    

 May 30 Happy Valley-Goose Bay to Red Bay, NL

Strolling through Red Bay, NL

The snow melted. The sky was bright.  It was a good day to drive to Mary’s Harbour.  We have Morgan a good walk and play knowing it was going to be a long day.  We were facing a 38 km stretch of gravel road and after the snow we did not know what condition to expect it to be in. 

We really do not have much of a routine because each place is different.  We just get done what needs to be done.  My thoughtful co-pilot got the hot drinks and water bottles loaded in the truck.  Neither of us are breakfast people so after securing the inside of the trailer and doing an outside inspection we hit the road.  We were both 

We see lots of abandoned buildings.

excited to be heading to the coast and being on another new highway with new scenery and terrain.  

Oh, did I mention that Les Suisse (The Swiss) pulled out sometime between 06:30 and 07:00.  We left at 0830 a tad later than expected but well rested.

As with QC Hwy 389 and NL Hwy 500, the scenery was underwhelming.  Remember, I am comparing to my trip to the Yukon.  I am still thrilled to be doing this adventure  because I have seen for myself.  I am having my own experiences.  

One of the many Visitor Centres 

We both observed the amount of snow that fell in the higher elevations.  The evidence was the piles on the side of the road left by the grader and the depth of snow off to the side.  I was glad we stayed put.  I did not have to deal with the stress of driving in unknown conditions.  

The road was dry and smooth.  We have learned that just because a road is paved it does not mean it is smooth going.  The speed was 80kph and we were making good time.  A while down the road we caught up to Les Suisse.  Peter and Maia pulled over and we pulled up to chat.  They had stopped a couple times for coffee and a snack.  I have no doubt we will 

Our first ice berg.  More to come.

see them again sometime.  

The crews are working on the last 38 kms of road that needs to be paved.  It will be super for the future travellers.  

We came and went through Port Hope Simpson.  What we have noticed is that there is no rhyme or reason to the business layout of the villages.  A business can be in someone’s front yard.  The gas station can be down another street camouflaged by houses, and the town hall surrounded by another group of houses.  Mary’s Harbour was just 50 kms ahead.

Visitor centres are always closed.  We’re early.

I turned in, of course not knowing exactly what to expect.  My concern is always will I get in a pickle with the trailer and have to back out all the way.  So in we go.  I was looking for fuel and a place to stay.  We came across Eric on Main Street.  He was working in his yard.  I got out to ask which direction can I find fuel.  “Oh, you can’t find fuel here anymore.  It shut down last year and thar’s no one to open her up and make money.”

Well, all of that was said with the famous Newfoundlander accent.  He also asked where I was from and what brought me here.  I said the ice bergs and people brought me to Newfoundland Labrador.  “Oh, he said, thar’s an ice 

L’anse Au Clair near the Quebec border

berg in the harbour.  Just go over to the red building and you will see it.  No problem for space ta turn around.”

We got excited and headed to the ‘red’ building.  Well, there was no space to turn easily.  It good a few times of back and forth and adjusting.  Thank goodness Karen is a great backer-upper guide.  

We spied a place to pull over but it really was not a pull over, it was another backing-up situation.  Once parked we got a couple of ice berg pictures.  Thanks, Eric!!!

It’s so beautiful here but winters….

Now to address the fuel situation.  I came into Mary’s Harbour with 141 kms left to go in the fuel tank.  As earlier stated there’s no fuel in Mary’s Harbour.  These folks go back to Port Hope Simpson (50 kms) or go to Red Bay.  Eric pointed out was about 90 kms down the road.  Off we went.  I was feeling confident we would make it because of my other low-fuel experiences.  

While fueling in Red Bay at $2.45 / litre, I spotted a camping sign.  Karen explored and found four tight spots nest to the store / gas station.  Since it 

Parked in the boatyard.

was such a long day, that is where we stayed.  We had to deal with an unlevel spot but we did it.  

The weather would be closing in on us over the next few days so we went exploring down the road.  This place was magical for me.  It was what I expected.  Quaint houses dotting the shoreline.  There is no rhyme or reason as to where houses are placed.  Or businesses for that matter.  This is a UNESCO site for the whaling history.  Sadly, as I will explain we only stayed one night.  But what was a surprise is that we ran into our new friends from Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Chris and Kelly.  

We couldn’t wait to see our first berg.

They are pulling a little camper that has a kitchen in the rear and a bed on the inside.  They have no creature comforts Karen and I are enjoying in Minnie Home.  They had booked a room for a couple night to dry off, shower, warm up and just plain enjoy.  They had told us they were catching the ferry from Blanc Sablon to St. Barbe on the Island of Newfoundland.  We at that point had not made any decisions.  

Back at the trailer, we started planning.  The first step in planning is to review the weather.  If I didn’t mention it before, I use The Weather Network for specific locations.  I use Environment Canada for the marine reports, and

Ice berg sizing

 I use windy.com for an overview of where the wind is and the speed.  

We soon came to realize that if we did not leave Red Bay on Tuesday we would likely be there until Friday.  And if we did leave and the ferry was running, it would be a horrendously rough crossing.  As it was, the ferry was cancelled on Wednesday and on Thursday (June 1 and 2). 

Red is not good

We made our reservations for Tuesday at 13:00 which was the same ferry at Chris and Kelly.  

May 31 Red Bay to St. Anthony on the Great Northern Peninsula

Throughout the night it was howling and blowing.  I was awake early.  I have had experience with wind on the boat and found my comfort level.  I had zero experience with wind in the trailer or pulling the trailer.  I have heard horror stories of trailers being flipped over.  I felt that the earlier we got on the road the better.  I was also prepared to pull out and head away from Red Bay and turn around if necessary.  So many things went through my mind for possible options if the wind got too bad.  

We were on the road by 08:00 knowing that we had to be in Blanc Sablon by noon for a departure.  It was a mere 80 kms to the ferry.  I also noticed through windy.com that we were likely to have a tail wind which was great.  

We had planned well. The trip was much easier than expected.  We pulled 

Blanc Sablon ferry dock.  The weather is building.

over in L’anse Au Clair to get some fresh air, walk Morgan and just enjoy the little town.  To our delight we found a historic walk along the waterfront. It was not raining but it was cold and windy.  We took some pictures and Morgan had a great run on the pink-sand beach. Her ears and face hair danced in the wind.  

A few kilometres down the road and now back in Quebec where the ferry departs, I noticed an hour and half time change back to Quebec time.  Oh, shit!  We didn’t take that into consideration.  Now we are three hours early.  As we were looking for a bakery or coffee shop we just laughed. What was even funnier, as with all the tourist info places, the one in Blanc Sablon was closed.  We were hoping to sort out the correct sailing time for the ferry.  

What happened to the other part of the flag?

With no tourist info, no bakery, no coffee shop we found ourselves at the dock.  Karen went in to pay and laughed because we were so early with the time change.  It only cost us - one adult, one senior, a truck and a trailer - $66.00 for one hour forty-five minute crossing.  BC Ferries, maybe you need to look into why the prices are so inexpensive here.  

Lane 3.  We parked and hopped into the trailer to make coffee, read, and just relax for the next three hours.  About a half hour into our wait there was a knock at the door.  It was a couple from Kelowna, BC.  We learned that they were John and Gerry and they were heading the same direction as us once off the ferry.  A short while later, Chris and Kelly showed up.  And then a while later, Les Suisse showed up.  We had a good laugh.  All the campers we had met so far were in the same line as us.  

Now this next bit is confusing because I am still confused. The ferry was slated to run at 13:00 Newfoundland Time but we were in Quebec at Blanc 

Our ferry for crossing Belle Isle Strait

Sablon where the time difference is a half hour which would have been 12:30 so what time was the ferry to run????  Don’t ask because i still cannot figure it out and it got more confusing when I looked at the time zones for Eastern Canada and Atlantic Canada.  I’m just glad we got there early.  We both agree that if we did not, we probably would have pulled up at noon while the ferry was sailing away.  As it is, I am not sure if it sailed at 11:30 or noon or 

The ferry clerk would fit in with the theme

????  I was too busy watching them load cars into the bowels of the ship and wondered where they were going to put me.  In the end, we rode with the big boys on the upper deck.  

The crossing was not as windy as expected but it was windy enough for me not to update my blog.  You definitely had to hang on the the hand rails if you chose to move around.  I did ask if I could visit the bridge but that was a solid NO.  I was not surprised but I just had to ask.  It also was not obvious where the life jackets were so I ask and was told they would dole them out in the event of an emergency.  

We managed to visit a bit with all our camper friends while on board.  Chris 

UNESCO whaling station at Red Bay.

and Kelly were heading to the St. Anthony area, as were John and Gerry.  Les Suisse were heading south.  

Karen and I had done our homework and found that the only place open was the Viking RV Park.  We shared the info with the others and that is where we all camped together for three nights.  Karen and I are staying an extra night to enjoy L’anse aux  Meadows without the gale force winds and horizontal rain.  

Sampling Freyr - Tangerine Beer.  It was very good.

Did I tell you that just because a road is paved does not mean it is smooth.  The drive to St. Anthony and Quirpon (pronounced Kar-poon) was no exception.  Oh my GAWD.  It was slow going with a lot of weaving around the potholes and heaves.  

By watching the weather we knew it was only going to get worse.  We were in a camping spot next to a motor home (from Victoria, BC we found out later). It blocked the wind slightly.  When the wind hit my little Minnie Home 

Tucked into our safe little nook

shuddered and rocked and rolled.  When the rain hit, it battered the side of the trailer.  While lying in bed, wide awake, and listening to every noise get louder and more frequent, I was thinking of what I needed to do to keep us and the trailer safe.  After all, it was going to be worse tomorrow night.  Can you imagine?  Worse!!!

I studied the wind directions as reported by the weather people.  I knew something had to come between us and the wind.  I remembered down the road there was a building so my bright idea was to take the trailer over there for the next night.  If that didn’t work, I wanted a spot in the trees.  One was supposed to become available the next day.  Another plan was to park myself between two larger RV’s.  Now to try to sleep.  The sun is coming up.  

Decadence at Cafe Nymphe

June 1 - Viking RV, Quirpon, NL

06:30 I was wide awake again after just over an hours sleep.  I had to check out the plans I had conjured in the middle of the night.  I had to  make sure Minnie Home didn’t jiggle off  the stableizer pads.  I wanted to be sure no siding blew off - OK long shot that it would but if you could have heard the noises I did you may have thought the same. 

I walked Morgan over they the building we had spotted the day before.  Turns out it is a church and there was nowhere level for me to park the trailer behind the church.  That plan went with the wind.  On my way back, I spied the truck and camper, in the primo spot I wanted,  was already leaving.  I checked it out and hardly a breath of wind was blowing in spot #35.  Oh goodness, if you could have felt the relief in my body you may have felt weak knees too.  

After ‘kaffee’ (as some of the local say) we set about moving the trailer.  It is perfect in every way for every wind direction except west and west was not 

The bergs are getting bigger but we can do better :)

in the forecast.  

Being the photographers we are, Karen and I decided we were not going to let the wind, rain, or fog stop us.  We drove a few kilometres into Quirpon and were delighted with the little hamlet by the sea.  We briefly talked to some other folks out shooting and they told us of a berg just down the road so we headed in that direction.  Sadly, the weather was getting worse, it was cold and now blowing sheets of rain our way.  Enough 

Lots of boardwalks and tiny lighthouses

was enough.  We drove to Saint Lunaire-Griquet to check out the Viking gift shops.  The first one was quite touristy but the second one, Dark Tickle, had a lot of nice and useful things.  I bought a new wool, Newfoundland toque.  Upstairs was Cafe Nymphe so we trundled up for a cappuccino and shared a slice of carrot cake topped with partridge berries.  It was very good.  It felt quite decadent sitting in this little gem of a kaffee shop.  

One think Karen and I have heard over and over is that they are all hoping for the tourist to come back.  They have had such a hard couple of tourist seasons and a very tough winter.  

I had planned to have a nap to catch up on some sleep.  It didn’t happen.  Kelly and Chris kindly asked us to join them for a drive into St. Anthony to check things out.  Sadly, we came across an accident that had happened almost 12 hours earlier.  Single car that hit a ditch and flipped end for end.  The lone occupant did not make it.  We all fell silent as we passed.  It was a 

Green urchins or the East Coast. 

sobering reminder that speed kills.  

After walking a couple trails and on our way back we decided to check out Ragna Rock micro brewery.  We have come to find that a closed sign does not mean closed.  As the four of us approached the door, Jennifer and Brad came out to apologize that they were closed but opening tomorrow at 14:00.  Brad asked where we were from.  I piped up and said all the way from Vancouver Island - from rock to rock.  We pouted and walked away.  Within seconds, Brad came back and said, “You’ve come all that way, come on in and taste a new beer we just kegged.”  

We were so thrilled.  We offered to help clean to get ready for their opening the next day.  He said no, just enjoy your beer.  It was Freyr, their tangerine APA and it was the best!  We certainly felt the Newfoundland hospitality at Ragna Rock Brewery.  

A flight of 6 at Ragna Rock Micro Brewery

Back at the campground, Grace (who does everything) was cooking moose burgers and everyone said they were great so we decided to put our names down for 18:00 for dinner.  Moose Burger and Chips.  It was tasty but I would have preferred to have some cheese, lettuce and tomato with mine.  

Needless to say, after a small glass of wine I was in bed early.  I knew I would sleep soundly knowing that we were safe from the wind that was expected to increase to 50 knots around midnight.  

June 2 - Viking RV, Quirpon

I awoke this morning feeling refreshed and well rested.  I didn’t hear a thing 

Brad, Partner in Ragna Rock 

or feel a breath of wind all night.  Apparently it was windy because Karen felt it but assured me it wasn’t nearly as bad as the night before.  The trees surrounding our little nook did a great job of protecting us.  Oh, and the size of the trees here give no need for concern if they blow over because they are so small.  

Today is a catch up day.  Blog, shower, tidying, cooking dinner and such.  It sure didn’t go the way I expected.  First, be both slept in later than usual and that was great.  We walked Morgan in the gale force winds and monsoon rain.  We had kaffee.  Kelly came over and asked us if we wanted to join them again to head into St Anthony for the Grenfell interpretive centre and to go to Ragna Rock’s opening day.  We were in!  Karen gathered her things to have a show and I sat down to write just as a knock sounded on the door.  It was John.  We got talking about RV’s and such.  The next thing I knew it was time to get ready to head to town. 

The blog was put on hold again.  We learned about Wilfred Grenfell and all he did for so many in Newfoundland and Labrador.  He was an extraordinary man - a doctor, an author, an artist, a philanthropist, and a hero to so many here.  He brought his visions to life and it was all about helping all of the people.  “The purpose of this world is not to have and to hold, but to give and receive.” WT Grenfell

Walking the trails at Fisherman’s Point

Our nest stop was Ragna Rock Brewery.  This time John and Gerry joined us and oh did we have a good time with stories and laughs.  

I had made dinner in the morning in preparation for Kelly and Chris joining us for dinner.  Well, let me say, the stories and laughs continued well into the night.  Morgan is going to miss lovies from Chris and Kelly.  They are leaving early in the morning for their next adventures which includes a boat tour for whales and ice bergs.  

I fell into bed and promptly fell asleep.