Wednesday, August 16, 2023

Newfoundland NL August 8-12 2023

 


We arrived at Port aux Basques, lower left portion of the map. Since we did not arrive till 7 p.m., we decided to spend the night at a local hotel and hit the road in the morning refreshed from our ferry trip.  We concentrated our travels on the Western side of the island since Gros Morne NP is a major area that we wanted to visit. 


A stop on the way up to Rocky Harbor which would be our base for the next 3-days. 


Already enjoying the magnificent views of this great province.


You just don't see this view in Florida. 



Kathy all wrapped up in multiple layers of clothing.  We started out today in 52-degree temperature. 


One of many fishing villages along our route.  Many of the houses are brightly colored.  If you would see the fishermen's boat, you would see the same color. If it's good enough for the boat, its good enough for the house.  The paint provides much better water protection for the house. 


Our hotel in Rocky Harbour.  We decided this would be the best location for traveling out-and-back each day.  Gros Morne National Park headquarters is located in the surrounding area. 


We decided to have breakfast at Shallow Bay Motel in Cows Head about 30 minutes North of Rocky Harbour.  The French toast was excellent and needed it for our 330-mile journey. 


The roads get worse the further North you travel, but the beautiful shoreline gets more impressive We did get delayed at a couple of bridges on our way North.


Kathy driving.  We both always looked for Moose but never saw one during our travels. 


One of the local homes.   Thanks to the local marine climate, you won't have to contend with extreme temperatures.  The island has an average summer temperature of 61 degrees while winter hovers around 0 degrees.  Far North in St Anthony the winter temperature can drop to -30. 


Welcome to Norris Point.  



Lobster Cove lighthouse.  One of the 10 ten best lighthouses to visit. 


Lobster Cove is known as the perfect location for a great spot to enjoy sunsets. Even on a stormy day, it's an epic place to watch crashing waves. Who knows, you may just see a whale while you are at it.  


Speaking of marine animals, I thought I saw a couple of dolphins playing.  It was just rushing waves crashing the rocks that made it look like something.   Damn! 


The mountains of Gros Morne NP were magnificent.   Not many roads lead into the park.  You drive to a specific parking area and hike into your destination. 


This is just one view of the majestic mountains that surround Gros Morne NP.  


Another view of the mountains from the shoreline.  


You can see sections of lobster traps all along the road.  There are approximately 3500 licensed lobster fishermen in the Newfoundland Province. One third of these license holders are located on the west coast. Each fisherman is authorized a specific number of traps.

Overall, our experience traveling to, and from Newfoundland was a great. Although you had to ride a long way to see the next town, the sights you see along your travel is exceptional. We would have liked to have traveled to St. Anthony to visit that area as well. The weather was mostly cold for us and windy. We were smart to purchase chaps for Kathy at Daytona.  We wore our chaps every day and layered our clothing to deal with the weather.

Tuesday, August 15, 2023

Marine Atlantic Ferry - Highlander (North Sydney NS to Port Aux Basques NL)

 


All packed and ready for our adventure.  We carried most of our clothing in a soft bag on top of our tour pack. 


First look at our ship " The Highlander."  The ferry ride to Port aux Basques is 96 nautical miles and takes approximately 7 hours to complete.


We arrived early for our departure.  You can just see the trike alone in the upper right of this photo.


Here is a video of us driving on the Ferry.   The Ferry has 2 loading ramps. We used the lower section of the ship. 

 
This video shows other vehicles loading.  When we left Port aux Basques the entire parking lot was full of 18-wheelers. All 12 loading designations were full.  I could not believe that the entire lot was loaded onto the ferry.  


Our boarding Cards 


Kathy paid extra for reserved seating which was a great idea.  You need a key card to enter and exit this area.  The seats were extremely comfortable and had back and leg rest extensions to help you relax.  We had a great window view.


The ship even had a helipad for emergency medical situations. 


The sister ship was pulling into dock as we departed the port.  The sister ship goes to Argentia NL, 280 nautical miles and takes approximately 16 hours to complete.  We decided to tour the western portion of Newfoundland and visit Gros Morne National Park instead of the southeast section which is more populated.   Glad we took the shorter route. 


During our travel we passed an oil tanker on its way West.  


Since we don't arrive at Port aux Basques till 6:45 p.m., we decided to have dinner at the ship's main restaurant.  


Kathy decided on the Cod au gratin, which was delicious.  I had the chicken dinner which was also very good.  There was another smaller fast-food area that served sandwiches, pizza as well as drinks and other items for your eating pleasure. 


Our first video look at Newfoundland. 



The shoreline of Port aux Basques.  


It was a little tricky getting into the port, however the captain did an excellent job docking.  We were very pleased with the ferry experience. 
  

Pulling up Anchor at Acadia National Park

 I thought it would be nice to add a few facts about Acadia National in each of the photos below. We decided that our last trip here at Acad...