Sunday, June 25 - It's been a few days since we've had wifi, so there's a fair bit to catch up on. We're in the Golden Arm r.v. park, one of the nicest we've been in, with the best site so far. It's owned by one of the regulars, but he won't be here until later this week, so we got lucky. Private, with two decks. We have to decide whether or not to stay a second day. Weather has been a determiner, as it poured last night, maybe the tail-end of the storm that hit the east coast. But today the sky is brightening, so it might be nice to just plunk down for a day with no driving.

For three day, we did the Burin Peninsula, a long neck of land that stretches south from Goobie. It's very much different from most of the island, as it is a chunk of land that underwent a major scouring from the last ice age, leaving the landscape bald and barren in most places. There's a boggy feeling about it, with numerous small pools carved into the landscape as you roll along the 150 kms needed to get to settlements further south. It reminded us somewhat of northern Scotland...barren, of no use for agriculture or livestock. There are about 25 settlements scattered in the peninsula, but only one is within the interior. All the rest are along the coast, for good reason. Fishing for decades, and now tourism and fishing. But don't get me wrong, the terrain is so open and varied in form and shape, it has a lot of visual appeal.

We pulled off the main road to visit the tiny community of Bay L'Argent, which serves as a ferry terminus to two small communities on the south shore that can only be reached by the ferry. A group of young guys were clustered, focussed on their ATV's and motocross cycles. Inside a little convenience store, we encountered a lovely clerk, who we learned has lived here only 2 years. "How do you like living here?" nosey writer wanted to know. "Pretty quiet," she said. "What do folks do here for entertainment?". "Not much to do", she said. " Do you like living here?" asked Nosey. "You gets used to it. Quite a change from Brampton, where I lived before." "What do people do for work?" She replied, "Nothin' much. There's nothing to do here." "Then how do they put food on the table?" There was a local standing behind me, so she said "I can't really say much about that right now", rather ominously, leaving me wondering what that implied. Still wondering.

Marystown is the largest town in the peninsula, with the usual array of shopping inconveniences...Walmart, Can Tire, etc. But we went on and spent the night at the Golden Sands RV park. Seemed incongruous, golden sands in the middle of this boggy peninsula. But sure enough, there along the shore of our large lake is a beach of golden sand. The place is no doubt packed for the two summer months, as there were loads of seasonals in evidence.

We visited four of the shoreline towns: Burin, which was shrouded in fog, but still a very pretty and interesting town; St. Lawrence, a fishing town that boasts being the soccer capital of Canada, with much tradition of the sport going back 100 years; Fortune, still actively fishing, and the only port in Canada that has a France-Canada customs office, as it serves as the take-off point for the ferry to St. Pierre and Miquelon; and finally Grand Bank, the settlement famous for its offshore fishing for so many centuries. Each town had its merits, spread along their stretches of the southern shoreline.

We did some good hikes, especially out of Grand Bank, a 5 k hike up to the hill that hosts their communication tower. Got a great view of the town and the sea, as the fog of the day before had lifted. Foghorns were pretty constant the previous evening and throughout the night, so we were lucky to have a clear view of the land below.

Some of the people. We went to the Maritime museum in Grand Bank, and met Eugene, one of the hosts. He has lived in the area most of his life, so had stories about his early days, in a village that was uprooted during the province's resettlement days. His father and mother and 8 of their 14 kids were uprooted, father given $1,500. to leave their village and find another place to live. It paid for a boat and some furniture, which was moved into a house that father had inherited from his father. The house was disassembled and moved to town, where it is owned by one of the daughters today.

In Burin, we met two lovely ladies, who have lived in the town most of their lives. There is a large building in town, which was once a thriving seafood processing plant. It closed in the 80s when the cod fishery was closed. But it reopened again in the 90s, to process, get this, fish burgers for McDonalds, among other things for the mass market. That lasted for about 10 years, and then closed, costing about 300 jobs. Transportation costs were the main reason, as trucking product off the island was too expensive and time-consuming. The plant was moved to Nova Scotia. "So how do people get by?" I asked. " They gets some work, but mostly wait for EI, or have to go on welfare, or maybe they just don't have anything comin' in," They just shook their heads sadly.

In the face of this, people still have decent housing, drive cars, and there are clearly a good number of jobs in each area. Certainly you don't see street people, or any sign of the kind of sad situations we see in the large cities. So somehow the people get by.

While in Fortune, we checked into going to St. Pierre. It's only a 75 minute ferry ride, and lots of Quebecers come to do the trip, to get a taste of France. We didn't have our passports, and didn't have time to go anyway, as the ferries don't do an over and back run until next week. But it would be fun to do sometime, just to get a taste of a different island culture.

Another coincidence to report. Yesterday, we pulled up in front of a Home Hardware just beside the entrance to this rv park. We were trying to decide what to do, given the rain. A fellow immediately appeared at our window, wondering if he could help out. We chatted a bit about our options, and mentioned that we had been here before, visiting a friend of ours from home who had rented a place in Whiteway three years ago. His name is Bill March. Our friend at the window said, "Oh yeah! He's a cousin of mine." Distant cousin, but cousin nevertheless. Later, we had dinner at Brown's Restaurant in Whiteway, which is owned by another cousin of Bill's, who we had a brief chat with after dinner, learning that she's in regular contact with Bill and Susan.

That's about enough of my rambling for now. We have booked 4 days in St. John's, so will be there for the celebrations on July 1st. Before then, we will cross the peninsula and may go up to the tip above St. John's. Time is marching on, so we have to grab what we can of this fine island.

More later. Stay tuned.

Tuesday, June 20 - Lots to catch up on, as we haven't had wifi for awhile. But here we are in a little park near Charleston, south of Bonavista, and we are connected. So time for an update.

We have completed our mission: icebergs, whales and moose. Also puffins. So what can be left to do? No worry, as there's lots of stuff to do in Newfoundland, with something new around every corner.

Icebergs: many seen of all sizes around the tip of the Bonavista Peninsula, big small and medium sized, all shapes and configurations. Quite a sight to see, along with the pack ice that continues to plague the ports. Today we watched a smaller crab boat work its way out of Bonavista harbour through the ice, barely managing to get to open sea. The captain is a woman, whose Aunt just happened along to where we were watching, so we all  cheered when the boat got through the ice into open water. The Aunt is a counter, one who records and monitors the catches as they come into harbor. There's a strict quota system for all varieties of catches, she explained, so it's tightly controlled. The season is also restricted, so these folks have to do their best to meet quota during a relatively short season. But if they can get out, they can do very well because of the price of crab and lobster. Cod is also being fished, but pays only 45 cents a pound, so crab has really become the main target for many Newfoundland fishers.

" Whales: we lucked in, as we got out with Skipper Bob Bartlett, who is related to the famous captain of the same name from Brygus who sailed with Perry going to the North Pole in the early part of last century. He's quite likely related to our good friend Bill March, who is also related to Bob Bartlett. Neat coincidence. And we had a grand time in our weather gear, bucking the waves in quite cool weather out in a relatively small zodiac, 7 of us including 3 crew. We spent more than two hours watching two humpbacks feeding, often right beside us, and sometimes even under our boat. Even Skipper Bob was really excited, calling it 3 trips in one, as the whales were so close to us, rolling over, even breeching a couple of times, which is unreal. Great trip for us, as we usually have no luck on whale sighting trips.

And we saw a cow moose and 2 calves on our hike today. So that has finally happened. It was a quick glimpse, as she herded the young ones into the woods, having heard a guy yelling to a couple in front of us that there were moose to be seen. If he'd been quiet, we might have had a better look. However, mission accomplished. We've finally seen mooses.

Some coincidences. We went to a craft brewery in a small village a couple of days ago, and got talking to a retired RCMP guy who lives in St. John's, but has a cottage nearby. We had a great chat. Turns out he had done 6 years in Whitehorse as part of his career postings. Did he happen to know an ex-teacher from Picton who started the first MacDonald's in the north? Lived down the street from the Karps, 6 doors away.

At Bonavista Lighthouse, we met a guy in the parking lot who has a place here in Newfoundland, but also lives in Smiths Falls, where we started teaching. Did we know Ross Walton? Of course we did, as he and his wife Carolyn were good friends.

Waiting for an ice cream near the lighthouse, and the guy behind me and I got talking. "Where is yous from", he asked. We told him. "Oh, I worked for CP 30 years, so I knows where yers to."  Little guy who's been retired for 10 years, so I asked him what he does to keep out of trouble now that he's been retired for 10 years. "Chase women," was the response, with a big laugh. Had a fun conversation, as he really had the Newfoundland lingo goin'.

Last night we went for a walk, and  spent quite awhile chatting with a crab fisherman, who was up on the point near Elliston with his wife and another couple, enjoying a bottle of wine. We learned a lot, and loved listening to his true Newfoundland accent. He isn't hurting, as he sold his crab quota for 3.5 million. He did a degree at Memorial way back when, but decided fishing and the sea was what he wanted. A good decision, it would seem. He still fishes, mostly for fun, going out 200 miles to set his crab traps. Crab brings $4.45 per pound, and he may come back in with as much as 20,000 pounds. It's been a tough season here for many fishermen, including his lobster fishing friend, but he's certainly not hurting. Very jovial guy. Could have spent the whole evening chatting.

So we're still having a good time, despite the black flies and the potholes. We left our site two days ago at the nearby Provincial Park, which is on a gravel road. The guys in the office told us there were icebergs on the west coast. Only 11 kms. Took us way over an hour, as it's the worst road I've ever driven on. Makes highway 49 look like a dream. We had to literally crawl through potholes in idle, to avoid damaging the vehicle and emptying cupboards. Gail calls it "Larry's Folly". But we made it, and lo and behold, there were icebergs. So it was almost worth the effort.

At the lighthouse yesterday, I was asked to take a photo of a family of 5. A big man was in a wheelchair, fairly young guy, travelling with his girlfriend, 2 of his sisters and his mother. They were doing a bucket list trip, and having a great time, all the way from Manitoba. They were so full of good feelings, it was really neat to meet them, clearly doing their best to make the young man have a good experience, as he seemed a little quiet and down. Travel is freeing!

We've now booked on the long ferry from Placentia, for the 3rd, so will arrive in North Sydney on the morning of the 4th. We'll put in a couple of days in NS waiting for the kids to arrive. The ferry only runs on the 3rd and the 6th, so not much choice. It means a little alteration of our plans, but they were so day-to-day, it matters little. Tomorrow we're heading to the Burin Peninsula, new territory, so should be fun. After that, who knows? We plan to be in St. John's for Canada Day, that we do know.

That's enough for now. We did a tough hike today, along a beautiful coastline (shrouded in fog for a good part of it, unfortunately), so the bed looks pretty inviting. Will try to post some photos when next we have wifi, now that I've figured out how to do it. Slow learner, me!. Meantime, thanks for listening, if you got this far. More later. Stay tuned.

Saturday June 17 - Hiked our brains out. Yesterday we did the Coastal trail, which is 7 kms return, and we also did the Campground Trail (me twice). So that was about 10 k yesterday. Today we did two trails for a total of 15 kms,, most of which was fairly rough terrain, full of roots and rocks (RnR I calls it). The odd thing is the lack of wildlife. Makes you focus on the flora rather than the fauna. Needless to say, we're a little tired this evening, so not much happening since we got back to our site. The other type of RnR was needed.

In the fauna department  we did see a spruce grouse just at the end of the second trail today, and last evening enjoyed watching for an hour two beavers working on their dam. The grouse didn't like having us on the trail, so took off into the woods, but the beavers couldn't have cared less that we were scrutinizing their every move. Fun to watch the male bring a stick or a branch or even a small log to the dam, and then go about placing it just so. His wife just swam around supervising him. My friend Eddie wouldn't have appreciated the scene at all, as the critters are a nuisance to him.

Our first venture of the day, prior to setting off on our hike, took us to a hill upon which was perched a steel frame viewing tower, just where the last wooden firewatchers tower stood until the 80s. Up we went, the equivalent of 3 stories, the reward being a terrific view of the whole area. In the distance to the north, we could clearly see a massive ice flow reaching out from the shoreline from west to east. No way could boats get out to the open sea from the inner harbours in the area. Seems it stretches all the way across the north of the island. Just confirms our thought not to go back west and north, as there's no way to easily get out to see bergs and whales. Also seems the whales are not easily found, as the capelin, their main food source, haven't started to run yet.

Just a little side note. Yesterday after our hike along the Coastal Trail, we stopped at the Information Center. As we had our lunch, we overheard a fellow at the next table mention that he'd lived in Lahr for 6 years. That led to a good discussion about who we might have mutually known, as he and his wife were there from 74 to 80. He worked in Warehouse, and she in the Airfield Cafeteria as civilian support staff. He curled, so it's quite likely we played against each other, as he took part in the Brier that the club organized, playing for PEI. We were representing Ontario, so quite likely played them. He knew Aubrey Millard, one of our staff, and no doubt if we'd sat for the afternoon, many other names would have been shared. Nice coincidence.

We talked to the 'kids' last night, catching them before they climbed into their new hot tub. We now have dates sorted out, so it looks like we won't be home until July 10th, as the earliest that they can get to Cape Breton is likely July 7th, given that daughter Clare flies to New Zealand on the 4th. They'll want to see her off, of course, and then head east. Once we meet, they'll take over the r.v., and we'll drive home in whichever vehicle they arrive in.

So that has become another part of the puzzle as to where we'll go from here. We met a couple from Dundas today who had gone down to the Burin Peninsula, and really liked it. So we'll probably do that after we go to Bonavista tomorrow.  We'll eventually end up in St. John's for awhile, and then do some of the southern areas of the Avalon Peninsula we didn't do last time. This means instead of going back to Port Au Basque, we'll have to change our reservation to the long ferry from Argentia. But things could change. Who knows?

That's it for now. More later. Stay tuned.

Thursday, June 15 - This begins our third week on the road. Seems we've been away much longer, but time is always a relevant thing. So a little story... Seems one of the local fire departments, mostly volunteer, somehow managed to buy a new pumper truck. Sounds like the County. The boys of the volunteer brigade, along with their part-time Chief, sat down one evening after the newly arrived truck was shining in the station to discuss what to do with the old pumper. There were lots of suggestions, until one of the old timers came up with this idea: "She still works some, so why don't we use her for false alarms?"

On the Newfoundland front, as mentioned, we decided to head east, because the weather has been very cool, and chances of seeing serious icebergs are much diminished because of heavy ice flows that have been plugging up the outer ports. So bergs are out in the gulf, and boats can't get out to look at them. But much more serious is the impact this is having on local communities. As mentioned previously, several boats got stuck in the ice off of La Scie, one of which sank. On our way across the TCH, we stopped for lunch at a little roadside restaurant, and talked to the owner, a hard-working woman who has run the place for nearly 20 years. She told us that this was the worst spring ever. Normally, her parking lot would be full of trucks delivering the catch to points east and west. This year, not one truck so far, because the fishermen can't get out. It's hurt her business drastically, and she's miles from the coast. Talk about collateral damage.

So she convinced us that it would be a waste of time to go to La Scie. Instead we decided to go to Triton. Get your Nfld map out folks. It's past Robert's Arm north on highway 380. At Triton, there were a few small bergs in the bay, but again the ice flow was very much in evidence. So we went on to the end of the road at Brighton, and more of the same. When you looked out to the sea, loads of ice everywhere. So we did see a few bergs, but not the biggies we'd been hoping for.

I stopped in at the Brighton Town Office, just to see how things were going, and chatted with a lovely lady who is probably the town clerk. Only a couple of fishermen live in the village, and their wives work, so they're not in big trouble. A lot of the area is devoted to mussel production, so because that takes place in the inner bays, they aren't affected. It's the crab, lobster and cod boys that have the problems. By the way, she mentioned, when I told her I lived near Brighton Ont, that someone had been in a couple of weeks ago who had lived in Brighton England, and now lived in Brighton Ont, so had to visit Brighton Nfld. She gave me two pins for being such a nice guy.

In Triton, we saw a sign that pointed to Freddie's Lookout. Maybe from there we could see some bergs in the distance. (You can tell we're truly on a mission,) So off on this little side road we went, which turned out to be a narrow heavy gravel trail that went one way up a steep hillside. We had little choice but to crawl up in low gear, just to get to a place where we might be able to turn around. It was a little tense, and to make matters worse, we saw nothing of note once we got to the lookout. Got turned around, and crawled back down in low gear. We stopped at the local bakery, chatted with some locals, and they agreed maybe they should post a sign saying R.V.'s not advised to try Freddie's Lookout.

Today, we motored on, stopping in Gander to tour the North Atlantic Aviation Museum. I could easily write a page, as it was very interesting. Suggest you google it to see what they have to tell you. Very interesting displays about the huge role Gander played in WWII, about the development of commercial aviation that saw Gander as a central player, and about the decline of the town and airfield that followed the implementation of jet planes, which don't need to refuel before crossing the pond. We also visited a monument outside of town dedicated to the 250 American servicemen who died in 1985 in Canada's worst air disaster They were coming back from duty in the Sinai, via Frankfurt. Stopped in Gander to refuel, and the plane went down shortly after take-off, killing all aboard. There was no definitive explanation for the crash, as 5 members of the review panel blamed ice on the wings, and the other 4 voted for an explosion that may have occurred. Never clearly answered. There's a very nice memorial overlooking Lake Gander.

And now we're in Terra Nova National Park, booked in for three nights. Already did a 3 k walk around a lovely trail that surrounds our camping area. And several hikes planned for the next 2 or 3 days. Beef bourginone (sp?) for dinner. A little libation. Some sunshine that allowed us to sit outside in a chair for an hour out of the breeze. And warmer temps hoped for, if forecasts are correct. Life is good.

That's it for now. More later. Stay tuned.

Tuesday June 13 - Feels like April 13 tonight, with temps in the 6 degree range. We thought we should do a walk after dinner (delicious fresh cod that G cooked to perfection), but when we got to the entrance of the park, we settled for a nice chat with the owners, who are really nice folks. They are concerned about the cold, as it is affecting business somewhat, and also the husband's comfort level as he does his work around the park. He dresses in longjohns every morning to deal with the cold temps. His wife thinks the pack ice up north is partly to blame for  the cold conditions. We looked up a possible place for tomorrow night, La Skie, and read of three crab boats that got stuck in the ice pack. One boat went down, the crew rescued by helicopter. The other two spent two days trapped before the wind shifted, moved the ice around enough that they could get home. Unusual. but there's just a lot of ice in the area to the north, and it may last for some time. The captain of the downed boat was not too happy with the Coast Guard, as he felt they could have come in to help him get through the ice. Lost boat...no work...families affected.

So we're heading east tomorrow, and will decide whether or not to try a local village north of the TCH, or just keep goin' looking for warmer temps.

Meanwhile, we had a fine day yesterday, going from cold (boat trip) to hot (music). We walked the three k's into the docks where the boats are moored, ready for the trip into Western Brook Pond. Despite the wind and waves, there were two boats ready to go, and a big crowd of people waiting to board. We were really surprised at how many fellow tourists there were, given the time of year. But lots of folks, so off we went. The water was rough, so lots of spray, but once we got into the confines of the pond, it was calmer. And so beautiful, with 700 metre cliffs enclosing this wondrous lake. It's not classed as a fjord, because it's fresh water, having been cut off from the sea who knows how long ago. Fed by many beautiful waterfalls, it maintains its depth easily, reaching 300 feet in places. All of it a result of glacial action millenia ago. If ever you are in Gros Morne, don't miss this opportunity. Not cheap, at $62. per person, but well worth it.

Coming back out of the pond was rough and cold, so we gave up our seats on the back deck, and hovered inside the cabin as we made our way across open water to the dock-site. It was cold, but we were okay, huddled inside the doorway, watching the spray throw water into the back deck. After a quick bite in their very inviting canteen, we headed back, taking a loop trail through interesting old dwarf evergreens that added a couple of k's to the walk. Twisted trees, evidence of moose, mossy undergrowth, gaunt dead trees stretching up above the path, and no one on the trail but us'ns. Contrast to the main trail, which was very busy in the morning.

Top off the day, you say. We did, by going to the Anchors Aweigh show at the local hotel. We did the show three years ago, and had such fun, we had to do it again. As usual, the show was sold out, and a fine time was had by all. This band has been doing their thing for 21 years now, and the format has changed only a little during that time. Good musicians, entertainers, singers, doing fun stuff, traditional Newfoundland music, and tunes written by other Canadians. Three hours of fun. If you have Spotify or any other music source, check the group out: Anchors Aweigh.

Today was cloudy, quite cool and rainy, so we slept in, did computer stuff, and then ventured over to Norris Point, where we had been told whales were often sighted. None today for us, as it poured rain most of the time we were there. But fortunately, there's a Marine Research Center there, operated by the government and Memorial U, so we spent quite awhile going through their displays, and watching a lengthy video depicting all manner of strange sea life.

Finally we stopped back at the park info center, and had our plan to move east confirmed as wise by the insightful young warden there. She agreed...go east for a week or so, then come back when it might be much warmer. Maybe by then the pack ice will have moved along. That's the plan.

So stay tuned. More later.

Sunday, June 12 - We went to the kitchen party last night instead of Friday, as it was raining and blowing something fierce our first night here. Gail got 'screeched in' last night, and loved it. She was in the mood, and it was with a pretty good group at the Anchor Pub, so she now has her certificate proudly displayed in the r.v. My turn will come. She and a dozen others had to sing a little line of a song, read the pledge, dance a jig, kiss the cod, and read another pledge at the end. They do it up proud at the Anchor Pub.

 Lots of good music, some dancing, and stories from the host musician. Everyone there was from west of the Maritimes, plus one Irish couple. The audience was a little shy at first, but once the host handed out noisemakers (ugly sticks, maraccas, spoons, etc.) everyone got into it. A good time, so if you're ever in Rocky Harbour, it's a good evening to be takin' in.

Yesterday was a typical Newfoundland day, weather-wise. We were surprised to awaken to a clear blue sky, and moderate temps. We were soon off to do the 10 km hike into Bakers Brook Falls, and had a fine walk. No moose, but just a lovely area through a lot of boggy ground, so neat little flowers to study, and a lot of boardwalk to negotiate. The end result is a beautiful water fall, two tiered, roaring along in a very full river being fed by snowmelt. We lunched, then headed back, doing the Little Pond loop to add another couple of kms to the walk.

By then, the clouds had rolled in, and the temp started to drop, this being around 1:00 pm. We got back to the van to noticeably cooled air, so instead of hiking up a rather steep Berry Hill, which we'd done last time we were here, we went to the Lobster Cove Head lighthouse. It's a delightful area, as in addition to the interesting displays inside the lighthouse, there's good wanderin' to be had around the cliffside grounds, through the tuckamore growth. Inside, the two lovely young park hostesses decided a Newfie woman from up north and I should do some Mummer stuff. So they dressed us up, me in a dress, a gauzy hood over me head, and a pink bra, she in like costume, and we danced while the girls sang a Newfoundland song or two. Gail took photos, not really believing old Stoney would submit to such an event. Good for some laughs.

By evening the skies had cleared somewhat, the wind came up, and the temperature shot back up to about 18C. The air was warm and moist as we hiked down to the Kitchen Party. And still was as we hiked back up (our r.v. park is about a km from downtown, up a fairly steep street). This morning, the sky is blueblueblue, and the temp is 11C, which is about the best it'll get. Windy, which may prevent our scheduled boat trip into the fjord at Western Brook Pond. Hope not, as it's a beautiful area we'd love to see. We'll let you know. More later. Stay tuned.

Saturday June 10 - We are now travelling on our own, as Forsyths unfortunately decided not to come over to Newfoundland. The main reason for this decision was a mechanical problem with their rig. David did not like the sound his brakes were making in the rear of the r.v., so decided that he would try to get the problem looked at before taking the ferry. They insisted that we continue with our booking, and rebooked their passage in the hopes of getting the brakes fixed.

As it turned out, they could only book for two days later, because the ferry service for yesterday afternoon and this morning was cancelled due to high winds. Also, they managed to get someone in North Sydney to fix their r.v., yesterday, to the tune of $1,000. That took the edge off the trip. Also, the weather here in Nfld is projected to to be pretty dicey, so they felt they might be better off to meander home through Nova Scotia, rather than take the chance of something else happening over here. So they cancelled their booking again. We fully understand, and hope they have a great time as they visit some locales in NS they haven't been to before.

We will miss them, as it was much fun having them with us to share planning, enjoy happy hours, and go for meals (a fairly regular event with David's enjoyment of going out). However, given the weather here, they have made a good decision. Although it was very warm here in Gross Morne yesterday, today it feels like early April...lots of  strong wind, a temp of about 8C, and occasional showers. It'll be going up and down like a yoyo for the next few days...18 C tomorrow with showers, down to 8 for a high next Tuesday, and so on. Okay for hiking in the woods, as we'll be dressed for it, but I think Dave and Evie would have been hard pressed to find things to do here in the park. There's a fair bit of snow in the higher elevations, so it creates quite a different effect from when we were here three years ago in August. But still a beautiful area.

The ferry passage yesterday, by the way, was just fine. Relaxing, as the sea was relatively calm, so the 6 hours went by quite pleasantly. It was raining quite hard when we got off the ferry, but there was good daylight, so we drove on until about 7:30 (no later, for fear of running into a moose) to a little place callled Robertson's,  off the TCH, as it's referred to here, and found an r.v. park of sorts that is more a center for ATVs. They were having a big 4 wheel rally today, but we didn't stick around.

The drive along the highway in the western part of Nfld is quite stunning. High mountains to the south, and lots of lakes and rivers. It was foggy and pouring for the first part of the drive. But we made good progress, with the rain finally easing up. In Corner Brook we  found a great grocery store, drug store and liquor store, all in one complex. so we're now all stocked up on various forms of cold medicine (Gail has succumbed to a head cold). They also had a special on lobsters in the grocery store, so we had them cook two up for us, and that'll be dinner tonight. Here in Rocky Harbour, there's a Kitchen Party tonight at the local hotel, so if it's not pouring, we may wander down to enjoy some local music.

That's all for now. Glad it's finally warm at home. More later. Stay tuned.

June 8 - It's been awhile. We've had very spotty wifi the last few days, so it's been hit and miss with messages, blogs, and general updates on the world. Good thing, as sometimes we don't want to get updates on the world. Maybe you don't want updates on our little world. If so, hit 'escape'. If you're okay with a little dull narrative, stay with us.

We did some tourin' in PEI, and have to say, as we did many times, "It's a pretty province." Most of you have been here at least once, so suffice it to say, we enjoyed tootling around, looking at seashores and redscapes. We spent time touring over to the west, stopping in at Summerside, to try to find where our tax dollars go, to no avail. We went down to the waterfront, expecting to find lots of action, and everything was closed up. Summer season doesn't start here until the middle of June, at the earliest. But it's a nice town, bigger than we thought.

We found a very nice restaurant in North Rustico, the Blue Mussel, which we would stronly recommend. Had a fine dinner there...lobster mac and cheese for me, if you can believe it. Good comfort food. Cavendish was a nice place to stay for a couple of days, although the weather was spotty. Gail and I went for a walk down the road from our r.v. park, and stumbled across the place where Lucy Maude Montgomery grew up. It's got a little museum, which was closed but we enjoyed walking the property, as the places like Lovers Lane and the Haunted Woods rang many bells for Gail, who read Anne of Green Gables 13 times when she was a girl.

After two nights in Cavendish, we moved on to a site near the Wood Islands ferry terminal. It was a lucky find, thanks to the Forsyths research, as it had a very fine nine hole golf course, right on the Strait. Lo and behold, the weather changed. We actually played 18 holes, Dave and I, and Gail and Evie played 9. Yesterday was an even finer day, so the Forsyths played 18, and I played 9 so that Gail and I could do a bike ride in the afternoon. The golf course is unusual, by the way, as it has 4 par 5s and 3 par 3s. But a lovely lay-out, wooded in part, and blessed with fine views of the Strait.

The bike trip: the toughest 25 kilometers I've done for ever. Gail had found out how to get to the Centennial Bike trail, which is a Rails to Trail track. But to get there, we had to go down country roads, which went up and down like a roller coaster, for several k's. The hills were brutal. But we made it, and did about 9 kms. on the actual trail, which was quite flat, a welcome relief. Not paved, but hard-packed, hopefully to the same quality as is being contemplated for our own Millenium Trail in the County.

On the trail, we met two very nice guys, probably in their late 50s, who were doing a cross Canada trip. They'd started in St. John's, and were targeting Vancouver, as a Canada 150 project. Full gear for camping strapped to their bikes, but confident, and having a great time. We wished them well, doing a dream trip I used to conjure up in my mind in weak moments.

Once we got off the trail to return to the r.v. park, guess what? We were back on another country road that insisted on going down a hill, and then up, followed by another and another and another. By the time we got back to the Trans Canada, we were done. Fortunately, there was a neat little general store that had a wonderful big beer cooler, so carting a couple of tall boys home in a plastic bag gave us enough motivation to do the last couple of k's. Slept well last night.

Today, we caught the ferry from Wood Islands to the Pictou area, and drove on to New Glasgow. Forsyths have friends there, so had arranged for us to do a shopping at the local (dare I confess) Walmart, following which Peter, the friend, picked us up and delivered us to a neat pub, where his wife Bonnie was waiting to enjoy lunch with us. A pleasant time of catch-up for long-time friends.

I forgot to mention that we also did Charlottetown on the way to Wood Islands. Toured the Confederation Centre of the Arts, where we saw a neat film about the meetings that resulted in the formation of Canada, and toured the Art Gallery upstairs. The old Government House, where the meeting of the 25 Fathers of Confederation took place, is now being renovated, a 5 to 10 year project, so the exhibit is 'temporarily' housed in the Arts complex. We had a great lunch down the street, one of the best mussel meals ever for me.

The drive from New Glasgow to where we are now was very pretty, especially once we were motoring along the Bras D'or. We're in the Arm of Gold r.v. park, where Gail and I stayed three years ago. And having remembered a neat little pub not far away, we four trundled down to enjoy some fine local fiddlin' music, as Thursdays are Open House for local musicians. We were the only foreigners, and were well treated...loved the music.

That's enough. More later. Stay tuned, as next time won't be so wordy.

June 4 - Gloomy Sunday morning, skies overcast, temp around plus 6C. We're now in a huge r.v. park in Cavendish PEI. We finished off New Brunswick after a large home cookin' breakfast in a little restaurant along highway 2. Next thing we knew, we were crossing over the magnificent bridge that connects PEI to the mainland. Truly an impressive piece of engineering, with raised sections at each end, and a long flat traverse over the Northumberland Strait. Not sure how long it is, as my trusty navigator couldn't dig up that info. But believe me, it's long.

There's a very nice welcome center located just as you enter the island, so we gathered some information, and headed up along the Central Coastal Drive. Farms abound, with the well-known red soil, the noteworthy symbol of the island, visible everywhere you look. Farms are neat and orderly, and dare it be said, prosperous looking. Along the route, you go through a series of small villages, not really towns, named New Glasgow, New London, South Granville, Springbrook, Kensington, and finally to Cavendish and North Rustico.

Once we got to Cavendish, we looked for a main street, but there really isn't one, not in the sense of a commercial center. There's the Anne Of Green Gables museum, the Anne of Green Gables Golf Course, and a host of other touristy venues, aimed at kids and their parents, not so much at old folks like us. But there are several golf courses, bike trails, and the national park at the top of the island that affords great views of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. There are also cheese factories, good dining, which we availed ourselves of at the Blue Mussel (very good), and the usual collection of gift shops.

Who knows what today will bring? Seems to be lightening up a bit, so maybe a bike ride, or a drive around, or just not much after three days of heavy driving. Stay tuned. More later.

June 2 2017 - And so another epic journey begins. We are currently in a nice park near Oromocto, New Brunswick, on our way to Newfoundland, via PEI. This is a new experience for us, as we're travelling with another couple, Dave and Evie Forsyth, who have their r.v. on the trail with us. It takes some coordination to travel with others, but so far, Day 2, so good.

Yesterday we started out in good time, and reached Levis, across from Quebec City, in late afternoon. Traffic around Montreal was as you might expect, and as with the 401, route 40/30/20 is loaded with trucks. One of them nearly did us in, as I got caught in the left lane when we had to go down to one lane, and barely squeaked in ahead of a 26 wheeler carrying aggregate. Clipped one of those roadside pylons, and left a red streak near my driver's door, but fortunately didn't end up taking down a whole row of them, which could have ended rather badly. The driver of the big rig certainly didn't give me much room...just enough. Happened so fast I didn't even get the adrenaline rush that usually goes with close calls.

We celebrated our first day on the road by going to the little canteen on the r.v. site, which featured basic fare Quebec style. Gail and Dave both ordered poutine, if you can believe it. Evie and I had move conventional burger or dog and fries. It was okay, and cheap. A little cholesterol is always a good thing after a long day in the saddle.

Today was more uneventful, as we motored on to Riviere du Loup, and then headed up the valley toward Fredericton. Having done the same trip a couple of years ago, we weren't as tempted as before to stop at the world's largest axe, the world's longest covered bridge, or the Covered Bridge Potato Chip factory. We motored on to catch up to to the Forsyths. They had gone ahead to Fredericton to stop at an RV center to get their furnace looked at, which turned out to be a simple solution. Once we arrived, we also had a couple of things to ask about...no hot water, and a noisy slide-out. Got some answers, so now have hot water, and a still noisy slide-out despite my initial efforts.

Forsyths decided to camp at the RV parking lot, but we came on to a very nice rural park, where we are now set up beside a lovely little lake. We ran into rain all the way along today, and got another dousing here in the park, but now all is quiet...birds chirping, frogs croaking, loon calling...nature at our doorstep.

Tomorrow we will cross the bridge into PEI, where we'll spend a few days before going on to North Sidney. We cross to the Rock on the 9th, so have several days to enjoy in our smallest province.

Hope all are well. Drop a note if you get the urge. More later. Stay tuned.