Travels with haRVy

After a leisurely morning we drove back to the ferry dock to get in line. There is only one ferry running this year, which worries the locals so much that they bring their cars out hours early and have friends drive them home and back 30 minutes before departure. We lined up about two hours early for the 1:45 departure. The next one wasn’t until 4:00 and we were ready to move on. Luckily there was WiFi available in the nearby restaurant, so I was able to spend some time online there while Al shaved and took care of some other chores.

Fogo Island is a very pleasant laid-back place. Unfortunately, the windy and cool weather was not particularly conducive for hiking. We are, however, grateful that it did not rain as a 90% probability was forecast. Newfoundland is rich in hiking trails and one could probably spend a lifetime exploring them all.

On our way to our next destination at Twillingate, we stopped in Port Albert for a photo op.

The lighthouse on Long Point near Twillingate was a bit of a disappointment, but the vast view from the platforms nearby was not. At the right times of year one supposedly can see icebergs and whales from there, but neither was there for us.

This photo does not do the view justice, but it was just too big to capture.

We treated ourselves to dinner out since it is rare to find a restaurant that is open, let alone one that serves food we prefer to eat (not deep fried). Al had a seafood pasta dish and I had steamed mussels and salad. Both were quite good and we were happy to not have to cook and wash dishes for a change.

Dildo Run Provincial Park is our home for the night. It’s a pretty little heavily treed park near an ocean inlet of the same name. We got a 35% senior discount, so it only cost $18 with electricity – woohoo! We’re both overdue for showers, since we’ve been boondocking, so we will take advantage of those facilities here too.

Cloudy and cool. 90 miles + ferry.

We explored practically every road on the island today. We also took a guided tour at a historic site and an exhibit at the Interpretative Center high on a hill overlooking the town of Fogo. There are so many picturesque scenes here with all the fishing stages, boats, waterways, etc. that I am actually getting tired of taking photos. I never thought that would occur! Here are a few of my favorites.

Tonight we found another waterside bookdocking site in a different area of the island.

Cool and cloudy. 46 miles

Looks like these fisher folks spent the night out here

Last night we enjoyed stargazing from our pillows through the skylight above our heads. No lights for miles and no moon provided quite an array of constellations. It was a bit cool so we used the comforter the first time this trip. Looks like summer may be over.

We visited Newtown, which claims to be the “Venice of the North.” While we don’t agree with that, it is a very scenic village built on rocky isles. We also cruised through Musgrave Harbour and had lunch at some old fishing docks in Frederickton and took some photos of dilapidated buildings on the road to Farewell (literally and figuratively).

From Farewell we caught the ferry to Fogo Island. We had to wait quite a while as it was running behind schedule (not that we knew what that schedule was anyway), but the seas died down while we waited, so that was OK. We also took time to cook and eat dinner while we waited…a distinct advantage to traveling in an RV. Speaking of which, now that we are here we can’t imagine traveling this province any other way. There are VERY few restaurants on most of these roads and most of them serve the same deep fried fish, chicken & chips! In addition, there are virtually no public restrooms either.

We got to Fogo Island with just enough time to find a waterfront boondocking site before dark.

Cloudy and cool (low 60’s). 141 miles

Terra Nova National Park receives our “Best Facilities” award for their heated and nicely tiled shower rooms plus the campground café with excellent internet access and homemade meals. These amenities provided a valued respite from life on the road.

On our way out to see Salvage we spied a sign for “Organic Vegetables” – hallelujah! Good veggies of any kind are getting a bit tough to find and organic few and far between, to say the least. We were very excited to find Jason’s beautiful garden where his Australian assistant freshly picked chard, kale, salad greens, onions and squash right off the plants for us!

After viewing and photographing picturesque Salvage, we stopped for lunch at a gorgeous sandy beach for lunch and a stroll. Sandy beaches are quite rare in Newfoundland so we were pleased to find one when we had time to enjoy it. The sound of the breaking waves was music to my ears and the soft sand between my toes felt fantastic. Some folks were even in swimming! We didn’t expect to see that here. I got my toes wet and it felt OK, but it didn’t make me want to put on my bathing suit.

Al said that the mountainous islands and peninsulas surrounded by so much water made him feel like he was visiting the “Caribbean of the north.”

Heading further westward we proceeded onto “The road to the shore.” Newfoundland names all of its scenic drives. The afternoon was absolutely brilliant with stunning clear sunny skies and cool temperatures in the low 60’s. The water was an extraordinary shade of deep sapphire blue.

We detoured to Greenspond on the recommendation of the guy who filled our propane tank earlier today and was it ever worth it. Upon looking down on the town from an overlook, I declared, “Now, this is Newfoundland!” This is the type of scenery I expected to find here.

It was getting late so we started looking for a place to boondock. We saw a few older RVs and trailers in an area we liked, but there were no signs identifying it as public or private. We pulled over and asked a woman about it and she said it was an abandoned campground that people stayed in for free. That works for us! We found a spot, ate dinner and enjoyed a lovely sunset.

Very cool, cloudy morning turning into a brilliant afternoon in the 60s. 119 miles

It rained all morning and into the afternoon. Since that was not conducive to sightseeing, we decided to put a few miles on and headed to Terra Nova National Park. Along the way we did stop at the Cape Bona Vista Lighthouse where there were a lot more puffins, but since it was raining I was unable to get any photographs. We also went out to lunch at the Seaview Café, where the waitress addressed us both as “my love,” and shopped at the local grocery store where fresh produce was less than abundant.

We arrived at Terra Nova and checked in for what we hope will be a relaxing three-night stay.

Since I did not take any photos today (a first!), I will share a few extras here that were taken on previous days.

Steady rain and cool in morning, some fog, spotty sunshine and warm in the afternoon. 112 miles