Day 45: Set Sail for the Rock
Well rested, I packed up the car and headed off for the voyage to
Newfoundland. I stopped for a bit of breakfast at Tim's and some gas.
The drive around to the ferry terminal was quite nice - crossing a
few ocean inlets along the way. I arrived at the terminal around 10:15
and was aboard by 10:30. I left my car and headed up to familiarize
myself with my surroundings. The upper deck had benches to soak up
a bit of sunshine before we headed off so I had a seat and enjoyed the view
of the area. We set sail promptly at 11:30 and commenced our trip across
the Cabot Strait.
I spent most of the voyage on the deck looking at the waves and wake
as we sped eastward. I did head inside to warm up a few times as well
as to take a nap and grab a late lunch. I changed my watch to Newfoundland
Time (it took a lot longer than the other time changes for some reason) and
kinda lost track of when we actually arrived in Port Aux Basques (PAB).
The port was quite nice with a welcoming lighthouse in the harbour.
Although I boarded somewhere in the middle of the pack, I was the
second car off the ferry so I headed off to find some tourist information
to complement my visit. The welcome centre wasn't that far away and
I took an opportunity to buy a map of the province before the hoard of ferry-goes
followed me in.
I decided
to skip the closest campground (no showers) and headed to the Little Paradise
Park. I was the only tenter so I set up on site 27 - almost on the
shore of a lake. With the time change, I still had a good deal of daylight
left so I hopped on my bike and went for a tour of the campground. They
have a mini-put course and a good selection of playground equipment as well
as a small beach for swimming, if desired. I was drawn to the beach
since it offered a great view of the mountains (yes, mountains) across the
way. They are an extension of the Appalacians and the nearby ones reach
518 metres. And yes, that is snow showing as white on the picture -
too bad I didn't bring my snowboard ;)
I biked back to the site and grabbed my camera to snap a few pictures before the light faded. I also snapped a few of the sun as it was setting and then headed to bed.
Day 46
I had inadvertently set up my tent so that the sun would shine directly
on my face in the morning. Unable to sleep in, I got up and set out
for the day. I had read about a granite lighthouse so this made for
an easy first spot. To get there, I drove back down to PAB and then
past the ferry along the coast. I passed through a few communities
before reaching Rose Blanche, my destination. This town is named after
the French for White Rock which I though was Roche Blanche but I guess there
was some rounding over the years.
I made
my way to the lighthouse and set off on the trail. They've done a great
job making the site very presentable with granite benches and information
panels along the way. At the lighthouse itself, they have a couple
of guides to answer any questions as you tour. The steps inside up
to the light were built right into the wall of the tower which resulted in
the tower being the only part of the structure that remained in tact. The
last few steps were with a wooden ladder which wasn't in place (hazardous,
maybe?) so I couldn't look out from the tower itself. They had a few
pictures of the restoration as well as information on the keepers.
Back by the car, I decided to
stop in at the B&B/Restaurant for some lunch. The food was good
(great fries) but the fun part was when an ad salesman came in to sell a
spot in next month's magazine. He made the sale and I got a few free
copies of the magazine.
On the way back along the coast, I stopped at the Barachois Falls
trail and took a few minutes to walk to the base of the waterfall. I
took a few pics but didn't stay long as the fog was starting to roll in and
it was a bit chilly. I continued back to PAB. I toured the town
and then stopped at the grocery store before heading back toward the campsite.
I decided to stop at Cape Ray and see their lighthouse and then did the same
thing at Cape Anguille before returning to my site.
I took a nap and then made some dinner (ham and pasta) before listening
to some music and a local call-in radio show (great accents) and then heading
to bed.
Day 47: Hidden Treasures
I got up and packed up my gear and headed off. I decided to
hit the Starlight trail and set off for the summit. The trail started
with a nice steady climb through the forest. There were a couple of
look-outs (not look-offs anymore) 
and
then I found myself emerging from the trees. The trail was pretty open
and rather steep for the last part of the hike. I soon found myself
on a nice plateau with a great view of the valley below. I wandered
a bit and then continued up to the summit. As I did, I caught sight
of some snow on a opposing valley. As I climbed higher I could see
that the snow was melting and creating a nice series of waterfalls into a
gorgeous mountain lake. I contemplated hiking around to collect a bit
of the snow but it would have taken a while - especially with no beaten path
to follow.
Content with pictures only, I headed back down to the car. Once
there, I cooled down for a bit and then started off for Stephenville. The
drive was rather average however I started to notice a very definite vibration
that seemed to be getting worse and occurring at various speeds. I
made a bit of a side trip along highways 405/404 and soon approached
Stephenville. I pulled off on highway 461 to see about a campground
but I couldn't find it and travelled on. The next campground I was
considering was on the other side of Stephenville so I took the highway around
it and soon arrived at Zenzville Campground in Kippens. I set up on
site 60 and noticed that one of my tent poles had
cracked. The tent was still habitable
so I left it and headed out for a drive. I took the French Ancestors
route around the Port au Port Peninsula. I stopped for a bit at the
tip at Cape St. George and then took the high road over the mountains towards
Long Point. Long Point is a long peninsula that stretches out to give
a nice view of the Lewis Hills which contain Newfoundland's highest peak
at 815m. Aside from the view, there's not much else to see so I soon
headed back to the campsite.
I picked up some ice and made some hotdogs for dinner as it started
to rain. I retreated to the car for some music and to do some writing
and then headed to bed.
Day 48
The rain continued on and off throughout the night but had stopped
by the time I got up. I had a bit of breakfast and then headed through
Stephenville. I kept an eye out for Shoppers and Canadian Tire (to
check about the tent)
and then arrived
at Barachois Pond PP. They charged $4.00 for a day pass so I paid my
money and set off for the Erin Mountain trail. I packed up some snacks
and headed out. They recommend a jacket since its a bit cooler on the
summit but since you're sweating most of the way up, this really isn't necessary.
I had mine along and it was more of annoyance than anything else.
The trail had a series of staircases at its steepest which can be a
bit more tiring than a regular trail. I soon hit the top and hiked
along to the main lookout. It wasn't a particularly spectacular view
but still nice. The wind was a bit stronger so I didn't stick around
that long. The hike down was a little boring with all those stairs
and I'm not sure if the 10km distance is accurate, but it was still a nice
hike. I decided to tour the rest of the campground to see the sites
(just in case I decide to stay here in future and to get my money's worth).
I headed back past Stephenville in search of the Pine Tree Trail.
The weather wasn't too great and the trail didn't jump out at me so
I just drove around a bit and then headed back to the campsite to rest for
a bit. I decided to treat myself to a meal in town so I headed off
to Pizza Delight. I polished off a 12" The Works and then headed down
to check out Shoppers. Since they closed at 9pm, I had some time to
shop and headed to Canadian Tire to pick up a replacement bulb for my flashlight
and a new non-stick pan. The tent is handled by Coleman direct so I
would need to call them about the tent. I headed back to Shoppers
and was kindly allowed to use their fax line to connect. To my surprise
and delight, my NTL roaming password actually worked! With one victory
temporarily won (no telling what might happen when I return to Nova Scotia)
I finished my online work and headed off. The vibrations were getting
worse so I asked at a garage about a local shop that does imports but Canadian
Tire was the only one that really made the list. With that information,
I headed back to my site with the intention of getting things looked at in
the morning. The sunset was a no-show, so I headed to bed.
Day 49
I got up, packed up and headed into town to get my car looked at.
They weren't able to get me in until 1pm so I had some time to kill.
I headed to Tim's for some breakfast and chatted up a couple from Ontario.
Next stop was the library to see about the internet. They didn't
open until 1pm so that was a bust. I waited there for a bit and did
some travelogue and then headed to McD's for a snack. From there I
browsed through a souvenir shop and then headed back to Canadian Tire.
They brought my car in and balanced the tires and also noticed that
one of my brake calipers was seized. They didn't have one in stock
(no surprise) and it would take a while to get one so I decided to press
on to Cornerbrook and try my luck there. The trip went quickly and
I soon arrived and headed to the mall. I called Clearnet/Telus and
discovered that my cell phone is basically useless while in Newfoundland.
I also called the St.John's Subaru to see if they could recommend anyone
in town for the repairs but they couldn't so I headed to the Honda
dealership to take my chances. They were booked but were able to set
me up at another garage for 11am the next morning.
I toured the town (quite interesting layout) and then thought about
where to sleep. I headed to a camping park on the edge of town but
since the rain hadn't quite moved on I decided to hit a motel. I
had noticed one on the way to the park that had full kitchens included so
I registered and moved in for the night.
I made some hotdogs and a bit of hot chocolate and caught up on my
TV viewing.
Day 50: Friday the 13th
I had set the alarm to the radio and after grogily hearing country
music I changed the station to CBC. I soon got up and packed up the
car. I watched a bit more TV and then headed to the garage. They
were a bit backed up so I waited a half hour and returned. They took
it for a test drive and then confirmed that the caliper was the culprit.
They, too, didn't have one in stock and the best they could do was
get one in for Monday - as I had expected. With the order placed, I
decided to head to the nearby Blow Me Down PP for the weekend.
I picked up a few things at Dominion and then started the drive along
the Humber Arm towards the park. The mountains are quite nice here
and the drive could only have been better if I had a clearer sky.
Surprisingly, as I neared the park things did improve and the sun was
shining. I set up on site 8 and then went for a bike tour of the park.
They have a nice hike to nearby Tortoise Mountain but I decided to
leave that for the next day.
I decided to drive to the nearby
town of Lark Harbour and pick up some ice and milk and check out the Bottle
Cove park. I had a bit of trouble finding it but was soon wandering
through the trails and up the rocky hills. While driving around, I
had noticed a sign for a hike to Bara Point so I headed off on that
one as well. It climbs a ridge on the ocean and then opens out on a
nice rocky cove. I sat and watched the gulls for a while and then finished
off the trail. They have some small benches along the trail that you
can flip over to read a bit about the area - quite ingenuitive!
I had parked at a small store/restaurant so I stopped in for some
ice cream. The senior owner mentioned that there was a nice trail up
past a 'lighthouse' that climbs to a nice mountain with a great view. I
was tempted enough to head
off and I was
soon on my way. The trail is a little precarious at points and I needed
to use the provided ropes to make my way along. I passed the point
where the lighthouse once stood (only the foundations remain with a sterile
fibreglass tower in its place) and then headed up to the summit. Again,
the trail was quite steep and muddy so I was glad to have the occasional
rope to assit me. I enjoyed the view from the summit for a while -
I could just make out with my binoculars the Port Au Port peninsula from
earlier in the week. The descent actually took longer since I could
see where I would end up if I stumbled (ie the harbour) but I soon returned
to the car. I cooled down a bit and then headed back to the store for
more ice cream.
I returned to the park a little weary and a bit sweaty so I took a
shower and then decided to postpone dinner to watch the sunset. I headed
back to Bottle Cove and took a few pictures as the sun descended. The
nicest part was obscured by clouds so I went back to my site to cook dinner.
Hamburgers were on the menu and I finished them as the light was fading
around 9:45.
I did a bit of travelogue and sorted my pictures and then wearily
went to bed.
Day 51
Having survived Friday the 13th,
I decided to sleep in. I finally dragged myself out of the tent around
10:30 and made some cream of wheat for breakfast. I collected so things
for the Tortoise Mountain hike and set off on my bike for the trailhead.
The trail starts out with boardwalks and stairs up to a lookout on
the first hill. From there I ventured out across the tops of a few
hills before arriving at the base of the mountain. The ascent was a
bit tiring but there were a few spots along the way where you could look
down on the surrounding scenery so it went quickly. They have a small
display set up at the end with a map of the area so you can identify the
islands and mountains in the area. There must have been some dissention
in the naming of the islands since they each have two names depending on
the map that is consulted. The more interesting names are Weeball and
Tweed. I watched a 
few boats doing
their thing and then headed back. I met a few more hikers along the
way and informed them of the path ahead and soon arrived back at the first
lookout. There is a second set of stairs descending to the shore that
is called the Govenor's Stairway. They pass under some interesting
rock formations along the way.
Back at my site, I cooled off a bit and then decided to take a nap
(since I had done so much already). Mostly refreshed, I took a shower
and then started dinner. I decided to use the remaining hamburger patties
for spaghetti sauce and made up some spaghetti to go with it. It tasted
pretty good but I need to find a better tasting sauce since the one I had
picked up seemed more like glorified ketchup.
After cleaning up all my dishes I did some travelogue and listened
to some music as the rain started to fall and then headed to bed.
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