0525 St Bride's to La Manche Provincial Park

30^th May 2016

Gannets, Kittywakes, and bogs.

Not sure if the sun was shining this morning or not !  It seemed to be, then it was cloudy, then it was misty, then the sun seemed to appear again – Newfoundland weather really does show up other parts of the world who think they have unpredictable weather  - This is unbelievable here !  And apparently is more a talking point than it is in England !  Anyway, it wasn’t raining, so after saying my farewells and thanks to Len, I headed up the road towards Cape St Mary’s Ecological Reserve – I just had jotted down “birds” on my map that someone had told me about.  Didn’t really know what I was going to see.

0524 Elliston to St Bride's

29^th May 2016

Puffins, Icebergs – And our 40^th Wedding Anniversary !!

I would be in a pickle if I didn’t acknowledge (or worse still, remember !) that today is Janet and my 40^th Wedding Anniversary !  We did actually text each other last night (when it was the 29^th in Aus !), but as I was out on a desolate peninsula chasing puffins, there was no wifi that would enable us to skype.  As Janet texted to me, Where did those 40 years go ? We have had an amazing time around the world, many wonderful adventures, and we have 3 beautiful children, who each have wonderful partners, as well as 2 gorgeous granddaughters – What more could we ask ?  Janet and I will celebrate when we meet up again, maybe in Alaska in August ??  I only thought old people had 40^th wedding anniversaries !!   But thank you Janet for each and every one of them.    Now, back to the puffins !!  

0523 Dead Man's Bay to Elliston

28^th May 2016

Rain, snow, cold – And PUFFINS !!!

Puffins have always been one of the major items I want to get up close and personal with on this trip, and after a couple of minor meetings in Homer Alaska 4 years ago, today was the day.  But a lot was to happen before then, so I will come back to the puffins later !

It had rained a little during the night, but was more or less dry as I packed up – But once again bitterly cold at about 2.5 deg C, and the wind, so I ate my breakfast inside the car !  Left this great wild camp site beside the sea and with more icebergs than ever headed south for the summer this morning !  But before I had gone very far up the road, it started raining in earnest, and was to do so for most of the remainder of the day. 

0522 Fogo and back to mainland to Dead Man's Bay

27^th May 2016

Icebergs, eagles, and blue blue skies.

It was 1.5 deg C when I woke up in the morning, and the wind was still bitingly cold, but guess what ?  There was a clear blue sky !!  I packed up fairly quickly so as to make the most of the day, and set of round the corner to the old Gun Battery to see if the big iceberg was still stuck there, and what it looked like in the sunshine.  Answer was Yes it was still there, and there were two or three more floating past outside the rocks.  The whole scene was just so much brighter in the sunshine today than it had been yesterday.

0521 A cold day on Fogo Island

26^th May 2016

Foxes, hikes, and icebergs galore !

It ended up that we didn’t land in Fogo until after midnight, and it was POURING with rain. As soon as I got off I started looking for somewhere to pull over and sleep, but it was really hard to see anything in the rain. Eventually I turned onto a side road, and found a tarmac area with a building, so stopped there and hoped the people wouldn’t mind when they came to work in the morning !  I had already eaten so just climbed in the back and went to sleep.

0520 Badger to Fogo Island

25^th May 2016

Reflections, Beothuks, and Icebergs

My weather forecast had told me rain was possible this morning, so I was us early and almost showered and packed up when it started.  I had to wait till 9 am anyway for the camp gates to be opened, so I parked next to the office in the rain and blogged.  It was raining quite hard as I got on the road, but surprisingly stopped pretty quickly.  The first thing I noticed this morning was how the local deciduous trees have suddenly started to turn green, instead of the kind of dead looking brown they have been previously.  Must have been that burst of 25 degree sunshine yesterday !

0519 Norris Point to Badger, via Trout River

24^th May 2016

Lakes, moose, and clear blue skies – Again !

It took a while to get away this morning – Mainly because once I had said my goodbyes and left the house, I then kept meeting people on the road out of town !  I bumped into Marie twice as she was taking Clare for a walk, and then I stopped opposite Gavin’s yacht and sent him a message to see if he could wave goodbye.  When he didn’t appear on deck I assumed he was still asleep, so headed out, onl y to get a phone call from him to say he was sitting just below where I had been parked, doing school work with his son in the sunshine !  So I whipped back for a chat, showed his son all the stickers on the car and chatted about the places he was about to go to on his adventure, said my farewell and thanks to Gavin, and finally set off down the road.  Hopefully will catch up with Gavin and Val and family when they reach Australia – Whenever they do !

0518 A few days in Gros Morne

21^st - 24th May 2016

Trails, tales and tunes - A 5 WOW week !

I have already had a number of 5 WOW days – Days that are very special in terms of scenery, people, or experiences.  But this week has been a first – A 5 WOW week, with every day in that week being full of WOWs too !!  From the moment I met Gavin French last week in Cheticamp, culminating in the 5 days I have just spent with the Hickey family in Norris Point, it has been a week of adventures, incredible scenery, incredibly friendly and welcoming people, and to top it off, stunning weather.  I left this morning after an amazing week, with lots of new friends, and completely exhausted – But with a big smile on my face.  To Gavin (and his Dad Fred, although I know he will NEVER read this !!), to Robbie, Kristen, and their tiny Clare, to Ben and Marie, Robbie’s Mum and Dad, and to all the rest of their family and relatives who made me so welcome, THANK YOU.   Words are insufficient.

This is how the week earned its 5 WOW status !!

0517 Corner Brook to Gros Mornes

20^th May 2016

Stuck in a snow drift in the wilds !

And what a perfect day for the start of a long weekend – Blue sky, and so warm Robbie was wearing shorts and a T shirt !  Hardy people, these Newfoundlanders !   This weekend in Norris Point is called Trails, Tales, and Tunes, and is a 10 day festival of local musicians and artists that come together annually to celebrate the start of summer.  I didn’t quite know what to expect !  Robbie came with me in Troopie, and we were going to take a dirt logging road cross country up to Norris Point, Kristen and Clare were going to drive up the highway – Either way, it should only take us 2 or 3 hours, and when we left at about 2 pm we expected to be there in plenty of time for the first concert and a few beers in the evening. We had also heard from Gavin (on the yacht), and he was sailing up and expected to be there by early evening.

0516 Cape St George to Corner Brook

19^th May 2016

Waterfalls, sunsets, and Toyotas !

After waking up in my almost perfect camping spot at Cape St George to find almost clear blue skies yet again, I headed off for a short run up to the top of the hill before setting off to go back along the southern coast of the peninsula, along the scenic shore of St George’s Bay.   Not 30 minutes after I set off, I saw a tiny little hand painted wooden signs saying “Hidden Falls”, and after backing up, I turned down the little dirt road.  About 300 metres along the track, it suddenly dropped down to a little fishing harbour, but it wasn’t until I turned around that I saw the Falls – They were actually up under the road, dropping down into a lake before flowing out to the sea.  

0515 Port Aux Basques to Rose Blanche, then on to Cape St George

18^th May 2016

Definitely a black winegum day – FANTASTIC

Definitely a 5 WOW day !!   Today was just one of those amazing days, that started off so well, and then got steadily better until by the time I stopped in the evening, I was breathless.  What do they say ?  Life isn’t measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.  I could hardly catch my breath all day – And then to finish it all off, I had the most excellent steak, washed down with my favourite Chilean wine, Casilera del Diablo, Devil’s Edition, Reserva.  And just to top it off, when I went in to the liquor store today to replenish my stocks after they had got diminished in Cheticamp last week, they had it on special !  How good can life get sometimes ?????

0514 N Sydney NS to Port aux Basques, Newfoundland

17^th May 2016

Troopie goes to sea – Yet again.  Crossing the Cabot Strait

I had set my alarm for 7 am, as I was determined not to miss my ferry, but there was no hurry – I was up by 6.30 and in the (very rustic) shower by 7.  After breakfasting I was on the road by 8.15, and as I didn’t need to check in for the ferry until 9.45, I headed off to the nearest McD’s for a cup of coffee and wifi.  You can say what you like about McD’s, but their coffee is 10 times better than Tim Horton’s, and so is their wifi.  Sorry Canadians, but it is true !! 

0513 Cheticamp, and then on to Sydney

15^th & 16^th May 2016

Put to work on a yacht !

It really was a very wet night.  At one point the puddles around my car had all joined up and it was almost impossible to get out without drowning !  I had the roof down (it was too wet to put my fly-sheet up last night), and everything was in the car, so it was quite a squash inside.   However, as so often happens in this part of the world, it was dry when I woke up, although only about 5 deg C, but at least I was able to get my breakfast and cup of tea and get packed up in the dry.  Even the puddles had drained away, and fortunately I was on gravel, so it wasn’t too muddy.

0512 Seafoam to Cheticamp, Cape Breton Island

14^th May 2016

Scotland – And rain to go with it !

It was a clear starlit night when I got up at 4 am to check for the Northern Lights, (and go to the loo !), but at 7 am I awoke again to a heavy rain shower.  Luckily it didn’t last too long, and I was able to get up, breakfasted and on my way in dry but overcast conditions.  Had another shower (well, when they are there, you have as many as you can, even if they cost $0.50 a time !), topped up the water tank in anticipation of some more wild camping in the coming days, and also emptied the honey-pot (think about it !).  just as I was (fortunately) finishing that chore, a local came up for a chat – Cameron Beaton.  He is retired, and has a trailer in this camp ground, but has always wanted to go on the road for a while.  He had a motorhome for a while, but his wife didn’t enjoy camping, so he had to sell it.  Unfortunately he has always been held back by family sickness or in more recent times, deaths, but still harbours a wish to go places – Including Australia. We had a really nice chat for half an hour about all sorts of things, and then he gave me a couple of lapel badges for Pictou (local town) and New Glasgow, just up the road past Pictou.  I gave him some of my Australian stickpins for his 4 grandchildren in return.

0511 Advocate Harbour to Seafoam

Friday 13^th May 2106

Tidal currents, inlets, and an open camp site !

I woke up at 6 am to my fifth day of clear blue skies !  For this part of the world, especially at this time of year, this is quite special, so I am enjoying it to the fullest.  Blue skies does not mean warm – the wind is still very cold, and while the apparent temp reached about 17 today, it never felt warm while I was out of the car !  Last night I had finished the rest of my scallops for supper, and then was in bed and asleep by about 8.30 pm as I was really weary.  So when I woke up at 6 am, I was well rested and ready for whatever Friday 13^th would bring !

0510 Annapolis Royal to Advocate Harbour

12^th May 2016

Mud flats, low tides, and porcupines

In my not yet open and deserted camp site at Annapolis Royal I never saw a soul this morning, even when I drove out.  So I left a thank you note and an Aussie stickpin for them, and left.  It was a beautiful spot right by the water, although I have to admit, there are already quite a lot of “bugs” out at sunset – Courtesy of the very mild winter, I think.  Summer could be bad……



 

0509 Marvilette Beach to Annapolis Royal

0509 Marvilette Beach to Annapolis Royal

11^th May 2016

Mink, churches, and scallops

I had an excellent breakfast with Russ and his wife and friends, and then headed on north up the coast.  Once again it was a clear blue sky – Hopefully this will last for a few more days yet.  I mentioned yesterday that this area is very French, or Arcadian, anyway, with the original settlers having come from France in the early 1700’s, and then trying to settle here.  But with the British also trying to have influence in N America, the French never had too much peace, but today their descendants are certainly making their presence felt.  French is everywhere, with signs predominantly in French and occasionally in English, with boulangeries beside the road, and the Arcadian Flag everywhere – This is the French tricolor, but with a star up in the top corner.  In fact many houses not only have the flag flying outside, but also have a big star on the wall of the house.  My first thought when I saw it was that the Star Bellied Sneetches (Dr Seuss !) lived here !!  (Edit – I found out about the flag today – It is called the Stella Maris).

0508 Halifax to Mavilette Beach

10^th May 2016

Tyres, lighthouses,  and hospitality.

The camp site last night was good, but somewhat expensive.  And it served its purpose, which was to allow us to sort our cars out ready to hit the road – And with Troopie this is quite a major operation as everything has been stashed away somehow, and it all has to come out, and then go where it normally is while travelling.  Anyway, all done, and I slept like a log, only to be awoken by my alarm at 6 am so I could get sorted and down into Halifax to the tyre place by 8 am.   Once up, showered, and breakfasted, I was just starting up to pull out and Bernard appeared at my window to say goodbye – I hadn’t woken him up (he said !), but was awake anyway and so came over to say goodbye.  We have had a fun week together.

0507 Halifax Nova Scotia

2^nd – 9^th May 2016

Waiting, waiting, waiting !

Having really enjoyed a proper bed for the first time since I left England over a week ago, I met up with Bernard and his wife Glenys at breakfast the next morning – I had met Bernard in Antwerp when we were both dropping our vehicles off for them to go on the ship to Halifax – The Atlantic Conveyor.  The ship was originally scheduled to arrive on the 3^rd May, but as soon as we conferred we knew we were in for a bit of a delay due to the ship being late.  While this is annoying, it isn’t a rare occurrence on commercial vessels – We ran into similar issues in Catagena Columbia when we ended up waiting for some 10 days due to delays and public holidays there.  Annoying, but c’est la vie.

0506 Reykjavik Iceland to Halifax, via New York and Boston

1^st / 2^nd May 2016

Cold, rain, and a l-o-n-g flight to Canada.

My last Icelandic night in the van in Pingvellir National Park was a cold one.  I got up during the night and it was raining, but must have been below freezing because when I touched the car it was solid ice !   And despite a little bit of red sky last night, it wasn’t very fine in the morning.  So I packed up, tried to sort out as much stuff as I could in preparation for returning the hire car, and then headed off towards Reykjavik.  I had decided to get closer to my final destination in case anything happened, and then to explore a bit around there depending on how much time I had.

0505 The Golden Circle

30^th April 2016

History, Geysir, and another waterfall !

It was freezing again when I woke up – Ice on the grass type freezing.  But I am very snug and warm in this little van, with my own sleeping bag plus a duvet supplied with the camper.  Today was my last full day, and I was going to explore the “Golden Circle”, a well known group of attractions in the Pingvellir National Park, within easy reach of Reykjavik. As a result they tend to get rather crowded as they are a “standard tour” for the many people who make a short one or two day stop on the way from the US to Europe. But the guide books speak highly of the attractions (an historical site, the first Geysir, and the Gullfoss waterfall), so after my breakfast I set off.  There had been no northern lights last night despite the clear skies, but this morning there were still blue skies with a light cloud cover.

0504 Myvatn to Pingvellir NP

29^th April 2016

Well where did that sunshine go then ???

I woke at 6 am, and peered out of the window in search of the blue sky, only to see – Nothing.  My windows were opaque.  Someone had frosted them during the night.  So I opened the door and found lots of white fluffy things falling out of the sky – It was snowing harder than it had been last night !!  And there was 6 inches of snow on the ground, on the car, and covering my windows.  Oh God – What am I going to do now ?  Today is Friday, and if the road is closed, how am I going to get to the airport on the other side of the country to catch my flight on Sunday ?  And if I miss my first flight, all my other flights are lost too as they were all booked individually in order to get chesap flights.   Bugger………

0503 Höfn to Myvatn

28^th April 2016

A wild wild coastline, and snow snow snow !

When I woke up and peered out of the windows, the car was still rocking and rolling in the wind, and there had been a complete dusting of snow during the night.  And it was COLD !  I had been warm enough inside, but there was no way I was going to spend more time than I had to outside the car, so after a quick brush of my teeth, I jumped in the car, turned the heater on full, and headed on up the coast. No breakfast, no tea – Just jump in and get going !!  But it was great – And at least it wasn’t raining !!  I can handle most things, but rain is not easy !

There was a dusting of snow on the mountains and I thought “how nice”.  But I had checked weather forecasts and they all said that after a bit of snow, it was going to be fine and sunny,  So off I went……..

0502 Skogafoss to near Höfn

27^th April 2016

Glaciers, basalt columns, and icebergs !

I woke up to a lovely sunny day at the foot of the Skogafoss, and enjoyed my breakfast while packing up the car – Not much to pack up on this one !  A few other people had parked up after I had gone to bed, and there were even a few tents pitched, so I wasn’t alone.  I had only gone about 30 minutes along the road when I saw signs to Myrdalsjokull and Solheimajokull glaciers, and went to investigate.  (And yes the language IS a problem – Well, most people speak English so that isn’t the issue – It is remembering place names of where you want to go that is hear – Try remembering these two glacier names !  So one drives with the guidebook beside you, and if you see a sign, you stop to make sure it is the one you want !)