Journey To The Ferry

Leaving Bonavista we made three short stops before reaching the ferry to head home. The first was the town of Grand Falls-Windsor where we decided to use the next 3 days to get caught up on housekeeping, shopping, and maybe a little sightseeing. Grand Falls-Windsor (GFW) was incorporated in 1991 when the two former towns amalgamated. GFW is located on the TransCanada Highway in the middle of Newfoundland. Therefore from here you can virtually go any direction. After being here a couple of days the housekeeping is done, shopping is all looked after so that leaves sightseeing. Well there’s not a lot of sightseeing opportunities here. GFW has a salmon interpretation center which is much like the one in Torrent River. The Exploits River is the largest river in Newfoundland. Again fly fishing is the only type of fishing allowed. Atlantic salmon is now in season but on the Exploits you are only allowed to keep 5 for the whole season.

The Exploits River

Grand Falls

Note the sign...its 25-30 feet above the river right now

Atlantic salmon are attracted to the fishway because of the
churning water supplied by underground piping

We left Grand Falls-Windsor and drove to Deer Lake where we stayed for 2 nights. We were unsure as to what to do since all the housekeeping has been done…for now. Quickly realizing that Gros Morne National Park was just up the road and so is our favorite seafood market, away we go. This time we took the cooler for the lobster and cod. They might have some they might not I never know what is in season. 

This time we chose The Tablelands 4 km trail to hike. The Tablelands mountain range was formed when two continents (Africa & North America) collided 500 million years ago. The mantle which usually lies below the ocean was thrust upward to the earths surface. Peridotite rock that usually lies 12 km underground is present everywhere here. During the last ice age, glaciers carved the shape of the mountains and many of the canyons along the trail.

The Tablelands Mountain Range

Which way home?

That water was cold

  

Winterhouse Brook Canyon...its the end of July and yes that is 
snow in them there hills

Yellowish coloured rock is Peridotite

Gros Morne Mountain
in the background

Taking in the sunshine
and view

Our final stop on the island was in the town of Doyles at the Grand Codroy Campground. The campground history is much like the rest of Newfoundland unique. In 1966 10 acres of land was donated by the Downey family to the province for the development of a provincial park. Cost $1.00. However, in 1997 the Newfoundland government downsized their parks system so the family was able to purchase the land back. Today the park has been upgraded to include all amenities. Since it is not far from the ferry they tend to cater to those coming and going from Newfoundland. 

Our site...lots of space

We decided to do a little sightseeing but shortly after we left the campsite the weather deteriorated very fast.

Cape Anguille Lighthouse

Cape Anguille Inn

On the way back we found the Codroy Fish Plant and wondered if they sold fresh fish to the public. I know we just bought some but I figured that you can't have toooooo much fresh fish. So we stopped and got more lobster and cod. The prices were amazing. This time we forgot the cooler but its just a short drive back to the rig. 

After we dropped the lobster and cod off I was getting real hungry. A small place just down the road was recommended Hynes Chicken Villa so away we go. Susan asked what I was having and I though it was pretty much a no brainer. If I have to leave this island I want my last meal here to be cod of course so we both ordered pan-fried cod. It was the best cod we had on the island. With our bellies full and know where to be we head back to the rig for an afternoon beverage.

Enjoying the afternoon with a beverage

It just happens that a caravan of 27 rigs was pulling into the campground as we were enjoying our beverage. That proved to be our entertainment for the day. Later we found out they are on the island for 8 days. What can you see in 8 days? We just spent 5 weeks here and didn't see half of the island. People just don't realize how big this place really is. 

Lockston Path Provincial Park

We have just spent 3 wonderful days at Lockston Path Provincial Park touring the Bonavista Peninsula. It’s hard to find a provincial park in Newfoundland that has both hydro (20 & 30 amp) and water, Lockston Path has both.

Our site #50...nice but hard to get into

Beautiful area

Most places we have been so far, there’s a boil water notice in effect. This park was no different. We choose to buy bottled water instead of boiling it. The campground gets a B+ in my opinion. It has great 30 amp service and good water pressure. The washrooms were very clean as were the showers which we have to use. Most sites are very private with lots of trees between them. There’s a fresh water lake for swimming, fishing, and kayaking.

The beach...dogs are allowed

Susan checking out the boat

The biggest downfall for this park is the 5 km drive in from the highway. The 5 km is okay but the gravel road is soooooo dusty. The interior park roads are also gravel. With no rain in days everything inside the rig has 2 inches of dust on it. People drive very fast making it worse. Because of the lack of rain there is a campfire ban province wide including Labrador. No campfire tonight.


Why I choose sites on a hill I have no idea or maybe it’s because I didn’t know when I reserved it or maybe I think RVing is not enough of a challenge in itself. Pushing the rig back up a hill is not an easy feat, with a drop off on one side and a hill on the other. OMG. However in saying that once we got into our site we really liked it.

A friend came to visit every morning

A Gray Jay came to visit each night

We have made the turn and are now heading to the west side of Newfoundland again. Hopefully the parking will be easier.

Bonavista, NL

We started our day heading back up the Bonavista Peninsula to explore the town of Bonavista and the surrounding area. It is here in Bonavista where John Cabot was thought to have first spied land in the New World in 1497. At the very top of the peninsula is Cape Bonavista Lighthouse. The lighthouse was constructed between 1841 and 1843. In 1962 the lighthouse was decommissioned when the light was automated and placed on a steel tower. Today the lighthouse is a provincial historic site.

Cape Bonavista Lighthouse

Looking out to sea

John Cabot Landfall
Statue

A short distance down the road is Dungeon Provincial Park. The relentless wave action of the North Atlantic against the rocks has formed this rugged coastline. Unfortunately we did not continue down the road far enough to see the collapsed sea caves but still managed to see some amazing rock formations.

Horses and cattle roam the provincial park

Rugged coastline

Dramatic rock formations

Caves formed by the continuously pounding surf 

Along the shoreline of Bonavista there are scattered remains of fish flakes and stages. I’ve mentioned flakes before but not stages. They are the primitive wooden buildings that were essential for the cod fisherman for salting and drying their fish. After various periods under salt in the stage, the fish was washed a final time and placed on the flake to be dried by the sun. Depending on temperature, sunlight, and precipitation this process could take days. It was very time consuming and usually performed by the women in the fishing family.

Fish flake and stages

Crowded Bonavista Harbour

Bonavista has approximately 1000 heritage buildings dating back to the early 19th century. The Mockbeggar Plantation was built in 1733 and is the oldest surviving building on the coast. It served many functions such as a saltfish store, a salmon packing house, a barter shop, and a temporary church just to name a few.

Mockbeggar Plantation

Overlooking Bonavista’s inner harbour is the courthouse which was constructed in 1897-1900. The first courthouse was destroyed by fire in 1897. Formal justice came to town in 1729.

The courthouse...yellow building in the middle sitting atop the
hill overlooking the harbour

The Ryan Premises National Historic Site commemorates the rich history of Newfoundland’s cod industry. It was once the home of James Ryan Ltd one of Newfoundland and Labrador’s largest salt fish mercantile firms. At one time boats loaded with salt cod left the tiny village of Bonavista and sailed to ports around the world.

Proprietor's House

Retail Shops

Salt Store

Root Cellars & Puffins

What do Root Cellars & Puffins have in common? The answer…Elliston NL. We left the park early so we could see all the sites we wanted to see. As usual we stopped at the visitor’s center in Elliston to get some ideas. The demise of the salt cod industry in the 1950’s combined with the cod moratorium in 1992 decimated the community of Elliston. In 1994 the community could no longer pay their utility bill with such a small tax base therefore their lights were turned out. The town was literally in the dark. Elliston however has two major assets, the Puffin Site and Root Cellars which draw thousands of tourists a year from all over the world. Two large tour busses were coming into town when we were there plus lots of cars. Hence, the town is now doing just fine.

Entrance into Elliston

The ladies in the center where so proud of the newly erected memorial about 200 yards down the road we had to check it out. During a vicious winter blizzard in 1914 the lives of 78 men were lost when they became stranded on the ice while seal hunting. The same season another 173 men went down with their sealing ship, the SS Southern Crossing. The Sealing Disaster memorial was erected in their honour.

Town of Elliston

Seal Disaster Memorial

Elliston is home to the world’s most accessible Atlantic Puffin breeding site. Puffins usually nest on islands off shore. The Elliston site is no different with one exception the island is next to an area accessible by people. These puffins can easily be seen with the naked eye. When the area is quiet I’m told the puffins land and strut their stuff within a few feet of you. Remember the two busses, well we weren’t so lucky and it wasn’t very quiet. I got some good pictures and had fun watching the PPF’s. Oh I guess you want to know what that means. Well in Newfoundland the people call puffins PPFs which stands for piss poor flyers because they can’t fly worth a darn.

Atlantic Puffins contemplating flight

Puffins return to the same burrow each year

Puffin that just caught some capelin

Long way down if you fall

Elliston is also known as the Root Cellar Capital of the World. There are hundreds of root cellars around the town. The most common type of cellar was built in the side of a hill with the door facing east (easterly winds are frost-free). They were originally built using mortar, rocks, tree boughs, and wood. Sod and/or sawdust were used for insulation.  One of the oldest dates back to 1839 and is still in use today. People that settled this area back in the day grew their own vegetables such as beets, turnip, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots. The cabbage would be pickled and the remaining vegetables would be stored in root cellars until the next year’s crop. Meat, fish, and dairy products would also be stored in the cellars but for shorter periods. A well-built cellar would stay dry and kept a constant cool temperature all year round. I walked into several and it was like walking into an air conditioned room. Nice on a hot day.

Root Cellar

Inside root cellar

Another one still in use

An upstairs/downstairs root cellar

The small village of Maberly lies a short distance from Elliston. Once a thriving fishing village now tries to draw tourists to their town with unique gift shops.

Trying to attract tourists...and it worked

Fish flake/salt sheds...from a once thriving fishing village

Maberly's beautiful coastline

Leaving Maberly and Elliston we drove past Sandy Cove Beach with its clear blue water and sandy beach. Watching the waves crash into the rocky coastline was so mesmerizing that we lost track of time and it was time to head home.

Sandy Cove Beach...water was tooooo cold for me

Watching the crashing waves