Heading North in Western Newfoundland

 From Gros Morne we went north on the Viking Trail...our next stop was Arches Provincial Park. There we boondocked overnight. The area has arches carved by the sea. Eventually, these rocks will return to the sea.

 

 While parked at Arches, we drove back to Cow Head to see the lighthouse. On the hike up to the lighthouse, we passed this rock. There was no reason for its name, just a big rock...

The lighthouse is no longer in use...good thing since it is surrounded by trees! I wonder how many times the light keeper banged his head on the door while tending the light.

 

 

We first saw the arches at low tide, but since we spent the night, we also got to see them as the tide was coming in.. In case you are wondering, the water is part of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

 Arches Provincial Park was our 28th stop since we left home on April 29th. There are many more stops to come on this trip.

Continued Updates

The ferry was scheduled to leave at 11 p.m. and we were supposed to arrive 2 hours early. Not liking to be late, we were there much before that and there were already lines for boarding. After checking in, we left Sol to  walk around the area. First stop was the ticket counter to inquire about sleeping berths for our return trip August 10th. Unfortunately, there was a waiting list for the waiting list. We will check again closer to our sailing date. Loading began about 9:30 and Bob expertly drove Sol into the very tight space with guidance from the load master.

 The load masters filled the belly of the ferry with ease and we continued upstairs to our sleeping 'chairs'

It was a long night, but when time came to unload in the morning, we were quickly on our way! Our first stop was the Newfoundland Visitor Centre. We talked with the hostess and got many tips for the first leg of our Newfoundland adventure.

Our second stop was Wreckhouse Rest Area. We thought Larry and Connie would be there as they arrived two days before us and spent 2 nights in the rest area. But, alas, they got an early start and we just missed them. We had no idea where they were headed. We, however, had reservations at Water's Edge in Woody Point near Gros Morne National Park. Our site was on the waterfront and we enjoyed watching the fish, birds, and boaters.

We spent three days exploring the western portion of Gros Morne. At the Discovery Centre I enjoyed artists renditions of jobs necessary to learn about animal behavior

 and a botanist identifying new species of plants.

 Then we hiked The Lookouts which was a steep trail,

 but well worth the view.

 Next we hiked The Tablelands. It reminded us of hiking in the desert with the rocks and little vegetation.

But, it wasn't the desert and there were waterfalls

 and marshy areas with plants trying to make a go of it in this strange environment which was an ocean floor millions of years ago.

We took the water taxi to Bonne Bay and hiked Burnt Hill and Neddy Head Loop. It was another steep trail,

with great views of the surrounding area.

We explored the Trout River area and had some great seafood during our short stay. It was time to move on and explore more of Newfoundland.

Time to Review Our Travels

If you have been following our travels, you might think we have stopped in one place for a long period of time....nope that didn't happen. We are still on the move. Since the last post, we have been to Graves Island Provincial Park, Laurie Provincial Park, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, ridden the ferry from North Sydney, Nova Scotia, to Port aux Basques, Newfoundland, and much more. Here are some of the highlights.

Our campsite at Graves Island

From Graves Island, we explored Chester and Lunenberg. Lunenberg was a very touristy town, but Chester was a quiet small seaside town with interesting houses and shops. There was a great bike trail in Chester, but parts of it were being repaired and were difficult to ride.

Campsite at Laurie Provincial Park

Laurie Provincial Park was our base to explore Halifax and Peggy's Cove. It was also where our friends Larry and Connie caught up with us. 

Connie and Larry

Royal Tattoo

Peggy's Cove

Bob and I stayed at Below the Salt Distillery, a Harvest Host on the way to Cape Breton Highlands National Park.

Our host and sipping spirits

It was a pleasant stop to break up a long drive. While here we picked up an Adventure Lab gecoache in Port Hawkesbury.

 On our drive to Cape Breton Highlands NP, we stopped at Alexander Graham Bell's National Historic Site. It was amazing to see all that Alexander G. Bell was involved in developing.

Cross-section of Hydrofoil AGB helped develop

Broad Cove Campground at Cape Breton Highlands was our base to explore the park which encompasses the entire northern part of the island. It was the first campsite that had 50 amp electrical hook-ups for us! Bob and I did quite a few hikes.

White Point Lookout

Beulach Ban Falls

Unfortunately, we didn't get to hike the famous Skyline Trail as the coast was fogged in and we wouldn't have been able to see anything except where to put our feet on the boardwalk!

From Cape Breton Highlands, it was time to head to North Sydney to catch the ferry to Newfoundland. We stayed at a Harvest Host, Bras D'Or Wharf, to wait for our departure time.

 Since our ferry didn't depart until 11 p.m., we spent the early part of the day exploring Louisbourg Fortress Historic Site. Yes, it was a foggy day, making the trip seem more like a step back in time in this reconstructed fortress.

 

This was a great trip back in history. We wished we could have stayed longer, but we needed to get some supplies before heading back to Sol and catching the ferry.

No, there is more before you are caught up....another post coming soon (maybe)!