Coddiwomple Stardate 180903

Wednesday 22^nd Aug was a very wet day. Sharon had organised a private taxi to pick us up at 11.30am to take us to Halifax Stanfield Airport. We were quoted $55 dollars. Sharon was ringing them at 11.45am because they still had not arrived. He arrived at 11.50am. First thing I thought was he was going to ask for more money. 300m down the road he asked what we had been quoted. Sharon tolled him $55 his reply was it should have been $75. Sharon had put in her pocket the $55 and told him that’s all we had. This is not the first-time people have tried to get more out of us after being quoted a price.

When we arrived at our gate we could see our plane was going to be a bug smasher. Both of us looked at each other and all we thought about was our last flight together on a prop plane was to Stuart Island with water pouring in from the roof. The plane was a Bombardier 400 and built in Canada not England like the last one. It was a great flight with complimentary beer. When we flew over Newfoundland the weather was clear and we just could not get over the amount of lakes covering the Island.

When we arrived at St Johns Newfoundland we went straight to Enterprise Car Rental to pick up the keys for our Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara. It was only 5 months old. Then straight to the accommodation for the night 1km away.

We have 12 days in Newfoundland and once again had no idea what we were going to do. First stop was the Information centre in St. Johns. We talked to a young girl and we decided to head to Gros Morne National Park 650km away. When we left St. Johns, we headed over to Portugal Cove and followed the coast for a while. The sun was shining and we decided to go topless (removed the roof panels of the jeep). After driving for about an hour at designated speeds between 30 – 50 km/h I realised we were getting no where. Nice drive though. We then cut across to a highway to pick up our speed to 90 km/h. With the wind howling through the car and grey skies ahead we decided to put the roof back on just before the rain started. 15 mins latter it was a downpour.

Thursday, we camped at Beothuck Family Park at Grand Falls – Windsor. The RV sites were nearly full, but we were the only people tenting it. We asked Bonnie our host where all the campers were. She said that the season is almost over and more people are RVing it these days. They only open between June and September. Most people we have spoken to can’t wait for the end of tourist season. Bonnie was saying her favourite season was winter when she can go out hunting.

Friday, we arrived at Gros Morne and headed down Route 431 to Trout River. On the way we stopped at the Tablelands. The earths mantle is exposed here and usually found well below the earths crust. It was an easy walk and had extreme wind coming down the valley at the end of the trail.

Next stop was the Trout river camp grounds to set up camp for the night, before we started exploring Trout River townsite. 80% of Trout Rivers income is still from fishing. There are plenty of old fishing relics left in the town. They have a wooden boardwalk that follows the bay and another walk out to the North Point which I took. Sharon didn’t want to after she saw all the steps involved. There is only one road into the town and at either end of the road has flashing lights. If the lights are flashing the road is impassable due to heavy snowfall. The town is then isolated.

Saturday and we did the walk to Green Garden. It is 8.8km return hike to the coast. From the car park we decided not to take our hiking poles because the trail was rocky but not to steep. It was a different story once you got over the first hill. There were steep descents, mud, washed away boardwalks & rickety steps. Once we reached the Green Garden it was a great view of cliffs and meadows that still have sheep grazing on them. The steps down to the beach was closed and we were told at the Discovery Centre you can still walk down there at your own risk. We decided not to. The trail use to loop around but the cliffs further north had been washed away. You could only walk another 1km from Green Gardens. I left Sharon behind to walk the last 1km. At around 750m I came across a sheep grazing and another one bleating. Kept walking and they ran ahead of me on the trail I’m walking on. It was thick scrub either side of the track and you could only follow the trail. Next the two became five. Five became eight and it was just to difficult to get passed them. I gave up and went back. By the time we made it back to the Jeep four hours had passed.

After this we headed for Rocky Harbour which is about 16km away from Green Garden as the crow flies. It is a 100km road trip to get there. You need to drive around Bourne Bay, South Arm then East Arm to get there. On the way we stopped at Southeast Brooke Falls. It was an easy 700m return walk and worth seeing the falls. Next was another visitor centre then a late lunch at a pub in Rocky Pool. After our lunch it was time to try and find a camp spot for the night. We were told in St. John's being late in the season you won’t need to book any camp sites there will be plenty. We couldn’t book if we wanted, our very expensive pre-payed sim was meant to work in some areas of Newfoundland. So far it has only worked in St. Johns. Our first camp North of Rocky Harbour was Berry Hill. They had no campsites available. We kept going North until Green Point campsite they were full also. The Ranger said to try Shallow Bay another 40 mins North or try back in Rocky Harbour. I chose to drive back the 15km and try the KOA campground we saw. When we arrived at the KOA we asked if they had any cabins or campsites. No cabins and only one tent site available which is under water. I asked if I could see the site which I did. There was a nice pool of water there but enough dry area to pitch our small tent. We have decided to stay two nights here mainly because rain was expected on Sunday and I didn’t want to put the tent up in the rain. It didn’t rain anyway.

Sunday morning, we drove to Norris Point and just went to the lookout. It was a great vista looking down at bays the townsite and across to the mountains. We then drove through Rocky Harbour and onto Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse. It was a lovely maintained lighthouse and trails that overlooked cliffs. Next stop was the wreck of the SS Ethie. The story of this ship was about the hero dog. On December 10^th, 1912 a bad storm came up and the Captain had burnt most of his coal. He had no choice but to beach the ship at Martins Point. The captain sent a dog overboard with a rope in its mouth to swim ashore were a local happened to be walking along the beach at the right time. The dog made it to shore where the local tied off the rope and proceeded to rescue the 92 people on board. It is such a local tale they have a long running play about the events in Cows Head Theatre. Then it was onto Western Brook Pond for our 2-hour boat cruise. You may wonder how you can go on a 2-hour cruise in a pond. Ponds over here are larger than most of our lakes. This one is 16km long and was carved out from glaciers and is almost pure fresh water with no nutrients in the water. You travel down the pond with cliffs rising over 700m with many waterfalls to be seen. Sharon and I thought it more spectacular than Milford Sound and had about 10,000 less tourists. The downside to the cruise is you need to be able to walk 3km to the boat and 3 km back out again. There is no other way of getting to the boat.

Then we kept driving North. We drove through a few small villages and one called Cow Head. There is an Island off the mainland you can drive to. It looks like a cow’s head. Next and our last stop north was the Arches Provisional Park. There is a series of three arches calved out from the ocean with many well washed rounded rocks covering the beach.

Monday, we drove north again to Bakers Brook Falls. It was an easy 10km round hike and mostly on wooden boardwalks. It is said to be the Niagara Falls of Newfoundland. They were impressive but can’t compare yet until we do see the real Niagara Falls within the next few weeks. I’m glad Sharon and I are doing all this travelling now because many great sites to be seen so far requires many km of hiking to reach. On the plus side there are not many people at these sites.

After returning from the falls it was 1.30pm our park pass expired at 12.00 noon so time to move along. From here we drove back 285km to Beothuck Campground where we stayed the first night on our road trip of Newfoundland.

Tuesday, it was time to consult a map and work out what to do for the next 8 days we have the Jeep. We decided to follow the Kittiwake Coast Road to the Isles. About 160km drive to Twillingate Island. It’s the fourth island in a chain of islands you drive over. We arrived at yet another lighthouse at Long Point with views over iceberg alley. No icebergs this time of the year but we did see a whale. We walked a few small trails around the area then drove down to Sleepy Cove so Sharon could try out the limits of the Jeep. We hiked more trails here, then went to look for accommodation for the night.

I used Wikicamps to find us a campsite. The first one to come up was free with no facilities which happened to be where we were at Sleepy Cove. Decided to try the RV Park near Back Harbour. Sometimes they have tent sites. It was a nice RV Park with plenty of tent sites and brand-new washroom facilities.

After setting up camp we drove around Twillingate Island topless and explored many great little bays where it would be nice areas for swimming. The Host at the RV Park gave us recommendations for places to see. One was a Microbrewery called Split Rock. They brewed many fine beers. After leaving the brewery Sharon decided to try the Jeep out in more difficult terrain at Back Harbour. I think she is becoming a Jeep convert.

After dinner we walked down to Back Harbour for a romantic sunset over the ocean.

Wednesday was just a driving day. The wind was peaking at 45km/h and wasn’t pleasant to be outside. We continued following the Kittiwake Coast and drove through many small villages. All had great bays but just too much wind. We stopped at Lumsden which is well known for its white beach. We did walk down onto the beach and were severely sandblasted. Next stop was Badgers Quay another fantastic Bay. There was a Bed & Breakfast listed on Newfoundland 2018 Travellers Guide. Being very windy and expecting rain I thought it would be a good idea to have accommodation with a solid roof. Because we can’t use our phone we drove to the premises and no one was home. Continued to Gambo to check out another B & B but they were booked for the night. The women said the next house had accommodation I tried but no one answered. She even rang them for me but no one answered the phone either. Camping it was. When we got to an RV Park near Eastport there had been some heavy rain and the winds were still gusting. Putting up the tent in high winds is challenging but we managed. By the time we went to bed there was no wind and had not rained.

Thursday before we left the RV Park and still had Wi-Fi Sharon booked a room in Clarenville for that night. We didn’t leave the park until 10.30am. When we did we drove to Salvage another bay and then back again through Terra Nova National Park then onto Bonivista Peninsula. The Discovery Trail around the peninsula is 349km. Rain started about midday and never stopped until late that night. I’m starting to think our 10 months of summer is almost over.

Driving along the coast of Bonivista Peninsula there are many beautiful small towns and bays. Much like everywhere else in Newfoundland. At the tip of the peninsula is the town of Bonivista. We were surprised at how large the town was. Once again, a stunning town. We drove to the very tip of the peninsula to yet another lighthouse. This is a very historical place for Newfoundland. In 1497 John Cabot landed here and said it was a new found land. The rain was very heavy, we dragged out our full wet weather gear something we have not used since Stuart Island. From here we drove through Dungeon Provincial Park to see the dungeon. The dungeon is a collapsed sea cave and worth the visit. Then it was onto Elliston to see Puffin Birds. There were a few short cuts that Sharon decided to take the Jeep on. After a few rock climbs and ploughing through bush we saved a couple of minutes driving. Puffin birds are usually nesting on islands off Newfoundland. In Elliston there is an island you can see close from the mainland. We did see Puffins and I was surprised at how small they are. Seagulls look massive next to Puffins. Then a two-hour drive to get to our accommodation in Clarenville.

Friday morning was still wet and windy. We drove along the Baccalieu Trail. It is on the Avalon Peninsula and is 230km long. Our first stop is the town of Dildo. Another fantastic bay. Sharon made me have a beer at the Dildo Brewing and Museum. I decided to protest at having to drink beer before lunch. I made her watch me drink four. Then next stop was the town of Heart’s Content. The town is known for the first transatlantic cable between Valentia Ireland and Newfoundland. The first cable started communications on the 5th August 1858 and failed on 20^th October 1858 due to too much electricity. On 27^th July 1866 the SS Great Eastern successfully delivered the cable to Heart’s Content and kept communications going right up to 1965. They still have the communications equipment set up as it was when it closed in 1965 and is a very well-preserved museum. I decided not to go all the way to the end of the peninsula and cut across to Bay Roberts then a campsite for the night.

Saturday was a great blue-sky day. We drove the Irish Loop today. Newfoundland is about 700km long with many peninsulas. The Irish Loop is another peninsula and the drive around is 312km. Newfoundland is very large when you drive around the coastal areas. What is amazing there are so many unique accents as you travel around. The people around the Irish loop although born there they have a distinct Irish accent. All the other peninsulas also have their own unique accent.

Once again, many beautiful bays and villagers. We stopped at St Vincent’s at the Holyrood Pond. Here there were cliffs that reminded Sharon and I of Ireland. The beach was all made up of small well polished stones. With many unique colours and patterns. We drove through Trepassey where Amelia Earhart in 1928 left from to become the first woman passenger to fly the Atlantic. Next stop was Ferryland. This town is the oldest European settlement in North America. It was founded in the 1620’s by Lord Baltimore. We drove out to the light house at Ferryland Head. It is known for its famous picnics that are organised there. Again, it was a stunningly beautiful area. It also makes a difference when you have blue sky’s. We camped that night at La Manche Provincial Park. There was a nice waterfall I walked to after setting up camp. Sharon didn’t go because she had hurt her back falling earlier on in the day trying to get a unique photo.

Sunday, we left camp around 8.30am for a short drive to La Manche to hike part of the Eastern Trail. This trail takes you down to a gorge with a suspension bridge you need to cross if you continue the trail. When you get to the bridge there is lovely falls to the North and ocean to your left. We were even fortunate to see a mother seal and her pup. From here we headed towards St Johns and Cape Spear. Another fortress and lighthouse was to be seen. Then on to Signal Hill and Cabots Tower. Cabots Tower is another fortress that overlooks the harbour entrance to St Johns. Here in 1901 was the worlds first radio wave received from Cornwall England. It was Morse code and just the letter S. They flew the antenna on a kite to get enough height to receive the signal.

Monday and our last day with the Jeep. We drove to Torbay and followed the coast back to St Johns. Sharon wanted to see more of the jellybean houses which are bright painted homes in St John. Then over to Quidi Vidi Village Rd to have a few beers at the Quidi Vidi Brewery. Another great location overlooking yet another bay.

Then it was time to return the Jeep. The reason we rented a Jeep was we had read that the roads were very rough in Newfoundland, so we expected gravel roads. It was not the case. Nearly all roads are bitumen, but many are riddled with potholes, depressions and bumps which made a very rough ride. The other reason for getting a Jeep was to see if it is the car I would buy to travel around Australia in towing our pod trailer. The first day I had my doubts. It seemed uncomfortable, uneconomical, noisy, a rough ride. You realised you had to drive a car again. Unlike nearly all new car that are effortless to drive. By the second day we were getting use to it. By the third day we were loving it and realised you just didn’t have to worry about how bad the roads were it just went over everything. Out of all the cars we have driven we have both loved having a Jeep. Also other Jeep owners always wave to you. So yes we could live with a Jeep.