Fording the Cabot Strait - Car Camping in Newfoundland

[scarysharkface]

I'd had a few of these over the years, and it was time to seek out the source..

The brewery sits right on the water of Quidi Vidi Lake, home of the oldest continuous sporting event held in North America, the Royal St. John's Regatta..

Several years ago, when one of their advertisements made FARK, I hadn't known it was our as-yet un-met friend Mike's father on the poster..

I highly recommend enjoying an Eric's Red Cream Ale in his honor..

John

 

[scarysharkface]

We were enjoying ourselves, but acutely aware that we were running out of time..

Bill was known to be teaching a basic rider course not too far away, and we hoped to catch him in between demonstrations..

As luck would have it, Dave was there as well..

Next stop was Mike's mom, Sharon, in her new place. I'd stayed with her before, when I was on The Rock in 2007, solo on the KLR. Then, as now, the laundry facilities were put to good use and she whipped up some delectable grub. She's a wonderful, engaging, intelligent and delightful soul.

The whirlwind speed tour continued, as we caught up with one of Colin's facebook friends from The Rock, Jordan..

The sun was sinking and we hadn't scheduled a meetup with Mike's girl, Suzi yet, so that would have to wait for next time. We were just down the road from Portugal Cove though, and Jordan suggested it's a nice place to see at sunset so that's where we went to end the daylight hours..

Sarah mugging on the dock..

And reading a bit by LED headlamp before sleep..

John

 

[scarysharkface]

By now the tent is beginning to look more than a little bit like home..

We hit up Tim's before heading West for our rendezvous with the boat. Doug spotted our Jeep and came in to say goodbye, and allowed us a pic with him since he'd been good about otherwise avoiding the lens thus far..

Departing in the rain, we stopped for a Team America-inspired pic in front of the Holyrood sign..

Another misty drive..

The weather cleared by the time we got to Gander, and a quick phone call brought Dave out to the local Tim's to meet as we passed through town. Dave's a great guy who I've known online for several years. He's a font of information about Labrador, having lived there for some time, and generally a helpful, friendly soul.

We chatted quite a bit about the Red Indian Lake bypass. There's a collection of roads between Badger and the Burgeo Highway via either Buchans (on the North side) or Millertown (on the South side), some real roads and some logging roads, and everyone we've spoken with about it (except for every gas station attendant I asked about it) has recommended we give it a go. Soon enough we'd reach Badger and would make a decision..

The road to Buchans doesn't appear to get all that much traffic..

John

 

[78Bronco]

Screech and cod kissing, lets see some evidence.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[scarysharkface]

Screech and cod kissing, lets see some evidence.

Thanks for sharing.

I have thus far managed to avoid all that. :sombrero:

Avoid the Quidi Vidi? Not so much. :wings:

 

[scarysharkface]

While still on the pavement and not yet to Buchans, we did see a big moose along the road..

Fly-fishing heaven..

And at last we reach the gravel. More exactly, we drove right past it and on into Buchans then backtracked. Whatever. We're back on gravel now..

And dirt. You can see the signs everywhere that this logging trail is a mess when it's wet..

Red Indian Lake is big. The logging road and powerline run the length of it..

I am not certain what function this has, but it would appear that the log trucks drive between to squeeze the logs tight when they lash them down. Feel free to correct me if they have some different function..

Lots of stout single-lane non-DOT bridges..

And on this Sunday evening (I think), a bit of traffic..

John

 

[02TahoeMD]

Thanks for posting your trip John. My family was up that way 20 + years ago....you have helped bring up fond memories.

 

[1leglance]

Amazing pictures and great trip with the full family..
I am very impressed to see someone getting their teenagers out for some extended family time.
Does it help to give them their own cameras? Does that give them a "reason" or a "purpose" in being outdoors or are you just blessed with great kids?
My 2 boys are opposites, my older will go if there are other folks to socialize with, my younger wants it to just be us so we can goof off and go where we please.

I also like that you are going this trip without a ton of mods to the rig, a roof basket, tent, sleeping bags and go! Very nice.

Do you find that eating out vs camp cooking is good for the family in terms of bathrooms, indoors or just less gear to take?

 

[scarysharkface]

Amazing pictures and great trip with the full family..
I am very impressed to see someone getting their teenagers out for some extended family time.
Does it help to give them their own cameras? Does that give them a "reason" or a "purpose" in being outdoors or are you just blessed with great kids?
My 2 boys are opposites, my older will go if there are other folks to socialize with, my younger wants it to just be us so we can goof off and go where we please.

I also like that you are going this trip without a ton of mods to the rig, a roof basket, tent, sleeping bags and go! Very nice.

Do you find that eating out vs camp cooking is good for the family in terms of bathrooms, indoors or just less gear to take?

Giving them their own cameras sure seems to help. They're both creative-types, and this gives them an excuse be inside their own heads and not quite so interactive with the parental units. And yes, we're lucky to have great kids!

Sarah and Colin hassle each other constantly at home. They hassle each other quite a bit on the road as well, although on the road there are more distractions and it's easier for them to forget they're supposed to be in each others' space. Mostly it's an age thing though, I think, and each trip is significantly easier than the last.

There is nowhere we went that hadn't been traveled by a local in a Toyota Echo or Pontiac Vibe, except for maybe the rocky beach at Long Point. The Jeep has a slight lift, which was comforting in a couple of spots, but really we could have done 99% of this trip in the Camry. The rack on the Jeep made luggage a non-issue, which was really nice for a change.

Eating out is expensive. I like that it's self-contained with available bathroom facilities and running water, which makes it easy. It's not quick though. Our original plan was to hit grocery stores and make sandwiches, but food in Canada just about as expensive in the store as just ordering it at Tim's. That was a surprise. When I travel by myself, I find I eat significantly less and most of it comes from gas station shelves and freezers. I'm certain that our greatest unnecessary expense was food.

Glad you're enjoying the pictures. I'm only about half-way through posting..

John

 

[scarysharkface]

Stopping to feed the black flies, which really aren't all that bad thanks to a light breeze, taking more pictures and stretching the legs a bit..

Every now and again the road brings us to a view..

Some of the bridges, while stout, are minimal..

Pretty much the view is similar for quite a while..

With rises and dips, and rocks sticking up..

We're moving along at a pretty decent clip much of the time..

John

 

[scarysharkface]

Then there are sections that slow us down..

The surface varies, whether physically or just by the late afternoon light..

For the most part, these logging roads have been fantastic. Occasionally, though, there are large immovable chunks of rock sticking up out of the gravel. Most of them are simply jolting if hit, but some are tall enough to eat a differential or axle and must be navigated-around. As they were fewer and fewer, I thought I'd better get a shot of at least a minor small one..

I can imagine this road being more than a little bit exciting when the logging trucks are running...

The shadows are again becoming long..

We take the time to stretch our legs a bit again anyway..

John

 

[78Bronco]

I have thus far managed to avoid all that. :sombrero:

Avoid the Quidi Vidi? Not so much. :wings:

I thought you werne't allowed in NFLD until you had performed this honorable and long standing tradition. Huh:ylsmoke:

 

[scarysharkface]

I thought you werne't allowed in NFLD until you had performed this honorable and long standing tradition. Huh:ylsmoke:

Of the handful of times I've visited The Rock, no one's even offered it! Too late now..

:ylsmoke:

 

[scarysharkface]

A couple of videos of the drive..





John

 

[d110pickup]

Thanks for the outstanding trip report, I enjoyed it.
Mike