Fording the Cabot Strait - Car Camping in Newfoundland

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Load Liner

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..

On the main land we call them load liners, the trucker would back his load of 2.44 metre (8') pulpwood between the drums to even the sides of the load before heading out on the public road. In Newfoundland they may have a different name for them. They have some interesting names for things for example the box of a pick up truck is called a "pan".

I enjoyed the pictures and commentary of your trip.

 

[scarysharkface]

Sorry I haven't been in much frame of mind to post lately. We've had some family business to address and I simply haven't been in the frame of mind to slow down and look at the pictures. I'll post more soon.

John

 

[scarysharkface]

I'm back. Thanks for your patience.

If you take one of the long ferries, and unless you're running the Trans-Lab and taking the short boat from Blanc Sablon, you're taking one of the long ferries, you'll at least want to reserve a dormitory bunk. Tracy and the kids turned-up their noses when they first saw them packed together as they are, but before too long they changed their tune.

Soon enough we were back on dry land and taking pictures of stuff. Dry is, of course, a relative thing..

We hit-up Mike's Lunch in Glace Bay for some vittles and his reliably-fantastic blueberry cobbler..

We made camp at the top of the hill overlooking Mira Bay, at the 99-year-old bungaloo where my Mom and her Mom played when they were young.

It seems we have company..

John

 

[crosbike]

What a great trip and stunning photographs.

 

[scarysharkface]

Plenty of time to wander down to the beach at Mira..

June 29th, and it's cool enough to make a knit cap worthwhile..

Look in the bushes anywhere, and you'll find strawberries!

Tiny and wild, and very sweet..

The flowers are beautiful..

Not mine, but I wish it were..

Seriously, strawberries are everywhere..

Soon enough it's dinner time, so we hit up Toad's Take-Out at Albert Bridge, five miles West on The Brickyard..

John

 

[scarysharkface]

Another misty morning...

While Colin, Tracy and I were eating groceries for breakfast, Sarah had other plans..

Everything seems to be blooming..

We hit the road to Halifax, hoping to connect with another friend later today...

John

 

[mires]

Looks like you guys had an amazing time!

 

[Motojournalism]

I thought I recognised that nut lying-down on the railway tracks:bike_rider:

Wasn't the port au port penninsula great! I LOVED that road...

Great pics John, I love seeing a different view of familiar territory. Keep it coming, can't wait to see more!

 

[Christian P.]

Great trip report!! I think you also deserve a seat in our trip of the Month contest!!

 

[scarysharkface]

Great trip report!! I think you also deserve a seat in our trip of the Month contest!!

Kind of you to think so, but I'm too early and have not done well with finishing this report! Family things have derailed it (my wife's mother died, among other things) and it's been difficult to look backward without revisiting what a difficult year it's been for her.

I'll wrap it up soon though, since it is mostly wrapped-up at this point anyway..

John

 

[scarysharkface]

We spent a relaxing evening with my friend TREE, and were able to hit the road again at a comfortably-late hour on Canada Day morning..

Big low-frequency radio goings-on at Sackville..

Although the name of it escapes me at the moment, there is a fantastic city park at St. John, New Brunswick. We stop whenever we pass through the area, and climb on the rocks along the Bay of Fundy..

Wildlife abounds..

It's just off the first exit South of the $0.25 toll bridge, and really is a beautiful setting..

I love the walkways over the delicate terrain..

Lots of leafy green vegetation..

John

 

[scarysharkface]

And did I mention rocks? Yes, coastline and sand and rocks..

My Grrrlzz..

Rock!

Colin has the greatest time taking pictures of minutiae, but still has trouble keeping his shoes tied sometimes..

It's just so very nice to sit on the rocks in the sun, listening to the waves..

John

 

[scarysharkface]

Miles to go before we sleep, so meandering back to the Jeep by a circuitous route lets us say our goodbyes to Canada, until the next time...

Before too long, we're passing through the new border crossing at Calais/St. Stephens, and then in a motel room in Freeport with our friend Geode (who managed to dodge the camera somehow). This pic will have to suffice..

The next morning we head to Vermont, with a stop by BlackHorseRider's place. After a few trial-runs with a milk crate strapped to the back of a BMW GS, she and her dog Journey will soon be tearing up the roads on a Ural sidecar rig for the foreseeable future..

As we passed so nearby, Colin and I wanted to at least take a peek at a connector trail for the Appalachian Trail. Pretty cool. Maybe one day he'll hike it..

Lo and behold, that's the last picture we took before reaching home in Indiana a couple of days later.

It was a fantastic trip, and just almost right at 6k miles in the Jeep if memory serves. The best part for us, obviously, was getting to see old friends and make new ones. The often-exotic scenery was just a very nice bonus. The Jeep has been a great addition to our family by making this kind of trip both fun and possible. Sure, we could have done 99% of the trip in a Corolla, but being able to comfortably drive the rocky beach at Long Point or the logging road along Red Indian Lake provided us all with a sense of adventure that would otherwise have been lacking.

It sure is nice to get off the beaten path every now and again, if only to breathe..

John

 

[BEVAN]

One of the best trip reports I've seen.

 

[scarysharkface]

One of the best trip reports I've seen.

Thank you! There's some fabulous stuff on this site, and relatively-speaking I am just a wannabe-poser. Some (okay, many) of these guys and gals are the real thing!

And I hope it's obvious that this was a great experience for our family. We'll remember this time together for the rest of our lives.

John