NFLD bound

[ckewley]

Well I'll try to make this as short as possible, it'll be hard to do. I have travelled the maritimes for 30 years, majority has been spent in Nova Scotia but a fair bit in the others to be sure, the one glaring omission is Newfoundland! I've always wanted to go just for some unknown reason I've never pulled the trigger. After last years NS trip I made a pact with myself that 2018 would be the year I go. A lot can happen in a year, such as I finding a lady friend that will put up with my crap (we've known each other for over 10 years) but that could have put a dent into my plans, however she also wanted to see NFLD badly, so you might say it's kismet. I love to camp so a camping vacation is what I planned to do, however she has a bad back so sleeping on the ground would not do, fix was turning my Rav4 into a sleeper....honestly I doubt I'll ever put the rear seats back into it, it rocks!! My buddy also inherited a "car tent" that he's never used so I couple that with my car & it's like a traveling condo. So really there was nothing left to do but go

 This is at Golden Arm RV park in North Sydney Cape Breton night before the ferry to NFLD

The ferry ride over was uneventful, the lady friend was nervous about sea sickness but nada on the way there, coming home though...well I'll leave that till the end. Ferry departs at 11:45 am for a 7:15pm arrival in Port Aux Basques. I can honestly say I had a weird fuzzy feeling seeing land from the boat.  We drive off the boat and straight to Barachois provincial park for the night not wanting to push it to Gros Morne, after all everyone has warned us, watch out for the moose at dusk & dawn "they're everywhere".  Not going to complain one bit, Barachois is a gorgeous park! A river runs behind our spot full of Brookies, nothing big but I was on the board. I'm told the lake that the river runs into has decent size ones, that will have to wait till next time  

.

Next day we head off to Gros Morne. Almost from the second we left the boat the scenery on this island left me speechless, truly breathtaking!

Now I'm not going to lie, I did fish... I fished quite abit but think I only have one picture with a fish and its a dink Brookie but I didn't land anything of note anyway. Twelve inchers were quite common, didn't seem to brake that record though. However when you're in Gros Morne there are a ton of other things to do so fishing does take a bit of a back seat, at least for a few days. I should also add, while in the park you'll need a park licence, it's free however. There are some rather irritating rules for river fishing there but that is my problem. I did mention a ton of other things to do, well the first one for me was the Tablelands. No picture can do this place justice, it is outstanding. There is a hike you can do, the standard path which is a fantastic walk with some spectacular sights however I had read somewhere about a unmarked hike that will take you to the top. It isn't on any of the maps you get from the park unless you ask for it specifically then they'll pull it out from under the table & charge you $3.00 for it. Worth it though

 

We started up the trail to the top when my friend got nervous about the big loose rocks we were climbing over, about 1/3 of the way up so we'd call it a day & head down. The Tablelands is one of only a few places on the planet where the Earth's mantle has broken through the crust. You are not allowed to take rocks from here or should I say not supposed to take rocks from here, they are way to cool looking to not be tempted. We'd have lunch off in the distance near the snow & just soak in the sights. Plant life is quite sparse here, no real nutrients for them to live off of. The next day we would putt around Rocky Harbor and a few other places/small hikes just to knock them off the map. I'd throw out the spoon whenever I could but wouldn't catch a whiff of a fish that day. The following day we were of to Gros Morne Mtn & what a day it would be.

Gros Morne the bald one on the left

The highest peak in the park & second highest in NFLD, Gros Morne stands 2648 ft & is a 16km round trip. It's a bugger that will zap you, but worth every body ache, man was it awesome. It's a 4 km hike into base camp, that alone had many folks calling it a day but once there you get this

 

My friend was rather miffed that she backed off the Tablelands trek so she was determined to make this one count. She did awesome so we ended up with views like these

 About 1/3 of the way up the first snow patch

It took us around 9 hrs to complete the 16km + a few days of swore muscles so we would drive to see Vikings & fish where ever I could without a guide present.

 

 

Saw some Icebergs in St. Anthony

 

On the way home we spent some time in Quebec at Gaspesie park where just outside the park there is a Geode mine where you can dig for them, pretty awesome place, & although Mt Jacques Cartier  is higher than Gros Morne it is nowhere near as intense a climb

 

I could go on for a long time with every little detail about NFLD, my friend is a trained photographer and she didn't bring her camera stating she wanted to take it all in before she tries to capture it......well her I-phone captured 7200 photo's for someone not taking pictures...lol. So I'll end with this, as a Canadian, either born or immigrant you owe it to yourself to travel this truly amazing country we all share. Some amazing things pop out of nowhere to inspire & send you in awe & it must be said, Newfoundland is the crown jewel. A unbelievable adventure was had & this really is the tip of the iceberg posted here

 CHEERS from the top of the ROCK

[lew]

Thanks for the fantastic early morning read, it looks like you guys had an amazing trip.

Like you I've also spent alot of time in the Maritimes and truly love the place but have never been to NFLD and it's always been on my "to do" list....hopefully some day.

[DanD]

I agree Lew.

A very good read for sure.

Thanks for talking the time to post.

Dan.

[b2kptbo]

Had a visit to NFLD a few years ago, had a great time, lots to do, would go back again.

Thanks for the post...

[Chuck Enwinde]

Leave it to Kewley to tote a 5lb bottle of scotch to the top of the rock lol.  Looks like great trip Chris.  The Maritimes  are officially on my to do list.

[lew]

I forgot to ask earlier, but what's the charge for the ferry trip ?

[ckewley]

Honestly Lew no picture can do the place justice, if you have it in you to go, do it!!!! I believe round trip was between 300 & 400, I don't have the receipt at work but will check when I get home. 

Gas was slightly more expensive around 1.40 per L,  Beer & booze in general was more expensive but everything else was on par, with Toronto prices anyway. Fishing licence for Trout was dirt cheep for a family pass, Salmon....can be pricey because you need a guide to fish for them, unless you know someone local that will vouch for you as a close relative.  If you dig (like) rocks & minerals then I'd highly recommend Meyer's Minerals in Pasadena, went looking for a coffee shop & found this place. You get a complete tour of the workshop & a lesson of all local stones/ Marble/ Labradorite , tons of stuff, neat find for sure.

[lew]

7 minutes ago, ckewley said:

I believe round trip was between 300 & 400, I don't have the receipt at work but will check when I get home. 

 

I guess that price isn't all that bad when you factor in the total cost of the trip.

We did PEI & Nova Scotia 2 years ago and the bridge across the Northumberland Strait is a nice trip and free, but on the way home they charge you $46 to cross the bridge to get off the island. LOL

[John]

9 hours ago, ckewley said:

Well I'll try to make this as short as possible, it'll be hard to do. I have travelled the maritimes for 30 years, majority has been spent in Nova Scotia but a fair bit in the others to be sure, the one glaring omission is Newfoundland! I've always wanted to go just for some unknown reason I've never pulled the trigger. After last years NS trip I made a pact with myself that 2018 would be the year I go. A lot can happen in a year, such as I finding a lady friend that will put up with my crap (we've known each other for over 10 years) but that could have put a dent into my plans, however she also wanted to see NFLD badly, so you might say it's kismet. I love to camp so a camping vacation is what I planned to do, however she has a bad back so sleeping on the ground would not do, fix was turning my Rav4 into a sleeper....honestly I doubt I'll ever put the rear seats back into it, it rocks!! My buddy also inherited a "car tent" that he's never used so I couple that with my car & it's like a traveling condo. So really there was nothing left to do but go

 This is at Golden Arm RV park in North Sydney Cape Breton night before the ferry to NFLD

The ferry ride over was uneventful, the lady friend was nervous about sea sickness but nada on the way there, coming home though...well I'll leave that till the end. Ferry departs at 11:45 am for a 7:15pm arrival in Port Aux Basques. I can honestly say I had a weird fuzzy feeling seeing land from the boat.  We drive off the boat and straight to Barachois provincial park for the night not wanting to push it to Gros Morne, after all everyone has warned us, watch out for the moose at dusk & dawn "they're everywhere".  Not going to complain one bit, Barachois is a gorgeous park! A river runs behind our spot full of Brookies, nothing big but I was on the board. I'm told the lake that the river runs into has decent size ones, that will have to wait till next time  

.

Next day we head off to Gros Morne. Almost from the second we left the boat the scenery on this island left me speechless, truly breathtaking!

Now I'm not going to lie, I did fish... I fished quite abit but think I only have one picture with a fish and its a dink Brookie but I didn't land anything of note anyway. Twelve inchers were quite common, didn't seem to brake that record though. However when you're in Gros Morne there are a ton of other things to do so fishing does take a bit of a back seat, at least for a few days. I should also add, while in the park you'll need a park licence, it's free however. There are some rather irritating rules for river fishing there but that is my problem. I did mention a ton of other things to do, well the first one for me was the Tablelands. No picture can do this place justice, it is outstanding. There is a hike you can do, the standard path which is a fantastic walk with some spectacular sights however I had read somewhere about a unmarked hike that will take you to the top. It isn't on any of the maps you get from the park unless you ask for it specifically then they'll pull it out from under the table & charge you $3.00 for it. Worth it though

 

We started up the trail to the top when my friend got nervous about the big loose rocks we were climbing over, about 1/3 of the way up so we'd call it a day & head down. The Tablelands is one of only a few places on the planet where the Earth's mantle has broken through the crust. You are not allowed to take rocks from here or should I say not supposed to take rocks from here, they are way to cool looking to not be tempted. We'd have lunch off in the distance near the snow & just soak in the sights. Plant life is quite sparse here, no real nutrients for them to live off of. The next day we would putt around Rocky Harbor and a few other places/small hikes just to knock them off the map. I'd throw out the spoon whenever I could but wouldn't catch a whiff of a fish that day. The following day we were of to Gros Morne Mtn & what a day it would be.

Gros Morne the bald one on the left

The highest peak in the park & second highest in NFLD, Gros Morne stands 2648 ft & is a 16km round trip. It's a bugger that will zap you, but worth every body ache, man was it awesome. It's a 4 km hike into base camp, that alone had many folks calling it a day but once there you get this

 

My friend was rather miffed that she backed off the Tablelands trek so she was determined to make this one count. She did awesome so we ended up with views like these

 About 1/3 of the way up the first snow patch

It took us around 9 hrs to complete the 16km + a few days of swore muscles so we would drive to see Vikings & fish where ever I could without a guide present.

 

 

Saw some Icebergs in St. Anthony

 

On the way home we spent some time in Quebec at Gaspesie park where just outside the park there is a Geode mine where you can dig for them, pretty awesome place, & although Mt Jacques Cartier  is higher than Gros Morne it is nowhere near as intense a climb

 

I could go on for a long time with every little detail about NFLD, my friend is a trained photographer and she didn't bring her camera stating she wanted to take it all in before she tries to capture it......well her I-phone captured 7200 photo's for someone not taking pictures...lol. So I'll end with this, as a Canadian, either born or immigrant you owe it to yourself to travel this truly amazing country we all share. Some amazing things pop out of nowhere to inspire & send you in awe & it must be said, Newfoundland is the crown jewel. A unbelievable adventure was had & this really is the tip of the iceberg posted here

 CHEERS from the top of the ROCK

Great report, thanks for taking us with you. On my bucket list! Great choice of tipple BTW!

Edited July 26, 2018 by John

[mamona]

Your post glued me to my monitor, I hate my cubicle even more now.

How long was the trip? How long it took you to get there?

[captpierre]

Great report.  I struck out wwith a guide 10 yrs ago.

family and van $700 for ferry

[ckewley]

Don't know if you've had the Peated 14 before John, really good for a Duty Free exclusive!

Thanks Mamona, we were gone for 18 days with a day and a half in NS & 2 days in Que. I booked it straight for NS to just outside Truro, I have extended family there, total time to Truro was 16hrs I believe, made good time through Que which isn't always the case. Ferry to NFLD is about 7hrs

 

[Sinker]

Best place on the planet. You would have driven right past my dads house on your way to lanse-aux-meadows. Where are the pics from there? Heck, you may have been on his yard, as he gets non stop tourists at his place (St.Lunaire-Giquet, White Cape Harbour). Too bad you didn't get to jig  a few cod! Did you get screeched in at least?? 

 

I am now officially home sick! My son just got home from 2 weeks at pops. Lucky brat! LOL

 

S. 

[Mike Pike]

What an awesome trip ckewley and a great report for all of us to enjoy too.

Fabulous photos by your better half too.  They really capture the 'big country' out there.  Brilliant!  

 

[misfish]

You only scratched the surface with that trip.  Great report Chris and thanks for posting. 

[Rattletrap2]

That is one fantastic trip report! Both the story and the photos! NFLD is definitely on our list of places to see. I was fortunate enough to get to see some of BC a few years ago on my companies dime and was awestruck at the beauty we saw there. I had no idea what we had in this great country. My friend from Asheville NC was traveling with us and he has traveled extensively all over the world. He told me that nothing compares to the beauty we saw in British Columbia!

In 2014 we went to New Brunswick, PEI, Nova Scotia and Cape Breton for about 23 days and found out the opposite side of the country is every bit as beautiful. We all know some fabulous people that come from NFLD, so it goes without saying that it is next on my list!

This post just confirms that we need to see it!

Thanks for sharing!

[sleepjigging]

She looks like a keeper.

[Jds63]

Sounds and looks like an amazing trip Chris !!!

Thanks for putting that together!

[chris.brock]

Epic trip Chris! Where's next summer's destination?

[SirCranksalot]

Great report. Glad you had a nice trip. I highly recommend Fogo if you go again, as well as Twillingate and Trinity.  The E side is better for some great seascapes rather than mountains. To me, the whole island is quite different from the Maritimes.

 

BTW--If anyone is interested in buying a bldg lot for about $20K with an ocean view just PM me. It's not mine but I can get you some details. 

Edited August 5, 2018 by SirCranksalot