Levis PQ, Day 2

Although everything was wet when we woke this morning, the clouds cleared to beautiful sunshine by 10 am. Not too warm, about 20 C., perfect for doing a walking tour of old Quebec!

We started off by looking for a street Karl remembered from 40 years ago, Rue Sous-Le-Cap. Our GPS took us within a few blocks but it still took a bit of looking to find it. It is so small and narrow that a large car could not drive through it.  It seems like a back alley now, and yet it truly is an inhabited street. 3-storey old apartments. Beautifully decorated with bright paint and flowers, I can see why Karl wanted to go back!

Old Quebec reminds me so much of the French Quarter in New Orleans. The houses and buildings just reek of history, so well maintained and brightly painted that you could imagine yourself back in the 1700's when Canada's history was happening!

One difference might be the music in New Orleans. There, Jazz echoed from almost every street corner, but in Quebec, today there was just a lone Harpist. Still, the music was hauntingly beautiful.

So much to see, you could probably spend a week checking it all out! We wandered along streets that felt right out of history. Everywhere we turned we saw many quaint little artists shops and gorgeous paintings as brightly coloured as their surroundings. Add to that the street cafes on almost every corner, it looks like something right out of France.

We were stopped so many times by people wanting to pet or ask about Max. He was a very popular dog! One man, Pierre, well-versed in cockapoos, also had a cockapoo and was just enchanted with Max. He and Karl really seemed to "click" and spoke at length, even discussing their old Navy days, and the Québécois attitude to the other Canadians.  If all of them were like Pierre, all would be okay!

Our stroll took us up some really steep hills full of artistic shops that came up to the Chateau Frontenac as well as the touristy area overlooking the St Laurence. Almost every building or house had a plaque telling you who lived there or what was its significance for Upper Canada.

We actually stood in the area where parts of the Confederation of Canada was signed!!

Slightly foot weary, we traced our steps to the car, and after checking out Quebec's version of an open air market (fresh corn for supper, yum) we found a park overlooking the St Laurence and had a picnic lunch. (The cafes were tempting, but don't always appreciate Max the way we do)

We wandered along the river for a bit and then opted to check out The Battlefields Park. The Battle of the Plains of Abraham was fought there.  The "field" looked like an overly large football field, but when we read the info boards, it turns out that the battleground was actually the entire upper Quebec promontory, so much bigger. Almost 100 years ago, they built a Park on part of the actual site and added lots of buildings etc. to tell the story. It likely would have taken us all week to check it all out!

Again the history is everywhere and, this trip, the people of Quebec have been really kind and welcoming to us.

So we returned to our campsite tired but happy, it was a good day!

Oh, by the way, as I write this it is raining again! 🙄🙄

Levis PQ

As I write these words, it's 9:30 pm, back on good ol' EDT. In the past 2 days, we have traversed 3 time zones, so the numbers do not mean the same thing to my body as they may to my head... lol!

We left our campsite in Sussex, New Brunswick, this morning with the goal of stopping in Edmundston, N.B. tonight. In the interest of having more "non-raining" time in Quebec City, we decided to carry on to Levis, Que. rather than stopping. 

The result was a long day of driving, sigh.  Good and bad of course!  Karl and I alternate driving every 2 hours, "usually", so neither of us get too tired. Trick is that I am not good at backing up with the trailer, or getting out of tight spaces, so Karl often gets a bit more time behind the wheel. (but he does not do much of the kitchen thing so perhaps it works out 😀)

We actually got a chance to do some fishing today, or at least to dream a bit. Check out the picture for today's blog!  At a truck stop no less!!

Another day of quick stops and a picnic lunch in the back parking lot of a truck stop. We finally made it to the Levis KOA (just a few miles from Quebec City) by about 7 pm. And then realized we had nothing for supper!  It's always fun trying to look for a grocery store when none of the signs are in English. We persevered and found an IGA, with rotisserie chicken, cole slaw, and wedgie fries. Supper was at long last on the table for 9 pm. Sigh....  

But it will be worth it tomorrow because we'll have a chance to check out Old Quebec City. 

Karl just left to walk Max and it's raining again - it has rained, just a bit off and on all day. 

Here's hoping that Murphy (Murphy's Law) will give us a break tomorrow!

Sussex, NB

Today was a long day that should have been a short day LOL!

We are in such a "zone" when we pack up to leave! We each have our jobs and it all seems to come together, almost without thinking about it .... except today! Seemed like a day when you take one step forward and then 2 steps back ... sigh!  

We made it back on the road eventually, although I am sure that we are carrying "another" souvenir rock, which Karl hasn't told me about yet, well hidden somewhere in the car or trailer. We (meaning me) had decided that the souvenir rocks just added too much weight to our little caravan. Sigh, we need to collect pebbles, not 30 lb rocks.  Anyway, there was a sheer rock wall at the back of our last campground. It had to be 100 feet high and all reddish rock, just beautiful. I am afraid it was just too much temptation for Karl.....

Now, though I don't collect rocks, I do like my quilting hobby. And, guess what? Most of the craft, gift, and souvenir shops also carry quilts! It's so interesting to see the different styles of quilting from one area of Canada to another. The quilts I saw in Newfoundland were simple and rustic, but also beautiful. The ones I saw today were totally different, more themed and some not pieced at all, but just patterned material, hmmmm. I admit that I did consider quietly buying one for home, you can never have too many quilts right? Not like rocks LOL!

Well, Murphy caught up with us again today. It rained on and off. The temperatures started warmish 23 C. But by this evening it dropped to 18 with a cold wind.  What happened to summer?

Anyway, it took us 8 hours to drive the 5 hours the GPS said it should take. We really aren't sure what happened! The campsite today is a new KOA in Sussex, New Brunswick. It is actually a farm (we think) that was converted to a trailer park. It is lush grass with some older but mostly young trees and sooo many campsites.

We again met up with Karl's Navy friend Daryl and his wife Ann today. This time we had the time to go for dinner at a really nice log-cabin style restaurant in town, and had a little more time to chat. Good meal and great conversation! I am really enjoying getting to know these folks!  We are looking forward to their next visit to Ontario.

Another "adventure" today was a stop at a Dairy Queen along the way, where Karl decided to have a small cone. As we headed back out onto the highway, it only took a minute to realize that the DQ had their cooler set way too warm, and before you know it there was oodles of sticky sugary milk streaming all over his hand and arm, so much so that we had to quickly pull over to the shoulder and he had to wolf down the rest of it. Luckily there was a little brook running along the ditch at that spot and he was able to wash the goo off!

Tomorrow we begin to move toward Quebec City. Haven't decided yet whether to spread it over 2 easy days, or just bomb on thru and have an extra day in Quebec. Oh well, we'll figure it out when the time comes ... 

N Sydney NS

Today there were blue skies and it felt warmish (for Newfoundland), kind of like late September weather in Ontario LOL.

It was a mad scramble to eat, and pack up to leave, because we needed to be at the ferry for 9:45 am. (In Karl time that equates to 9:15 am, he has this phobia about being late, sigh....)

We were lined up behind a couple, campers we met at the park last night (from BC) who have spent the last few weeks touring Newfoundland. They are pulling a 19 foot trailer with a Hyundai Sante Fe!!  This of course got Karl talking and telling our story. Turns out that his Sante Fe is newer, still a 3.6, but not the Sport Model and it has a special package for towing trailers.  The trailer is an Escape Ultra light made in BC. It looks a bit like an oversize Boler trailer. We got to see the inside, beautiful!  We met them again during the trip and Karl spent some time answering their questions about Apple Computers LOL, one of his favourite topics!

The trip was wonderful, hardly any waves, you could barely feel the movement of the ship.  We spent the 6 1/2 hours wandering the ship, checking out the observation decks, little stores, restaurant, bars, etc - lots to see. Once Karl had watched them cast off (to make sure it was done correctly) we settled into some comfy chairs with a good view and just read and dozed.  What a life, huh?  Karl was actually a little disappointed cuz the ride was so smooth he didn't get a chance to use his old "sea-legs".

Poor little Max was left in the trailer down below again for the trip. We left water and snacks for him. When we got back he was really glad to see us, and eventually seemed to forgive us for leaving him alone for the 6-hour ride.

Just an FYI, as soon as we got in to North Sydney, the weather was warmer, hallelujah!  Hmmm
Anyway, we are settled in a nice campsite, KOA, overlooking the river tonight.

We may be on the way home, yet, are hoping to find more adventures along the trail. We are hoping to meet up with Daryl and his wife again tomorrow night.

As I write these words, we can hear someone playing the bagpipes in the distance. Just maybe, it's to welcome us back to the "mainland". Who knows???

Codroy Valley NL

You know Murphy's Law still exists! Doesn't it just figure that the day we leave Gros Morne Park, the sun comes out. Don't get too far ahead now, because it poured rain last night and everything in the camper (including us) is damp! However, now it would be a great day to wander a sheltered trail and just feel the sun on our faces. But oh well, we believe that there will still be adventures around the next corner!

We started by picking up a gift for Karl's sister in law Heather. There is an old style farm, complete with goats, chickens, and ducks, right across the road from Gros Morne KOA Park. We had bought some strawberry rhubarb jam from them earlier in the week and it was heavenly. So, what better gift for Heather - we were told this blueberry one was made from the small wild blueberries on their farm. The goat met me on the front step and chickens wandered loose everywhere ... LOL! Remember the TV show, Green Acres? Looks exactly the same.

The drive was so much nicer today than when we arrived 4 days ago because it was raining at that time.  Today the blue sky, and the vistas of rolling mountains covered with trees, and cliffs with trees falling off into lakes, and beautiful mountain streams, just took our breath away! We have driven through the Rocky Mountains out west and they are beautiful, and these are too, in an eastern sort of way .. and isn't that the truth biy?

Not a long drive today because we wanted to have a peaceful afternoon at the Grand Codroy Campground. Our site is nestled in the woods with a lake just around the bend. We'll go for a hike along a park trail and then have a campfire tonight. Kinda low key I suppose, but wandering campgrounds you meet such nice people, like the couple across from us whom Maxie found because they have a dog. They are from Nova Scotia, but he told us stories about working on the oil rigs off the coast of St John's NL in his younger years. A little further along we met a couple from BC who had been touring Newfoundland for a month and are planning to leave Monday. Their 2 dogs (rescues from Mexico) came out to meet Max and play a while. And then Karl found another Roadtrek in the park so he's off to visit them. A big part of the travelling always is the people you meet!

Gotta go make supper. We'll have to be on the road early tomorrow to catch the ferry ... pray for good weather LOL!

Gros Morne, Day 4

Today has been a totally soggy and drizzly day. There has been a thick fog and a fine misty rain since we woke this morning. As I write this in the late afternoon, things have finally cleared a bit and we can see just a little bit of blue sky.

We spent the morning still catching our breath from yesterday. We even found Max sound asleep an hour after breakfast LOL!  I wandered off to do some laundry and Karl saw another Roadtrek van in the campground, so of course he went over to talk to them....

We decided to check out the Moose Burgers in Rocky Harbour for lunch, so we stopped at a restaurant that advertised a Gluten Free menu ... what luck!  Well in keeping with the grocery store just down the road, Karl had to do a double take when he saw the prices.  But you only live once, so, what the heck! (the moose burger with fries was $16, just for one!!!) Actually, the meat was a bit dry, but quite good, one of those things you just have to try. I asked the waitress ... the restaurant owner hunts the moose and that's the meat they use.

After lunch we wandered around Rocky Harbour, checking out the dock with all the fishing boats and gazing out to sea, hoping to see a whale, ... nothing.....

Then we wandered along the beach checking out the different types of stones and shells. We met a couple from London Ontario doing the same thing. They were about our age and in the midst of retiring. The lady was smitten with Max and of course we got talking. She was looking for beach glass in the stones on the beach - she uses them in the art and photo-art she does. So we wandered the beach to help her out. You'd be surprised how much we found for her! Perhaps she'll give us special mention when she finishes her next picture. Oops forgot to tell her our name! LOL 

Then a couple of hours were spent in planning our trip to our next major stop, Quebec City. We'll stop and hopefully check out the city for a day (assuming good weather ... Sorry, Arnie, but we want to leave the rain in Newfoundland). I've been hoping to go canoeing, but alas it is not to be. 

Time to start supper. How does one top "moose burgers"?

One of the shocks here in Nfld is prices. Gas is $1.29/litre. Cigarettes, small pack of 20, $16 to $17. Restaurant breakfast special $10.99; KD plus 1 wiener $5. Grocery store ... Bananas 0.79. Eggs 4.69, small jar of mayo 9.49, etc. Wow! ... no bargains here!!! 

However, still a fabulous, fabulous place to visit ... just come prepared!

Gros Morne, Day 3

I am writing this early before I fall over from exhaustion!  Before I start, I should explain that we had a great time today and are both sort of alive and well ....... relatively speaking ... LOL.

We set out just after 9 this morning determined to conquer the famous Gros Morne Mountain. It is the second-highest peak on the "Rock".

As we approached the parking lot to the trail, we could see the mountain rising in the distance, and that, friends, should have been our first clue. The trail starts a fair distance, 4 kilometres, from what we considered to be the mountain!

So with lots of enthusiasm, Karl, Max, and I set out. We passed some hikers heading back who had started at 4 a.m. and got close to the summit, but got lost on the trail in the morning fog at the top.

We thought that it would be a gentle stroll to the base camp but as it turned out, we immediately seemed to be climbing, some kind of foot hills. Would you believe that my fitbit (actually Mel's) gave me credit for 100 flights of stairs!! And not just stairs, folks, very few of those. Mostly climbing rocky slopes on a narrow one-person pathway, often over big rocks, carved through the hilly, rocky, thick woods.  I have always considered myself (and Karl) to be in reasonably good shape, but this was a REAL workout!! The fitbit checks your pulse and I nearly passed out when I saw the number! Some things are better left "unknown".

On the way up, we met so many great people. Most were determined to succeed and make it to the top, but a few like us were just enjoying the hike and hoping to LIVE long enough to see the basecamp at the foot of the mountain. 

At the rest stop along the trail and at the base camp, we got a chance to chat with a few of the other hikers. There were a few families with young teens, some with dogs, some experienced hikers, etc. One young couple from Ottawa made it just past the base camp and turned back when the signs warned that it was the point of no return and suggested they should turn back if over-tired or didn't have enough daylight to finish. Anyway, the fellow had meant to ask his girlfriend to marry him at the peak, but, unable to go on, proposed half-way up and turned back!  Another couple from Toronto told us that they were married last Friday and had been conned into going on this hike by their bridesmaid, Jacelyn Holmes, who told us she was a singer and fashion designer for large events for entertainers. She was sooo nice, and we got pictures with her. Not being country music fans, we had no idea at the time that she is a very famous Canadian Country singer! 

( www.jacelynholmes.com )

We were very close to the base camp when we turned back.  It was a large deck with info about the rest of the climb (for those who wished to continue). Lots of opportunity for gorgeous pictures. We could easily see the hikers climbing up the mountain. It looked seriously steep (looked like 45-degree slope), rocks all the way up.  And, a long way up. The info on the deck warned that the other side of the loop down the back of the mountain is more arduous than the front. So ... naw, not for us today and certainly not for Max ....... but maybe in a few years with some serious workouts, who knows?

The return trip down the mountain (the base camp is a fair ways up) was faster. We brought water, but no food since we didn't think we would be walking for 4 hours.  God provided for us though, because there were ripe blueberries along parts of the trail - we had more than our fill! They were genuine wild blueberries, the little ones, hundreds of bushes in the couple of more open areas along the trail.

We finally made it to the car at 2 p.m., over 4 hours from when we left it, and headed back to the KOA.

We had lunch at 2:30, stumbled over to the showers, planning to recover for at least a few hours. Max is sleeping now of course. But you know, he did well today. The only times he slowed down were to look back (sometimes quite the distance) to see if I was still following.  Sweet dog.

The old bones are creaking right now and we are are "done" for the day!!! 

Gros Morne, Day 2

Gros Morne Park ... woo hoo! We have wanted to visit this park for sooooo long and here we are!  Just like the TV commercials,  Newfoundland is showing rocky cliffs and crashing waves, lots of cool stuff.

The weather forecast is for rain for the entire 3 days we are here, sigh. But, undaunted, we set off for the Visitors Centre first thing this morning and checked out all the things we could do.  We also bought badges that say "I climbed Gros Morne Mountain", so now we are committed (well at least to try ... LOL)

Since the skies looked like the predicted rain might actually happen, we decided to do a few shorter trails today to minimize the chance of getting soaked.  

The Coastal trail is beautiful! Crashing waves on a rocky shore, lots of driftwood in every size, some as much as 100 feet from the waters edge. Makes you wonder how nasty things can get on a stormy day.  We met lots of interesting people and took some great pictures - blue skies with big fluffy clouds, couldn't have been prettier.  Just 6 km., but by the time we got back to the car we were exhausted.

Still, we didn't want to wimp out so we picked another shortish hike (2 km) around a large pond, Berry Pond, figuring it should be a nice stroll.  And it was a great way to wind down. Still, it was just across the road from the Gulf of St Laurence so we didn't totally get away from the wind but it was much better!

And now, we are back at the KOA Campground. I have a full chicken dinner in the Instant Pot (electric pressure cooker), and the weather is much better ... blue skies and warmish for here.  

Tomorrow we'll make the effort to earn our badges. (as long as it doesn't rain, in which case we'll have a cribbage tournament and put off mountain climbing until Friday....) 

Gros Morne, NL

It rained last night and we woke to the rumble of thunder. It was enough to make us wonder whether we should just put off our "tourist" travel for a few days until the world dried out a bit.  But after strong cup of tea, some warm clothes, and a little help from Arnie and Rita, we were on our way!

God bless them, they hooked up our camper to their truck and pulled it up the "steep" rocky hill from Furby's Cove and then another 40 min. to Dashwood! It was a wonderful visit with them and hard to leave but we had heard so much about Gros Morne Park that we just can't leave Newfoundland without checking it out!

The trip itself should have taken 5 1/2 hours but it never really works out that way. You need to factor in stops for gas, bathroom breaks, and of course doggie walks! When we were ready for lunch, we drove for an hour without finding any spot to pull over that looked okay. So we finally just pulled over on the shoulder and scrounged in the trailer, happily settling for leftover pizza from yesterday. Thank you Rita for making sure we took them along! (btw - I found that I could effectively remove the cheese from the gluten free pizza so it worked out well)

We made it to the KOA in Rocky Harbour inside Gros Morne by 5:30 so we set up and then headed out to the local grocery store to pick up a few things. Oh my goodness!!! It seems that Foodex, their little grocery, souvenir shop, hardware store.... etc. has a licence to steal. We actually paid $10 for a jar of mayo!!?! 

I suppose it would be more expensive to eat out. I hear one of the little restaurants has moose burgers so Karl is ready to give them a try ... LOL.  But in the end, we ate in the camper. Karl had a feast of shrimp (thank you Bob and Donna) and my feast was salad! Maxi was staging another hunger strike, refusing his dog food and obviously holding out for ours. It took him until suppertime (and just a little sausage temptation ... sigh, we "caved" ) to finally eat his food. 

We did a quick walk around the park. Lots of trees where we are, a beautiful lake and walking trails..... This is another superb campground!

Tomorrow we plan to check out Gros Morne Park, after we have our fried bologne and eggs for breakfast. You should have seen the price of bacon, so we substituted! LOL

And, oh yes, thanks again to Rita who donated several servings of home picked wild raspberries, some of which we had for desert tonight. Mmmm... mmm...mmm! At their place, there are zillions of raspberries growing wild everywhere! Marvy! 

Third Day at Furby's Cove

Today started early. Karl was outside early "getting fresh air" and Max decided that he would let us all know that Karl had the nerve to go out without him!  Not quite an alarm clock but just as effective at 6:15 a.m. Maxie was lucky I couldn't  find him when I'd stumbled out of bed LOL.

But it all worked out because we'd planned to get up early to catch the ferry from Hermitage Bay to Gaultois Island. It was foggy when we set out and looked like it might rain, but once we got to the island, the skies cleared and it warmed to at least 20 C which in Newfoundland is quite pleasant. 

We had 2 1/2 hours to wander the island. It is the type of fishing village you would expect to see in Newfoundland (at least it was before the fisheries and processing plants were closed down in the 90's). Some of the buildings are being restored and turned into quaint little museum exhibits. There are walkways along the water and through the village along with public decks and lookouts.  It really gives the impression of a community that is trying build tourism while still keeping some smaller fisheries functioning. 

We stopped at the local hotel/restaurant for tea and muffins mid morning.  The people we met were soooo nice and typical Newfoundlanders - totally friendly and open. 

Just before we got on the ferry for the trip back to Hermitage, we met some people who had just arrived on the ferry. Turned out to be Rita's cousin's wife! Small world!

Even the trip on the ferry was a treat. The boat was 58 years old, a sturdy little boat that plowed through waves and wind like they were nothing!

We wandered back to Harbour Breton to treat Rita and Arnie to pizza for lunch since we were told the local pizzeria had gluten free crusts! The bonus is that it is owned and run by Rita's sister-in-law's family. 

Since we were in Harbour Breton, we dropped in to see Rita's Mom for tea. 

The rest of the day we just relaxed, visited, and had a fabulous supper of Rita's home-made cod-au-gratin ... wow!! 

Tomorrow we leave for Gros Morne Park. 

It's been a great visit!

Second Non-Camping Day, Furby's Cove NL

Today was a day for visiting with Arnie , Rita, Nicole, and Jenna. So nice to catch up.
Pleasant weather (about 20 C.) Feels great, especially when we hear about the heat still happening at home in Ontario!
Rita and I went out picking raspberries again today. You would not believe, the bushes are wild and everywhere! And in between there are blueberries and partridge berries, both ripe within the next few weeks. I really enjoy just wandering out the door and picking. Rita has plans to make jelly and she'll freeze some for us to take on our way home! Yummm! The  only issue today has been the black flies who seem to resent us being in their berry bushes. I have more than my share of fly bites so I suppose there is always a price ... lol!
Aside from wandering down to the beach and enjoying the incredible view, Rita made us a fabulous lunch of scallops and fries today. I have had scallops before, but never like these ... fabulous!!
Meanwhile Karl was helping Arnie check out his Quad.  Somehow didn't expect that Karl would be excited about driving something like that, but just before I lunch I saw his face when he "took off" out of the driveway, "excited" doesn't quite cut it!
And after supper, a hilarious game of marbles that was totally dominated by Rita.
Well another day in the books, as I write this we're watching the sun go down over the bay. Ah ... this is the life!!!

FYI

Just an info item ... a couple of you have said that you wanted to add your reader comments to this blog and couldn't. I think I have it fixed now so that you can. Please feel free to do so.

First Non-Camping Day, Furby's Cave NL

Today started out with a doggy-walk around the village which took about 10 minutes, and a  huge breakfast at Arnie's place, followed by some general puttering in the morning. It was a glorious sunny day, giving us the opportunity to open the camper and car, and start the airing-out process, cuz things were still pretty damp after the never-ending rain a couple of days ago in NB and NS. And ... a chance to get caught up with laundry.
We also happened to catch sight of a school of porpoises jumping in the bay. Arnie and Rita have some binoculars next to the window in the living room, so we got a good look!
About mid-afternoon we all went to Harbour Breton, about 30 minutes , to join Reta's family in celebrating her mom's 90th birthday. Eight of Reta's 16 siblings appeared along with their families and tons of pot-luck food. Mom is sharp as a tack and still living alone self-sufficiently in the same house Reta grew up in, the one that was resettled from Grole in the late 60's. (the house was lifted off its foundation and floated on a barge on the ocean from Grole to Harbour Breton).
Needless to say, it was a very filling dinner and a very jovial event. Lots of teasing, laughter, and pictures taken. Add in dogs (one of them ours) and children and you have a lively picture!
On the way home we stopped into the cottage of one sister, Donna, whose husband Bob is an avid hobby fisherman and was kind enough to slip us a generous supply of freshly-caught shrimp, mackerel, and sea trout! ...  as well as a promise to catch us a fresh squid tomorrow! Woo-hoo!
Oh, Bob offered Karl some freshly-caught, raw scallops to eat. Bob thought Karl would "pass" on the idea. Boy was he surprised! Karl ate at least 5! (... and they were fabulous!!)
It is of course a little cooler here, with long pants and long sleeves being the order of the day. But the fresh and refreshing sea air is marvellous and invigorating.
Also noticeable is the absolute quietness here way out in the boonies ... so quiet outside that your ears actually hurt ... not to mention the hundreds of stars at night in the absences of city lights.

North Sydney NS

Oops, I had a good write-up for Sydney 2 days ago but it fell between the electronic cracks somehow. Anyway there wasn't much in it except for my griping about the massive rainstorm we had in NS so that we got drenched and the whole camper is damp, etc etc. But you probably wouldn't have enjoyed my whining so it's just as well I lost it!

Furby's Cove, NL

Today was the last leg of our trip. We woke to a great morning in this most enjoyable campground, and decided that after numerous days it was time to have showers. Wow, a little bit of civilized life again was quite enjoyable.
Rolled out of the site about 9:30 and headed up the Trans-Canada, making our way thru many miles of beautiful primitive forested mountains. Just a gorgeous place to visit! After 7 hours of trees, just as we were about to "loose it" we saw the sign for Hermitage Rd.
Ten minutes and a few gravel roads later, we were in Furby's Cove.  We had such a wonderful welcome from Arnie, Rita, Nicole, and little Jenna. Max was jumping for excitment like crazy when he got out of the car ... obviously rmembered his first home.
We were treated to a delicious salmon dinner by Rita (wonder how she knew we like fish ?..... Karl....) LOL!  Seriously, the whole atmosphere in Furby's  is just so homey. It's great to be back!
... and tonight we get to sleep in a real bed! ... in a real house!

Codroy Valley, NL

So today started off soggy. In fact even now Karl is telling me that the circulation is just coming back to his feet. (He unhooked our trailer in cold puddly grass)
We could see the ocean from the park, somewhere in the mist, but we needed to find the ferry.
Karl ever eager to be on time had us at the ferry terminal by 9 am and for once it was a good thing since "boarding procedures " start promptly at 9:45 and last at least an hour.
Poor little Max ended up staying in the camper for the trip, but he was a trooper. From all appearances, aside from jumping into my arms on our return to the car 6 hours later, did well.
When we boarded, we noticed a Roadtrek which was obviously enroute from the factory to a dealer.  Karl texted Sue at Roadtrek and discovered that another driver, Gerry, was on the ferry at the same time as us! Small world!
I am truly surprised that I handled the trip so well!  But I suppose between the Gravol I took (which had me sleeping for the first 2 hours) and calm seas, it was a breeze! For me the exciting part was watching the shore of Newfoundland appear in the distance and slowly get larger, so beautiful!! And when we got off the ship, such beautiful scenery!  Between the huge rocks which stretch way up into the sky, the wooded slopes and quaint towns, just like on TV........
So we arrived about 8 tonight at tonight's RV park, Grand Codroy RV Campsite. This one is a keeper for sure! Large lots with trees and views of the ocean to take your breath away!  And the people running the park make you feel like welcome guests instead of campers just passing through!
So another late supper (9 Newfoundland time) and another day is in the books. Tomorrow if all goes well we will make it to our first destination, Arnie & Rita's place on the south shore.
Night all....
Oh, one last thing ... dear friends of mine, Linda and Ron, had planned to go to Newfoundland as well and were to leave this past Monday.  Their trip didn't work out for health reasons. Linda's surgery was today. Please keep her in your prayers.

Moncton NB

We woke to the sight of a Christmas theme park just across the road, with a river and then a village in the distance. Beautiful backdrop!
We took a bit more time today, winding our way through the Appalachians (looks a lot like Pennsylvania) and past breathtaking scenery first in Quebec and then New Brunswick.
It’s nice to stop and just take a relaxing stroll and stretch every few hours. Max has been a trooper with the exception of his food strike yesterday when he refused his dog food, but was most happy to eat ours, hmmm....
I guess the most exciting part of our day was our stop to visit with Karl’s old navy friend Daryl and his wife Ann, but I’ll let him tell you about that.
Well here we are in another campground, in Moncton this time. We are getting faster each time setting up camp and this one is quite nice. At least I just checked the showers –they’re actually hot instead of ice cold (THAT was a fun shower yesterday)  and despite the scenery, this time there is no highway right at our back door! LOL.
Anyway tonight we are trying out our new instant pot pressure-cooker with a chicken.  Here’s hoping it worked because we are both “beyond” hungry. Toodles I just heard a beep! … Dinner’s ready!!
… Joanne

Well, as most of you know, I (Karl) was in the Canadian Naval Reserve during my  university years, and spent 3 summers in Victoria BC with a group of about 20 guys from across Canada. After school days, when the reality of life set in, a lot of those friendships had to get moved onto the back burner. However, today was a mind-blowing remarkable day, as, on our way thru NB, we popped in to visit one of my close friends from those days. WOW!! Just try to imagine meeting up with someone you haven’t seen or talked to for 44 years! Just a fabulous and heart-warming moment! It was super to see Daryl again, share some memories,  get caught up on some of time that has passed, and meet his lovely wife, Ann. Sadly we couldn’t stay long but have resolved not to leave another 44 years till we meet again.
... Karl

Tomorrow we are off to North Sydney, NS, where we will await Thursday's ferry ride to the Rock. It will be a shorter drive and we look forward to a few hours of r&r in the evening if all goes well. 

Riviere-du-Loup QC

Before we left our cosy KOA campsite this morning, we met a lady who had been a breeder of Kaasehunds. She kept her last show dog as a pet, what a cutie! We were told that they are somehow related to the Eurasia dogs which we were considering before Maxie arrived in our home. Difference is that these are “Maxie” size.
It was truly a day of travelling. Our little caravan (okay just car and trailer) hit the road running at 9 a.m. and didn’t stop (well mostly) until 8 tonight!
Beautiful scenery! Who knew that there were mountains in Quebec?  And then there is the St. Laurence River Valley, just breathtaking.
We did meet another dog person along the way ( we seem to attract them). This fellow is a trucker who rescues pitbulls. His latest rescue is one who had been in a dog fighting ring since a pup.  He wasn’t too hopeful about bringing this one around, if he can’t the poor thing will be put down … and not really his fault, sigh!
We arrived at what we thought would be a good park, Camping Du Quai, in Riviere-du-Loup. Glowing reviews, but turned out to be little more than a large parking lot with a pool and a playground. Very tight spots and almost no greenery. Back to KOA next time!  Oh well, we did meet a nice French Canadian couple with a collapsible A-frame style trailer.  They showed us their trailer and told us some of their travelling stories.  Have to admit that the quebecers have been much friendlier on this trip!
Tomorrow we head for Moncton, and Karl is looking forward to a re-union with a long-lost friend. More about that later.

Kingston ON

Well folks it's been a long day. We decided to pack up this morning and then head out as soon as the "wagons" were loaded!

After perusing our lists and checking everything twice we finally hit the road at 2 pm. About an hour down the road we started to come up with the things we forgot; like Max's bowls, and tea, for goodness sake! Have you ever met two people more addicted to tea!!?!? Well, best laid plans, next time it goes on the top of the list. And as for Max, he gets to dine from our dishes this trip. He thinks he is a person anyway, so we'll just save him a place at the table LOL

Believe it or not, we hit a traffic jam in Toronto - who'd have thought on a Sunday afternoon? We made it to Kingston about 7 pm and set up in a really beautiful KOA Park. Lots of things to do, trails, mini putt, pool, etc., but sadly we only had time for supper and a long walk. Met some really nice folks, but then campers always are!  BTW I am feeling okay but my voice hasn't returned yet.  Karl doesnt seem to mind at all, go figure LOL!
If all goes well, we'll be writing from the Quebec City area tomorrow.

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