Newfoundland Bound
June 1 is the day we leave home, with stops in Summerstown and Chelsea, Quebec to spend a few days with kids and grandkids.
It is very warm and dry with forest fires raging in many areas of the country. We anticipate smoke as we head east but there is more in Ontario than we find in New Brunswick.
Our first stop is in Fredericton, NB. It is rainy and cold.
A short detour the following day takes us to the quaint seashore town of Shediac, to find the world’s largest lobster. We purchase a small amount of cooked, frozen lobster meat we will enjoy another day. Today we have a late lunch of fish and chips. The PEI Confederation Bridge is just visible in the fog.
The rain is off and on as we move through Nova Scotia and work our through Cape Breton, arriving in North Sydney three hours ahead of our overnight crossing. We are thankful for the sandwiches we made that morning so we can have a bite of supper while we wait to board.
Our cabin is small but efficient and comfortable. We settle in by 10:30 but I don’t sleep until we finally leave the dock at 12:30 - 75 minutes late, but we do arrive on time the following morning, rested and showered.
We find breakfast of muffins and coffee just minutes from the dock then carry on to Corner Brook. It is not raining as we travel through the beautiful Codroy Valley.
Jef’s left the door open for us so we move our overnight things in then sleep for an hour before meeting Carolyn for lunch at Pollen Nation. Cheryl is helping her nephew with his new project - converting the recently closed Sorrento into his own restaurant. He promises it will be ready on our return trip in September.
Dinner is with Jef and the boys between a ball hockey game and bed. It’s nice to see this family again. Hospitality abounds.
June 8 we drive through Gros Morne - a drive I never tire of. We don’t linger as we want to arrive in Port Saunders before the marine centre staff finish for the day.
We do make one stop at Norris Point for washrooms and a snack, then we find the Jenniex House. The house was built in 1926 but 12 years later was hauled from Neddies Harbour to Norris Point over the ice. Thirteen children were raised in this two bedroom home.
Ambrose and Dana are happy to see us. We exchange news and plans then head to Colleen’s Chip Wagon for a late lunch. She tells me “when you left last fall, I never thought I’d see you again.” This warms my heart.
There’s still seven hours of daylight so we drive to Flower’s Cove to find the two icebergs, just where they should be according to the Newfoundland Iceberg Report.
Early Arrival Port Aux Basque
We are staying the night in Port au Choix at the Sea Echo Motel but first make the required drive out to Pointe Riche Lighthouse. A lovely red fox, still with his winter coat, lies beside the road, posing for some photos. The resident caribou herd are not out today, but a lazy harp seal lounges on the shore rock. The wildflowers are abundant.
We return the following morning to take in the Visitor’s Centre which we have missed on previous visits. I find it interesting that “in the past 4500 years people from five different cultures have lived at Port au Choix - coming and going as the climate changed.”
This historic site is home to the Maritime Archaic Sacred Burial Ground. The burial objects extricated from the site are no longer on display out of respect for the wishes of the Indigenous peoples and in the spirit of Reconciliation. We would like to see them but appreciate the decision to keep them sacred.
Friendly Red Fox
Pointe Riche Light
