Summer 2014 we spent traveling the Southern Maritimes of New Brunswick, PEI, & parts of Nova Scotia. The one thing we commented over and over again were how friendly the people are from theses areas. While camping next to a Lobster fisherman in PEI, from the town of Tignish, he made a comment to us that we just could’t believe. He said if you think we’re friendly you should go to Newfoundland.

Well Newfoundland wasn’t even on our radar until that comment. The more people we talked to about it during that 2014 camping trip, the more people affirmed what that fisherman had said that day. It was on our drive home in 2014 from Nova Scotia that we decided we were coming back in 2015 and making the trek to Newfoundland & Labrador…

Well planning for the trek to  Newfoundland & Labrador began in the late Fall of 2014. When I say trek we are not exaggerating. It is a long ways a away by RV. Getting there would require our driving over 5,000 miles roundtrip including 5 different ferry rides. Two of the ferry rides would be over night and one would be almost 16 hours long. We did a fair amount research before finalizing our plans including buying/reading Ron Jones book about his visit to Newfoundland.

7/6/15 – As always we depart later than we want though we would only be driving to Portland, ME the first day. We had decided a few days earlier to take the Ferry from Portland, ME to Yarmouth, NS. This Ferry wasn’t cheap. Though after doing the math of time, gas, and saving we decide to it was a breakeven and it allow us to explore the southern part of Nova Scotia, which we didn’t get to do on our 2014 trip. On the way to Portland we decided to change some money at the Citizens Bank of Portsmouth, NH. They are friendly and the exchange rate was reasonable. Certainly more favorable than 2014. Arriving in Portland we had to find a place to park the RV for a few hours before we could start lining up for Ferry. We found a place along the waterfront area, in front of a park. The parking was free/safe and a nice walk into downtown Portland for an early dinner. We decide to eat (Fish & Chips) and have a beverage at Porthole’s.

We walked off dinner on the way back to our RV and proceeded to the ferry line. (A word of advice -make sure you pack a bag before the line starts moving.)  Once your on-board you are required to lock your vehicle and head to your accommodations (room or chair). You aren’t allowed to return to your vehicle until you arrive in Nova Scotia.

Sailing the channel out and taking pictures is fun though we are quickly out in the open water and moved to the lounge called Piper’s to sit by the windows, listen to music, a have another beverage.

The ferry to Yarmouth is over night and we arrived in Yarmouth about 8:00 am in the morning. While the Novastar Ferry was nice and clean we had some logistic issues with the them that proved to be quite impactful to the overall trip. ( This is long story that will have to be recapped in another blog post.). Update: Novastar Ferry Company actually went bankrupt in November 2015 and ceased all operations.

While our original  intention was to meander up the east coast of Nova Scotia,  because of some mechanical issues we had to drive all the way Truro, NS to have some emergency RV work done. This wasn’t in our original plans though due to the faults of the Ferry loading crew we had some damage that had to be repaired immediately on the camper. A special Thanks to “Coach-Net” for their help, guidance, and customer service in finding a facility that could service our RV.

The RV service facility was top shelf and did an outstanding job in turning around the fixes in about 4 hours after arrival. Since we were already way off our original plans we decided to spend the night in Laurie Provincial Park in Grand Lake, about a 1/2 hour from Truro. The previous year we hadn’t stayed in any provincial parks and are not sure why. This park and the several we stayed at during this trip were super. Some of the cleanest facilities we have ever seen. They are self check-in after 6:00 pm, which is not a difficult process,  and the cost was $26.75 CN or $20.00 US – Very affordable!) – Our site was conveniently located to the bathhouse, walking trails and the lake. After such a long day it was just what we were looking for.

7/8/15 we awoke to rain and decided to try to get back on track. We head down the eastern coastline of Nova Scotia back to Yarmouth, so we could visit those areas we had missed in 2014. Although this was a total backtrack to Yarmouth we decided this was the best solution given the entire reason we took the ferry to begin with.  We passed Peggy’s Cove though since we had seen that in 2014 we decided to continue on. The drive along Rte 3 is beautiful even in the rain.

Luneberg, NS – Unesco World Heritage site

As the day progressed and the sun started to come out we arrived at the little town of Mahone Bay. If you  time we recommend taking a few minutes and walking through some shops and possiby catch a luch there.

Next stop is Historic Luneburg, NS. Luneburg is one of only two urban communities in North America designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. This fishing port is considered to be the best surviving planned British colonial town in North America. Along the docks is parked the famous Bluenose II schooner. Great picture opt for sure.

The rest of the day is spent driving the coastline finally arriving at Ellenwood Provincial Park in Deerfield, NS. The provincial parks are great with this particulate site close to the lake. Unfortunately the mosquitos are in full feast mode so we decide to eat inside and get to bed early.

Digby, NS – Bay of Fundy

7/9/15 We get and early start on our continuing ride along the coastline. At Yarmouth we have turned the corner on the map and are now headed up the Northwest coast back towards Truro. As the day continues we realize the Southern coach is much more picturesque than the Northern coast though we are looking forward to our stop in Digby, NS. Digby is a larger fishing village located right on the Bay of Fundy. We decide to have a picnic lunch in the park of downtown Digby,  which is right on the water and has a significant view of the effects of the Bay of Fundy tide changes. Probably the most fun was watching a young couple that had rented kayaks to venture into the Bay though discovered that they rode the tide out and now had to drag that boat through several feet of mud left where there was water just a few hours earlier. When I say mud,  this is an understatement. The tide change here is like the post cards and can’t be described but definitely needs to be witnessed. Unbelievable!

If the day hasn’t already been long enough we decide to make a push into the early evening with hopes of getting to Cape Breton and spending the night at Whycocomagh Provincial Park. By staying there we only have a 1.5 hour drive to the North Sydney, NS and the Newfoundland Ferry the next day.This campground has the cleanest bath houses we have ever seen. The site is nice and the person before us has left a pile of wood for a fire. Good thing they did, as the mosquitos are terrible. The fire allows us to keep the bugs at bay for dinner and a little post dinner relaxation.

We take our time the next mooring and arrive at North syndney, NS just before noon. The drive is easy and we take note of a KOA campground that is a beautiful spot right on the water for future reference. The views from this campground are amazing and it is certainly big rig friendly.

In North Sydney, NS we decide to gas up and provision groceries as we just aren’t sure how much and how affordable it will be once we arrive in Newfoundland. While there we stop at the local wireless store and then Walmart and decide to buy a data plan for our IPad with a Canadian sim card. In hindsight, this decision which took several stops on our trip to finally get working correctly, became invaluable during the time we spent in Newfoundland & Labrador. While waiting on line for the ferry we meet many others from Newfoundland and the expectations we were led to believe about this friendly culture was already being ratified.

After loading onto the ferry and checking into our room we decide to take a stroll around ship and then stop at the ship’ social area where beverages, music, and friendly people are already congregating. While in line at the bar,  I can tell the place is starting to fill up and I encourage Joanne to find us a table while I get our drinks. Standing in line I notice many passagers drinking a beverage ,out of a strange black can called “Black Horse” . I ask the woman waiting in front of me about it and she quickly responds that you must not be a Newfy. She explains that Black Horse is a beer made and sold only in Newfoundland.  We continue to talk while waiting for service and I begin to share our plans for the next 4 weeks visiting her country. Have I mentioned how friendly and nice New Foundlanders are… She orders a a few Black Horse’s an next proceeds to pour a glasss and  handing it to me with the words ” Welcome to Newfoundland”. I thank her for her generosity and she says no problem that’s the way we do it in New Foundland. I then proceed to order my own Black Horse for Joanne and I.

With drinks in hand, I turn around and begin to look for Joanne in this very crowded place . Upon arriving at the table I notice the woman, I had just met at the bar, is also sitting at the table with her husband and her Dad. What a coincidence. We begin a great conversation with all and 15 minutes later they are already insisting we should stay with them and camp at their house (driveway surf ) our first night in Newfoundland.  We had heard stories of others going to Newfoundland having the same experience, though we were still very surprised. Before we were even out of the port, our new friends, had already called all their family back home telling them to be ready to have a big fish fry meal tomorrow with their new American friends.

These new friends were the Neary’s and we were honestly taken back by their hospitality, friendship, and generosity our first 2 days in Newfoundland. They treated us like family immediately and renewed my faith in humanity in everyway.  We had planned on staying a few days in St. John’s to see some sights. Our new friends insisted on being personal tour guides, which allowed us to see, experience and discover parts of this area we never would have on our own.

The Neary’s – Our Newfoundland Friends -Portugal Cove, NL

7/12/15 Our Anniversary! One recommendation was to take a ferry ride to Belle Island which was visible from the Neary’s oceanfront home and proved to be an excursion that we loved. Belle Island’s Mine Tour and scenic views were experiences we would have never had if it were for our Newfoundland friends Tina & Brian. We returned from this excursion early knowing that our friends would already be gone. We had already said our goodbye’s earlier and signed their guestbook. As if they already hadn’t done enough for us, they left some gifts to take with us on our trip. (Note during the rest of the trip we stayed in touch with pictures and texts.)  After hitching up we headed to Pippy Park in St. Johns for 3 nights of camping we had reserved before our departure from the states.

While Pippy Park is a convenient location to downtown St. John’s, NL neither of us cared for this campground.

1. The roads and loops are very narrow and difficult to maneuver.
2. Kids are running around everywhere including right through our campsite.
3. The bathhouses are the worst we have seen on this trip and for several years.
4. Oursite is small and had barely enough room for our slides.

After getting situated at the campsite we decide to head to St. John’s famous George Street and have an anniversary dinner at O’Reilly’s Pub.  We had heard that this is a great place to really get the flavor of downtown St John’s social life. While it was a Sunday night and quite subdued the food and drinks did not disappoint us. We strolled George Street to discover why this street is known as as having more pubs and bars than other street in North America. Definitely worth another visit on a Friday or Saturday night…

7/13/15

We woke to rain this day, which was a pretty common occurrence for most of our time in New Foundland. We decide to visit “The Rooms” (a national museum), The Geo Center and then some more driving around the City and a visit to “Quidi Vidi Brewery” (This brewery makes it’s beer from water melted from icebergs). We decide to head back to George Street again for a beverage at “Green Sleeves Pub”. Did I mention that George Street in Newfoundland is a good time?

7/14/15 The sun is finally shining and it’s a good thing. We have an excursion scheduled with “Gatherall’s Puffin and Whale Watch” We arrive early for our tour and decide to do a quick picnic lunch by the water before our tour departs. Gatheralls has come highly recommended and we quickly see why. Very friendly staff, an incredible tour  with whales (humpbacks), puffins, bird sanctuaries, and great scenic views of the coast. This trip is a must in our opinion.

On the drive back to Pippy Park we decide to take in the views at Cape Spear at sunset. This is the eastern most point in the continental North America. The hiking on the cliffs, the lighthouse and the views are all spectacular. It is here we see our first large iceberg floating in the channel. We meet several people along the coast all there to witness the views and sunset and one of them told us we could boondock here to see the sunrise. We strongly considered moving from Pippy Park to do it. This will have to wait for our next trip to Newfoundland.

To be continued…