On The West Coast: Codroy Valley

 It was a much easier start to the day allowing Kathy to finally sleep in while Shadow and I had a longer walk outside the campground. Lots of time to take some great pictures.

We left the campground at 10:20 and drove a short distance to the Codroy Valley Wetland Centre located on an estuary. We (including Shadow) took the 3.4 km walking trail with lookouts to the Grand Codroy Wetlands. It is a "birding hotspot"  but we saw no water fowl, heard but never saw a few birds. The centre had some very interesting and informative displays.

We continued north along the coast with  the mountains to the east. The scenery was breath-taking. I had forgotten how beautiful it was. At times the  dark clouds made the  scenery even more. spectacular. We had our first moose sighting; one crossed the TCH in front of us but a safe distance away. I did not have to brake hard. We stopped in Corner Brook to buy some groceries and continued to Deer Lake.  I was surprised how much more developed it is. We are at a new campground, Gateway To The North RV Park. We motored 241 km. It was our first day without any rain!

Destination: The Rock

It was a very early start to our day so we could arrive at Hatchers Truck & Trailer Repair for our 8:00 a.m. appointment. We were encouraged to see a couple of motorhomes parked in their lot. After removing the generator from its compartment to vacuum lots of pink insulation out of the generator, put there by mice (the busy b******), the mechanic discovered that the main wire had been chewed but not frayed or damaged beyond use. He wrapped the wire with silicone hose to prevent further chaffing and we were good to go.... a labour intensive repair @ $184.44.

We were just a few km from the ferry terminal and arrived ahead of the time we were told to be there.
The day got a little more expensive when they measured us and included two more feet for the bicycles. We had to pay an additional $71.81 making the total $324.87 for the crossing. 
It was a very swish operation to load the ferry, the MV Highlanders. We set sail in a light drizzle 15 minutes ahead of schedule at 12:00. It took exactly 6 hours to sail the 177 km to Port aux Basques on the west coast of Newfoundland. With the 1/2 hour time difference, we disembarked the ferry around 00.

We drove 42 km as far as the Codroy Valley to Grand Codroy RV Park. (Jean and |I had stayed there in 2006 on our trip with friends Martha and Joyce.)

It felt great to be back in Newfoundland.

What's that??? ... the Sun!!

 What a difference a day makes. We woke to a beautiful SUNrise, already 16º.  We reached 32º, very hot but a good breeze all day. We motored 439 km through Nova Scotia, crossed the Canso Causeway  to Cape Breton Island. We made only two stops, one for  comfort and lunch at a rest area just off hwy 104 where we discovered the generator would not start. 😖 It was working when I tested it at home. We also stopped for pictures at a lookout on Bras d'Or Lake.  

We went straight to Arm of Gold Campground in North Sydney, checked in and then went to Walmart for a few groceries We also topped up the gas tank; it took $250.00 @ $1.70.7 / litre. At the campground we got the name of a business that could help us with the generator. Two phone calls later, we have an 8 a.m.  appointment at Hatcher's Truck and Heavy Equipment just 4  km from the campground.






First day I've had to wash bug splats

off the windshield, I'm not complaining.

Kathy did a major cleaning inside the motorhome. Shadow is really shedding.

New Brunswick and Nova Scotia

 It was our third day driving in and out of rain, more in than out but at least it was a warmer 22º.  We were able to finally buy propane at a  Shell station before we left Quebec. We learned that the station did not accept the CAA discount programme.😒

There were no rest areas along the TransCanada highway in New Brunswick. There was,  though, a lot of highway  construction, single lane stretches but traffic was light. In checking for a campground, we discovered that there was going to be some kind of a festival in Moncton  on the weekend and campgrounds were filling fast. So we continued on into Nova Scotia, 607 km to a campground we have stayed at before in Amherst, Loch Lomond RV Park.

We  stopped at the Welcome Centre to Nova Scotia; it closes at 4:30. Imagine! In August!?? We were there around 5:30. (We lost an hour when we crossed into Atlantic time in New Brunswick.)

The sun came out briefly at the campground; it was delightful.

La Belle Province

 We left the campground at 8:00 (a very organized and efficient departure for our first get away from a  campground.)  We   topped up the gas tank in Bainsville before entering Quebec where gas is more expensive. We made great time around Montreal by taking the new  highway A 30. It's a toll road but worth every penny to miss the horrendous traffic through Montreal. We had  a nice comfort stop at a Halte Routière on the highway  but unfortunately the next two rest areas were "fermé".😞

We drove 533 km to a campground  near Rivière du Loup, Camping Chez Jean,  not a quick off - quick on campground, but a good 15 km off the autoroute. 2024 marks  my 30th year RVing and surprising another first, one of the  many amenities at this campground including  the one for golfers.🠇

It was our second day driving through rain much of the day, at times very heavy and a high of only 16º. One plus, no bugs to clean off the windshield!

🎶 On the Road again ... 🎶

It was our first day back on the road since September 2021 and sure felt great despite the weather....very windy, showers off and on and a steady rain from Arnprior to the campground in Bainsville. We motored 541 km with four stops on the way. We are at Maplewood Acres RV Park

The highlight of our day was a visit from our friends Pat & Carole who brought a delicious cheesy  chicken  casserole for dinner.