CanadaNewfoundland and LabradorBonne BayWoody Point49°30’15” N 57°54’42” W
July 13, 2018 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
Day eleven. The drive to Gros Morne was a lot better than the drive to Gander. The sun was out doing its job; the storm had moved north and out of our concerns. We did the 4 hour drive in fairly good time with only one pit stop along the way.
We drove into Gros Morne and followed a narrow road along a huge inlet that flanked several small towns and villages. Our rental for the next two nights was in the township of Woody point, nicely situated above the harbor with views that were simply amazing. Walking out on the covered back porch was a pleasure each time you did it. The water below and the cliff walls that came to its edge were as postcard perfect as you could ask for. The rest of the house was very nice, probably the nicest of all of our rentals so far. It was a wood cabin with plenty of space for us all, nice bathrooms, and a very functional kitchen. The house also had a viewing room, high on the top floor there was a small room with floor to ceiling windows in all directions that allowed us to soak up the views when the wind was a little too much on the porch. I could have lived in that room, watching the boats and birds and clouds and the sun, then moon.
This house was also the perfect location to deploy my drone. I probably flew my drone further than ever before. I had perfect line of sight with nothing but open space to fly in. Up and down the inlet I flew, I hovered over kayakers and took a great photo of an older couple on a small cliff next to a lighthouse that I didn’t even know about until later as I looked at the photos. They were smiling for the photo too...
We all agreed that we wished we had more time here in Gros Morne. Our shortest stay in the most beautiful area just doesn’t make sense to me...oh well, next time.Read more
CanadaNewfoundland and LabradorGlenburnie-Birchy Head-Shoal BrookGull Pond49°28’30” N 57°57’45” W
July 14, 2018 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
Day twelve. James found our bed at some point in the night...I thought we confused him well enough before he went to bed by telling him our bed was really Kevin and Barb’s...smart kid; I think he can sense Heather’s aura or something.
Coffee on the porch: Holy shit what a place for coffee on the porch. I could walk out that back door with coffee every morning for next 60 years and it would never get old or boring. So we did the breakfast thing and the indecisive thing and the debating thing until someone..... until someone came up with the plan to go hike on the Tablelands. Sounds pretty cool I thought, hiking on the tablelands sorta implies dramatic vistas with high altitude and condors soaring around your head. Well I had a different country in mind apparently because this hike was full of migrating tourists that came by the bus load; all equipped with huge backpacks and the ever important trekking poles! So they don’t suddenly tip over I guess. James was being his toddler self and refusing to go an inch unless he was carried by Heather. She was developing some impressive arms I’ve noticed. The trail was ehhh... and the destination was umm.... but the overall setting was cool and different. The looming mountains were borrowed from Mars and we all learned we were looking at an exposed portion of the Earth’s mantle. So that was neat. Heather threw in the towel after about an hour of James’s dead weight and went back to the car with Barb. Addie stayed behind and learned about the Pitcher plant; a carnivorous plant that kills it’s prey by digesting them in acid that is kept in their pitcher like leaves... nasty. I followed the trail to it’s end and sat on the bench that was my reward for doing so.
Back at the cars we drove to the little bay of Trout River to dine at a very good, we were told, seafood restaurant. We were told correctly as it turned out, I had Newfoundland cakes; a crab cake like dish with cod instead of crab. They REALLY like Cod here, it being in their diet since...well since forever. But it was delicious and it came with a bowl of pea soup...yummy!!
From here we split up the group with Barb coming with us. James needed a nap and nothing makes him nap better then a curvy bouncy road, so we decided we would drive over to Norris Point, about an hour away and see what it had to offer.
Not much... but we did get gas and Heather and the kids DID tour a small aquarium actually; the kids liked it. I stayed out of the aquarium and walked along the rocky shores being artsy and creative with my camera.
At the last minute Heather and Barb took the kids back to Woody point via a water taxi. The hour long drive it took to get here, took them 10 minuets by boat to get back to Woody point. I drove the car home alone, stopping when I wanted to to take pictures. The quite car was weird and unsettling for a few seconds...then it was marvelous.
Home for the night now, more view soaking up, more whiskey soaking up, bath time for kids, and nightie night we go.Read more
CanadaNewfoundland and LabradorTrout RiverGreen Fire Cove49°30’29” N 58°5’59” W
July 15, 2018 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
Day thirteen.The morning was beautiful, coffee out on the porch is a gift from the airbnb gods. It is our last day here in Gros Morne, we have a ferry to catch late tonight that’s about a 4 hours drive away. So we wanted to fill in the time with as much as we could. Heleen suggested that Heather and I hike the Green Gardens trail alone, while the rest of the group check out the park’s Discovery center and then play at one of the local beaches for a time. We accepted.
The hike was a 6 miler round trip; so we packed a half a bottle of water and a banana and set off. To start the hike Heleen dropped us off at the trail head so they could use our car while we were gone for kid transport logistics. The beginning of the trail is very exposed on a rocky hill face that slowly winds you up to the top. Once there, it’s a slow decline into a very thick forested area with a lot of wooden steps needing repair. We were beginning to become skeptical about this hike and wondered if we made a mistake by not choosing a different one.
Soon the thick trees and underbrush opened up a bit giving us a glimpse of the sea and the craggy, dramatic coast line below. The trail then took us out of the woods and into a prairie of sorts...the grass was long but not overgrown due to the sheep that were roaming around. We had not expected sheep on the trail, but there they were, about two dozen some with lambs, all baaaaaing about as sheep do. It looked staged to the cynical hiker. This was just about as perfect of a landscape as you could ask for. The black cliffs merging with the black sand, the green grass in all it’s shades matching the blue of the sky just right; the off white of the lamb’s wool as it grazed next to a patch of wild purple lillies; all mixed to created a scene that was truly beautiful. And the best part...the part that made it all so wonderful, was for a time Heather and I were the only humans on this cliff prairie.
We explored the area like two children, each twist of the trail a new discovery of beauty. The cliffs were perfect observation platforms to view down the coast side and provide that little kick of thrill each time you stepped to the edge. The crashing of waves, the gulls with their calls, even the sheep, all played together creating nature’s version of Beethoven’s symphony #3 in E flat...
Ahh, but all good must come to an end, and our time on the cliffs of the Green Gardens was up. So back through the dense underbrush, back UP the steps in bad condition, back DOWN the rocky trail to the road parking lot to wait for Heleen to pick up back up; which she did, precisely at 3:00pm.
We rendezvoused with the rest of the family in the little fishing town of Trout River still in the park and prepared for the 4 1/2 hour drive to Port Aux Basques to catch the midnight ferry to Nova Scotia.
Traveling with kids just means that you’re gonna stop, and stop often...it’s a given. Traveling with a group of 9, three of which are kids, 2 of which are little kids means you’ll be lucky to accomplish 50 miles in 2 hours. Two cars trying to stay together in unfamiliar roads with funny numbers on signs is tricky...add crying, whining, fighting to the mix, throw in some hair pulling for good measure and brief moments of insanity and it’s a small miracle that we didn’t end up upside down in a ditch. After one such stretch, we pulled off the road at the only restaurant Google had in its brain that was nestled inside a gas station, and apparently the only “restaurant” in the area. When we walked in the small, cramped, busy I’ll admit but probably because there wasn’t another choice, dining room the place literally went quiet. We just discovered Newfoundland’s deliverance...
These people were related, you could tell...and not in the normal, “ you’re my sister I’m your brother” kinda related... more like “you’re my sister and my grandma and I’m your cousin and your uncle”. The “waitress” looked at us and sorta sneered, said something like “good luck” and scurried back into the dark recesses of what I presumed to be their kitchen.
So naturally everyone in our group is just tickled pink to be eating here and settled down in some tables that were free of people, but not free of the last 7 meals it looked like still sitting on plates and dirty napkins, with dirty forks still wet and shiny from something...all this mess just collecting flies and not a concern, not at all... to the friendly “waitresses” that were still casting looks of severe annoyance in our direction. The two young kids in our group, and with good reason I’ll add, picked this time to start making a lot of noise. James just wasn’t happy, he could sense I think, the deviant thoughts of child eating ogres, ogling his veal like shanks. I was not having it... Heather quickly took James and left, motherhood instincts in full bloom, and went back to the relative safely of our car. I told the rest of the group that we’re not eating here, because I enjoy my health, and left as well. Thank God they listened and agreed, otherwise I don’t think we would of left. That place had to have been a portal to the twilight zone.
The remaining drive was beautiful, the landscape turned desolate and dramatic. This part of Newfoundland is very sparse, not much here except amazing mountain ranges that when hit with the setting sun, glow gold and green. When we arrived in Port Aux Basques we found a simple seaside restaurant that catered to the ferry crowd. It was nice, because they mainly wanted us there and were normal. The food wasn’t bad either. After eating we drove a short distance to the ferry terminal and prepared to wait forever until we were allowed to board like last time. Thankfully that wasn’t the case, soon after we cued up we were told to drive aboard the ferry. We unloaded our bags and found our small, cozy, windowless cabin and settled in for the overnight ferry ride. Addie wasn’t satisfied yet until she explored the ship, we had to find the snack bar, the observation deck, and the gift shop before she was ready for bed.
The night was hot and stuffy in our small room; but it was our small room, we had privacy and our own space and the kids slept soundly.Read more
CanadaNova ScotiaBaddeckLieu historique national du Canada Alexander-Graham-Bell46°6’1” N 60°44’52” W
July 16, 2018 in Canada ⋅ 🌧 21 °C
Day fourteen.The ferry provided a pleasant wake up call promptly at 6am, by alerting us with nautical tones on the speaker system with no volume control in our room... in my fitful sleep my initial thought of abandon ship was quickly replaced with thank god this is about over.
We pulled into Sydney at 7am and slowly purged ourselves from the ferry, following the long line of cars out off the little port town into Nova Scotia. The plan was to distance ourselves from the busy restaurants and gas stations that surround the ferry terminal and find someplace quieter along the way towards Halifax, about a 4 hour drive away.
We did find that spot in Baddeck; a small lake side town that had a beautiful harbor and quaint little restaurants and mom and pop bed and breakfast joints sprinkled about. We all settled down in such a place with the morning fog slowly lifting around us as we ate a delicious breakfast on a wide covered porch that belonged to lovely little Inn. In reality the hostess wanted to segregate our toddler infused group to the chilly, still damp, outside deck so we wouldn’t disturb the other guests... No matter, it was the better option anyway and one we were all glad for. Afterwards we walked down to the harbor where there were many sailboats tethered in the bay and ample room for the kids to get out their energy. We also spotted a huge, beautiful double masted sail boat that was at port with lots of people milling about it. We discovered it was the famous “Bluenose II”, the “sailing ambassador of Nova Scotia”. The Bluenose II sails around the world for the most part with a crew of 23 full time sailors. Today we were lucky enough to catch them here in Baddeck, a stop for them during their summer sailing schedule. They open up the top deck for anyone wanting to see first hand what a classically trimmed sailing vessel looks like. It was beautiful and shiny, the deck just recently washed and all the brass just polished. We spoke to a few crew members who were scattered about answering questions for people. Like, how in the hell does anyone get so lucky to call this a job? The crew are mostly young 20ish folks who still have freedom in their lives, that committed to a six month stay aboard the Bluenose. The crew is then run by 6 officers and one captain as they sail around Nova Scotia and other far away ports spreading the nostalgic image of their beautiful ship wherever they go. It made me a bit jealous I have to admit, sailing has always been something I’ve wanted to do. So I pulled Addie aside and tried to plant as many seeds in her head about doing something like this when she’s a bit older... I’ll live vicariously through her.
When we finished drooling and wishing about future sailing adventures...that may of just been me... we loaded back up in our caravan of two and drove the rest of the way to Halifax.
For the last night we found another airbnb, an apartment near other apartments that could easily accommodate us all. So the ensuing debate of room selection and dinner options commenced, for one last time...
I’ll just say here that my suggestion of staying at the harbor front Marriott, that had next to it the boardwalk, the restaurants, the view, the all things I thought we would enjoy on our very last night here...was rejected unanimously in favor of this apartment in the apartment district of Halifax next to nothing... but hey, I’m just along for the ride and need to keep my mouth shut and drive the car!
Ok, the Marriott was very expensive...but I’m very easily able to rationalize such things while on vacation, especially when it’s our last night. Anyway... to celebrate our last night in Nova Scotia, we got pizza take out and ate it in the apartment. Ok... so everyone, including me was tired...the kids were bordering on mutiny and if we did drag them out for one last hoorah they probably would of suffered a complete breakdown and made us all, and the rest of the restaurant, miserable. So, it was probably a good decision to stay in...damnit. At least we had one more night’s worth of 14 year old whisky.Read more
CanadaOntarioDiscovery District43°39’29” N 79°23’29” W
July 17, 2018 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
Day fifteen. The bed had no sheets, just a fitted covering and a scratchy blanket...the blanket probably a welcome nighttime commodity in winter. It was July...
So no real sleep, again... hot, humid, uncomfortable bed...James. We dragged ourselves out of bed and began the tedious chore of packing one final time; we go home today.
Vacations are a mixture of emotions, experiences, challenges, and rewards. Traveling with a large family and small children carries its own special category of all those things. Today, at this moment, I was happy to be headed home.
We washed one last load of clothes, herded the scatterings of clothes, toys, and shoes into our bags again and extinguished any signs of our stay in this apartment. Barb and Kevin were the first to depart, we said our goodbyes and hugs all around and watched them drive off to the airport; leaving us, Forest, Heleen, and Mies.
We had a few hours to kill and had to be out of the house soon so we all went to a park nearby to let the kids play. James had a close call here; he’s become interested in trying to stalk then capture birds lately. If he sees a bird in the near vicinity he will start his predatory advance until the bird flies away, followed by him chasing it as far as he can. He went after a bird at this park that is pretty close to several roads...he spotted his target, and off he went. The bird, either very wise or very stupid, sought refuge in the street. James was going for it, Heather of course wasn’t far behind and in a few long strides scooped James up just as his little feet were about to cross off the sidewalk. Toddlers.... no sleep for the wicked.
After the near brush of toddler frogger...(that’s a game where you are a frog and you try to cross a busy street)...(clever), we grabbed some nearby pizza because nobody was tired of pizza, then said our goodbyes to the Netherlands contingent of our group.
We returned our trusty rental car at the airport and proceeded to do the airport shuffle in Halifax, Toronto, then finally Atlanta; finishing the already long day of travel with a 3 hour drive to our home. We arrived at 2am eastern standard time...about 3am our body time. But we were home, our home, our bed...sheets on the bed too...our pillows, our dogs happy to see us.
Travel these days is so damn frustrating, the lines, the security, the price gauging...(talking airports here), it’s a challenge no doubt, similar in ways to running a marathon. It’s exciting at first, followed by the thrill of your exertion; pushing yourself because you know you got this...then comes the what the fuck have I done? and WHY?? But then comes the reward of getting to your destination, the excitement of a new country, and of all the things your about to see and do. And when you come home you get that afterglow of having done something pretty awesome, of having seen things and tasted things, and shared things with people who you love and who love you. An accumulation of combined experiences that somehow become tempered into one strong memory, and the planning for the next adventure begins.Read more
