NEWFOUNDLAND – BUTTER POT TO PARADISE.
Day 61 – At 7:30 a.m. it was 48 degrees and sunny. Because we were going to a place where there were no rules & regulations to follow, we didn’t have to follow campground guidelines regarding check-in time. We wanted to get there early and the drive was supposed to be only 88 km which meant we should’ve easily gotten there by noon, allowing us a nice, long, relaxing afternoon.
89 miles, (2:40), 40366-40455
We had a few chores to do before packing up, then after we got all ready to go, we still had to dump tanks and fill up with fresh water for our new campground (which does not have any hook-ups at all). The dump station was located all the way at the beginning of Butter Pot Park, while the water station was located at the far rear of the Park fairly near our campsite. The Honda tow car was disconnected from the RV at this point; I was to follow Rob in the Honda. Well, I was a bit behind Rob and I thought he turned into the water station. I went that way and didn’t see him. So I figured maybe he was going to dump first, so I drove to the dump station which is all the way thru the campground (it is a very large campground). Finally I got to the dump station and he wasn’t there either. So I’m thinking that I must’ve taken too long to reach the dump station and he’s finished dumping and has now headed back to the water station. I turned around and began to travel all the way back to the rear of the campground. I had to pass the ranger’s station on the way in, and I asked her if she’d seen a Winnebago Vista go by in the last 15 or so minutes. No, she said, why? I said, I’ve lost my husband. I was driving to the water station when Rob & the RV came around the corner, driving in the opposite direction. Sigh. Turned out he WAS at the water station but was parked behind the building and I didn’t see him. So we hooked the car up to the RV and headed out finally, at 12:10 p.m. I thought, well, at least it’s a short journey ahead, Ha.
We got on the TCH, heading south out of the Park, then west. getting off on the exit for the next peninsula and Route 75 north. On the TCH, traffic was slowed due to a truck running off the road. Thank goodness it only slowed our side down a little bit. It wasn’t too long on Route 75 before we hit a detour due to road work. The highway was shut down for quite a distance and we were in a long line of stop and go traffic on a narrow, rough, two-lane road. It was quite a while before we made our way back to Highway 75. We encountered several other times of bad traffic jams on this journey, all due to road work, and it was very slow going. We also had to go slow because of the road conditions throughout. And, we had to stop for gas which takes a long time in the RV, and a lunch break. We thought we’d never get to our destination.
Click any picture below to see a slideshow.
We arrived at Grates Cove at 2:50 p.m. It took us almost 3 hours to travel this supposedly short distance. The traffic felt like traveling in the big city during rush hour on a very bad road. We are not equipped for everyday stress anymore. The girls were not thrilled either. But as soon as we pulled into our campsite in the parking lot facing the North Atlantic, surrounded by the rocky cliffs, and the only noise was seagulls? Even Gracie stopped complaining.
Earlier today, after we unpacked and set up camp, there was a narrow, dark grey line of fog just above the horizon. It was warm in the sun and the wind was light. We put the chairs out by the RV on the cliff overlooking the entire cove below us. This was the most interesting fog we’d ever seen. At its peak it was surreal, almost like a painting; I tried getting pictures but I’m afraid the pictures don’t show it the way we saw it. The fog started out as that one narrow dark grey line, then it rose some and the dark line thickened, and it moved forward towards us. It left behind an area of deep blue sea visible as being above the grey line of fog. Then more fog moved in but it was a little lavender in color. And then, on top of that was a thick white layer. It almost seemed like we were watching the northern lights. We’d never seen fog break into colored streaks like a grey, purple, blue, and white rainbow all along the horizon. Awesome!
After dinner: Today was an incredible day. We found Paradise. Grates Cove is AMAZING. The day didn’t start out perfect, a bit irritating actually, but it got lots better as the day progressed. We are parked on a cliff in a small cove, overlooking the North Atlantic Ocean. To the west of us is one side of the cove. The rocky hill is covered in fluorescent green grass & moss, its cliffsides rolling gently down to the sea. On it are several old, unpretentious homes and their shadows reflect on the brilliant green grasses. As the cliff winds a little farther out to the crashing waves, it becomes more rocky, and it is without the green grass. The rocks are large and jutting out, the cliffs below shine red in the setting sun. Below us and to the west is the town wharf where all the fishing boats come and go. A walkway leads from where we’re parked down to the rocks at the sea. There is a small park with a few picnic tables. To the east of us, we see three old (they look original) homes perched on the cliffs. Several small rock islands sit right below the cliffs, below the houses. Behind us in the short distance is a series of small rock hills, each taller than the last. In between us and the rock hills are scattered older homes of various colors and a small farm where two cows nuzzle each other and play together in the field. The front of the RV views this entire spanse. This is Free RV Parking in Grates Cove, Newfoundland. We are the only ones parked here. And we can stay as long as we like.
NOTE: Internet & cell phone signals are quite rare here. Once in a while, we’ll get a brief signal that looks promising. It disappears within a minute. We are unable to load the pictures to the blog & cannot post it. We’ve tried to make phone calls, text and send e-mails without any luck. Again the blog posts will have to be sent out late, in a group once we’re somewhere with a steady connection.