LABRADOR – PINWARE TO BEYOND PORT HOPE SIMPSON.
Day 131 – Good-bye winds. YAAA! Hello bugs. BOO! We got up this morning and the wind had died down, but the bugs were out in full force. We think we prefer the heavy winds. At one point later in the day, Rob said this: “It seems so quiet and peaceful out. You wouldn’t know it was full of blood-sucking monsters outside.”
LABRADOR – RAIN & WIND.
Day 130 – It was raining hard most of the night & it continued throughout much of the day. The wind was quite high until the storm finally left this area in the late afternoon. We were really hoping we wouldn’t have to pick up & move to another campsite. It was a nasty day out to be packing up and moving, particularly having to take down the tent.
LABRADOR – WINDY DAY AT THE RV.
Day 129 – We slept in this morning. The skies were partly cloudy and the wind was strong when we got up. The Ocean was dark & choppy. We saw large numbers of birds flying over the water, heading south. Migration has begun? We stayed inside except for a 30-minute attempt to sit in the screened tent. And we made a brief trip to the Wi-Fi just-warm spot, to check for emergencies, to check the weather forecast, and to see if we missed an incredible performance from the Aurora Borealis last night. (We didn’t.)
LABRADOR – SEARCHING FOR THE NORTHERN LIGHTS.
Day 128 – It’s September, really?! My how times flies. We got up this morning to clear skies, bright sunlight, and fairly high winds. The waves were crashing onshore, actually booming when they hit the land. Some Gannets were diving for their breakfast and we were watching from the RV. Rob saw a whale & headed outside with the camera. I watched from indoors. He or she was here for a couple of hours swimming around the areas where the birds were feeding, kind of languishing in the sun. We never saw it dive. It was probably a Minke Whale.
Minke Whale, Pinware River Provincial Park, Pinware, LB
NEWFOUNDLAND – NEWFOUNDLAND TO LABRADOR.
Day 127 – We got up at 5 a.m. this morning – we’re going to a new Canadian Province, Labrador. Actually, even though they have two separate names & they are two separate bodies of land, Newfoundland & Labrador are officially grouped together as one province. (The postal office code is NL.) Newfoundland & Labrador are separated by the Strait of Belle Isle. There is one ferry from NF to Labrador. It departs in St. Barbe on the west coast of the Northern Peninsula in Newfoundland and arrives approximately two hours later in Blanc Sablon, Quebec. Labrador borders Quebec at Labrador’s southeasternmost point.
35 miles, (4:15), 42293-42328
NEWFOUNDLAND – RALEIGH TO ST. BARBE.
Day 126 – It was very windy this morning, 54 degrees & cloudy at 7:45 a.m. We departed Pistolet Bay Provincial Park at 11 a.m. after dumping tanks. The wind gusts got worse as we drove west, then south, to the town of St. Barbe. The terminal for the ferry that travels daily across the Strait of Belle Isle from Newfoundland to Labrador & returns again is located there. This ferry operates seasonally, weather permitting. The Strait of Belle Isle is rather notorious for the rough seas during bad weather. But when the visibility is good, you supposedly can see whales from the ferry. We leave St. Barbe tomorrow morning at 8 a.m.
79 miles, (2:00), 42214-42293
NEWFOUNDLAND – L’ANSE AUX MEADOWS.
Day 125 – It was 44 degrees this morning & we’re getting low on propane. We drove north to do the Viking thing; it’s a big draw here. We stopped at several places on the way hoping to find some propane. No luck, but supposedly we can get a fill-up in St. Anthony, so we’ll head there later.
NEWFOUNDLAND – BRRR!
Day 124 – Cold! It was 50 degrees, cloudy & windy at a little after 8 a.m. Not a big deal, right? But we were surprised to see temperatures only dropping slowly throughout the day as the wind increased – 46 degrees in the middle of the day in August. We’d intended to go to St. Anthony today to visit the Grenfell Museum. Since it was indoors, we figured we would survive, but as it got colder, we just didn’t feel like leaving the RV. The kitties enjoyed cuddling with us & we enjoyed the relaxing day, too.
NEWFOUNDLAND – THE DARK TICKLE.
Day 123 – It was partly cloudy this morning with very little wind for a change & 58 degrees. We drove Route 436 today. Most of the small towns we’d seen last May, but they sure looked different without all the snow. It was a nice day and the scenery was lovely. Today was the end of Month #4, Trip 6. Our fourth month’s recap is at the end of today’s blog.
NEWFOUNDLAND – RALEIGH TO NORTH BOAT HARBOUR.
Day 122 – It was 46 degrees outside this morning. The girls didn’t have their heated pads since we have no electricity. In these conditions, Java & Grace always sleep cuddled up together, Luna sleeps with us, and Pixie has so much fur, she doesn’t seem to get cold. We hung out until a little before 11 a.m., packed a lunch, then left for some exploring.