Yesterday we sailed from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland on the MV Highlanders (named after several Notia Scotia infantry regiments that fought in World Wars I and II). This huge and luxurious ferry felt like a cruise ship! We bought reserved seats, in leather cushioned recliners on the top deck, with televisions and earphones--we were the only passengers in this  92-seat area. The ship was built in Russia and finished in Norway in 2004. She ran between The Netherlands and the United Kingdom from 2007 to 2009. It was modified and converted in Bremerhaven, Germany, to better suit the North Sydney to Channel-Port aux Basques crossing. It can carry 1,000 passengers and has over 9,300 feet of vehicle lane space.

We bought the tickets for this trip in February, and we were instructed to be in line two hours before scheduled departure. We were three hours early, and watched the complicated procedure to load commercial tractor trailers, the trailers alone, trucks of all kinds, all kinds of RVs, private watercraft on trailers, as well as private automobiles and motorcycles. Loading the ferry is a massive but precise effort and fascinating to watch.

We are not allowed to stay with our vehicles during the crossing, so we put Carlos in his carrier and took him to a special kennel. We fastened his crate to on of the metal shelves, the only pet so stowed this trip. We were able to visit him, give him water and loves several times during the trip, but he didn't like it at all, of course.

MV Highlanders

After docking in Newfoundland, about 6 hours after embarking the ferry, we drove 35 kilometers north on the Trans Canadian Highway to the Grand Codroy RV Park in Doyles. This is a different Canada--wilder, quieter, less populated, more natural. The drive to our park was spectacular, along the base of steep mountains on one side; some of them had snow patches at the higher elevations with waterfalls flowing from them. On the other side of the highway, we could see the ocean with many small islands and rocks. The drive reminded us of a combination of the road from Anchorage to Seward, Alaska, and the Oregon Coast. Our RV park is large and the sites are well constructed--we like this park a lot. We are ahead of the tourist season here, so there is no problem, yet, with crowding.

Entering Newfoundland brought us yet another time change--one half hour! Never knew there was such a thing! So for the more than five weeks that we are here, we will be four and one half hours ahead of the Pacific Daylight Time on the West Coast.

Today we took a 35 kilometer site-seeing trip east from Channel-Port aux Basques to the Rose Blanche lighthouse. This granite lighthouse was built in 1873 there are no others like it along Canada's Atlantic seashores. 

Rose Blanche Lighthouse

(note well in right foreground)

The lighthouse was abandoned in the early 1960's and its fixed white light was replaced by a beacon mounted on a steel structure at the mouth of the harbor in the town of Rose Blanche. Six keepers manned the lighthouse during its time of operation and some of the interior furniture and fixtures can be seen through the windows. Again, we were ahead of the season, and the lighthouse was locked. An outhouse and a well are near the lighthouse. I can't imagine that the outhouse was for the lighthouse personnel to use--it is too far away and there's a bit of a slope down to it.

Rose Blance Lighhouse outhouse and well

Note town of Rose Blanche in background

Rose Blanche means "white rock, the "rose" being a corruption of the French word for rock, "roche." It's interesting that the symbol of the town of Rose Blanche is a large white rose with the lighthouse on it. The white rock all along this area is striking.

   

White rocks at Rose Blanche Lighthouse

We also visited the spectacular Barachois Falls located along the road west of Rose Blanche.The base of the falls can be reached by a 1.6 kilometer hike along a newly constructed board and gravel walk. We stopped at the Town Hall in Rose Blanche, and they were very proud of the new gravel trails and boardwalks leading to the falls.

 Barachois Falls

The drive along this coast is highlighted by many lakes, large and small, perched on benches at varying elevations extending from the mountains to the ocean. The color of the water in the lakes is a deep blue that contrasts with the gray rocks, green marshy tundra, and a few colorful wild flowers (lots of dandylions). The lakes flow from one to another, some surrounded by rocky "fiords" and eventually flow into steep steams before entering the ocean. This one day of the natural beauty of Newfoundland has left us breathless and amazed. . .and tired! We did a lot of walking around the lighthouse and the falls. Carlos trotted along with us on those walks, and he is plumb tuckered this evening.

Following are a few observations we have made so far related to our Maritimes trip:

• We have yet to see any moose, whales, or icebergs; we've got Carlos on the lookout for moose!
• We are about one week ahead of the start of the tourist season and many of the attraction are not yet fully open. They are waiting for college students to operate them.
• We have enjoyed the fresh Atlantic seafood including whole lobster, lobster pie, and lobster rolls, cod and haddock. I have tried cod tongues and they are great.
• We lost our Direct TV signal when we crossed to Newfoundland.
• Maritime folks are extremely friendly.
• This is a good season for lobster--lots of it and the prices are lower. Good for us tourists, maybe not so good for the lobster fishery.

Tomorrow we tour the Codroy Valley.