Saturday, August 29, 2015

Catching up - Part deux

August 17, 2015

I was looking for a hotel in Corner Brook and saw that they had a Comfort Inn.  I thought, Oh, that'll work - clean and fairly cheap.  I went in to ask about a room (they had one available) and the price.  $185 per night.  Whaaaaat?!?!  Are you kidding me?!?  You're a frikkin Comfort Inn.  No Comfort Inn anywhere is worth $185 per night.  Is that your best rate?  Yes.  Seriously?  Thanks, I'll look elsewhere.  

I found the Glynmill Inn.  Really nice place for about $100 per night.  They had a good restaurant, the room was really comfy.  If you're in Corner Brook and need a place, I suggest this one.





August 18, 2015

I had time to kill before I got to the ferry so I went on a side trip to Cape St. George.  It just looked interesting on the map.  Glad I went too.  It was a nice ride and ended up at a park.  It was dedicated to the Acadians who were removed from the area in the mid-1700's.

From the Newfoundland Labrador website news article:
The Grand Dérangement, also known as the Great Upheaval, was the forced removal of Acadian people during the Seven Years’ War from the Canadian Maritime Provinces to the British Colonies between 1755 and 1763. While many Acadians were deported to such areas as England, France, Massachusetts, Virginia, and Maryland, others resettled in Louisiana, Quebec, Miquelon, and all around St. George’s Bay on the west coast of Newfoundland.

When I arrived, a couple of gals were cooking bread in an outdoor wood fired oven.  Later they served that bread in the visitor center.  Oh my, was it good!! 

I hiked around the trails a bit and went to look at a colony of nesting kittiwakes.  It was hard to see because they were on the side of a cliff that didn't really have a good view.  There was supposed to be another colony but it was too far away.

All in all, it was a great way to spend the time.

Scenery...





Pretty scenery everywhere and then I came around a corner to this:


What is it you ask?  Mining.  Open mining of a "mountain" top.  A local told me they'd been mining this site for 30 years.

Pretty but invasive (purple loosestrife).  



The monument at the park.















I rode through the town of Stephenville which was actually quite a large town.  The road goes through an abandoned US Air Force station.




I rode down to Port aux Basques where the ferry terminal was.  I got some food at a nice little restaurant there and chatted with some folks who were scheduled to leave on the morning ferry.  Then I went next door to a small park where a band set up and starting playing tunes.  What was funny was that they had a drum machine and for every song they played, they used the same 3/4 time sequence.  I guess that beats (heh heh) paying a drummer.

Finally, I went to the ferry terminal to get in line.  Chatted with a group of guys who had taken the Argentia ferry over to the east coast and ridden their 4 wheelers all the way across to the Port aux Basques ferry.  I bet that was a fun trip!  Then there was a fella from Alabama who was traveling around with his elderly mom in their RV.  He was an interesting fella.  Then there was Jeff and Peter who where on a couple of GS BMWs.  I'd run into them a few times the next day as we all traveled around the Cabot Trail. 

I didn't get a cabin on the ferry.  I had a reserved seat along with a bazillion other people.  Think airplane with slightly more room.  The seat barely reclined and the footrest hit the back of my knees.  Not even remotely comfortable.  I ended up sleeping on the floor.  But before that, it was screaming kids.  Not just whiney, but SCREAMING bloody murder.  Holy shit people, it's midnight.  Can we get a little quiet please?  Plus it was hotter than hell.  I tried to go find some cooler air but no luck.  Finally I went in and laid down on the floor with earplugs in (could still hear the screamers) and covered my eyes with my buff.  They eventually turned the lights off thank goodness.  Ugh.  If you ever go across, get a cabin.  Don't go if you don't have a cabin.  That was miserable.

The ferry arriving in Port aux Basques.


The pilot turns this huge boat around in this narrow approach and backs it into place at the dock.




Add video.

The band playing.



View from my seat on the ferry.  This is in the morning prior to arrival in North Sydney Nova Scotia.




Next up:  Cabot Trail.

No comments:

Post a Comment