From the Cabot Trail we had to travel 2.5 hours to North Sydney to catch our overnight ferry to Newfoundland. As we were driving the GPS directed us to the Englishtown ferry to get us across the mouth of St. Ann's Bay. At first we thought we were misdirected but figured out soon that this was the most direct route. As we stopped in the ferry line up of three vehicles in front of us, a motorcyclist got off his bike and walked towards us. He asked if we were lost and proceeded to tell us that this was the most direct route to North Sydney where we were heading. We had a brief conversation with him after he asked where we were from and he then proceeded to tell us about his time stationed in Esquimalt and how while on the west coast he took a great liking to sushi and that he wished there was more ethnic variety of food on the east coast. He gave us directions for when we got off the ferry and wished us a great trip. Such a different way of life here on the east coast. Everyone we've encountered thus far is more than happy to have a conversation with you and give you pointers to help you enjoy your stay even more. People are just so friendly here. The drive to North Sydney was once again extremely scenic and we just can't get enough of how beautiful it is here.
We enjoyed a fabulous dinner at Black Spoon Bistro in downtown North Sydney before boarding our overnight ferry to Newfoundland. To make the most of our time, we figured taking the overnight ferry would make most sense because the ferry ride was about 7 hours and this way we wouldn't waste precious sightseeing time. We booked a cabin so we could catch some sleep as we crossed the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Marine Atlantic runs twice daily ferries from North Sydney to Port aux Basques and we were on the Highlander ship. Our cabin was cozy with 2 beds and a private bathroom. The crossing was smooth and before we knew it we were docked and ready to disembark and start our lengthy drive to St. Anthony. Somewhere over the Gulf of St. Lawrence we also entered the Newfoundland Standard time zone which is a half hour ahead of the Atlantic time zone. Strange fact, it'a only island of Newfoundland that observes this time zone and a couple communities in Labrador. The rest of Labrador actually observes Atlantic Standard time. When time zones were established, Newfoundland was still its own dominion and as such adopted their own time zone from the rest of Atlantic Canada. While the government at one point tried to change to Atlantic Standard time, they were met with stiff opposition by the people and so they left it.
St. Anthony, Newfoundland, is located on the northern part of the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland and Labrador, and is about a 7.5 hour drive from the Port aux Basques with no stops. Once landing on Newfoundland we could have just made our way across the province to St. John's but we decided that we would rather experience more of small town Atlantic Canada. We also wanted to see icebergs, or ice cubes as Z nicknamed them. We discovered that St. Anthony was a great place for this and also for whale sightings. We knew this leg of the trip would entail lengthy car rides but it would be worth it because we discovered the best route to our destination was the Viking Trail coastline drive. All along the drive you see the pristine coastline and little fishing communities along the roadside. When Newfoundland put a moritorium on the commercial cod fishing industry 25 years ago due to dwelling supply of cod, it hit these communities especially hard and evidence of that is still present today. While you can see coloured houses along the shoreline, you also see abandoned houses and buildings as well. Newfoundland prides itself with its fishing industry and this devastated many families in that a lot lost their livelihood and were forced to move away in search of other work. We got some mixed messages on whether the moritorium has been lifted or not, but either way these communities will never be the same.
The drive up the coastline took us through Gros Morne National park, again entry was free given our Parks Canada pass. This 1805 square km park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage park in 1987. With our schedule, we had little time to explore the many different hiking opportunities here but we did stop at a few of the scenic viewpoints. We really enjoyed The Arches provincial park, which showcases a rock formation that over the years has been eroded by wind and water to form an arch. Truly an incredible natural site to see. This park is a great place to see widelife like moose and many different species of birds. Perhaps another visit is in order so we can explore the park more throughouly.
We made it all the way up to the northernmost most tip to L'Anse aux Meadows, a historical site where the Vikings roamed thousands of years ago. Reminants of a former Viking village were discovered here and you can now roam through the area and explore different replications of the buildings that Parks Canada maintains. They also have an informative discovery centre where you can learn more about the Vikings. While we were driving to the site as we came around a bend in the road, we saw a moose at the side of the road. He (at least we think it was a he) looked like he wanted to cross the road so we came to a stop and just watched. We'd seen enough signs warning to watch out for moose and about moose/car accidents that we didn't want to become a statistic. He looked at us briefly (and yes I did get a couple photos) before crossing the road and running into the woods. Long may he live.
Our first encounter with a Newfie was quite funny. We were stop at the side of the road in a small fishing village on our way up to L'Anse aux Meadows because we saw an iceberg and wanted to take a couple pictures. An older gentleman came walking up to us and says (need to be spoken with a Newfie accent): " Do ya wanna see a big one? Just head around them there bend and at the intersection's a gap and you'll see a big one." What a friendly gent. We thanked him for the advise and went on our merry way. We never did figure out which intersection he was referring to, but we did see plenty of bergs along the way.
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