DAY 40 Montreal to Home

June 28, 2013
Heading home!  The end of our 40 day trip to Newfoundland, Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick in our 24 foot class C motorhome.


David set the alarm for a way-to-early 4 am.  It is Friday and we wanted to beat any traffic going into montreal…we did!   Had breakfast out and restocked gas to just get rid of any leftover money (definitely not a good value but nothing else was open).  Driving to the border we hit a customs line that was about 20 minutes to ½ hour long…that we didn’t expect.  Arrived home safely with no incidents or dramatic motorhome repairs…yeah!

 

Welcome home sign and line!

We had a great time…loved Newfoundland and Labrador and its people and wide open spaces, desolate roads, etc.  Quebec, despite the language barrier, we enjoyed passing through and would like to return to see some of the Gaspe’ peninsula on a short trip.  I would bring a French/English translation book though…to help with the severe language barrier.  Nova Scotia was scenic and we would see more of that if we get a chance to return to Newfoundland along with New Brunswick.    We loved the time of year we selected with its crisp cool weather and no bugs until the end.

Total moneys spents were $5400 for 40 days of fun.  We did end up shortening the trip a little along the way because we didn’t need as much time in some places as I had planned (my planning was based on other people’s trip reports).  My trip was done my way.  We only stayed two places for two nights…the remaining places we stayed were enroute to somewhere else….travelling hotel.  There was so much to see in Newfoundland with its 5580 miles of coastline we didn’t know where we would end up next.  We may end up revisiting at a later date but it would not include Labrador (not because we didn’t like it) mostly because of nasty route 389.   Since we are frugal, I can assure you YOUR trip would cost more!

I’ve returned with a true appreciation for the quality of American highways (except Pennsylvania), for a good loaf of french bread (thank you Quebec…) FRESH vegetables and fruits readily available.  Oh, and all the people in Quebec that we spoke with (or actually tried to speak with) were very nice to us and appreciated it when we made big fumbling attempts at French words (not sentences...no skill level there).

 

Some STATS: 

Meals out - $714 (almost twice what I expected)

Gas - $2619 (at 10 miles per gallon)

Ferries - $314

Food - $577 (brought our pantry items)

We stayed in campgrounds only 11 nights, 29 nights were free camping spots

Miles travelled from NY to ME to New Brunswick to Nova Scotia (cape Breton) to Newfoundland to Labrador to Quebec to NY - 6002 miles

Stay tuned for our next trip report...the WILD WEST 2013 trip will begin approx. September 30th.

 
Feel free to ask any questions you may have about travel in Newfoundland or Labrador...we would be happy to answer in the comments section.  Donna

DAY 39 Manic 5 to Baie Comeau to TCH/route 20 before Montreal

Waiting for FREE ferry on Quebec 138

June 27, 2013
Driving the last of Quebec 389...
This morning I awoke at 4:25 am because someone left the heat on from yesterday; it was hot (62 degrees) in the camper (lots of blankets on).  I woke David and offered him the opportunity to beat the 40 or so trucks parked at the truck stop plus the log trucks we would meet along the way.  It was dawn and the sunrise was beautiful; then it rained ½ the day.

 

Here we re on the ten minute ferry

We thought that probably ½ of the 40 trucks in the truck stop were probably going to be breathing down our backs on the way out along with the log trucks that work the area from Manic 5 south.  We left within 5 minutes and kept checking the rearview mirror to see if they were there yet.  There were three wide loads that we were most concerned about with very few places to pull over.  The roads were winding but the up and downs to Baie Comeau were not real steep like they were before Manic 5. 

 



Another cloudy day in Quebec...on the ferry

LUCK was on our side as it took us three hours to get down there (126 miles approx.) and not one truck was behind us ever.  Maybe four small vehicles passed us but that was it.  Sited a roadside bear and moose bum.

Had breakfast out maybe 60 miles down the route 138 and then saw two of the mobile office/wide loads in a parking lot!  They obviously weren’t far behind us and they drive FAST.  All the trucks are pushing it up the hills and down.


David likes the free part of ferry.

 

After Baie Comeau on the St. Lawrence it gets scenic with many farms (surprised me!) and farm animals. This I would like to go back and revisit. 

 

Scenic 138 Quebec

We stopped at a boulangerie (bakery) for bread.  The women didn’t know a knick of English but with hand signals I was successful in buying a loaf of bread and getting it sliced…wohoo.  IT was a cheese bread (fromage) and delicious.  Good bread can be defined as an enjoyment when eaten solely by itself for the pure pleasure it.  It was in St. Remy near Baie St. Paul and it was Boulangerie La Remy...a mill and bakery...historic!  Here is the link...not to be missed:  http://www.tourisme-charlevoix.com/en/activities-attractions/artisan-bakeries-pastry-shops/Boulangerie-Meunerie-La-Remy 

Neither David or I know French; I know a few words but couldn’t make a sentence to save my life.  Ordering breakfast was a challenge but I was successful.  David whimped out and just ordered the same as me.  The waitress really didn’t know any English to speak of either.

 Our ride on route 138 along the St. Lawrence was lots of big hills/mountains and ups and downs but it was pretty there.  We didn’t know where we would end up this day. 

At one point we are driving south on route 138 in quebec province, we see lots of signs, deparately trying to figure out what they all say because they are solely in French, then we see the road end and ferry at the end.  Uh, oh…where did we go wrong.  David asked the person in front of us and it turns out this is the correct way and the ferry is FREE…the ride being only 10 minutes long.  Ok!  My map made no indication of a ferry but it did have in very small print…10 minutes…that I am guessing I was to figure out on my own.

Somehow we had managed to take out too much money so we had to convert our cash Canadian back into cash American which we did at TD bank in Quebec at a reasonable rate.  Then through Quebec in almost rush hour and out the other side to find a place to overnight.    We settled on a rest area just east of Montreal after a quick offshoot for dinner.  Lots of road noise but needed a place to stay that would be close enough to Montreal for a quick exit tomorrow morning.

To bed …will be home by tomorrow afternoon we hope.  Quebec and Montreal will be for another time when we have a tow vehicle maybe.  Our rv travel in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, and Labrador is almost over!

 

DAY 38 Churchill Falls to Manic 5!!!!!!!

This is what happens to a river when hydroelectric
power comes to town.

June 26, 2013  Travelling Labrador in our Motorhome


Awoke to 42 degrees in motorhome; 36 degrees outside.  I was toasty with all my blankets.
To day was going to be a driving day so I braced myself.  I don’t like sitting all day long!

 








This old cableway was there before the ridge

The elevator at Churchill Falls power plant was not working today with no guarantee of tomorrow so we began our drive to Labrador City.  It was mostly all paved and a treat to drive on a paved road!

 



When you don't have enough dirt to holdup telephone
 poles you build boxes and fill them with rocks.

We were almost there when we discovered that police had blocked the road with their car.  We were told that there was a wildfire smoldering along our route (just a few miles from Lab City) and within a half hour

View of burned out area during our escort to Lab City.

we would be escorted along our route to the other side.  There were just a three cars/trucks in our group.

When we reached Labrador City with our escort, there were news teams on the other side and there was a line of vehicles waiting for their turn to go through.  We were also told that yesterday the line on our side had been stopped for about 12 HOURS!!!!  They had to helicopter in food for those waiting because this is Labrador and the closest town was a good

More burned out trees

Three hours away (no services whatsoever where they were waiting).  Got gas and decided with all the hubbub in town to be on our way.  As we were making our way up the mountain we could plainly see that the fire had restarted and was blazing by the color of smoke we saw billowing up.  So it appears we made it just in time to not have to wait a LONG time for them to put it out or manage it.


Travelling the roads of Quebec south of Labrador City and down to Baie Comeau, Quebec.


This leg of the gravel road (and a minor part of it is paved) is actually in Quebec.  Apparently, Quebec has a VERY long range plan to pave it but it is a long way off and needs work before it could even be paved.



Our escort and still-smoldering areas

 

I didn’t read my notes about this next leg of our journey until we were on the road today.  As soon as we got on this section of the gravel road we fully realized that the Labrador section of gravel had been well taken care of and maintained.  I was to soon read that this would be the worse section of the gravel road (Quebec).  It was narrow in spots, it was sometimes banked wrong, it was serpentine, it was up and down low hills, it was washboard surface.  David couldn’t get up to speed because of their serpentine nature so we were forced to tolerate some violent noises coming from the motorhome (clanging to the max).  I ran in back and tried to wedge cardboard into things to stop them from clanging.  I took off the stove grill and the nuker insides were put on our bed.  It was about 67 kilometers of nasty road combined with oncoming trucks of all shapes and sizes.  For about a minute we both contemplated going back around via Red Bay and Newfoundland…a very long drive of many days.  Then we realized we were just going to have to buck up and do it.  The side two feet of the gravel could be soft so we had to keep out of there.

 

Wildfire burning near Wabush

I especially liked the tractor trailer drivers that drove that road like they were driving a sports car (with dust) but were driving wide load mobile offices to their destination.  I swear it looked like it was going to fall off.  Most trucks that passed us were coming from the opposite way so that was the good part. They were mainly on the bad section of gravel and driving in our direction for about an hour before we stopped for the night.  The last ½ hour was on a wide but ziggy, zaggy somewhat up and down road/gravel, of course.  Then the granddaddy of them all hills came at the dam…downhill 18% grade on gravel…while David tried to drive and ooh and ahh over the damn construction!  I had to tell him, "HEY, eyes on the road, not the damn, dam!"

 

The line of vehicles waiting to head towards Churchill;
we knew they didn't leave right away....if at all that day.

The good part about today was that I had old info so there were more PAVED spots than I thought there would be so we got PAVED surprises and 60 km of paved is a gift I will gladly accept

 

Mine tailings...raping the earth for profit

Suffice it to say that we were on the road for twelve hours and it wasn’t fun but we got to our destination safely.  From all the rattling going on, one of the muffler brackets broke but David just tied it up with an extension cord we had and can fix it at home.  Thankfully no flat tires; fixing one on that road would have been really dangerous!

 

A bridge we had to go over.  We came across a few that were
questionable but at least with this one I knew BIG wide load
 tractor trailer trucks were regularly using it.

Since we are in Quebec province, all the signs are in French.  I don’t know a nick of French and there is no attempt at putting anything in English.  We guess or just ignore the signs unless they are in a bright color or look alarming like the 18% grade thing.  I never got around to getting a phrase book…

 

Wood (really???) and you could see the water below...

We are overnighting  with a whole bunch of trucks in the Manic 5 Dam area (gas station, restaurant, truck stop).  Good night!  The good news?  No more gravel road for this trip!!!  Labrador I really liked.  Quebec the road was not to my standards.  They seem to be working on it though to some degree...but not paving.

 

Scenic river views

Comments on highway 389 in Quebec…It is a major route for trucks bringing goods into Labrador City and for logging; they are in a hurry and have lots of experience in navigating this nasty road.  It was in no way a fun drive.  Luckily we were mostly going against the traffic as we headed south and our time of day must have been right as well.  The blessing was that more of it was paved than we expected.

Yup, here's the wide load crossing that bridge and
ready to breathe down our backs.  And he was going to be driving faster
than us even with that load! 

It is a pioneer route…lol!  If  you go this way, mentally prepare yourself for a dusty and long ride, have good tires, bring bug juice should you need to get out and fix something (they will eat you alive).



Coming at you...fast...tractor trailer truck on Quebec route 389

 

DAY 37 Port Hope Simpson to Happy Valley-Goose Bay to Churchill Falls

I stalked him to get this picture...kept running away!

June 25, 2013
Driving our motorhome in Labrador...gravel roads and some paved.
A sunny gorgeous 42 degrees this morning!

Labrador is big, unspoiled.  There is NOTHING between the towns on the map.  Gorgeous scenery.  We looked for wildlife and only when we got within maybe ten miles of HV-GB did we see anything.



Entering Happy Valley/Goose Bay

Sightings today:  Bears – 4 along the road but way up ahead

Moose – 2 together (one was not a baby)Caribou – 1

 

The sand beyond Happy Valley and the new paved road - happy!

Motorcyclists:  13…we also saw three in HV-GB and they were covered in dust from the roads!

Holidaymakers:  one truck camper, one truck/travel trailer…both going in the opposite direction to us which means their first experience on the gravel road was not the best.  

Welcome to modern times...pavement, a first!

We “stalked” the second bear to try and get some photos.  They run into the woods when they hear you or see you anywhere near close…so we snuck up on him with the motorhome.  I finally got out of the motorhome and had David drive up ahead of him; he came out of the trees again and I was able to get a photo fairly close.  He didn’t get too close to me before he ducked back in; I was ready to run back into the motorhome (I left the door open).

We left Port Hope Simpson at 6:42 am and arrive in Churchill Falls around 7pm.  We stopped for maybe 2.5 hours to get gas twice, shop in HV-GB, mess with bear photography.  Hint...get gas where you can find it...just in case one on your route/the route is closed for some reason in a smaller town.

Some of the road was paved today; most was not.  There were at least three places where the graders were out fixing the potholes in the road.  It is an election year and a women in a shop told us the roads would be better than normal!    Paving was actively going on in one spot and prepping to pave a second spot.  The road workers were wearing bug head nets!!!  One worker put some sort of oil on his helmet so the bugs would stick to it; he had quite the bug collection going on with his helmet!

There are three “rest areas” between Port Hope Simpson and HV-GB.  These rest areas included a large flat spot suitable to overnight in and a trash can.  One had a nice picnic table.  NO bathrooms so it would be bring your own toilet paper and find a spot – don’t worry barely a car goes by.  Other than these rest areas there are a few turn around areas in the road off to the side where they store the graders that anyone could fit into.

 

Here is our review of the gravel roads.  We are finding them nice and wide with plenty of room for a tractor trailer truck and us (very few tractor trailer trucks so far) with room to spare.  The base seems to be well compacted rock dust with gravel over it (rain makes some of the rock dust wash away causing pot holes…hence the graders have  employment insurance).  When we first got on the road in Red Bay, we started out going about 10 – 25 mph but it was very violent ride; then going 5 – 10 mph.  Then very soon a big truck booked past us going the opposite way pretty fast (estimate around 50 mph and over the speed limit)…so David wanted to experiment.  WELL, going faster definetly was the way to go; we glided over the road much better and all hell wasn’t breaking lose in the back.  This has proved to be the way to go even when the road is pretty rough.  So he does around 45 – 50 mph to just glide over the surface and not feel every dip and bump…let the suspension system do the work. Fortunately, he can just redo the suspension when it is needed.

Speed limits in Newfoundland and Labrador are listed as maximums so in Labrador if it is not a construction zone the maximum is 70 kilometer per hour (around 50 mph).  However, no one is there to police your limits and it is very clear that the locals don’t do 70 kilometers!
 

Tonight we are spending the night in Churchill Falls…just a parking lot/storage area but quiet.  David is hoping to get a tour of the world’s largest hydroelectric plant here in Churchill tomorrow; it is about 900 feet underground.  We are waiting to hear if the elevator is fixed.  Churchill Falls is a company town; Everyone who lives here works at the Hydroelectric plant.  The only purpose for the town is to house all its workers.  There are many homes and other types of housing.  It has everything people would want: school, pool, department store, gas station, grocery store, etc.  The nearest town from Churchill is at least 3 hours away with nothing but gorgeous scenery in between.

Mosquitos are fierce tonight…they lurk outside the motorhome.  It was up to 72 degrees by time we stopped tonight...too hot! 

 

DAY 36 L’ans au Loup, LABRADOR to Port Hope Simpson

Red Bay, Labrador

June 24, 2013  Travelling in Labrador with our Motorhome


We begun the day with a hike to Schooners Cove; we stayed overnight at the trailhead in L’ans au Loup.

When we reached the top of the hill an elderly gentlemen with his wife stopped  on their way to a cottage



Pano of Labrador...big open spaces with no inhabitants

Berg and bouy

He was working on building for someone else.  They were on an ATV/four wheeler and he is 71 years old.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wreck off Red Bay

 

 

 

 

(Go boy!)  We chatted and he invited us to stop in where he was working on the cottage; we did as it was at Schooner’s Cove.  We had a nice chat with him at the cottage and returned to our motorhome ready for more touring.  Nice morning walk in the fogJ

 

 

 

 

 

 

Red Bay, Labrador

Our motorhome travelled onward and we made a stop for about an hour in Pinware Provincial Park.  We walked and checked out the campground (they are always nicely wooded).  Pinware has “red” sands.  Now that we are in Labrador the weather is cool again…back to fleece and wind jacket.

 


Tracey Hill Trail - nice views

 

 

Our last stop before getting on the Labrador Coastal Drive/route 510 & 513 was in Red Bay.  We did not visit the museum but hiked instead the Tracey Hill Trail (670 steps!) and the Boney Short Trails (old whale bones present…really old ones).  Great views and information on the trails.  It was foggy though and cold if we weren’t walking UP steps.



Porcupine



Boney Trail - those white "stones" are old whale bones

 

We begin our drive on Labradors gravel road near Red Bay, Labrador...


We took a breath and drove onto the gravel road of the Labrador Coastal Drive.  Breathtaking scenery and some nice big hills….vast land of nothingness (nothing manmade).  It began raining about ½ way to our destination of Port Hope Simpson.  The road surface being gravel was mostly okay; there were some roughish spots.  David experimented with speeds of 10/15 mph to 40 mph depending on how rough it was. 

 

 

 

 

 

more views of our Labrador drive - route 500

When it rained, the water ran off and took some sand/gravel with it….  Our motorhome did its job well but there was lots of noise coming from the cabinets!  We have one refrigerator door shelf that has been bounced off a number of times on the roads up here…so we lightened its loadJ    Luckily we only passed one truck booking it in the opposite direction (we just pulled over and let him rip by).   We know more trucks and construction are coming up. 

 

 

 

 It took us 3.5 hours to get from Red Bay to Port Hope Simpson….with one stop to fix refrigerator door shelf….longer than we guestimated.   We saw only one Camper type van so far and no other motorhomes, few cars/trucks.  Labrador pioneer route!


We were awed by the scenery here...breathtaking and just wide open.  No signs of habitation.

 

 



 

DAY 35 Woodlot to St. Barbe Ferry/INTO LABRADOR

Ferry from St. Barbe to Blanc Sablon

June 23, 2013
Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy!


Today we begin our drive in THE BIG LAND of Labrador.  Something we have been looking forward to and wondering how our class c would handle on the gravel road (when we get to that part).

 



Bow of boat flips up to drive on

Up and out early…this is monumental for David!  We decided to just drive and see what we see.  Found one short hike to do White Rock Trail in Flower Cove area on Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland.  There were a few other short ones but we decided to head to ferry (as we were really close and had no reservation) and possible come back to do the small hikes. 

 


 



Labrador...the big land...lots of it

The ferry terminal was closed but I pumped the waitress at the Dockside Restaurant for information.  We ate breakfast in the restaurant (good omlettes)….and schemed how to get on the ferry.  One guy sat and waited in line after we arrived.  We immediately began the wait with him…so we are number two on the line for people who couldn’t get their act together to make a reservation!  In the end our choice to sit and wait was our ticket to getting on the ferry as many other people lined up after us.  In the end there must have been at least 20 vehicles on the waiting list to get on.  No one that we spoke to was taking the gravel road (which is also somewhat paved) to Quebec but there at least a few going at least ½ way.   The people we spoke to that lived there (about ½ way on the gravel) said we would be fine.   After talking with some Labradorians, I immediately went to the little convenience store to get more bottled water and some beerJ before we went over to Labrador.

 



First sighting of Labrador

The ferry ride was uneventful – we saw a few whales spouting way off in the distance.  There are a fair amount of Icebergs in Labrador.  Colder here…yay, Keep those biting bugs away.   We scooped up a bergy bit to bring home and put in our freezer.

 




 

Here is what we learned about Newfoundland:



Iceberg land L'Anse au Clair, Labrador

In 1992 the government shut down the cod fishing industry because it was overfished and the numbers were just not there.  Overfishing by Canadians and other countries as well (Portugal and Russia among others).  They gave money to the fishermen to not fish and the fishermen were supposed to use that money to reeducate themselves (a couple of year’s worth of money) and find another source of income.

He told us that many did and some just refused to do that (not sure what happened to those that refused).

Donna and a sea of bergy bits - I brought one home!

So the Cod industry shut down.  These were people who had fished for centuries.  It is not until recently that the cod have come back enough to do domestic or recreational fishing…each family/boat has an allotment that they can take (which I thought was pretty generous).  



Cold beaches

 

In the early 1960’s the roads were built to connect all these fishing villages; prior to the roads they were only connected by boats.  When the roads were completed a few years later modern conveniences like electric, etc. were added.  Then people began LEAVING as they now had the roads to explore their world.  SAD.

Many of the “towns” are very small with populations in the 100’s.



Lighthouse at L'Anse Amour/Amour Point

 

Tidbits:  almost every male in Newfoundland has a fairly new, big pick up truck, many families have an ATV of some kind and/or a snowmobile (that sounds like fun).  Firewood is mainly how they heat their homes (we do this as well) and they have SERIOUS piles of firewood.  Fried food is BIG on the list of eatables.  Frozen food is way more represented here than in the states.  If you want fresh foods, shop only in the biggest of towns.  If food/water/milk is expensive in Newfoundland, Labrador takes the prize for most expensive. Someone told us that Canada would have to have a draft for the armed services if Newfoundlanders/Labradorians didn’t sign up in such numbers.  Many of the men (young especially) go off to work in the oil industry in Alberta and commute home periodically...their nice homes in Newfoundland tell us that story.  There are a lot of nice, newer homes in Newfoundland.