Happening on his chosen miles: Ending Phase III: Trout River to Channel Port aux Baxque

8/11/19

It has been nine days since my last Blog. Poor internet and fatigue have contributed to my dereliction and certainly not lack of interesting scenery and events.

We left Trout River in pouring rain but it had cleared and was lovely when we arrived at Zensville Campground at Kippens. This means that we left the Gros Morne area and traveled south toward Port aux Basque (the Ferry port). Kippens is near Stephensville which hosted a large USAF Base until the 1960’s. It is the start of the Port au Port Bay loop which we wanted to drive. Our campground was very pleasant with grass and mature trees. A path across the road led to a beautiful beach where Bonnie could run off-leash. We also re-met a couple here that we met in Alaska in 2016. The world of retired RV travelers is a small one!

Late afternoon walk on the beach.

After nearly a month of staggering beauty we felt sort of jaded and embarked on the Port au Port Bay trip with diminished enthusiasm. Oh My Goodness! More and very different amazement was in store for us. Wonderful rock walls and gorgeous high cliffs overlooking the sea which was every shade of turquoise and blue imaginable. We walked to a charming waterfall that spread out onto a flat rock ledge before pouring into the sea. We stopped at the Park at Cape St. John and ate fresh bread cooked on a open oven by the teenagers there who are on government grants to preserve the culture. Another peak day.

The breadmakers

The bread oven

We moved on from Zensville traveling to Great Codroy CG in the Codroy valley. It was only two hours so we arrived by lunch time. This park used to be a provincial park but is now owned and operated by the same family that originally donated the land to the Canadian government. They are totally dedicated to hospitality and the reviews call this the best campground in NFL. They may be right. We stayed three nights and it was such a pleasure.

After setting up, we took Bonnie and started looking for a beach. We made another loop drive this one around the Codroy Valley and out to Cape Anquille. The campground host had told us about the wide sandy beaches at Searston and Bonnie loved them. The campground host built a nice campfire every night and it was fun to stop in and get to meet other folks who were coming and going to/from NFL.

Lighthouse at Cape Anquille

The "Inspiration Trail"

Channel Port aux Basque is the ferry port and we had whipped in and out of it previously. We wanted to go back and explore the Southwest Coast before we left. After buying a few groceries we took Rt 407 along the coast to Rose Blanche where the road ends. There is a passenger ferry there that serves the communities along the coast but are no roads in this area. Again we were astonished by the difference in the terrain. Now we were in granite mountains with almost grotesque knobs, promontories, and formations with patches of bright green tundra and thousands of ponds and waterways. What looks like grass is actually a kind of lichen growing on a thin peat bog and it is full of tiny orchids and pitcher plants.

Pond and Bog on top of a mountain

Another mountain top pond

We followed an almost mile long boardwalk to a waterfall. The waterfall was nice, but the walk across the bogs was amazing. I got so excited seeing a bog orchid that I stepped off the path and got my foot wet. Within five more steps, the orchids were everywhere! For our last day in NFL this was an astonishing experience. The wonderment and awe just kept on happening.