Have you been Screeched?

Was asked by Sean, our neighbor camper if I have been Screeched.  Had to confess I didn't know what that was.  He explained that it was a Newfie tradition to Screech a 1st time visitor to NL.  The cermony is to dress the visitor in fisherman's wet weather gear,  then have him kiss a cod fish, then down a shot of Screech, a NL liquor similar to rum.  Told Sean this was my 2nd visit to NL, he said I didn't qualify then, aren't I lucky.

We enjoyed Blow Me Down so much we spent another day there.  It rained much of the night and much of this morning as we drove to Gros Morne National Park.  We are at a RV park in Rocky Harbor for tonight.

Pics, from beach at Blow Me Down and fishing village at Frenchmens Cove.

Blow Me Down and Jigg's dinner

Pics: on the beach, rocky beach with crystal clear water, walk up a cliff side, view from the cliff and rain shower in distance, sitting down for the Jigg's dinner, isn't that a pretty plate, Jigg dinner friends Sean, Wanda, Nita, Olive and Tom

Sunday we drove up to Cornerbrook and took the bay of islands road out to a camp on the ocean called Blow Me Down Provincial park where we set up right on the beautiful beach.  The weather was warm and sunny with a short shower or two.  There we met two couples from Cornerbrook also camping, Sean and Wanda with Tom and Olive.  Sean asked if we had ever had a Jigg's dinner, a Newfoundland favorite, replied no and never heard of it.  Well he said we had to have one and they spent most of the afternoon preparing it.  What a treat and such nice folks to visit with.  The dinner was salt beef, roast pork served with potato's, carrots, rutabaga(they call them turnips), cabbage, and creamed yellow peas. 

Ferry to Port Aux Basque, NL

We had 9:30am departure time, have to be there 90 min. before, went a little early about 7:30 and had breakfast in line, ferry finally departed at 10.  Arrived in NL around 4:30 then drove about 100 miles no. to a park for the night, long day.  The arrival weather was a surprise, 80 degrees, sunny and little wind, quite a contrast to our arrival 18 years ago on the bike in a storm and about 40 degrees.  Enjoyed the ferry ride and many Newfoundlanders wanted to chat with us.  Have several invitations to visit folks, one wants to take us cod fishing another couple lives on Fogo island and they want us to come by, very friendly people.

The ferry is massive with several levels for viehicles, takes on 350 cars plus trucks and RV's.  You can rent rooms for sleeping.  You can't stay in your vehicle or return till landing.

Pics: lined up for boarding, driving up ramp and stored in hold

Slow day

Got kind of a late start today, read awhile, am reading The Girl with the Dargon Tatoo, quite interesting.  Nita reading the Laura Bush book which she finds enjoyable.  Left the park and drove several hours to exit the island.  Continured on the Baddeck, NS to visit the Alexander Graham Bell historic site. Spent about an hour there, then drove to a campsite hear North Sydney where the ferries depart for Newfoundland.  Filled up our tank with diesel fuel and went to the grocery store to stock up, expect stuff to be more expensive there.  Diesel is $4/gal, milk 7.50/gal, not cheap living here. We have a 9:30am departure time for Channel Port- Aux -Basques, NL, a 6 hour ride. NS is on Atlantic time and NL on Newfoundland time which is 30 minutes later, kind of strange. 

When we checked into the campground here the owner asked if we have ever been to NL, said yes 20 years ago on a motorcycle and froze our ass off in July, he said you will probably freeze it off again, I said but we have a heater with us this time.















4

Fog, French, Flies and Fun

Thursday morning woke up with thick Fog.  Most all in the camp spoke French as were the radio and one fuzzy tv station, but enjoyed it.  Flies, in particular black flies, took a hike and got a few bites, you don't feel them bite, think they give you a shot of novacain first, the result is an itchy knot on your head about the size of a silver dollar.  Nita complains of one bite on the back of her neck but I have 4 of them on my head, dirty little F's.  Fun, the fog lifted about 10:30 and we took off around the highlands for a glorious day. We spent most of the day going all the way around the trail and stopped at the Broad Cove park campground just above Ingonish on the Atlantic Ocean..

Pics, start of trip-fog lifting, looking no., view from the View, Cape North-most northern point of NS, Nita on Black Brook Beach, bog flower-about 1/4 inch in dia. and last-let sleeping dog lie-Atlantic ocean.

Short drive.......Long drive

While in Antigonish I made a reservation at Cheticamp, the first camp in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.  Saw a sign saying Cape Breton about an hour away, had a leisurly morning and we took off from Antigonish.  It turns out that Cheticamp is over 3 hours north after you enter Cape Breton Island, Nita now questions my navagation abilities.  However it was a nice ride along the waters of the Gulf of St Larence. It started getting foggy and by the time we arrived at camp it was raining.

Pics, lunch break along the gulf and looking north on the Cabot Trail 

Antigonish, pronounce that

We arrived in Antigonich, Nova Scotia this afternoon.  Walked around town and asked a native how they pronounce it, he pronounced it properly but then said some say Antigonowhere and laughed.  The next few days we will spend in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park of Canada, it's on the very northern tip of NS.

Pics, city hall of Antigonish, my queen on my twin bed and guess who working on this blog