Newfoundland Trip Part II

Since we were staying in Gros Morne Park, DH and I figured we might as well make the most of the wilderness experience :o) We made it a goal to do as many as the trails in the top part of the park that we could before we left.

Within walking distance from our campsite, there was a trail called Berry Hill Pond that was a 2 Km loop around well...a pond! LOL! It was a lovely trail with beautiful scenery and I got some great shots here -

Hey, what's this?

Another indicator of moose being in the area but no body to claim the footprint. I was getting a bit suspicious at this point... Maybe there was someone going around dropping moose poop and planting footprints in the mud. Hmmmm...

Berry Hill was a good work up to the Western Brook Pond trail that we did later on because that one was 6 Km round trip. You can read more about that adventure here.

Later in the week, DH and I took off on our own and drove to the very top of the park. Here we walked, or rather power walked the first part of the Old Mail Road trail which was 2 Km round trip. I say power walked because it begins in the woods and the mosquitoes were so bad that they were biting through my capris! I even had bites on my bum! LOL! Thankfully it was only 1 Km and then you got down to the beach :o)

Now DH and I could slowly stroll back to the car along the lovely sandy beach and waters of Shallow Bay.

On our way back we did Steve's Trail and this had to be one of my favorites :o)

It was only a 1 Km return trail but the beach area you ended up at was stunning.

You can see some of the great pictures I took of this place in my first post of our trip.

The biggest expedition was Gros Morne Mountain itself but I was the only one smart enough (besides the five year old) not to attempt it ;o) More on that in another post.

Pumpkin, You're Not In Nova Scotia Anymore!

That's for sure! LOL! In case you've been wondering where this Blogger has been, I'll let you in on a little secret ;o) DH and I had been in Newfoundland! Yes, you heard me right.

On July 29, we boarded the 10:25pm ferry and rode over through the night. We rented a four person berth so that we and our friends (T, K and their DS) could have someplace to lay our heads for the long journey. It was a good thing too because it was nuts! There were people laying everywhere but we were hunkered down in our dorm-like room with our own television and bathroom :o)

At 6am we arrived on the western side of The Rock only to find a mile long lineup at Tim Horton's and nowhere else to get a decent breakfast. Luckily it didn't take long for the fog to dissipate and the sun to shine but not a moose in sight along the highway. We were expecting one at every town with a Welcome sign but I guess that's not part of their contract. LOL!

Late afternoon, we arrived at our campground at Gros Morne National Park. Yes, this was a camping trip ;o) There were lovely wooded sites and we quickly laid claim to ours. It takes awhile to put up a tent, screen tent and bed but we've got things down pretty good now -

There wasn't much doubt as to who left piles of poop around our campsite but still, not one moose came out to claim their droppings.

We took Sunday off to relax and orient ourselves but on Monday we were ready to see the sights. After a 3 Km walk, we boarded a two hour boat tour of Western Brook Pond. All I can say is that it's SPECTACULAR! I've been through The Rockies but these mountains are just majestic. This is just a little taste of what we saw -

Newfoundland has such a rugged beauty to it and it's a photographer's paradise. Unfortunately I didn't take my good camera with me (too heavy to lug around) but I was quite happy with some of the pictures that came out of DH's work camera. He only has a 3x Zoom Nikon Coolpix and here is a sample of some of the pictures I took -

Stay tuned for more of our Newfoundland adventure :o)

The Case Of The Missing Blogger

Yes, that's me. Where have I been? More importantly where has the time gone???? The last thing I remember was finishing Sabrina and beaming like a proud mother but then the next thing I knew, I felt like I was curled up in a corner feeling completely lost :o( I know I've had these feelings before after finishing a big project but not to this extent!

Would you believe that Tuesday night was the first time I picked up a needle since Sabrina was done? It's a pitiful start but I'm trying to get back in the game. I'm quite disappointed in myself because I didn't meet my goal last month and now I'm one block behind on my Christmas Rules SAL :o( Geesh! I've got to get it together!

I was so proud of myself too because I not only finished Sabrina but I was up to date on my Blog reading too ;o) Now I'm W-A-Y behind again...

Did I mention we went about three weeks without mail? Argh! That definitely didn't help my mood any >:o( Things are starting to trickle in but I'll wait a bit before I post some pictures.

This past weekend, DH and I went on our first vacation of the year! We went with our friends T and K (along with their DS) and went camping at Kejimkujik National Park :o) Here's our site -

I didn't even take any pictures, that's how pathetic I am. Ugh! We had an awesome time though. I learned that it isn't fun getting up in the middle of the night to pee, S'mores just aren't the same as when we made them as kids and I can annoy a five-year-old ;o) LOL!

Keji is a beautiful park and there was plenty of wildlife to see. There was more than enough deer, a pesky raccoon that figured out how to open our small cooler, robins, bald eagles, osprey, black bear and mosquitoes, of course ;o) They really weren't that bad around the campsite but on our hike I thought they were going to carry us away. All in all, I'm anxious for our next trip!

I want to thank everyone for their wonderful comments on Sabrina! I was blown away at the number of people and I've tried to respond to everyone that I could. I truly appreciate you all. I thought for sure I'd lose some Stalkers because of my absence but it seems there might be a giveaway in the near future ;o)

Mark Your Calendars

Wow...DH and I are finally home again! We had a wonderful time with both sets of parents :o) I got to see my good friend J. It was SO nice to see her and see that she was happy. I wish we had had more time to catch up but I'll just have to make a point of going to visit her new place next time :o)

DH and I also saw our niece and nephew and we couldn't believe how much they had grown! It was so fun interacting with them and watching them play. I can't believe how fast time has flown by! As far as I know, we don't have any more trips planned for the rest of the year. It's good to be home again :o)

I've done quite well in catching up with my emails but I am behind in my Blog reading...again :oS I'll get there! LOL!

For those of you who have been with me for awhile, you know that my favourite holiday is coming up shortly! If you're a newcomer, you might not be aware of this special day that I love so much ;o) So mark your calendars because on October 21 we're going to celebrate -

This day will be full of fun facts, games, maybe an exclusive free pattern and a giveaway...of course ;o)

VK - PART III

Sorry about the little interruption but I'm sure you understand ;o) Hopefully I'll end my saga today so you don't have to read any more of my dribble about this vacation. LOL!

While we were on Peaks Island, DH and I biked the whole area (okay, well 'most' of it). Brad's Bikes rents bikes out by the hour or day. I brought my camera along on our trek around the island. The coastline is a lot like that of Nova Scotia -

At the south end of the island (if you want refer to this map) is something called the Battery Steel Bunker -

It was built in the early 1900's and used in WWI and WWII as part of the Portland Harbor Defences. Now the bunker is grown over and full of graffiti -

Apparently it's great fun to wonder through the pitch black tunnels. HA! I can tell you one thing...neither DH or I had enough balls to do it ;o)

Later that day, DH and I walked to the centre of the island where our next adventure awaited! It's been one of my lifelong dreams to ride a horse along the beach and that's what we set out to do :o)

Mind you I was not riding a gorgeous grey Andalusian right along the edge of a white sandy beach with the wind blowing in my hair ;o) I was on a 1,800 pound black Percheron (uh-huh, a work horse) named Dawn, slowly clumping along a small pebble beach with a timid DH riding along behind me. Hey, it was as close as I could get but at least I can cross it off my Bucket List. LOL!

The Casco Bay area that surrounds Portland, Maine is dotted with islands. The ferries go to a few of them but others are only accessible by private boat. Would you believe that they have an island called Pumpkin Knob (it's off the NE tip of Peaks Island)?

Okay, not the best name but I won't be fussy if they want to name an island after me ;o)

The area is full of history and I hope that we can go back someday and explore a little more. House Island is on the right as you come towards Peaks Island. In 1808, this is where the US government built Fort Scammel -

Front

Back

I didn't realize it at the time but they do offer tours.

Now to the left going towards Peaks Island is Fort Gorges -

It was built in 1812 and looks to be an island in itself! You can visit the fort but only if you have your own transportation. There are no official tours to the site.

Just before we left the Portland area, there was ONE more thing I just had to see...

This is Lenny from Len Libby Chocolates. He is the World's Only Life-Sized Chocolate Moose!!!! Yes, I did say chocolate. Actually I should say that he's 1,700 POUNDS of chocolate :oD How's that for rounding off a great vacation? LOL!

VK - PART II

Thank you for all your comments on the first leg of our vacation :o) I'm still not feeling 100% and have realized that I have a bout of vertigo :o( It didn't help that I was fighting a cold when we left and with my immune system being so low, it's not surprising that the vertigo set in. I'm still trying to catch up on emails and Blog reading so don't worry, I will be around to you soon! Now onto the second part of our vacation...

On Tuesday afternoon, we made it down to Freeport and decided to stay there for the night. If you're not familiar with the town, it's known for the outlet shopping and LL Bean. DH and I picked up a few things :o)

That night we went to our favourite restaurant for dinner. If you ever get to Freeport, I HIGHLY recommend The Azure! We were trying to figure out how many years we've been going there. We've never been disappointed. The Calamari Azzimata is like eating Salt & Vinegar Chips but 100 times better!!!! I start drooling as soon as we head anywhere near that restaurant. LOL! For my entre I had Mussels Al Fresco. OH-YUM! It's no wonder I gained eight pounds during this trip ;o)

The next morning we packed up and continued south to Portland where we left our car on the mainland and caught another ferry (similar to this one) -

On the twenty minute ride I got to see more spectacular lighthouses to photograph -

Portland Breakwater Light

Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse

And sailboats everywhere -

Our destination? Peaks Island -

What a fascinating place! The population runs around 1,000 people year round but at least doubles or triples in the summer. The island is two miles long by one mile wide. It's not uncommon to see people walking, biking or scooting around in golf carts :o) There are cars on the island, although most of them are for island use only and have special permits. In other words, they are not fit for driving very far. LOL!

DH and I stayed at The Inn On Peaks Island -

We managed to get a special rate for our stay. The room was lovely and the food delicious! I had a Smoked Salmon BLT one day and there was enough smoked salmon on it to feed a small party...hence the extra pounds I brought home with me ;o)

Next time - fulfilling a lifelong dream while on vacation!

VK - PART I

I want to thank everyone for their well wishes last week :o) DH and I had a wonderful vacation and a lot of much needed time together. I kind of kept you in the dark though...because we actually went away! I'm going to try (over the next few days) to share our adventure with you. I haven't been feeling the best since we got back so please bare with me.

On Monday, September 20, we took off from home (e-a-r-l-y) and caught the Digby ferry that runs from Nova Scotia to Saint John, New Brunswick. This was our first time on the ferry and it was a lot of fun :o)

Bay Of Fundy

Prim Point Lighthouse, Digby, NS

Saint John, NB

I even got to see a pod of Harbour Porpoises! Okay, so there's only one in the picture ;o)

It was a three hour crossing but it saved us 339 Kms. Right now it's expensive, unfortunately, but it's something that I would definitely do again.

On our first night, we stayed in Bangor, Maine. We did a bit of shopping and I was able to track down the new Gingher scissors, Ella, at Jo-Ann's Fabrics :o) I was one happy girl! You have to understand that this was the closest I was going to get to a LNS. LOL!

The following day, we headed down Route 1. This is our favourite because it's very scenic. We made a stop in Camden and had a delicious lunch at Linda Bean's Perfect Maine Lobster Cafe. DH and I shared a Brie Panini :o) Kind of in honour of our little Brie because she loved coming to this town.

As you can see, it's still a very busy time of year!

We kept driving south and drove through the town of Wiscasset. There is a 'very' small take out there called Red's Eats that is supposed to have THE BEST lobster roll in Maine. They claim one pound of lobster in each roll :oP I tried to get a picture of the line up while we were driving by but it didn't come out :o( This is the second time we have driven by Red's and both times the line up was around the corner! Alas, no lobster roll for Pumpkin...

The colours were beginning to change while we were in Maine. It makes for a wonderful drive :o)

Stay tuned for the next instalment of our vacation!