VR Here! - July 17

We decided this morning would be a good day to walk around downtown St. John’s and just check out the local shops, get some tourist shopping in and maybe grab some traditional lunch.  We managed to find parking quickly and start hitting the shops.  The kids like a few things there but I have to say I found a favourite item – the row house mailboxes.  These colourful tall houses are a sight to see in St. John’s.  Originally, they were made so fisherman would look up and see their homes through the fog and the rain.  Now, they are an attraction in the city.  Many local shops feature locally crafted items showcasing the colours.  I couldn’t resist and had to have one of these pricey little souvenirs to take home!

We also decided to stop at a local fish and chip shop – the Celtic House – for an early lunch.  We tried a very Newfoundland dish – the Jig’s dinner.  It was GOOD!  It is basically boiled vegetables and meat and is made in many homes on Sunday evenings.  Now, I need to find a recipe to cook it at my house since the kids loved it.

After lunch, we had to move the trailer into overflow parking in the campsite.  We wanted to leave it plugged in as long as we could since the ferry is quite long.  That’s the sort of thing you have to keep track of when you are with a trailer – parking in certain spots can be harder to find and then making sure you get service.  

We likely would have found parking at our next destination the Geo Centre.  It is a science centre which is built into a bowl shaped creation which they just covered and developed into a science centre.  Some interesting exhibits on the rocks of the area.  Arjun has really gotten into rocks and learning about them so he quite enjoyed the whole thing.  We also got to watch 2 3D movies as part of our admission which were quite neat too.

Once we left the Geo Centre (yes we did close it down as well) we decided to do a stop at Cape Spear.  The Cape is the most easterly point of North America.  As we were driving there the fog started to roll in and we were worried that it would start raining and hamper our visit.  Luckily, it was just fog. But, as we were told by the Parks Canada staff, Cape Spear is always colder and foggier than the city.  We walked the over 200 steps to the old lighthouse and got to hear the new fog horn warning nearby ships about the dangers.  We couldn’t see Signal Hill but knew it was there in the distance!  And, here I think I can safely answer the question RVTHEREYET? with a firm YES!  A few years ago we went to Powell River where the TransCanada literally disappears into the Pacific Ocean.  Here it may not be the official start of the highway but it is the official start of Canada!  We made it to the other side of the country literally!  From here it will the trip home.

I know I have said so many times that I will likely never come back to this part of the country again and that is true.  I will likely never do it in this fashion again.  Not that I wouldn’t do it in a trailer – really it is so much cheaper than getting a hotel room or B & B’s but never again with the kids in tow and Dad driving us around!  I would love to come back again but we will see where life takes us.

Right now, life was taking us to Argentia – to the ferry back to North Sydney and on our way home.

July 18

That was a LONG ferry.  We left the port at midnight and didn’t get off the ferry until after 330.  We didn’t book a cabin since they only come in 4 berths and are quite pricy but it was a long ride.  The other ferry was much more comfortable but this was just so much more convienent.  We drove as far we could with the intent of making it to Moncton by the 19^th and ended up stopping at the Gateway Campground in Amherst.  Unless they do some major upgrades, i would not recommend it.  Still, it was a place to stay and leave the trailer so we could enjoy the Moncton area.