Day 13 - Roaring Seas And Crossing the Waters

Goodbye Viking Lodge

This morning, I woke up pretty early, made all the sandwiches, and then had a few slices of toast with Ted and Marina in the kitchen. I also introduced Ted to Pi AI and ChatGPT, and he was thrilled—absolutely thrilled!

Later, I met up with Strider, the hiker. By the way, Strider is his online name. I'm sure he has a real name, and it’s probably beautiful, but we’ll call him Strider. I told him we’d be leaving in about 20 minutes. I packed my gear, and off we went.

Before we left, we took some photos from the veranda they built with an amazing view of the ocean. Then, we started our route for the day.

Viking Village

Our first stop was the Viking Village. This is where the Vikings landed in Newfoundland, and we got to see how they lived and what they built. It’s a beautiful area, and it’s clear the Vikings picked a really nice place to build their homes. It was surprising to see a line of EV car charging stations out here. This is the first time I have seen them.

Leif Ericsson Statue

Next, we visited the statue of Leif Ericsson, which stands about 15 feet tall. We took some pictures and did the small trail around the area. You'all need to watch Vikings Valhala on Netflix. It is all about the life of Leif Ericsson.

Sniff Sniff

We noticed a very sweet smell in the air and couldn’t figure out what it was. Strider suggested it might be from a plant that looked like a blueberry plant. I took a picture of it. Later, we asked GPT what the plant was and found out it’s called Labrador Tea, commonly found in Newfoundland and Labrador. Sure smells good...

Is it a Chicken?

As we continued, we encountered a big family of birds that looked like small chickens. It turned out they were ptarmigan (or grouse). Luckily, they eventually did us a favor and vacated the road so we could carry on.

Viking Ship

As we were driving to Norman Cove, along the way - , we saw a real viking ship in someones backyard. Well - at least that is what they wanted folks to think. It sure looked good with the serpent head in the front.

Norman Cove Lighthouse

Since we still had some time before I had to catch the ferry, I decided to visit a place called Norman Cove Lighthouse. It looked like a remote untamed area on the map, so I thought it would be a great place to explore.

The ride there was pretty rough—full of potholes—but we made it. Strider and I were both shocked by the beauty of the place when we got out of the car. The waves were massive and powerful, like as if the ocean was angry. These were the biggest, most powerful waves I’d seen in Newfoundland so far.

As we got closer to Norman Cove, the vegetation vanished, leaving nothing but rocks for miles. It was beautiful in its own rugged way. We took pictures from the lighthouse area, and then I started crawling closer to the ocean to get some shots of the waves crashing against the rocks.

No matter how many pictures and videos taken, I don’t think it’s possible to capture the awe, beauty, power, sound, colors, foam, and waves. It’s hard to translate that into a picture or video. Strider and I agreed on that.

We hopped from rock to rock, each area offering a new perspective. Some waves came in so hard they created massive plumes, like an atomic bomb going off. It was incredible. A few times, I had to run away when the waves got too close, but I hope I managed to capture some of this on video. I’ll try to weed out the duplicates so you can watch the best ones and feel like you’re right there with us.

After about an hour, we got back to the car, had a sandwich, and started driving towards Port St. Barb to catch the ferry.

Ferry to St. Barb

I stopped to fill up the gas at a local shop and bought Strider whatever he wanted for the rest of his hiking trip. We parted ways after that. I told him to look me up and get in touch because I really like that young man. He’s very smart, and I wouldn’t mind doing another trip or two with him in the future.

Patsy and Trevor at the Ferry

At the line for the ferry, where cars are all ready in a lane, I met a very nice couple, Patsy and Trevor, from Labrador. Trevor was smart, and just before the ferry he had purchashed some Tim Hortons donuts and coffee. He knows the coffee on the ferry is 5 stars. I think it is also evident just from looking at these 2 smiles - how friendly people from Labrador and Newfoundland really are.

Patsy showed me earrings she made from porcupine quills that she had caught herself. Interestingly, porcupines are only found in Labrador, not Newfoundland. She also makes bracelets in the colors of the Labrador flag.

Trevor’s brother actually won Alone Season 11 on the History Channel! He survived alone for 83 days. Now I know someone famous, which is pretty cool. His brother's website is "Bigland Trapper" if you want to look him up.

On the Ferry

The ferry is quite large. I parked on Level C and took my laptop, but unfortunately, there are no usable plugs around. The ones they do have are European-style, so I’ll just have to wait an hour and a half.

It’s not too full, and there are different seating areas. There’s a canteen and places to work, but again, no power. You can also walk outside on the ferry, but with this freezing weather, that’s not happening today.

I took some videos and pictures of the ferry as it set off, including the ramp closing. Now we’re moving towards the other side.

Arrived at St. Blanc

The ferry is docking now. The time here is one hour behind, so it’s 3:30 p.m., but once I drive one mile into Newfoundland and Labrador, the time will go back to 4:30 p.m. It looks like everyone will be driving towards my hotel, so I won’t be alone on the road.

I’ll stop to get some bread, groceries, and fuel up, as I have a long drive to Goose Bay tomorrow— about 1000 kilometers with nothing much in between.

Patsy and Trevor Again

During the drive, I noticed a car behind me, but it didn’t overtake. Eventually, it did, and guess who it was? Patsy and Trevor in their red F-250! I followed them all the way to the hotel exit, and it felt good driving behind them like a convoy. THANK YOU Trevor and Patsy!!

I Also had a black pickup truck overtake me and if you look carefully - - they also have a starlink dish on a small pole on their roof.

Campbell’s Place Inn

I arrived at the inn around 8:00 p.m. My room was open and waiting for me. It’s small, with a bed, shower, and bathroom, but it’s all I need. I’m sitting in the main kitchen area writing this blog. It’s quiet—just me here awake at this time —but the inn is actually full since it’s one of the few still open this late in the season.

Met Marc from Washington D.C.

I met Marc, who’s also a traveler like me. He drives a lot across the U.S. and Canada in his 4Runner. He sleeps in his car, which got me thinking again about finding a vehicle that can go off-road and let me sleep in it. Steele (my current car) isn’t really built for off-roading, so it’s something to consider.

Marc is doing the opposite route to mine, starting from Montreal and heading to Labrador before crossing to Newfoundland. He’s been solo traveling as well, and we’ve been exchanging travel tips.

Once I get back, and my back is fully healed, I might finally say goodbye to Steele and find a more capable SUV. No offense, Steele, but off-roading isn’t your thing!

Marc’s been helping me plan my route back to North Bay with suggestions on where to stay and fill up gas along the way.

What an amazing day. The view at cape Norman let us leave Newfoundland with a great taste.

For Educational purposes