SOME OVERALL IMPRESSIONS OF NEWFOUNDLAND
By Dave Krieg and Anne Kiehl
We had a great time in Newfoundland and heartily recommend it to all our friends who may be looking for an attractive and off-the-beaten-path place for a travel adventure. In these comments with our personal impressions, we will focus on NF, although we also enjoyed the other neighboring provinces of Atlantic Canada.
Weather:
Conditions vary a lot with the season and from year to year. During our stay during mid-July to mid-September days were mostly sunny and temperatures pleasant with cool mornings and evenings. There were five rainy days and not a lot of fog. Wind was not unusual; bring a jacket as well as good walking shoes or boots.
Visual impressions:
Outside of its major city and a few medium-sized towns, Newfoundlanders seem to live mostly in small villages situated along the coastline. This undoubtedly reflects the fact that its economy was based on fishing. The extremely picturesque coastline twists in and out constantly, with many peninsulas and bays separated by rocky headlands. Dave speculates that the total length of their coastline, counting offshore islets, may exceed that of Australia.
We were quite struck by the way nearly every home we saw was well-painted and cared-for, many with attractive yards. This is rather remarkable, in view of our having heard the islanders are struggling with a very depressed economy. They had once enjoyed a prosperity based on cod fish; it was a very important export item and every young man aspired to be a fisherman. The numbers are now so depleted that Canada declared a moratorium and Newfies are not even allowed to catch cod for their own table. There are still seasons for the taking of lobster and other shellfish, but fishermen seem barely able to eke out a living. An ironic counterpoint to this is that there are still gigantic "factory ships" from all around the world just outside Canadian national waters catching what cod are left.
One thing that quite surprised and pleased us is that most towns proudly offered walking trails. These typically had well-built boardwalks (quite desirable since many went through marshy land); the trails ranged from two to eight miles. They often were in woods, but provided coastal views, sometimes were on a hill or small mountain. Many led to lighthouses; on one such walk we were told that we would find a very special "lemonade stand" at the end. And indeed it was: two of the town ladies were there to offer, not only a cool drink, but also delicious pastries and well-stocked picnic baskets complete with a blanket to spread on the grass.
There are two large national parks on the island. Gros Morne is large and rugged: it has fjords, forests and good-sized mountains and several campgrounds: some primitive, some with modern services. The second park is at the eastern end of the island and has recreational development more like our state parks. Fundy National Park in New Brunswick (see map 1) is also scenic and big with walks on the coast, along lakes and in the forest.
Birds and wildlife:
Ocean and shore birds were frequently seen. We especially enjoyed seeing Gannets (a seabird with a six-foot wingspan) flying gracefully above the water searching for fish and then "dive-bombing" spectacularly into the water to catch them. Our Gannet pictures were taken at Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve, a wind-swept islet in the southeast corner of Newfoundland (see map 2). Puffins were seen at various isolated areas especially on remote islets, usually from a boat ride offered for that purpose. We saw "thousands" of the cute little critters when we were at Fogo Island (see map 2) while on an informal cruise offered by a local fisherman who had nothing better to do that day. He said it would take two hours but we had so much fun he stretched it to four. Gave us six tourists a couple packages of crab to hold us through lunch-time.
There is a chance of seeing whales of various kinds and perhaps even icebergs; there are many boat rides for those purposes offered throughout the coast, especially on the north and eastern coasts. The chances vary a lot from year to year; we saw only one little flat gray "berg" from the shore when a local person took us to a good spot for seeing it.
You are quite likely to see moose anywhere; we just missed one on the road while we were driving between Gros Morne and the Viking landing. Caribou are occasionally seen; a good place is from routes 10 and 90 in the "Irish Loop" south of St. John's.
Salmonier Nature Park was a worth-while stop for a few native birds and animals in a pleasant setting with large enclosures. It is an hour's drive from St. John's.
Events and Attractions:
We enjoyed a wonderful weekend of folk music (on Fogo Island) and several historical and dramatic performances (in Trinity and elsewhere). It seemed that every little town offered something (although not necessarily during our brief stay in the town). There were rollicking sailor's songs and traditional ballads in settings as informal as a family's kitchen. There were bagpipes and dancing to jigs. They were great fun but just too numerous to describe in detail.
The people:
Even if there was no other reason for going to Newfoundland, meeting the people would makke it worth-while. We had heard in advance, from everyone who had been there, that the people would be very likeable, friendly and often inclined to chat with you. That turned out to be true, even beyond our expectations. Partly, that may be attributed to the rural and small-town character of the place, but it was even true in St. Johns its capital and largest city. Many whom we talked with seemed to express a special welcome to Americans.
This hospitable and open nature had been impressively expressed after 9/11 had led to the grounding of many planes in Newfoundland. The local people reacted to the fact that commercial accommodations were quickly swamped with tourists that could not reach their intended destinations in the US by welcoming them into their homes and helping them cope until they could proceed.
We were often reminded of their good-natured memories and feelings of solidarity with Americans who had been stationed there in World War II (where it was an important stop-over point for airplanes crossing the Atlantic, as well as a staging point for ships in convoys). In this context, we were especially shocked to hear from one Newfie who had planned an RV trip through the US this year, but cancelled it out of concern that Americans would not welcome them because Canada chose not to participate in the Iraq war.
Newfies seem to be a trusting people; we were often told by people that they never needed to lock their houses. We often found stacks of firewood and/or little vegetable gardens along the road far from any homes; we learned that people whose yards may be rocky and lacking good soil made gardens elsewhere and didn't have to worry about "poaching."
As you may be aware, Newfie jokes are popular in Canada, the way Polish jokes were once popular here. Newfies themselves share in this good-natured kidding. For an instance, we heard of the fellow who had to pack his household belongings to move. He went to the store and asked for a box 50 feet long and a half inch wide. When asked, he said he needed it for his clothesline.
Services:
We usually ate in our RV and found ample provisions. But there were so many inviting little restaurants that we often ate out, especially to enjoy the delicious seafood. We were late for the lobster season, but found great fish, crab, shrimp and mussels.
We found it easy to find shops in towns throughout the countryside; some were good-sized markets. Prices of many products were quite reasonable. We had the occasion for a routine lube and oil job and paid less than we had anywhere in the US; this was also true for some minor fiberglass work and other small RV work.
There were a fair number of campgrounds with services and many with spaces large enough for a big RV. These are listed in the Travel Guide the province makes available to tourists. On the other hand, we often found it easy to spend a night at a scenic, level spot of land at the side of the road.
Its a "fur piece" of driving:
Driving from Arizona to Newfoundland, we felt that we had gone half way to Ireland. In a couple of ways, that is almost true. Look at a world map and you'll see that Newfoundland appears closer to Ireland than to Los Angeles. There is also a bit of truth in a cultural sense since many folks are derived from Irish and Scot ancestry and are proud of their bagpipes and traditions of Celtic music and dance.
Plan ahead:
The province will mail you a map and an excellent annual Travel Guide. It will help you find attractions and local events, campgrounds, bed-and-breakfasts and lodging, etc. Request it at 1-800-563-NFLD or see their website at www.gov.nf.ca/tourism/ You may also find it at one of their tourist information buildings which are marked on maps and roadside signs with a "question mark."
