To Argentia and on the ferry back to Nova Scotia
Thursday, July 2nd, Day 35 of our trip, was our 28th day and final in Newfoundland, and Cathy and I were both pretty sad about that. Our route today covered about 151 km, with a detour to a Circle K north of Whitbourne to drop off our rented Starlink Mini adding about 30 km to the most direct route. Click here to open an interactive map in a new window.
Our overnight parking spot on the beach at Saint Vincent’s had been perfect, with the sounds of the wind and the surf being excellent for sleeping. We awoke to more gannets with their incredible fishing technique, and that got me down to the shore for a few minutes.
Saint Vincent is a town that capitalism hasn’t reached yet. A famous whale-watching beach that attracts hundreds of people but there is no attempt to cash in on that – no accommodations, no convenience store, no food truck, no t-shirt stall…
Leaving Saint Vincent’s, I stopped for a few minutes at the northern beach parking lot to get a few photos of the picnic area and historical display. An information panel describes the bollards seen in the next photo: “In March of 2020, after a severe storm, a large piece of wreckage was left uncovered on St. Vincent’s Beach. Although it bears no identifying markings, these bollards serve as a reminder of the power of the sea – a giver but also a taker. It serves as a lasting tribute to all shipwrecks and the people who were a part of them.”
About 10-12 km up what was now Route 90, I saw a sign pointing to St. Mary’s Battery, and decided to have a look. But turning at the next road took me instead to Gulch Beach – I see now that St. Mary’s Battery was the second left. Although not what I had intended, Gulch Beach provided a nice walk even in the not-nice weather.
The La Haye Point Lighthouse, built in the 1990s, replaces the 8.5-metre-tall, cast-iron tower that had been installed there in 1883.
A vast people-free beach. Ahhh… 🙂
I love the box of painted rocks at the start of the boardwalk: “Welcome to our Kindness Rock Garden. Take one for inspiration, share one for motivation, or leave one to help our garden grow.” I rather regret now not taking a minute to two to find one for my bee garden.
The weather continued to deteriorate as we drove north, and turning on to Route 81 was a surprise – not just gravel, but rough gravel, and at 20-30 km/h this was a slow 10 km or so.
The final 45-km drive down Route 100 to Argentia was ugly, in fog, rain, and wind. But we arrived at the ferry terminal before the crowds, as intended 🙂
The Marine Atlantic Terminal for passengers to wait in if they choose.
We were put at the head of Row 13, beside a row of motorcycles, so had a good view of everything going on.
Our ferry, the Ala’suinu, is the newest one in the Marine Atlantic fleet. She carries 1,000 passengers and there are 146 cabins, 31 of them pet-friendly. Our sailing to North Sydney would take 15-16 hours – having a cabin on the much shorter voyage to Newfoundland was so nice, and this would be even better!
I walked over to the terminal for a look.
There’s a huge outdoor deck on the upper floor that gave me a better look at our ship and may have other views on a nice day.
I was pleased to discover that there’s also a museum on the upper floor. That kept my attention for a while.
Several panels describe the traumatic expropriation and destruction of about 200 homes in 1940-1942 to build a massive American military base. Virtually the entire population of Argentia was uprooted.
Boarding the Ala’suinu, behind a lengthy parade of motorcycles – about 30 of them. What a shit day to be riding! Or standing by your bike in the rain for hours 🙁
The hallway leading to our Deluxe cabin on Deck 8.
Very nice. One of the things that prompted Cathy to get a Deluxe cabin this time was the statement that there’s a “deck and chair” so I could work. No there isn’t – a 6-inch-wide shelf isn’t a desk.
The bathroom – tiny but efficient.
The view from our window – a very large porthole.
Away we go – this would not be a scenic cruise.
We went down to Sage, the restaurant on Deck 7, for dinner. The art along the stairs is very nice – just like a cruise ship 🙂
I had a bacon and cheese burger ($19) – the most boring burger I’ve had in a very long time. Oh well.
I was up extremely early as usual (about 04:00, I think) and went downstairs, found a table among the passengers sleeping on any level place, and got a blog post written (but I’m still a week or so behind).
The next day, we would drive to an RV park near Cheticamp, with a stop en route at the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site. An easy day of 140 km driving.
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