After leaving beautiful Rocky Harbour we took a little off the beaten path to a little place called Norris Point. From there you could see what we would later find out is The Tablelands. All we could see were mountains that looked like mountains of dirt. What was that??? We would have to find out.
On our way around the bay towards the large mountains of what looked like dirt we seen a town called Bonny Bay. A little cove tucked into the cliffs with beautiful scenery and wonderful people. How wonderful? I would find out first hand.
On our way into Bonny Bay there were some beautiful views!
With some impressive pull offs to look out over the beauty of it all.
On into the town of Bonny Bay the scenery was breath taking.
Those mountains were also steep. Beautiful but steep.
Did you know the rate of incline and decline on the mountains is steeper in Newfoundland than both Labrador and Quebec? I am not sure if the elevation itself was more but certainly that little truck on that hill sign was at a steeper angle. Lol! Going into Bonny Bay on a particularly steep incline I applied my breaks and the van began to vibrate violently!! What on earth was going on??? Both Kim and I looked at each other with a OMG what was that look??? I knew my brakes were OK as I had everything checked over before I left. It made my heart pitter patter a little faster let me tell ya! (It would not be the last time). I dropped a gear in the van and kept a good pressure on the brakes and a tight grip on the steering wheel and got her slowed down. We pulled over into a pull off and took a few breaths. Pheww! When we got into phone range we gave Tom a call and got his opinion on what was going on, then find a mechanic. Off to town we went, a little slower on the hills and around the corner we came to the lovely town of Bonny Bay.
The Harbour front had little restaurants and shops mixed in with the main industry, fishing. It was quaint with a quiet charm in the busy little downtown. Off to grab a bite to eat and stroll through a couple of shops and ask some of the people in town about a mechanic. We found a great little restaurant. The Old Loft Restaurant. The restaurant sits right on the harbor and has a beautiful decor of Harbour life.
We sat down in big wooden booths, we ordered drinks. All of a sudden I realized my butt was vibrating!! Hahaha!
We figured it was the large ship docked just down from the restaurant. It took a moment to get used to!! Lol! We asked about a mechanic and the waitress told us to go to Pikes Automotive at the top of the hill and ask for Paul, he would help us out.
Tom had guessed tierod ends. I am betting the Quebec road had the most to do with their demise. We pulled into the garage and spoke with Paul. He looked at it right away. As we waited for the diagnosis we looked around for a campground or somewhere to stay near the garage. He thought maybe warped rotors as the mountains will do that but he would take a look. I knew whatever it turned out to be he probably would not have the parts today as it was already afternoon. There was an RV park it looked like not far from the garage. This would be my first RV Park stay. Tom was right, it was the tierod ends. He could get the parts there by tomorrow. I thought that was pretty good since we were in the middle of nowhere. I asked him if the van would be ok to make it over to Trout River to the Elephant Head RV park. He told me no problem.
It was a curvy, up and down ride and we had to pass through the Tablelands to get there. Oh thats bonus. Those large mountains of dirt I spoke about earlier. This was interesting.
The Tablelands are actually the earth’s mantle that was pushed up through the earth billions of years ago when the continents collided and the formation of the Appalachian mountains began. They call it the earth’s inner soul. It is an orange, brown color with no or little vegetation on it at all. Just raw earth. It was very cool to see. To know you were standing and driving on the beginning!
We stayed a wonderful night at the RV park. Went into Trout River down a dirt holy steep little road. Lol! It was was tiny little fishing village with mountain goats. Lol! That was so cool.
We traveled back to Bonny Bay to get the van fixed as the parts had arrived. Within 2 hours we were back on the road headed east. With one last wave and a thank you very much we were safely on our way!
Going south then making a left turn at Deer Lake we pulled off to find a paper map and something happened to me that has not happened in 20 years. I was pulled over by a police officer. He said I had not used my signal when I made a turn which is very unlike me. He also was concerned because my windows have a dark tint on them. He explained the hazards of having a dark tint and looked at my drivers license and because we were lost pointed in the right direction. Nice man. Pretty sure it was the tint and not my signal though! Lol! But when he is a cutey and has that Newfoundland accent I will listen! 🙂
Heading east it was getting dark. There was a Provincial Park just up the road. A shower and laundry and a comfy campsite. Notre Dame Provincial Park is central Newfoundland near the west side. Nice park with nice facilities. It was a great stay.
Just a note. Something we noticed. You know when you are staying in the woods there are woods noises. Birds singing, little creatures scurrying about, sometimes big creatures, there was none of that. They had the most silent forests I have ever been too. Lol!
Right in the middle of Newfoundland is a National Park called Terra Nova National Park. It covers a vast region in the interior and is a rugged beautiful area. They have an interpretive center that we stopped in to see. It was very interesting to learn that indeed there were animals in the forest. They also had a full size whale skeleton, which by the way would be the only whale we seen!
Back on the highway, through the mountains east bound. We wanted to stop in a little town that looked interesting on the map. Why did it look interesting? The name. Dildo!
Take a video tour of Dildo with us. https://youtu.be/nyg4LoUnSsU
What a delightful little town. We pulled into a little harbour town with all the charm Newfoundland is known for. We drive into the harbour area parking and was trying to get a picture of the both of us in front of the Dildo Harbour sign.
A gentleman came along and asked of he could help. We were both laughing so hard I am sure it made him laugh to.
We asked him if there was a campground or a place to park for the night and he told us we could park anywhere we want. We could stay right on the dock if we wanted. We wandered around the harbour and took in the sights. How very pretty!
The gentleman told us about a Lions Club Park, RV’s sometimes stay when they come. We followed him up there but decided that we liked the dock better. What a great decision. It was a full moon and a clear sky. There were a million stars and a scene that takes your breath away.
After a relaxing coffee by the water in the morning we went to the Dildo Brewing Company.
Driving into the parking lot sits a little brewery on the water. Getting out the first thing you notice is a giant steel squid. There was was plaque to explain. Giant squid are rare and only a few have been spotted in this area since.
More fantastic people with good beer, so Kim said, and good food. They had a traditional Newfoundland breakfast so I had to have that. Included in that is something they call a touton. It is a fried doe something. It is served with molasses. I never really liked molasses as a kid and apparently I still don’t. Lol. It may have tasted better with Maple syrup. They also served fried bologna as the meat. I forgot how much I liked that!
The brewery had a nice little gift shop and the woman in the gift shop was a hoot! We had such a great time there we stopped back in on our way back west to catch the ferrie.
But we still have a few Chipmunk Adventures until we hit there.
Thanks for coming along on my Chipmunk Adventure.
Look for my upcoming blogs Exploring Newfoundland. There is more beauty to behold.
See you soon!
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