Channel-Port aux Basques, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
On a map the French department of Saint Pierre and Miquelon
is just off what is about the center of Newfoundland’s irregular southern
coast, so it would seem as though it shouldn’t be too long a drive to the ferry
port at Port-aux-Basques at the island’s southwestern point. It would be a mistake to think that,
though. There is no road across the
southern part of the island. That means backtracking the entire distance of the
Burin Peninsula back to the Trans-Canada Highway and heading north and the west
across the northern part of the island before heading down the west coast, a
total distance of somewhat over 500 miles.
That was a full day’s drive that got me into the port town
at 8:00 in the evening with only a few stops along the way for breakfast,
lunch, coffee & WiFi. Oh, and yes, two more moose sightings! Whirel I hit
some heavy rain around Gander by the time I got to western Newfoundland the
skies cleared for some of the most beautiful weather in my two weeks on the
island. Western Newfoundland is more mountainous that the rest of the island
and unexpectedly scenic south of Gros Morne National Park, the Long Range
Mountains being the northernmost extension of the Appalachians.
I decided to splurge on a spot in a campground in Cheeseman
Provincial Park a short distance from Port-aux-Basques so I could shower,
shave, and clean myself up before the ferry trip after three nights of what I
call “bush car camping”. My last meal in Newfoundland was a breakfast of cod
cakes with eggs and hash browns on the side.
I was advised to reserve a space ahead of time for the
seven-hour crossing between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. The ferry was
virtually empty, though, despite being the Friday before Discovery Day weekend,
a long weekend holiday that comes about a week before the Canada Day on July 1st.
The weather for the crossing was the best I experienced during my entire time
in Newfoundland. It seems like such a waste to spend such a gorgeous day that
could be used for hiking or other outdoor activity sitting on a boat, but at
least it was warm enough to get a bit of sun on the top deck.
2025-05-23