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Halifax Rest Day (CNF1502)

Sonntag, 21. Juni 2015 | Thomas Ritt | Nord- und Südamerika

No, the tour didn't end in Halifax, you're right Chris. Sorry for the delay and thanks for reminding my to post a few more pics.

After our well deserved rest day in Halifax we rode to our next province, New Brunswick, home of the world's highest tides and best lobster. Then on to Quebec, where our 1/2 rest day in the beautiful old town on Quebec City was washed away by torrential rain. The last two days were sunny again and it finally became warm, once we had crossed the border to the U.S. temperatures soared up to 80°F/27°C. The tour came to a close in Boston, where we arrived just in time for the upcoming Independence Day celebrations.

5,500 km in two weeks and we still just scratched the surface....

The Bay of Fundy is a great place when it comes to minerals and fossils. We went shopping at Tyson's Rock Shop in Parrsboro. The shop is already impressive, but wait until you see his private collection...
There were stunning pieces not only from Canada, but from all around the world
Shediac prides itself in being the lobster capital of the world. Gary is a huge lobster aficionado, so he felt right at home here.
Rob felt at home, too....
We went on a private lobster cruise and learned everything there is to know about lobsters, how to fish them and how to eat them.
Ron used to be a lobster fisherman for over 35 years. He is retired now but his life still revolves around the tasty crustacean
Kjell bought a t-shirt just for the occasion
Quebec City's most famous landmark is the Chateau Frontenac. The old town is amazing and feels much more European than Canadian
Our last stop in Canada: Fort Chambly, a 300 year-old fortress
Burlington is Vermont largest city and home of Ben&Jerry's, probably the world's most famous ice cream brand. You can see the group heading straight for one of their outlets...
The high temperatures were a great excuse for a massive helping of B&J's.
The bridge across Lake Champlain. No ferry today, Rob....!!!

We're halfway through the tour, so a relaxing rest day comes in handy. Halifax is the largest city in Atlantic Canada, an interesting place with lots of things to do and see.

Peggy's Cove Lighthouse ist supposedly North America's most photographed lighthouse. Per and Uwe were busy adding a few dozen pics to the count
It's the spectacular setting on the whitewashed rocks that sets it apart
This young lady had a hard time parking her car. No idea why, it was a regular passenger car...
The entire old town of Lunenburg is a World Heritage site. The buildings date from the late 19th century and have been beautifully restored. A good place for lunch.
A place to linger for a while. But rain clouds rolled in, so we had to go back to Halifax.
Frank's birthday cake. Happy birthday, Frank!!!

After leaving the ferry we headed straight for the Cabot Trail.Even though the weather was not entirely on our side the ride was gorgeous, the scenery fantastic.

Famous Cabot Trail is one of the world's most scenic roads
One of the things you have to do while in Canada...
Schuberth's C3 Pro comes with antler holders
Thomas, about to embark on a whale watching trip in a Zodiac boat
Accomodation for the night was the Keltic Lodge. It features a restaurant with a view...
The Blue Puttees was already waiting for us. It's an 8 hour ferry ride across the Cabot Strait

Our last highlight on the island of Newfoundland was the old granite lighthouse at Rose Blanche, but even more so it was the road that leads there. 40 beautiful kilometers of awesome curves and stunning scenery.

Rose Blanche Lighthouse. The yellow and orange lights had their day off...
The pathway to the lighthouse
Rob was happy to be there, too
The former lighthouse keeper's bedroom.

Day 4 in Newfoundland: after a cold start in St. Anthony the air quickly warmed up to a balmy 20°. Clear blue sky, sunshine, beautiful scenery, and to top it all off an amazing meal at our hotel in Steady Brook. A good day. Tomorrow is our last day in Newfoundland, then we leave for Nova Scotia.

Fishing trawler returning back to St. Anthony. The early morning light was pure magic!
Makes you think, doesn't it?
The road to Fishing Point lighhouse
A small iceberg, only about as big as a house.
Fishing Point lighthouse
The crisp morning air quickly convinced Christina that the passenger seat in the van was much better than the one of the RT. We pulled over for some additional Kodak moments...
The crew and their bikes
In 1919 the S.S. Ethie was thrown on the beach by one of the worst storms in history. Her remains are still scattered all around.
The group at a lookout in Gros Morne National Park. The table mountains in the background are made up of rock that used to be the Earth's mantle. Tectonic pressure moved it to the surface.
Christina and Gary and the Rad Chair Experience Program (http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/on/trentsevern/visit/chaiserouge-redchair.aspx)
... and this is what they were looking at.

Day 3 in Newfoundland: the Viking Trail leads all the way up to the northern tip of Newfoundland, one of the most isolated places you can imagine. The terrain is, to say the least, rugged, rough - and beautiful. The Vikings called this place Vinland and there is proof that they sailed as far south as New Brunswick, maybe even down to Maine of even further south. We may never find out. But to ride to what felt like the end of the world in the freezing cold to find the remains of a 1,000 year-old Viking village was a very special experience.

Stephen, Per and Kjell from Norway at Lobster Cove Lighthouse
View of Western Brook Pond, or rather of the entrance to this fjord-like lake. It's a one-hour hike to get there and back, we passed on that...
A moose and her calf taking an early morning dip in a pond right next to the highway
Arches Rock has been sitting on the beach, pounded by relentless waves, since the dawn of time
The Anchor Cafe in Port-au-Choix is truly "Newfie"
Gary met his long-lost pal and recognized him instantly - despite the beard
1,000 years ago Leif Eirikson and a group of Vikings landed at the northern tip of the Northern Penisula and settled in a place known today as L'Anse aux Meadows. This was the first time people had travelled across the Atlantic, a milestone in human history. Norwegian scientist Helge Ingstad proved they had actually been there. His fellow countrymen were proud!
Reconstructed Viking village
Like at home in Scandinavia they built their houses from peat
With the fire the inside of the hut is very cosy. Outside temperatures were around 5°C/40°F. And that is summer, you don't want to know what the winters around here are like...
View of the "beach".

Day 2 in Newfoundland. We left beautiful Twillingate to visit the Beothuk indians. Unfortunately they are not around anymore, their culture was lost in the struggle with the new arrivals from Europe.

Then we rode through the interior of the island, had lunch in the only major inland town and then headed up north on the Viking Trail.

Model of a Beothuk village. This aboriginal culture went extinct in 1829, when the last Beothuk indian died.
Beothuk indians with a canoe made of birch bark.
Riding on the Trans Canada Highway is quite uneventful at times, but hey - Canada is a huge country!
The group on their way to dinner No, we were not lost!
Fishing boat in Rocky Harbour
Rob (hates seafood) and Gary (loves seafood) were both looking forward to dinner
Gary had a lobster that was cought only an hour ago, while Rob had pizza (no picture)
Gorgeous sunset over Rocky Harbour

Our first riding day was a long one, almost 500 km, but before we left St. John we went up to Signal Hill to enjoy the stunning view. Cape Spear, North America's easternmost point, was next on the list and it was an amazing feeling to stand there and look out over the ocean, closer to Europe than to the other side of Canada. The Trans Canada Highway runs all the way there, to Victoria Island, 7,800 km away. We only followed it for around 350 km, to Gander, formerly famous for having the world's busiest airport. Those days are over, but the local aviation museum tells the tale of those days.

Today's overnight town is Twillingate - famous for the icebergs that float off the coast in early summer. This place is GORGEOUS!

Flowers, sunshine, blue sky.... that's Newfoundland!!!

View from Cape Spear, the continent's easternmost point

Amazing view from Joey's Lookout

Gary, Stephen, Frank, Christina and Kjell at lunch

Thomas and Uwe in front of the small but interesting aviation museum in Gander

Christina posing with a fighter jet

Before the airport sea planes used Gander Lake as a runway

Gary enjoys the freedom to ride and meet the locals

A bunch of small icebergs just off the coast in Twillingate

The group heading towards Long Point lighthouse

Another iceberg lurking right next to Twillingate harbour

Get ready for sunset (at 9:21 p.m.)

View of Twillingate township

St. John's, the capital of Newfoundland, is the oldest European settlement in North America, and it is also the easternmost city in North America. A beautiful, colorful town that happens to be the starting point of our brand new Newfoundland to Boston tour. A small crowd of 8 from 3 different countries is about to start a two-week ride through 3 Canadian provinces and 4 US states. Here are some impressions. Stay tuned!

St. John Cathedral

A very green city

View of the port. Up on Signal Hill you can see Cabot Tower. Amazing view from there, our first destination tomorrow morning.

Uwe and Gary, engaged in conversation, tasting the local beer.

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Einen Kommentar hinzufügen Diesen Beitrag bewerten
Chris
Samstag, 11. Juli 2015 um 13:59

Unsere Reise endete aber längst nicht in Halifax - wie der Blogartikel vermuten läßt... Nein, das war längst noch nicht alles!
Nach Halifax kamen weitere Stationen auf unserer Reise von St. Johns Neufundland/Canada nach Boston / USA
Auch nach Halifax gab es hier viel zu sehen und zu erleben. Unter anderem das hier:
Bay of Fundy - sehr sehr eindrucksvoll
Shediac - Hummerboot
die längste Covered Bridge
Quebec - wir waren am Canada-Day dort
Burlingten - leeeecker Eis gegessen bei Ben & Jerry
Thomas Ritt
Sonntag, 12. Juli 2015 um 16:00

Hallo Chris,
danke für's Erinnern, ich hatte den Rest des Blogeintrages völlig vergessen. Dabei waren die Fotos schon hergerichtet! Also besser spät als nie: hier sind sie.
Gruß an Frank,
Tom
Chris
Dienstag, 14. Juli 2015 um 10:04

Danke Tom.

Werden bei Euch im Blog eigentlich die Kommentare abgeschnitten? Oder sind sie bvegrenzt auf eine Anzahl Zeichen? Ich hatte im Post davor noch viel mehr geschrieben

Liebe Grüße
Eric
Samstag, 4. Juli 2015 um 04:09

Great photos! Looks like everyone had a great time, I'm so glad we could be a part of this tour.
Rob
Montag, 22. Juni 2015 um 12:25

AWESOMENESS!!!!!

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