Spoffords Travel

Port Hawkesbury Nova Scotia to Moncton New Brunswick 236 miles

The day is starting out sunny. Sure hope that holds up. The car didn’t start on its own so a couple of people pushed it to the top of the hill. Rob actually got it to start so we didn’t have to get a pull. The landscape has flattened out and is mostly agricultural. We saw some livestock but not too many. We drove along the shoreline some of the time. The housing doesn’t seem as well maintained as we have seen the rest of the way. We drove in and out of small villages. Some of those houses are beautiful Victorians. It’s Sunday so more activity around the churches. We drove some on divided highways. Traffic is much heavier on these than on the side roads. The side roads are usually narrow with no shoulders. There no pull outs either. Since the terrain is flatter today there are no passing lanes. The roads are usually rough and today lots of turns. A pickup was following us and passed on a double line. Sirens went off and lights flashed. An unmarked police car pulled the driver over. We felt badly because this was not one of the hot rod type drivers. Then we crossed into the province of New Brunswick. Wildlife spotting of one deer and four ducks. Suddenly we were in Moncton. This is a much larger town. They even have a Costco. We had to drive down Main Street to get to our hotel. The downtown was very busy. Lots of sidewalk cafes. We ate dinner at Catch 22 to enjoy more seafood. When we returned Rob spent some time working on the car. He tightened up the fan belt tonight.

North Sydney Nova Scotia to Port Hawkesbury Nova Scotia 233 miles

Forgot to mention yesterday that I saw two mink run across the parking lot while the tire was being changed. Once again the skies are grey and look like rain. We ate breakfast in the room and then Rob went out to change the tire. The air in the tube seems to have held. Unfortunately the car doesn’t start without a pull. We head to the Visitor Center to get an update on the road condition on the Cabot Trail. The center shares a building with the museum and the library. We parked closest to the library and went in there. The Visitor Center doesn’t open until 10:00 and it is only 9:30. Luckily the librarian had a tourist map and also knew the road was passable. When we got back to the car a guy who had offered help when we were here before spotted us. He is trying really hard to get us to use a friend of his to fix the car. Rob told him we were looking for Wire Dryer. He took us to two different auto parts stores. Neither of them had any. He called a third which did have it but they are 15 kilometers away. Rob thanked him but said we really needed to get on the road. So we each went our own way. We thought we knew how to get to the trail. We just needed to go north on this one road that would take us to the start of the trail. We got to the road and it said east west. Well we took the wrong one. That cost us over twenty kilometers. When we did get on the right road it started raining. The rain lasted about twenty kilometers. The rest of the day was mostly cloudy but didn’t rain. Up and down over three major hills and lots of small ones. They seem really big when you are running in first gear. We used a small ferry to cross in one spot. No charge. The crossing takes less time than loading the cars. We are both surprised a bridge has not been built. Maybe the ferry union has more power here? We came to the site where the rain washed the road out. It was not long but a lot more work needs to be done. The road conditions change every few miles. Sometimes it’s good and sometimes terrible. A few small towns are along the way. Houses are in between. Lots of forest similar to New England in the states. The colors must be spectacular in the fall. We stopped briefly at a small shop advertising Celtic quilts. They had one that was already sold. They also sold other quilts and crafts. They get their fabric from the states. The librarian recommended a restaurant near Inverness. When we got there it was closed. We eventually found a small restaurant in a house. Connie got a lobster roll so she has finally had some of the lobster they talk about. Quite tasty. The northern part of the trail is in the Highlands National Park. Hiking trails are everywhere. Just like before if you are just driving through you don’t pay. The scenery on this drive is incredible! We left the Cabot Trail a little early and drove the Ceilidh Trail. This is best known for the golf courses and Celtic music. The road signs have a picture of a guy playing bagpipes. They are also into square dancing. Rob put some of the Sea Foam in the gas tank. Time will tell if that helps.

Port Aux Basques Newfoundland to North Sydney Nova Scotia 113 miles

Oh my goodness blue skies again this morning. Most likely won’t last. Rob replaced the tire that he fixed last night with the spare. The hidden leak was not discovered but flatly showed up over night. Connie made sandwiches to take on the ferry for lunch. When she got out the bread the shape was not as expected, They looked like a miniature hoagie on a pedestal. Two motorcycle guys that Rob talked with last night insisted on helping to change the tire this morning. They own a tire shop. Well they were there right on time and changed the tire quickly. That sure was nice. Then as usual the car would not start. Still seems to be the carburetor flooding. The guys could smell gas too. Three of them pushed us in the car to the hill and down we went. Unfortunately the car did not start. Luckily no traffic was coming so we got off to the side and soon a pickup stopped to help. He pulled us at least a quarter mile before it started. All the guys recommended putting in Sea Foam carburetor cleaner in the gas that can be purchased at Canada Tire. The guy that pulled us made sure we got to the store. It sits on the top of a hill. When we got to the top the motorcyclists were there and had purchased a can for us. After a struggle Rob convinced him to accept payment. He checked in the store for Wire Dryer but they didn’t have any. Then off to the ferry. When Rob pulled up the email confirmation the ticket seems to be for the other direction. Rob commented he had trouble getting the online booking to work. We got to the ticket booth and the attendant confirmed Rob’s suspensions. He was able to get us on the boat but couldn’t get our reserved seats. Well getting on the ferry was the main goal. They put us in the line to board on top which we liked much better. Needless to say we drew quite a crowd. Rob didn’t even have time to wash the windshield he was so busy talking to all the guys about the car. One of them even had a Model A. Very soon they came to have us board. We are on the level with the semis and campers. We went up to the reception desk to see about seats. They were able to get us two reserved seats. Rob talked with a disabled vet who also had a Model A and lives in Nova Scotia. He gave Rob his contact information if we needed help. Unfortunately he didn’t know anything about the road conditions on the Cabot Trail. We had read earlier that significant rain had damaged part of the road a week or so ago. The ferry ride was uneventful as you would like. We did have soft swirl ice cream. We listened to an audio book so the time went by quickly. The guy who pulled us this morning met us at the car when we left. It turns out that he works on the ferry. We are so impressed with the people in this part of Canada. They may be more impressive than the scenery. Rob worked on the tire that went flat yesterday. He replaced the tube and it seems to be holding air. He did elect to not put it on the car until morning. Hopefully it will hold the pressure overnight.

Deer Lake Newfoundland to Port Aux Basques Newfoundland 167 miles

When we looked out the window this morning the sky was a funny color. It was blue. That color only lasted an hour or so and then things were back to the normal gray. It only rained on us a very little. Well Woodie tried to start but never quite made it. One of the guys from the hotel came out and pulled us a few feet with a bobcat. We filled the tank and headed out. The clouds are much higher so we can actually see the mountain tops. The scenery is really pretty when you can see it. More culverts are getting put in place so the road has numerous rough spots. They are REALLY rough. Just past the Corner Brook turnoff the left rear tire went flat. We pulled off to the side of the highway, put out the warning triangles and changed the tire. Not one person stopped to offer help. So unusual compare to other areas. We spent about 45 minutes getting the tire changed and the tools put away. At a highway elevation of 482 feet we spotted a ski resort on the adjacent mountain. We didn’t stop for lunch and got to the hotel about 2:30. That included another stop for gas where we had a $0.05 per liter discount. We ate sandwiches in our room and then went to the grocery store. Milk here was about $10.00 CAD for a gallon. Out hotel is on top of a hill overlooking the ferry terminal. We are on the water side of the hotel. When we returned Connie did laundry and Rob fixed the tire. Well the tire repair did not go well. The valve stem valve failed and caused the tire to go flat. During the hasty stop the valve stem attached to the inner tube was damaged. Tomorrow Rob will install a new inner tube.

St Barbe Newfoundland to Deer Lake Newfoundland 186 miles

Looked out the window this morning to see it had rained overnight and it was still raining lightly. People started lining up at the ferry terminal by 7:30 to get a chance at the unreserved spots on the ferry. We ate Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches in the room then packed up to go. The car is really wet so Rob is already telling people we may need a tow. He tried a few times with no luck. Then he dried off the parts and filed what might be another carbon track. Glory Glory Hallelujah the car started after a couple of tries. This is the first time in weeks. We opted not to fill the gas tank here but to get further down the road. Just like yesterday we can’t see much because of the rain and the low clouds. We didn’t encounter any fog thank goodness. All the water on the road made driving difficult. The potholes are full of water so you can’t tell which ones have been filled. The grooves in the road also fill with water so that makes stirring a challenge. Then of course you have a semi go by and all bets are off. The car did some hydro planing as well. Good thing we have not been reported for drunken driving. We had driven this road in the opposite direction a few days ago but it looks different from the other side. The Gros Morne National Park is very near where we are driving so there are lots of campgrounds and trailheads. We stopped to fuel twice just in case and for a break. The car is doing much better today so the adjustments Rob made must have helped. The Arches Provincial Park was only a short distance out of our way and it wasn’t raining so we drove in. The Arches National Park in Utah is far more impressive. Worth stopping for a break. Lunch was sandwiches at a roadside picnic area. You could actually see the ocean. Our wildlife sightings today consisted of a chipmunk, a duck and a bunch of seagulls. Since the passenger side of the car doesn’t have windshield wipers, Connie spent her time watching water droplets connect and run down the window. Rob had put Rain-X on that side so the droplets come together quicker. We made good time so we got to the hotel around 2 pm. Rob did some further work on the car. He disassembled our backup carburetor that stopped working after about 3,000 miles. Nothing obvious was discovered. He is not going to test it because we have a carburetor on the car that is working. We went to Mary Brown’s Chicken and Taters for supper. It’s a big Canadian chain of fast food. It was okay but I don’t need to go back.

West St Modesto Labrador to St Barbe Newfoundland 54 miles

We have finished our coast to coast trip in Canada. Now we will be heading to Princeton New Jersey to participate in the Glidden Antique car tour. Today’s weather is a lot like yesterday. Very cloudy and windy. A very helpful local guy is coming to pick Rob up at 8 am to go shopping for the “special nuts”. The nuts are used to fasten the manifolds to the block. One of them stripped out along the way. Connie thinks she is coming down with a cold so she stayed in the room and took a nap. The fourth shop they tried had some. The shop repaired boats. Then Rob put the nuts on the car and tried to start it. That failed so once again we had to be pulled. But only a few feet this time. At least two guys gave him their phone numbers and said to call if we had problems. The folks in Labrador are incredibly helpful. Off we went to the ferry. It’s early but the weather looks threatening. The clouds hang low so picture taking would not be good. We went through a couple of sections of extremely dense fog. We could only see a few feet. The road still went up and down. Thank goodness no moose. We didn’t go to the famous lighthouse because the fog in the area was so dense. We did stop for gas and the car started without a pull. Yea! When we got to the ferry office it was closed. We waited there maybe 30 minutes. Rob asked for elevator access. We were the first in line. We ate beef stick and crackers for lunch. Rob’s chauffeur from this morning dropped by to make sure we got there. He was also going to purchase whiskey in Quebec because it was much cheaper. The ferry is actually in Quebec Provence but runs on Newfoundland time. While waiting we saw either an otter or a weasel dash across the lane to the ferry. Our turn to board the ferry came and the car started again. This time we are parked under cover. The ride across was much smoother. Hardly even a little bump. The car started again and we drove to the hotel. Our room has three steps up just inside the door. It also has a sink in the walk in closet. Across the street is a small convenience store. Amazing what they can pack in. We bought food for a few meals and returned to the room. Forgot to say we met a guy a few days ago that said he knew all about Idaho because he used to drive trucks of Idaho seed potatoes to Prince Edward Island.

St Barbe Newfoundland to West St Modesto Labrador 93.1 miles

Today is very cloudy and more wind. Rob had to buy the ferry ticket. Quite a line formed early this morning for the non reserved spots. The car required a pull of about two miles to get it going. Then it was a hurry to get to the ferry dock by the hour early arrival time. Rob left the car running until it was loaded. We were in the very back and exposed to the weather. One of the crew said the car might get wet. Sure hope not because we know it doesn’t like to start when wet. This is a smaller ferry because not as many vehicles got on. Once we got away from land the water got really choppy and white caps. The ferry rocked from side to side as we traveled until we got to the other side. Now it is head for our lodging. Well these roads are something else. We went up and down several hills that had grades of 10%-11% and would go for 1-2 kilometers. Rob hardly got out of second gear. The wind is the worst we have encountered the entire trip. The car rocks from side to side with the gusts. A couple of people said the wind keeps the bugs away. By the looks of one guy’s neck the black flies are wicked. After checking in the hotel clerks said we should go to Red Bay and that the roads were good. There is construction but only replacing the culverts. Well we took off. The construction went for 11 kilometers (6.8 miles). Everywhere they had put in a culvert was gravel. They have installed lots of culverts. At one place we had to go down where the culvert will be. On the way back we didn’t have to go down but instead went where they had covered part of it. They are also blasting in one area. Some of the crew is staying at this hotel. We got to Red Bay which is where Basques used to live and hunt whales. You could not go out to the island where they lived because the wind was too strong. The museum on whaling was small and cost $10.75. Most of the trees here are short and lean into the wind. Two guys came into the restaurant and talked about picking bakeapples. One of them had picked two gallons. The locals definitely think they are good. We also learned the locals like accordion music. Supposedly Newfoundland has its own style of music. Have not checked that out yet. Our room tonight has one of the more interesting layouts. First of all the ceilings are about 12 feet up. We have a table with two soft chairs, a desk with a dining room chair, toilet designed for a toddler and a walk in closet with the sink. One gal is the waitress and frost desk attendant. Who knows she may also wash dishes. Rob is doing some further checking on the car and Connie is doing laundry. Another thing we have noticed since arriving in Newfoundland is that a bottle of white vinegar is always on the table. Rob discovered a stripped manifold nut. One of the locals is going to pick him up early in the morning for a “special nut” search.