August 2, 2017

We are completing out transit of Newfoumdland. The Trans Canada Nighway is 900 kilometers long to cross the island. We started in the east and are now near the extreme west part of island. Today the sun is shining. That was not the case yesterday. Since every travel day is valuable, we try to make the most of each day. We also need to squeeze in time for necessities such as laundry.

Yesterday was rainy all day. Even driving on the Trans Canada was unpleasant. After four hours, we were done. We had reached our half way point to the ferry port and decided to call it quits. We found a basement laundromat that also housed a computer repair shop, tanning machines and a small gym. It was a bit of the Twilight Zone but the laundry got done. The little town of Springdale also boasted a number of whale exhibits. By this point, we have seen plenty of whales and are a bit leviathan jaded. Our motel was run by Chinese immigrants from Shanghai. They all also run a restaurant with both Canadian and Chinese cuisine. We did Chinese. They also had Cod Tonques. We demurred since they only had full plates instead of appetizers. We are still squeamish about an entire plate of fishy tongues.

We woke to clouds that soon cleared for a bright and sunny day. We stopped on a beach with zillions of small rocks. A family was collecting rocks. I had to know, so I asked. The man was a geologist hunting for semi-precious stones for jewelry. We were happy to find plenty of interesting round rocks to fill up the car. We finally reached Port aux Basques where we will board the ferry back to Nova Scotia tomorrow. We still had to drive another 25 miles on a tiny coastal road to reach our destination for the day.

Two towns beyond Isle de Morts (Island of the Dead) lies Rose Blanc where we were booked to stay in a lighthouse keeper’s house. The town is home to some 620 residents and the only remaining granite lighthouse on the eastern seaboard of North America. There are no restaurants in town so we shopped and brought dinner to cook in the communal kitchen. Dinner is over and the kitchen is clean. We are careful to keep the watchful ladies of the lighthouse watch house happy. They are quite helpful but extremely diligent in maintaining the town treasure and the B&B that once housed the lighthouse keepers.

We toured the old lighthouse that is a few hundred yards from our room. The town is justifiably proud of their heritage. The name Rose Blanc confused me. I kept looking for the White Rose until they explained that the name was corrupted from the French Roch Blanc or White Rock. That is the color of the granite that was quarried here for the lighthouse. Sometimes it is strange things that become the mystery that has to be solved.

The setting is wonderful and our spaghetti dinner was passable. We are getting ready to take sunset pictures as we get ready to leave Newfoundland.