Trip planning to Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, NB

[DaveFL]

Originally Posted by HowieE

Yes on the kayak.

Considering you may want to take extra meat with you to the rock you might freeze a couple of large soda bottles a day or so before you cross as the frig will be off while on the ferry. Te additional thermal mass will help hold the frig.
our 6 hour crossing turned out to be over 10 because of delays while loading.

Our trips were 10 yrs ago but it would be wise to check rules before stocking up going both ways. They had an inspection that included checking out the refrig, and did a sanitizing of the undercarrage. They didn't fine at that time but just confiscated banned products.
They didn't see my hiking sneakers that were in the driver's area, caked with mud.
We froze in Maine on return of first trip in mid Sept, Saw iceburgs in bay in July and snow in the shadowed areas along side of the road in the Northwest. Labrador was just to say we did the whole length of coastal highway to it's northen end, having been to Key West and it's Southern point.

[HowieE]

There was an agg. inspection when leaving Newfoundland. PEI has convinced Ottawa that they are the only people in the world that should be allowed to grow potatoes. We had a unopened bag we had bought in New Jersey and had to give them up.

[SilverEagle6]

Any thoughts about where o go in Nova Scotia and how much time to spend there?

[weirdstuff]

Originally Posted by SilverEagle6

Any thoughts about where o go in Nova Scotia and how much time to spend there?

Mahone Bay, Lunenburg.

The Ovens. You can stay at the Ovens Natural Park Campground. Awesome campground. Some sites are on the water, all the sites are quite nice. Great little restaurant on site with live music at night.

Peggy's Cove...extremely touristy....but...very beautiful. Stop at the memorial for Swissair Flight 111 (sept 2, 1998 crash site off-shore). It's very beautiful and touching.

Halifax is a fun city! We did the amphibious Harbour Hopper boat tour. If you like beer, go to Garrison Brewery, down by the boat terminal on the waterfront. Great brewery...good beers and super nice bartender. You can also tour the Alexander Keith Brewery. There's also a good music scene in the evenings at the restaurants. We stayed at Shubie Park RV Park, about 20 minutes drive from Halifax. Hands down, nicest bathrooms and showers of any campground anywhere! It's adjacent to a big walking trail system. And the trails allow off-leash doggies.

In Cape Breton, if you're into music, stop in Judique at the Celtic Music Interpretive Center. In Mabou, eat at the Red Shoe Pub. Fantastic food, and local music in the evening.

Inverness Campground...it's on the bluff above beach. Walk down to beach, enjoy sunset. Beautiful!

Possibly the highlight of Nova Scotia, for us, was Meat Cove. Spectacular!!

[paiceman]

I will take mild exception to the few comments on Diesel. We ran up to North Sydney and back to PEI, very nice trip, however, our truck at the time and our new one only have 26 gallon tanks. A number of fueling stations we found on our return had Yellow handle diesel pumps and no mention of Ultra Low. Finally very low on fuel I went in and asked a mechanic and he asked if we were from the states and saying yes he said that our F250 6.7 Diesel at the time would not run on his diesel. We did find a station, but when we go again we will be more careful and fuel up at half a tank instead of quarter full.

We have avoided Newfoundland due to always taking our dogs, I've heard (NOT EXPERIENCED) the kennels on the ferry's are not very nice and no one can visit the dogs while under way. Maybe someone with experience concerning the kennels can comment more extensively. You'll like PEI, very nice place.

Safe Travels

[weirdstuff]

Originally Posted by paiceman

We have avoided Newfoundland due to always taking our dogs, I've heard (NOT EXPERIENCED) the kennels on the ferry's are not very nice and no one can visit the dogs while under way. Maybe someone with experience concerning the kennels can comment more extensively.
Safe Travels

Why not leave your dogs in your TV or trailer? That's what most people seem to do on the short ferry. Leave windows cracked open, leave water for them. That way, they're in their own environment, and not in the kennel. We saw a good number of people doing it this way.

I did not look in the kennel, but I could hear a couple dogs barking and barking, and they didn't seem happy. Our two dogs stayed in our Interstate, and seemed just fine at the end of the passing. Wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

If you do make it up there, you will NOT be disappointed!

[Florida 55]

If you go to Nova Scotia in early July the Nova Scotia Royal Tattoo in Halifax is well worth the price of admission. The two and a half hour evening show is a musical treat involving military bands from a number of different nations. In 2015 the dates are June 30-July 7. Here is a link to the website.

Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo

[Cyclist]

Originally Posted by SilverEagle6

Any thoughts about where o go in Nova Scotia and how much time to spend there?

I'll second Lunenburg and Mahone Bay. The Lunenburg Chamber of Commerce has a campground in downtown Lunenburg - a 10 minute walk from the downtown. It's somewhat basic in amenities but after Labour Day they had a special - 4 nights for the price of 3 (they also offer a 10% discount for AAA/CAA).

The Parks Canada reconstruction of Fortress Louisbourg is worth a visit and it's not out of the way if going to Newfoundland. It's about a 30 minute drive from North Sydney.

The Public Garden in downtown Halifax is worth a visit and it's a short walk to the Citadel. You can get a good view of Halifax on a nice day by taking the ferry across the harbour to Dartmouth. It's the price of a bus ticket - get a transfer and you can ride back for free.

[SilverEagle6]

I have accepted that we will take the 6hr ferry both ways because of our dog. I have contacted the ferry office but have yet to talk to someone other than a recording. Does anyone know if the pet can travel in the trailer or tow vehicle, or just the tow vehicle?

[weirdstuff]

I don't think it matters which vehicle, because there were people taking dogs across that had ONLY vehicles, no trailers, including us in our Interstate motorhome, which is, essentially, just a van.

Just be sure to tell them you have a dog in the vehicle, and they'll give you a placard to put in the window, indicating a pet is on board.

I was so worried about my doggies, but they were fine. I think it's more stressful on us people!

[SilverEagle6]

Here is my first draft of our timeline. Cross the border at St Stephens on June 1, drive the coast for 8 days and take the bridge to PEI on June 9. We'll spend about 8 days there and take the ferry to Picou NS on June 17. We stay in NS for 30 days and take the 6 hr ferry to Newfoundland on July 17. We have allotted six weeks in NFL and will take the same 6 hr ferry back to NS on Aug 28. We'll take the same route back through NB, taking 11 days and arriving at Acadia NP on Sep 10.

Time allotted sound ok?

[RangerJay]

Only a couple of things to add.

• No matter where you find yourself check into local festivals/theatre - there is lots of culture out there and it's best enjoyed in community events.
• Roads through the south/central area of Nova Scotia are (were) atrocious - it's been a while since we were there so presumably they've done some work since - but if not ....
• really consider both ferries when going to and from Newfoundland - saves backtracking and wasted time - but further consider getting a cabin for the longer ride - this will mean reserving farther in advance.
• consider whale watching from Brier Island in Nova Scotia - takes a number of short little ferry runs to get there - but a neat trip that gets you up close and personal to another way of life.
• Twillingate = Icebergs - but don't leave it too late in the season.
• St. John's and Corner Brook are places you will want to visit in Newfoundland - but the heart and soul of that Province is found in it's small coastal towns and villages.

Have a great trip.


Jay

[aswbe]

We are planning to go on the early caravan 2015 May-June. We have bikes and I generally take them with us unless there is little possibility they can be used. Would it be worth while to haul them up there?

[SilverEagle6]

Jay, the reason for the same ferry is our dog, he can handle the short one. I know of a couple festivals,but if you have links/info on others please let me know. I wanted to do the Iceberg festival but it is 5-7 June, a little to early.

[Jim Flower]

Originally Posted by weirdstuff

Mahone Bay, Lunenburg.

The Ovens. You can stay at the Ovens Natural Park Campground. Awesome campground. Some sites are on the water, all the sites are quite nice. Great little restaurant on site with live music at night.

Peggy's Cove...extremely touristy....but...very beautiful. Stop at the memorial for Swissair Flight 111 (sept 2, 1998 crash site off-shore). It's very beautiful and touching.

Halifax is a fun city! We did the amphibious Harbour Hopper boat tour. If you like beer, go to Garrison Brewery, down by the boat terminal on the waterfront. Great brewery...good beers and super nice bartender. You can also tour the Alexander Keith Brewery. There's also a good music scene in the evenings at the restaurants. We stayed at Shubie Park RV Park, about 20 minutes drive from Halifax. Hands down, nicest bathrooms and showers of any campground anywhere! It's adjacent to a big walking trail system. And the trails allow off-leash doggies.

In Cape Breton, if you're into music, stop in Judique at the Celtic Music Interpretive Center. In Mabou, eat at the Red Shoe Pub. Fantastic food, and local music in the evening.

Inverness Campground...it's on the bluff above beach. Walk down to beach, enjoy sunset. Beautiful!

Possibly the highlight of Nova Scotia, for us, was Meat Cove. Spectacular!!

Your comments are spot on in every case and you have proven yourself to be a dedicated Airstreamer since very few have ventured to Meat Cove. We were entertained by a braying wild horse on the wild, moonlit, night during our stay there a few years ago. Jim


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[SilverEagle6]

I copied this from my earlier post....hoping to keep this on track.

Here is my first draft of our timeline. Cross the border at St Stephens on June 1, drive the coast for 8 days and take the bridge to PEI on June 9. We'll spend about 8 days there and take the ferry to Picou NS on June 17. We stay in NS for 30 days and take the 6 hr ferry to Newfoundland on July 17. We have allotted six weeks in NFL and will take the same 6 hr ferry back to NS on Aug 28. We'll take the same route back through NB, taking 11 days and arriving at Acadia NP on Sep 10.

Time allotted sound ok?

[RangerJay]

Originally Posted by SilverEagle6

Jay, the reason for the same ferry is our dog, he can handle the short one. I know of a couple festivals,but if you have links/info on others please let me know. I wanted to do the Iceberg festival but it is 5-7 June, a little to early.

The festivals/theatre that come immediately to mind include:

• Weekend horse pull at a historical village east of Charlottown, PEI
• Gaelic College Ceilidh's near Baddeck, NS
• Cow Head Dinner Theatre in Gross Morne
• Terra Nova Folk Festival

We also enjoyed historical re-enactments, music, mini-plays in a number of parks.

None of these were researched or planned in advance - we lucked into them simply by asking.


Jay

[Cyclist]

SilverEagle:

Given the amount of time you will be spending in the Atlantic provinces, you should look into Parks Canada Discovery Pass. Parks Canada charges admission to parks (and historic site like Louisbourg) apart from camping fees. The pass will quickly pay for itself - I expect within less than a week of camping in a national park. The family rate is $136.40.

We have bought our passes in the past at the gate of the park or site.

Parks Canada - Shop and Reserve - Discovery Passes

[Jim Flower]

A gentleman working at Shubie Park in Dartmouth has been working on this Airstream for the Shubie Park owner for years. Getting close he says. I'm not so sure. I think he likes puttering too much to complete it. Jim


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[Jim Flower]

Saint Andrews (Kiwanis Ocean Front Campground) is about Half an hour from the border crossing at St Stephen and is one of Atlantic Canada's most picturesque towns. 10 minute walk to the center of the village. Great place to set the tone for your trip. Google Pansy Patch St Andrews for a peak at some local architecture. Jim


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