Despite sleeping in my car the night before, I managed to catch enough rest to make it through the day. The morning introduced me to thick clouds and scattered rainfall that followed me as I began my drive. I soon realized I’d tackled the worst part of the highway the night before, as dirt and gravel returned to a freshly paved road, a welcomed change.
Getting closer to the coastline, I noticed a couple of cars parked on the side of the road as people walked through the adjacent fields picking something from the ground. Curious to see what it might be, I parked and walked out to meet them. It turns out they were picking a berry called a bake apple, or as the locals knew them by, cloud berries. Loaded with vitamin C, early settlers would collect them and store them for the winter months to stave off scurvy. Not the most attractive looking berry they did have a rather unique taste, a sweet, tart like flavor. I decided to stock up and spent an hour picking the odd looking delicacies before returning to my vehicle.
At last I saw what I’d been waiting to see, the Atlantic Ocean. The shoreline was an incredible sight with its mixture of rocky cliffs and sandy beaches. With so much rain in this part of the country, green plants and trees flourished everywhere I looked. I would have got out to explore a bit more but the mini black flies in the area were a swarm I was growing tired of. The buggers were similar to the ones I’d seen in the Northwest Territories but far more annoying, their bites would leave an itchy bump that was worse than a mosquitoes.
In time the roads took me to the ferry where I’d arrived with an hour and a half to spare before the next boat left the port. I relaxed for a little bit, waiting for the boats arrival. Upon its appearance I hopped back in my car and proceeded to board. No dogs were allowed on the deck, it was my car or a kennel for Winnie so I left her in the car. With overcast skies at least I didn’t have to worry about it being to hot for her.
I walked up to the top of the deck as the ferry took to the sea. Feeling the cold air pushing against me on the open waters I couldn’t help but smile. Here I was, off on the opposite side of the country, taking a ferry to explore a land I’d talked about seeing for years. I felt proud of myself for taking the journey, for diving into the unknown and embracing the adventure of a lifetime.
It took close to two hours for the ferry to make it to Newfoundland but in time I arrived. I noticed there were hardly any of the annoying black flies upon my arrival, a true relief. With it already being fairly close to sundown I figured I’d find a place to camp for the night and do my exploring in the morning. An hour and a half drive took me north where I set up camp in Pistolet Bay Provincial Park. I met a friendly park ranger named Jim as I drove up and we found ourselves in a great conversation as we shared stories with one another. Ready for bed, I made it out to my camping spot where I set up my tent, a long but pretty great day coming to its close.
It must have been an exciting moment to reach the Atlantic. From sea to shining sea.