As we were
heading to the ferry we encountered very strong winds. Apparently Environment Canada posted a
“Wreckhouse” wind warning. Now THAT
sounds ominous! Wreckhouse, we found
out, is a place just to the North and West of the ferry terminal where the wind
can get up to 200 kph. It is called
Wreckhouse because the wind used to blow the trains off the tracks and has even
blown semi-trailer trucks off the road.
As we were approaching Port Aux Basques there was a huge flashing sign
saying there was a high wind hazard and cars should pull off the road. I did not know if that meant right there or
if the wind got too strong. It was
unclear. You would think that with an
issue like that they would try to be specific.
Luckily we had booked our accommodation at a place called Codroy, which
was just before the Wreckhouse area.
The wind howled until about midnight.
I kept looking outside to see if there were any semi’s flying by, but no
luck. Just a few houses and an old woman
with a pointy hat on a bicycle.
We came
across from Port Aux Basques, Newfoundland to North Sydney, Nova Scotia on the
Marine Atlantic Ferry. We all gripe
about BC Ferries and all the problems that beset them but now that I have seen
Marine Atlantic BC Ferries looks pretty good.
If Marine Atlantic is the Air Canada of ferries then BC Ferries is the
Westjet. The ferry was an hour and a
half late leaving Newfoundland after taking two and a half hours to load. When we got to Sydney it took almost that
long to unload. Apparently a motor home
was stalled and no one could leave the ship until it got started again. I wonder what would happen if there was an
emergency?
Our car was
sequestered in the belly of the ferry which meant that we had to drive down a
ramp to the front of the ferry then back up to reach our parking space. When it came time to unload we had to drive
to the front of the ferry and turn around and go up the ramp to the stern of
the ferry and turn around again and drive in a circle once more to eventually
get to a ramp off the ferry. We were
humming the “Blue Danube” waltz as we went around and around and around in
circles inside the ferry. How we
maintained the good humour to do so is questionable.
It was sad
to leave Newfoundland. We both really
enjoyed our stay there. Everyone at the
B&B in Sydney agreed with us. Most
of them had been on the same ferry as us and the topic at breakfast was, of
course, Marine Atlantic. I tried to
change the subject to “Newfoundland” to make sure that the ferry service did
not leave a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.
The great breaky helped.
 |
| Bald Eagle flying over Bras D'Or lake- Cape Breton |
Since our
next destination is Florida we are going to have to start training for further
drives. Up until now, because I am a
wuss, we have only been averaging about 100 k per day. Now that I am not on the bike we can extend
our distances; but that will take some training. Our bums are not used to sitting for that
long on soft seats. Today we drove from
Sydney to Moncton – about 500 kilometers.
We got out of the car like much older people – groaning and grumbling
and stretching our backs.
There are a
couple of hurricanes hanging about off the east coast. I hope we don’t encounter them in any
meaningful way. Our little car with the
carrier on the roof and the bicycles hanging off the back is not the most
aerodynamic of vehicles. Even with me
sitting inside it is not really heavy although it is pretty close to the ground. If the wind is behind us, great! If it is from the side or the front we might
end up going some place we hadn’t planned on...
 |
| What the wind was blowing |
I don't think we are in Kansas anymore...
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