For months now we've been planning our next trip to Katie-Lew. The van is all packed, the reservations for overnight accommodation and the ferry have been in place for several weeks, so here we go again.
Since our last visit, we've seen Facebook postings from our friends in Rose Blanche; mostly, birthdays, anniversaries and community events. However, there were pictures of winter storms that on one hand left us feeling glad we weren't there because it was an easier winter here. But, on the other hand, we missed the experience of snow driven by 100+ kph winds on Parsons Point, threatening sea swells, and the harbour being iced over.
But that's all history now, and there's another summer at hand. If all goes well, it'll take us about 48 hours door to door. When get on the other side of Montreal, probably somewhere along the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, it will sink in that we're really on our way. Then in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia with signs pointing to the Bay of Fundy, Sackville, PEI, Amherst, Truro, and New Glasgow, we'll get that Maritime feeling. Driving across the Canso Causeway to Cape Breton, our thoughts will be on the Ferry departure from North Sydney. Then about dusk, we'll check-in at the Ferry Terminal and know we're only a sleep away from Newfoundland.
The wakeup call comes around 6 AM, unloading about 7 and then the last leg; a 40 minute drive down highway 470 to Rose Blanche, a meander through town to a view of the harbour, then Parsons Point and Katie-Lew.
Marlene has been busy all winter creating, and has an unbelievable selection of new pieces for her Art Gallery. She is excited to get set up for the season and start welcoming visitors.
During the winter, I designed some new storage for the vestibule and a couple of upgrades to the Gallery. When those are done, I may take on another project or two.
But most pleasantly, after we're settled in, we look forward to seeing our friends again and renewing acquaintances. With luck, they'll share their stories from last winter.
While in Newfoundland this time, we also want to do some touring. Last Fall, we left Penny, our little travel trailer behind in storage. We have a couple of destinations in mind. Burgeo is just east of Rose Blanche, and we'd like to spend a couple of days there. Then, our 2nd trip would be much further east to the Burin Peninsula with the ultimate destination being St. Pierre and Miquelon, the French Islands, which could take a week or 10 days.
Lastly, in addition to the planned there will be the unplanned, and often that turns out to be the best part of our adventures. We're anxious to get going and hope you folks will follow along.