It was off on the ferry to Newfoundland. Interestingly, the ferry is actually considered the extension of Trans Canada Highway number One. The short ferry to Port aux Basques from North Sydney, Nova Scotia is about six and a half hours. As Canada celebrates its 150th anniversary, Newfoundland was not admitted to the country until 1949. Part of the incentives to become a province was the extension of the highway system with the ferry system being critical. In 2001 Newfoundland and Labrador were combined as a single province.
We enjoyed a wonderful time in Newfoundland in 2012
https://johnandjanice.com/2012/07/dateline-july-12-2012-arrive-in-newfoundland-and-cape-saint-mary/
https://johnandjanice.com/2012/07/dateline-july-14-2012-newfoundland-st-johns-cape-spear-signal-hill-and-screeching/
https://johnandjanice.com/2012/07/dateline-july-17-2012-newfoundland-trinity-and-gros-morrne-park/
Canadian Senior Womens Championship
This trip was totally oriented to golf. Janice has participated in several of the Canadian Women’s Senior Amateur Golf Championships. This year Newfoundland was selected as the host for the tournament to be held in southwestern Newfoundland at Humber Valley Resort on their beautiful River Course.
Our friends Linda and David Culver from Palm Coast just north of our home in Flagler Beach, were also traveling up for the tournament. Lin was born in Shelburne, Quebec, and tries to get back each year to play in the tournament. The good news for John was that he and Dave could play some of the other local courses.
The ferry ride over was un-adventurous with little rocking from the ocean. The interesting feature of the large boats is that they are also ice breakers for the harsh winter. Arriving in early evening at Port aux Basques we travelled about 30 miles north and stayed for the night. Sunday morning we headed for Deer Lake just south of Gros Morrne Park where we were schussed to stay for a few days.
There are only three 18 hole golf courses in the south western portion of Newfoundland, so with the championship being played at Humber Valley, Dave and John had to play elsewhere. We stopped at Blomidon Country Club in Corner Brook to get some tee times for Dave and John. They were having all the club championships scheduled, but were able to get us a time for Tuesday morning. We got to Deer Lake and checked into the RV “Resort”, very interesting, the people were delightful, but the conditions were almost un-acceptable.
We took off to check out the Humber Valley Resort, which was beautiful, on the way we notice another RV park and stopped on the way back to Deer Lake. We made a reservation for the next night so we only had the one night in Deer Lake. At the Humber Valley Resort, we met the GM and owner Gary Oke and had a great conversation on the resort and golf course. Janice and Lin had a practice round scheduled for the next day and Gary suggested that Dave and John play at a links course, Harmon Seaside Links on the ocean in Stephenville, about 2 hours south of the resort. We were able to get a mid morning tee time, so that was the boy’s plan for Monday.
Harmon Seaside Links
Dave and John met at the resort and drove south for Harmon Seaside Links. GPS is always fun and dropped Dave and John in front of some one’s house. We called the course and they gave us directions.. It is adjacent to an airport and the origin of the golf course was that it was built in the early 1960’s as a US Military course for the US Airbase, now the airport. Originally 9 holes, it was expanded to 18 after the airbase was closed. The experience was fun and challenging as the wind constantly blew in off the Gulf of St Lawrence at about 20 MPH. Any shot seemed to be effected by the wind, especially slices! It was a fun time.
Dave’s Birthday
Lin and Janice had a great practice round and after some wine/beer, the four of us went to a local restaurant called the Wine Cellar in Corner Brook to celebrate Dave’s 54th birthday, oh to be that young again. The dinner was just wonderful.
We drove back to stay at the new RV park in Pasadena. We laughed in the morning that we had been at the dump and moved into “Motel 8”, well maybe “Motel 2.5”. It is a reminder that you are not in Pasadena, California, but Pasadena, Newfoundland! The people could not have been nicer.
Blomidon Golf Club
The next few days were all about the tournament. Dave and John played Tuesday morning at the Blomidon Golf Club and were paired with two older gentleman that had played there for decades. It was a pleasure, they were so pleasant and very funny. One told us that he makes the rules up as he goes along and occasionally doesn’t play the hole. Very hilly and some wonderful views.
Janice write about tournament
With golf finished and no trophies to bring him we departed Humber Valley for Port aux Basque and the midnight ferry back to Sydney. We had stopped at the Visitor Center upon arrival and they suggested before we went to the ship to take Highway 470 east from the port about 30 miles to the granite lighthouse. The little villages along the road are so colorful and the coastline is amazing with all the rock formations and cliffs.
Lighthouse (Rose Blanche) a history
Built in 1871 from a nearby granite quarry, this lighthouse stands as a proud sentinel of our shores. The building was likely designed by either Oake or J.T. Neville, with D & T Stevenson, lighthouse engineers from Edinburgh, Scotland, advising, designing and supplying the original lighting apparatus. The company, named after the father and uncle of Robert Louis Stevenson (Treasure Island author), designed a number of lighthouses in the UK and Newfoundland, including the one at Ferryland
Rose Blanche Lighthouse is one of the few remaining granite lighthouses in Newfoundland and Labrador.On July 26, 1871, Neville selected the location and work began soon after. Of granite construction and built by local workers, the building operated as a lighthouse from 1873 to the 1940s. The original light was a 4th order dioptric lit from sunset to sunrise at a height of 95 feet above sea level. It could be seen for 13 miles in clear weather.
There were six keepers over the approximately 70 years of the lighthouse’s existence. They were: John A. Roberts, John Cook, Bruce Cook, Philip Hatcher, James Skinner and again Philip Hatcher. Hatcher was the last keeper to serve at the lighthouse.
After it was abandoned, the building fell into ruins. In 1988 the Southwest Development Assn and other community groups began the long process of restoring the structure to its former condition. Actual restoration began in 1996 with funding from various government agencies.
Reconstructed fully in 1999 and furnished with 19th century reproduced furniture and local antiques, this lighthouse is a must-see for all lighthouse enthusiasts. One remarkable feature is the stone steps within the tower walls which kept the tower from collapsing after it was abandoned. The light on display now, a gift from the Canadian Coast Guard, is a 6th order Fresnel lens and is believed to be one of only 27 in existence.
The lighthouse, which may be the only restored granite lighthouse in Atlantic Canada, is open to the public on a seasonal basis. Rose Blanche Lighthouse was designated on September 7th, 2002, the first lighthouse in Newfoundland and Labrador to be recognized as a Registered Heritage Structure. Registered Heritage Structures Bibliography
What a pleasent time hiking around the lighthouse. It began to rain so we departed the lighthouse and drove back towards Port aux Basque to the villiage of Margaree to have dinner at the Seashore Restaurant. We enjoyed fresh halibut in this very nice family style restaurant. Seashore was recommended by both the Visitors Center and the people at the lighthouse.
We had a short wait for loading onto the ferry. Since it was a midnight trip arriving about 7:00 in Sydney, we took a stateroom. If you make the ferry ride at night, the room is worth it and has all the features of an inside room on a cruise ship. We enjoyed breakfast as the boat docked and were off to visit family, making our way home to Florida!
