Wednesday, January 2, 2019

2013 pics - Argentia to Port Aux Basques


Day 1
Friday September 6 : 
North Sydney, NS to  Argentia, NL

We parked our vehicles at A&L parking across from the ferry terminal. Then we rode the ATV's right on the ferry.

Time:
16.5 hour over-night ride 
17:45 to 10:00 the next morning.

Day's Costs (in 2013)
$112.02 adult ticket
$112.56 for ATV
$171.55 for two or four bunk room (divide the cost by the number of people)
$42.00 for supper and breakfast
$$ miscellaneous i.e. alcohol, snacks
approx total $365.00

Newfoundland ATV Trip
The entire trip East to West




Newfoundland Trip Collage
2013 Trip Collage - click for larger size
Unloading the ATV's from the trailers. The furthest
of the two ferries is the one we took

The Yarmouth crew getting organized before loading. 
You can see the ferry in the background. 
Scott, Randy, Daniel, Kerry, Scott, Kelly and Terry 
waiting for the Atlantic Vision
Darryl and his Grizzly are ready to board
Bruce's boarding pass
Waiting to board the Atlantic Vision
Boarding the boat... the adventure begins! 
Atlantic Vision lower parking deck
Grabbing my over-night bag before going to the main deck. Once upstairs  
you can't return to the vehicles until you arrive in NL. 

View from the main deck - we had good weather most of the trip.
Atlantic Vision
Atlantic Vision is Marine Atlantic's largest and most luxurious ferry to
make the crossing. It's the only one that makes the 15 hour Argentia run.

Hanging out in the games room 
Darryl, Mike and Bob taking pictures of the ocean sunset



Day2
Saturday September 7:
Argentia, NL to Clarenville, NL
See the detailed GPS track here.

Time:
8 hrs - 10 minutes
10:40 trail start (3.1 km from ferry)
18:50 Clarenville - St. Jude's Hotel


Distance:
146.4 km (90.96 miles)


Fuel:

Gas stop at 115 km (71.5 miles) 
14.73 litres (3.9 gallons)
avg 12.8 l/100 kms (18.37 mpg)

Days Costs$33.20 for Hotel Supper
$21.00 gas
$68.37 St. Jude's Room (per person per double occupancy)
$$$ Miscellaneous
approx total $130.00 



The first day on the trail
It was the first day on the trail and the weather was fantastic. It was long but we took our time, stopped for photos and explored on foot. 

Overall it was a great first day and everyone had a good time. We ate at the Hotel restaurant for supper and gathered in one of our rooms for drinks. 



Bob, Daryl, Bruce and Murray take in the scenery while docking


"Bob Squishing"
The making of Bob Squishing

A view from the ferry when pulling into Argentia




Taking a moment to get organized at the start of the trail
The first picture of the trail

There was a lot of water on the first 30 km (18 miles) of trail due to
heavy rain the week before. This much water is unusual. It looks worse than it was.





A trail break
Newfoundland ATV Trip lunch break
I was able to pack a lot in my home made storage box.
One of many tunnel crossings under Provincial Highways.

Another pit stop - Moosey, and I, opted for a set of Red Bull Wings
Moosey's long lost relative

This part of the trail had a lot of flat lands. There was a lot of different types
of scenery during the week. I loved it all.
Midday sun

One of the inuksuk's we came across
setting up a tripod shot

The tripod shot!
Another Tripod Shot

Arriving at St. Jude's Hotel. We parked out back next to
our rooms. They had a great restaurant.


Day 3


Sunday September 8: 
Clarenville to Gander
See the GPS track here.

Time:
9 hrs 40 mins
09:30 - Trail start
19:10 - Arrived Gander 

Distance:
146.1 km (90.78 miles)

Fuel:
Gas stop - 38.9 km  (24.17 miles) 
we fill up whenever we can
7.62 litres (2.83 US gallons)
avg 10.74 l/100 kms (21.9 mpg)


Days Costs$15.53 Motel breakfast
$10.89 gas
$65 per person for Frosty's trailside Motel
$22.08 for supper and at Rosie's restaurant
$$Miscellaneous
approx. total $120.00
The second day on the trail
Our second day on the trail and again, the sky was blue and the sun was shining. We stopped frequently to take pictures and we found a waterfall we explored for about an hour or so. 

We also stopped at a pub in Gambo, and navigated around a few washouts. This added to the time required to complete the day's journey. If you don't stop as much as we did you could finish quicker - but you'll miss the scenery!
Bright eyed and bushy tailed for another day on the trail








We stopped and explored this waterfall for over an hour.
Turns out there were two other waterfalls above and behind it. 
Mike had to jump in and test the water at waterfall 1
Waterfall 2
Waterfall 3
The Third waterfall, Murray said the water was great






Stopping at the bridge at Terra Nova National Park
A view of the falls from the bridge 





A nice find in the Town of Gambo. We stopped for a beer
before hitting the trail again.



Newfoundland Trail Washout
Our first major washout


Our second major washout. See the video below of how we got around it.












We met up with the Yarmouth crew and spent the night at Frosty's.
As of 2016 they are all booked every night with construction crews. 

Stay at the Comfort Inn instead.

Frosty's Trailside Efficiency Units

Day 4
Monday September 9: Gander to Badger
See the GPS track here.

Time:
6 hrs 45 minutes
10:00 start in Gander (after gassing up)
16:45 arrived in Badger

Distance: 137 kms (85.12 miles)

Fuel:
gas stop before we started out 
12.2 litres (3.22 US gallons)
gas stop at 101 km (62 miles)
11.5 litres (3.03 gallons)

Days Costs
$65.00 Trailblazers motel
$12.61 breakfast at Rosie's restaurant
$17.44 gas
$16.74 gas
$15.00 bbq food for supper
$$miscellaneous - snacks, beer etc.
approx. total $140 

The third day on the trail

The third day on the trail was as beautiful as the two previous days. We didn't take as many photos as previous days and only stopped for a BBQ lunch, gas,  and when we arrived in Badger.

This was one of the shortest travel days we had and there were lots of long stretches where we averaged 55 - 65 km/h (35-40 mph).
Rosie's is a restaurant in Gander, right on the trail. Check out the 
Map on the first page on the blog to see it. Friendly staff and great food!
We got some supplies at the Wal Mart in Gander before hitting the road
Bruce bought swimmers goggles to keep the dust out of his eyes. They worked great.
A friendly local that approached us during a pit stop (in the middle)
Apparently Newfoundland is committed to improving the trail.
Some sections definitely need some work but are passable.
Unfortunately we saw quite a few vehicles in certain sections

One of several long straight sections encroached with brush

Another BBQ lunch break on the trail.

Burgers and hotdogs all around

The road on the right is a path to an Irving Gas Station
Badger Bridge
Arriving in Badger - Trailblazer's was just down the trail about 1 km (.6 miles)

We stayed here and took several pictures and enjoyed the sunshine
before heading to Trailblazers and making supper
Bob and Murray
Bruce and Murray

Darryl wearing the Wolf Snout to keep the dust out


Patrick enjoying the sun and the break
Bruce, Murray and Bob

Trailblazer's Efficiency Units. It's a great spot with large common area,
kitchen, and washer and dryer that came in handy. I took this picture from the trail.

Darryl plugged my punctured tire in about five minutes.
It was the only tire issue for any of us the entire trip. 
The air compressor came in handy.

Day5
Tuesday September 10: Badger to Deer Lake
See the GPS track here.
Time:
10:00 started the day
17:52 arrived at Deer Lake - Driftwood Inn
approx 8 hours (including a few hours for stops)

Distance:
133 km (83 miles)

Fuel:
gas stop before we left 
4.9 litres (1.3 US Gallons)
gas stop at Howley after 105 km (63 miles)
12 litres (3.17 US gallons)
top up at Deer Lake
6 litres (1.58 US gallons)

$7.00 gas
$17.16 gas
$8.66 gas
$58.76 Driftwood Inn
$28.58 supper at Motel 
$$ miscellaneous
approx total $130

Approx 8 hours of great riding with sunshine all day. Temp was about 22C (71 F). We stopped at the granite quarry, gaff topsail, and the beaches at Howley area. We took tons of photos this day. 


The fourth day on the trail
Sunrise in Badger. I took this picture walking back to Trailblazers after
buying some breakfast grub at a nearby store.


filling up at the Badger Irving before hitting the trail


The granite quarry. Our group of six met up with the Yarmouth group of 10 for photos.








The bottom of the Gaff before we made the ascent. See the video below.



The view from the top of the Gaff
Both groups making lunch
Big Mike's happy pose







Darryl heats the beans







The beaches in Howley
Another beach at Howley - See the video below to see more of the beach areas


Stopped at a beach in the Howley area

Mike and Bob went for another swim

The Dam at Deer Lake
the top of the dam

Getting our bearings on a local snow mobile map
Pointing out the final destination for the day
The Driftwood Inn rear parking lot is right off the trail
The Driftwood Inn pub
 Wednesday September 11: Deer Lake to Robinson's
See GPS track here.
Time:
09:15 ATV's picked up by Towing company to by pass the gap in the trail
10:30 Transport to Logger School Road by towing company
12:10 Arrived Serpentine Lake for lunch
13:30 Left the lake
18:50 Arrived at Robinson's
10 hours approximately

Distance:
173 km (107 miles)

Fuel:
gas stop at 16:00
14.126 litres (3.73 US gallons)

$20.20 gas
$40.00 for tow trucks
$5.20 Burger King Breakfast - don't laugh the pancakes were great.
$12.00 supper at Pirate's Haven
$108.25 Pirate's Haven Chalets. (3 people per chalet)
$$miscellaneous
approx total $200.00

This was a long day and it rained hard pretty much all day but luckily the temperature was warm. Everyone seemed to have a fantastic time despite the weather.


Early morning breakfast at Burger King - the pan cakes were good.
getting our atv's packed on tow trucks to cover the gap in the trail







Arriving at Logger School Road. It leads back to the T'Railway.
arriving at Serpentine Lake


Serpentine Lake - Too bad it was clouded over that day



Making use of the tarp to keep the rain off









Arriving at the Pirate's Haven Chalets main office/bar/restaurant.
The bar
Fresh cod dinner was an especially nice touch after our long day of rain.

One of the Pirate's Haven Chalets we rented. It was very comfortable spot with
great service and food!

The view of the trail from the Chalets

Aerial view of the Pirate's Haven Chalets (taken from their website)

Thursday September 12: Robinson's to Port Aux Basques
See GPS track here.
Time:
12:15 start
19:25 end of trail (ferry terminal was about 5 minutes away)
7 hours - including side excursion to the Table Mountains

Distance:
130 km (80 miles)

Fuel:
top up before we left
7.386 litres

$42.25 adult ferry ticket
$55.61 ATV cost for ferry
$61.35 per person for 2 bunk room 
$9.50 ferry breakfast
$10.00 bbq supper food (we had in the parking lot while waiting to load onto the boat)
$$miscellaneous
approx. total $160
About another $200 for truck gas, parking, and other miscellaneous items

We didn't have far to go this day so we left around noon and stopped several times for photos and explored the Table Mountains. It was over cast but it didn't rain and the temperature was warm. 

                           
Bruce, Bob and Mike enjoyed the hot tub at the Chalets
before hitting the trail.
Topping off with fuel at Salt Water Joyz (used to be Pirate's Hideaway)





A waterfall on the Table Mountains - We searched for a trail that
might have led up there but couldn't find one.


Exploring a side trail


Crossing a river for the hell of it


Some of us made the climb to the top of the Table Mountains.
Too bad it was clouded over and we couldn't see anything.


The view (or lack of) from the top of the table mountains

Bruce negotiates his way back down the mountain
Mike and Bob went to another mountain and it wasn't shrouded
in mist like the other one.






One of the many beautiful lakes close to Port Aux Basques
One of the many beaches on the opposite side of the trail
from the lake in the above picture
Panoramic with Darryl - click to see larger view


The end/start of the trail on the Port Aux Basques side
The mandatory spray down before getting on the ferry


Later while waiting to board we fired up the bbq and
had some sausages in the parking lot.

Day 8 - Arriving in Nova Scotia and the drive home
I had a 3 hour drive. The rest of our group had about a 4 hour drive and some of the Yarmouth group had a 7 hour drive to get home.
The trip completed and packing up to head home
Our Yarmouth buddies caught hands-up fever



4 comments:

  1. Looks like a nice ride. The wife and I recently did the ride from Stephenville Crossing to Port-Aux-Basques and return the next day. Nice ride.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah it's a lot of fun. The part of the trail you did is one of my favourite sections.

      Delete
  2. All looks great did the trip in 05 Enjoyed it ! Great pic;s!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm thinking of making a solo ride on my dual-purpose motorcycle this summer (2014). This gives great insight; pictures and commentary are very helpful. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete