We woke to a brief rainfall and wind rustling in the trees. Just before we left the campground, the sky cleared a bit. I looked up at the mountain and noticed the wind bending the trees. The clouds rushing past the mountain top, driven ahead of the incoming wind storm.
We were in for a surprise. No sooner had we driven out of the protected campground, the wind was howling, bending trees, and pushing the trailer as we drove over narrow potholed roads, making the drive more difficult.
The bay of islands looked like it was in a blender, the ferocious wind ripping water up into the air. The trailer danced like a thoroughbred race horse waiting to start a race. We drove as quickly as possible under those conditions, heading for shelter away from the water.
We headed north. The clouds low to the ground, and a light drizzle falling. We stopped at Gros Morne National Park, unfortunately we couldn’t see the stunning mountains that were hidden by a wet blanket of cloud. Our return trip will take us back along this route, and we are hopeful of better weather.
We stopped at Arches Provincial Park, walked onto the beach, and were amazed at the remnants of old geological formations now eroded into arches.
We continued north, left the highway at Hawkes Bay, and headed to the Point Riche Lighthouse. We are always amazed by these old lighthouses, erected in the 1800’s, still standing and operational.
We decided to use Sea Echo motel RV Site in Port au Choix. We had 30Amp power, water, and internet for $20 per night. We positioned the trailer so the dinette window had a prime view looking out over the bay.
The wind howled through the overhead power lines all night, and shook the trailer, the motion causing the blinds to tap in their frames, and the AC vent to rattle like marbles in an empty can.
The wind felt like it died down in the morning, and we decided to stay for the day, taking advantage of the high speed wifi, and get in a non driving day of rest.
By 4:00pm, the winds returned with a vengeance, steady at 40kph and gusting to 60kph. I asked the motel staff if this wind was normal. They looked at each other and cackled out loud, saying “Me luv, dis ain’t wind. See dat house missing dat siding, dat be taken by da wind. Peeled off like lobster shell right before me eyes it was. Dis ain’t wind b’y”
They proceeded to tell me stories of real wind, rain that falls horizontally, frozen harbours, walls of ice driven off the ocean, and snow drifts deep enough to cover houses. I returned to the trailer, googled these stories, and was amazed at the articles in the public domain.
Seeing these pictures, I appreciate our home is where and when we choose to park it. The wind continued pounding the trailer for the rest of the day, while we blogged, and prepared a hearty supper of chilli, and discussed our next few days of travel.
The wind finally blew the clouds away. The last rays of light reflecting off the breaking waves, then gradually sinking below the horizon, lining the clouds with orange.
Hopefully, we will have clear skies as we continue north in the morning to visit the Viking Settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows.