July 1st-2nd - Ferry Back to Nova Scotia

We checked in early at the ferry terminal because we had to get out of the campground by 1:00 p.m. and it was only and hour drive to the ferry terminal from there. After we drove up to the terminal kiosk and got our tickets we then had to drive through a building. I joked with the young lady outside "We getting a free car wash?" She laughed and asked if we had any fresh vegetables. I said "only lettuce". She said "tat was fine" Then as I drove into the building a car wash is exactly what we got. There were two ladies inside, one on each side, with firehouses washing the truck and trailer down as I slowly drove through. We had never had that experience before on any ferry or border crossing. As we pulled into our assigned lane it started to rain hard and the wind started to blow hard. We headed to the terminal for a cup of coffee in the cafeteria. Upon entering we were told that we could go in but to come back out we needed our passports and tickets. I went back to the truck and got our passports so we could get out! After we drank our coffee I wandered around and found a museum upstairs about the town of Argentia where the ferry terminal is located.

During WWII the Canadian government paid the people in Argentia a pittance for their property, moved them out, and bulldozed the town. They then gave the U.S. a 99 year least to build a Naval base there. The employment was good for the area but the poor people who were displaced suffered terribly. Two Nazi boats were sunk in the area. Roosevelt and Churchill had a historic meeting in Argentia during the war. Here is a picture they had displayed of the meeting.

I had no idea of this history. While "Argentia" is on the Newfoundland map, there is no town. My truck GPS could not find it, which I understood once I read this history. 

This ferry was larger than the one we took on the way over which was the shorter trip. Here is a picture of it I took from the truck window while waiting in line in the rain.

We were loaded on the ferry like clockwork and it took off exactly on time. The whole Newfoundland/Labrador ferry system is outstanding. The workers are extremely friendly and helpful, the ships are nice, and the voyage pleasant. Since this was a seventeen hour ride and we shoved off at 5:00 p.m., we had paid for a cabin with two sets of bunks and our own bathroom. Here is a picture of Kelly relaxing in the cabin as we waited to leave the port. As you can see the cabin with two sets of bunk beds is quite small but it worked out fine.

Here are a couple of pictures of the foggy scenery as we made our way out of the harbor.

The ferry had a very nice restaurant buffet but it was $25.00 per person. We thought that was a little steep and we weren't all that hungry after eating our sandwiches mid-afternoon. We purchased some sandwiches and sodas for supper at the snack bar and ate them in the lounge.

A two-man band was playing in the lounge and people were dancing. Kellen headed to the movie theater on board. We didn't know if a band was routine on this longer voyage or if it was a special event because it was "Canada Day" (their 4th of July). Kelly and I listened until the guys took a break and we then headed down to the movie theater to join Kellen. We watched most of one movie and all of a second before heading to our cabin at 10:00 p.m. to turn in for the night.

Here is a picture of Kellen sleeping like a rock in the top bunk above me this morning.  He had been apprehensive about riding on the ferries. He said he liked to see land but he did fine. His only disappointment was that there was no Wi-fi out at sea.

We were one of the first ones off the ferry. We headed back to the KOA we stayed at before catching the ferry over because we knew it had a laundry. We didn't have reservations this time and they only had two spots for us. The site he gave us I could not get into. KOAs are older and the sites are really small for today's rigs. The guy next to us was pulling out and the owner had told me if that site was better I could take it. It was only slightly better but at least I could get into it. The first one I could not. Even though this site was slightly better situated it took me about twenty manuevers to get the fifth wheel into place. The problem is the road in front of the campsite is not very wide and it drops off. With the length of the truck and trailer I had limited room to bend the rig around. Here is a picture after we unhooked. Before unhooking the truck's front tires were at the edge of the grass giving me only about six feet in front. The trailer is back as far as it can go.

I then gathered the laundry and headed to the laundry area by the office while Kellen got on the Wifi for his games and Kelly took a nap. The laundry area here leaves a lot to be desired. First of all, there is a only very small open area in front of the machines, it is open to the weather, and today it was raining and in the low 60s. Secondly the table to fold clothes on sits outside in the rain. A really goofy set up.  Here is a picture. Even the yellow chairs in the picture were wet so I couldn't even sit down. I sat in the truck.

While sitting in the truck killing time I checked the tire pressure on the truck tires. The back tires were just a little low but the front tires for some reason were down to 65 lbs from 80 lbs. After the laundry was done I got out the air compressor I bought for this trip. I purchased it to air up the trailer tires and had done this at home. The compressor and air chuck worked well for that. I had not tried filling the tires on the truck at home before leaving. Upon trying to put air in the truck tires today I found the air chuck was less than ideal for the 90 degree bent truck valve stems and the cheap rubber extensions on the inside rear tires. It worked "ok" for the front tires but on the rear inside tires I had trouble getting the chuck to stay air tight as I tried to pump air into each tire. I need to add a straight chuck to my tool kit for the future and/or different extensions on the tires. I'll put it on my "to do" list when I get home. 

Kellen is making a pot of chicken soup in the crock pot for supper with Kelly's excellent instructions. It smells good already. Tomorrow we will stop in Truro, Nova Scotia, to visit with friends, Chris and Karl Webb, who we met in Robert's RV Park in Florida several years ago. They were not able to come back this past year so it will be good to see them again and pass on everyone's good wishes.