Southwest End of Newfoundland

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Driving south on the TCH (Trans-Canada Highway), we first went to Rose Blanche for a hike and to see the lighthouse. Driving along the coast on 470 is beautiful with the sea and bays on the right, but maybe even prettier were all the lakes on the left. We wondered if there were trout in these lakes.

At Rose Blanche Lighthouse we paid $6 each to Zachary, a young man who had just started working here and was a bit nervous. His father was in the military, so he had lived in New Brunswick, Quebec and now Newfoundland. This was his summer job.

This is a unique lighthouse, built of stone to last forever with a classic Newfoundland view of Rose Blanche and its beautiful harbor. Interpretive signs told us the history as well as what all the flowers and plants were. We ate our lunch sitting on a rock overlooking the calm sea. It’s not an easy place to make a living by the sea. Many have lost their lives on these rocks in heavy storms, but if you love the sea, this is such a marvelous place. Canada has consolidated many of the towns along this southern coast, trying to save on the costs of power and telephone lines. Fishing is more regulated and restricted now, so the population is dwindling here.

On the way back we walked down to Barechois Falls, admiring all the flowers along the way. We were going to do two more hikes, but were both tired, and I could try to fix the furnace.

Back at camp I had time to see if I could fix the furnace. I had emailed Chris Burch at Airstream Jackson Center, asking if there was a way to do this. He said there were two blue wires on the street side of the hole where the air conditioner was. If I bought a simple thermostat and connected these two wires, it should work. I found three wires, one big and two small. I guessed the small ones were the ones, but emailed Chris again. A nice hardware store was right around the corner, so I went in. A young lady asked if she could help, and I said I needed a thermostat. She took me right to it. The simple on/off was more expensive than one you could control the temperature on, so I bought that one. With no answer from Chris, I turned off the electric and wired to the smaller blue wires. The instructions said it didn’t matter which wires connected to positive and negative. With Velcro and duct tape, I attached the thermostat to the ceiling. Turning on the power, nothing exploded and no circuit breakers closed. I turned the temperature up on the dial, and the furnace came on 😊 Replacing the aluminum plate over the hole where the air conditioner once was, I was quite happy.

After dinner Martha went over to the central campfire and enjoyed a wonderful evening of music and singing. One man played a concertina (squeeze box) while a lady played a guitar and sang. Everyone sang along, having an enjoyable evening. She also bought a few things at the craft store, where local artists sell their goods.