Daily Musings

Rocky Harbour Sunset

Rocky Harbour Sunset, originally uploaded by Kadacat (Marlene) - on vacation.

Another day in Newfoundland! We went on an exhilarating hike this morning to Green Gardens. Unlike its name depicts, it is actually large volcanic rock formations on the beach on the west coast of Gros Morne National Park. It was a 9K total hike through mountainous terrain. I would show you some pictures but unfortunately my camera died. I tried hard to revive it - even lugged it and a few lenses through this rough mountainous terrain and could not get it to respond for a single picture :-(. Yup, I am very sad about this. I will be seeking out some alternatives tomorrow until we can get to St. John's where I will likely buy a new camera. I just can't imagine finishing my vacation without taking photos.

This photo is of the sunset in Rocky Harbour. We have had some amazing sunsets while we have been here. Unfortunately this was the night my camera started acting up so I wasn't able to get too many shots.

Tomorrow we are leaving Gros Morne National Park. There are still things we would have liked to have done like hike to the top of Gros Morne Mountain and go on a tour to Seal Island to see the seals but unfortunately time doesn't allow us to do everything. I am sure great adventures await us as we explore the next portion of Newfoundland!

Rocky Harbour, Newfoundland

Rocky Harbour, originally uploaded by Kadacat (Marlene) - on vacation.

This is the quaint little village where we are staying for the Gros Morne portion of our trip. It is really nice. We have a cabin on the far side of the harbour. I have a nice little running route that follows the harbour (that way I can avoid all the big hills - lol). The weather has been amazing so far - couldn't be any better. I was prepared for much cooler temperatures so I may have to either do laundry earlier than expected or buy a couple things.

Today we weren't quite as active as yesterday but we did come touring in the van and visited Woody Point and Trout River. These are small communities within Gros Morne. We also went on a 2 hour hike up to the Tablelands. I will post more details on the park when I have better access to the Internet. It is very interesting geographically and has been designated a UNESCO site.

I am having some issues with my camera which has me a bit distraught. I have downloaded some files that I will try on the camera in hopes it will solve the problem. I really don't want to be without a camera and I really don't want to have to buy a new one while we are in Newfoundland...

Lobster Cove Head

Lobster Cove Head, originally uploaded by Kadacat (Marlene) - on vacation.

We had an amazing day in Gros Morne National Park today. I started out my day with a beautiful 5K run along the water at Rocky Harbour where we are staying. We explored rocky beaches, walked along many paths, took a boat tour at Western Brook Pond and watched a beautiful sunset. The weather couldn't have been better. I have so many pictures to go through but will leave you with this one of Lobster Cove Head lighthouse near Rocky Harbour.

Newfoundland is certainly living up to my expectations - the people are friendly, the scenery is gorgeous and the food delicious!

Our Anniversary Celebration

Sailing on Bras d'Or Lake, originally uploaded by Kadacat (Marlene) - on vacation.

What a fabulous way to spend our 23rd anniversary! We arrived in Baddeck, Cape Breton (NS) early enough to register for a sailing tour around Bras d Or Lake. It was perfect - the temperature was wonderful, we had enough of a wind to keep the sails up and we saw some beautiful sights. The highlight of the day was not only seeing four eagles but check this out! I was ecstatic. The male eagle swooped down from his lookout and scooped a fish right in front of the boat. Then he flew back to his nest and fed it to the young eaglets (we couldn`t see this activity but you could tell he was in the nest). Unbelievable! After our sailing tour we had a wonderful seafood dinner before heading over to Sydney to catch the ferry.

Got It!, originally uploaded by Kadacat (Marlene) - on vacation.

Day 1 & 2

Quartier Petit Champlain, originally uploaded by Kadacat (Marlene) - on vacation.

We are into Day 3 of our vacation now! I will try and post when we have an internet connection and some time. This morning I am typing this from our hotel in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Friday night we drove as far as Trois Rivieres, Quebec. A pretty uneventful evening. We decided to stop on Saturday morning in Quebec City and see a few sites in the old city. Before I tell you about that, I just want to give a bit of insight into the tools we are using to assist us on our travels.

Technology really has changed the way we travel. I bought Dan a Garmin (GPS) for Christmas so we have that to help with navigation. I also bought the MapSource software to go with this so I can create our route on my laptop and upload it to the Garmin. The idea is that the Garmin will keep us on course - telling us what exit to take, when to turn right or left, our expected arrival time, etc. Sitting alongside the Garmin on the dash of our van, we also have our Satellite radio which keeps us entertained with a variety of music (okay, this isn't a travel tool, per se, but it is technology). And, of course, I have my trusty laptop that I can bring up my MapSource software on to get detailed maps of major cities along with Points of Interest such as hotels, shops, and tourist attractions.

So, we left Trois Rivieres with my route plugged into the Garmin to direct us to a Parking Lot that I selected within the walled city. Everything was going very well until we missed an exit in Quebec City. Normally, the garmin recalculates and puts you back on track. This time, it got messed up and tried to re-direct us out of the city. We knew something was wrong when we found ourselves going across the St. Lawrence river away from the City. Lesson learned - use technology as a tool but keep your common sense and a paper map to guide you!

Quebec City was amazing, as always. We arrived early before the streets were filled and enjoyed the ambiance. It is such a romantic city filled with beautiful old buildings, amazing flower boxes and quaint little shops. We found ourselves in the lower section of the city - Petit Quartier Champlain, which is where this photo was taken. We got a bit of exercise climbing all the hills and stairs around the old city.

Last night, after checking into our hotel, we went for dinner. We had been snacking pretty much all day and needed a decent meal. I have to say we had the worst meal we have ever had in a restaurant. The poor kid that was supervising asked us how our meal was and we had to tell him. Poor guy - he seemed to be oblivious to how bad his restaurant was. We didn't finish the meal and went down the street to Boston Pizza.

Today we are driving to Nova Scotia. We catch our ferry to Newfoundland tonight for the 6 hour trip across the water. Tomorrow we will be at Gros Morne National Park.

Introducing...

At the dock, originally uploaded by Kadacat (Marlene).

my new lens - the 10-22mm Wide Angle! Yup - I went and bought it yesterday. I just couldn't imagine missing those amazing landscape shots at Gros Morne National Park so I had to do it - LOL. This is one of my inaugural shots from last night at Petrie Island. It is amazing how much area this lens can take in. It will definitely take some practice on knowing what type of shots are good with the lens.

We are heading out this afternoon - my bags are packed, I'm ready to go. Just need to put a few hours in at work and make sure my team knows their priorities for while I am gone. As always - things are gearing up again for while I am gone. Oh well, I am sure they will manage just fine.

I will be posting to my blog and to flickr while we are away so keep your eyes peeled for some posts from Newfoundland. The accommodations I have booked so far (yup, we still have a gap in the middle where we don't know where we are staying) have wireless internet. I am hoping the long ferry rides will also have wireless connect - that will certainly help me spend the time. Our commute from Newfoundland to Nova Scotia has been extended from 11 hours to 17!!! Apparently the boat is running on three engines instead of four ** picture eyes rolling here **.

Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by!!!

Are you tired of bugs yet?

Are you looking at me?, originally uploaded by Kadacat (Marlene).

I love the detail my macro lens picks up. Sorry for all the bugs but I am finding them fascinating right now - LOL.

Just one more sleep until our vacation starts. We plan on heading on the road after work tomorrow - hopefully that will be mid afternoon. I am so excited about all the photographic possibilities in Newfoundland. I was eyeing a new wide angle lens at henry's the other day but I didn't buy it. I finally decided I would be kicking myself on vacation if I didn't have it. Can you imagine all those beautiful landscape shots missed. So, after running last night I headed over to buy it. Drat - they closed at 8:00. Today, for sure, I am going to buy it!

Excuse me, I'm eating...

Excuse me, I'm eating..., originally uploaded by Kadacat (Marlene).

You gotta check this one out large. This guy landed right in front of me the other night. Was I ever surprised when I took a look at him through my camera and he was eating his dinner!

Another week has begun!

Gold Finch on a wire, originally uploaded by Kadacat (Marlene).

Good morning! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. The weather was relatively good here - some sun, some rain, some heat, some coolness - typical Ottawa weather - LOL. I had a busy weekend - finally got some lodging booked for our trip at the beginning and end - I just need to worry about the middle now. Didn't get a lot of things done that I had planned but oh well, there is always another day right?

This photo is from my drive home on Saturday along Earl Armstrong Road. There are always so many birds in that area, it is amazing. I did a girl's bead birthday party on Saturday. It was fun! Since I don't have girls of my own, it is always fun to play in the beads with a group of them.

Irridescence

irridescence, originally uploaded by Kadacat (Marlene).

I took a quick trip to Fletcher Wildlife Garden at lunch yesterday. Since getting my macro lens, I have gotten a bit obsessed with the meadows full of bugs, butterflies and dragonflies- lol. This is the tiniest little flower with the tiniest hover fly but the macro lens does a great job in capturing it. I was able to get some photos of ladybugs, dragonflies and bees while I was there but no luck on the butterflies. Did I tell you I bought field guides to be able to identify butterflies, bugs and wildflowers - that has been fun.

Busy day planned today - I am doing a bead birthday party this afternoon and am trying to get ready for our vacation next week. I am just now making accommodation reservations - yikes! Thankfully so far I have been lucky. We will bring our tent with us too just in case - LOL. I am really looking forward to that trip - the more I study Newfoundland, the more I want to go there.

Before the weekend is over I need to get Garretts grad pictures sent off. Man, I am so good at procrastinating.

Have a wonderful weekend!