After visiting Gander, Tom and I had a few days to kill before his guided fly fishing trip on the Gander River. We decided to stay at Notre Dame Provincial Park until after his full-day fishing trip. Camping there, instead of a boondocking site closer to the Gander River, would enable us to unload our camper from the truck. Aly and I could hang out at the campground while Tom drove the truck to the meeting place for his fishing trip.
Camping at Notre Dame Provincial Park
Notre Dame Provincial Park is located along the banks of Junction Pond and has many waterfront sites with easy access to kayak right from the sites. Unfortunately, no waterfront sites were available when we made our last-minute decision to stay there. The only site we could get for three nights was surrounded with vegetation and away from the water. We’d been avoiding sites with so much vegetation because of the hungry insects. And we wouldn’t typically stay three nights without easy access to the water. But, since we were unloading the camper, we could use the truck to haul our kayaks to the day use area. We could leave them there on the beach until after Tom’s fishing trip then bring them back to our campsite before reloading the camper.
It all worked as planned. Our site was pleasantly private with all the vegetation. But, as expected, it was buzzing with insects. Having finally recovered from my last attack of the vicious black flies, I was more diligent about using insect repellent and even wearing my body net if necessary.
The campground has a big lawn where Tom played with Aly while I dodged flies. Information boards near the end of the lawn describe the innocent looking little creatures that I’ve come to despise even more than mosquitoes. I seem to have an allergic reaction to their “spit”.
At home, in Colorado, I love to hike. In Canada, and anywhere else prone to biting insects, I prefer kayaking. Once I’m on the water and away from shore, the insects tend to leave me alone. I think Aly has learned this as well. She can’t wait to get on the kayak!
When we weren’t kayaking, and since we could get around a bit easier without the camper on our truck, Tom and I explored Bishop’s Falls and Grand Falls. And, while Tom was on his fishing trip, I read one of the many books about the events in Gander on 9/11.
You can view a few photos from our campground and campsite on the Carpe Diem Facebook page by clicking on the image below.
Kayaking at Notre Dame Provincial Park
Junction Pond is a beautiful, relatively small lake. It seemed like a good place for moose but we only saw a loon. The water is relatively shallow, making it a “pond” instead of a “lake”. The name “Junction” presumably comes from its location near the intersection of Routes 1 and 340. Unfortunately, Route 1 (aka the Trans-Canada Highway) runs along one side of the pond. While it’s not a crowded city highway, the vehicle noise still seemed out-of-place on this otherwise peaceful pond.
You can view a few photos from kayaking on the Carpe Diem Facebook page by clicking on the image below.
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