Wreckhouse Parking Area - May 21 to 23, 2024
We had just arrived in Newfoundland and needed a place for hang out while we planned our next steps and did some exploring. This looked like a good potential spot.
A huge level paved parking area. Mountains in front of us. The Gulf of St. Lawrence behind us. While we were marveling at our luck, we couldn't help but wonder why this big paved area existed in this particular spot. Was the Canadian Government being nice to us travelers by providing a nice resting spot after just getting off the ferry?
Our one night stay turned into 3 as we explored this part of the island. It seems every group of 5 or 6 homes has a name on the map. St. Andrews, Tompkins, Doyle, and more. We drove through them hoping to find a shop or museum to explore. But nope, just a group of 4 to 6 houses. We did find a lighthouse at Cape Ray.
But I diverge from the main story which is about Wreckhouse. There is no visible explanation for this place. Just that sign at the beginning of this post.
So we jump on the internet to see if we can get more information about this place. Holy Crap on a Cracker! This place is known for it's extremely high winds. Up to 200KM/hr (125 mph). In the past, a narrow gauge railroad used to run through this area. If the train happened to coincide with the extreme winds, it would get blown off the tracks.
Now that train track has been turned into a hiking/atv trail and the modern victims of the Wreckhouse winds are tractor-trailers.
So far it's good for us. The predicted weather is favorable so we are safe, right? Well the third night we stayed was one night too many. The weather turned sour. Rain was in the forecast. We had been out sightseeing in Pearl. On the way back we saw a digital sign warning of high winds at the Wreckhouse. 49KM/hr. Big deal, that's only 30 miles per hour. We've driven in worse than that. (not on purpose, nor were we happy about it.) Sitting still, it should be no problem.
Something got lost in the translation between mother nature and that Wreckhouse digital sign. Back at Miss Mosey the wind started to howl. We considered leaving, but no way I wanted to drive in those conditions. Dishy, up on the pole, is vibrating in the wind. I trust the brackets that support it, but why push our luck. So dishy gets stowed. The slide toppers are flapping now, so the slides are brought in and we point Miss Mosey in the direction of the wind and hope it doesn't shift.
That night the wind blew us around pretty good. We were rocking back and forth. We extended the stabilizer jacks a little more and that helped to calm the motion. The rain blasted us so hard we thought a hundred pressure washers were pointed at us.
And of course, as usual, the morning dawned with almost complete calm.
And the reason for the huge paved area? So all those semis caught on the highway while the Wreckhouse winds blow, have a safe place to park. Now we know.
Obligatory cat picture follows:
We were wondering where you stayed when you disembarked from the ferry! We might try it for a night, too. Do you have reservations anywhere or are you just winging it in Newfoundland?
ReplyDeleteWe are not a big fan of campgrounds except when necessary for things like laundry. Plus right now we are way ahead of normal camping season in Newfoundland. We stayed in a campground in River of Ponds 5-30 and 31 to wash clothes. We were the only people there.
ReplyDeleteLaundromats are hard to come by here. Of course you would expect that since the population density is so low. But a lot of the commercial campgrounds do have washers and dryers for campers to use.
So to answer your question we are mostly boondocking. Days End Directory and iOverlander have been a big help. We are hearing "the season" really doesn't start until July 1, so making reservations shouldn't be a real issue.