A Sampler of the Codroy Valley

We made our way across the island from Argentia to Terra Nova to Deer Lake and then on to Doyles in the Codroy Valley.  We decided to skip two days we had planned for Gros Morne and check out a new area closer to Port Aux Basques instead and the Codroy Valley looked intriguing.  We picked a winner!

We stayed at the Grand Codroy RV Park in Doyles where our amazement with the reasonable prices for full service sites on the island continued.  Not only was the price great at $34 CAD (about $28 USD) but it includes free wifi, free firewood and free advice about the area including a great publication that Alice puts out about what to check out in the area and where to find everything you may need, including the local general store that carries everything "from a baby's fart to a clap of thunder".

She wasn't kidding, and it reminded me of the general stores that used to be in Freshwater and Placentia when I was a kid.  Now Placentia has a Sobey's and a strip mall and it's just not the same, ya know?

Driving around on Hwy 406 and Hwy 407 we saw a surprising variety of things.  The area hosts the Codroy Valley Wildlife Museum that was unfortunately closed when we dropped by as it includes the largest preserved moose on the island.  The Valley is also an important migratory birding area and the views of the Long Range mountains were glorious.

the birds love the wetlands

A sheltered valley like this one is also great for growing and livestock and everything was so lush it hardly seemed like the Newfoundland that I thought I knew.

Like all of Newfoundland once you're off the TCH be aware the road tends to be winding and not always in tip top shape.  You'll be fine, just take a little extra care.

We drove all the way out to Cape Anguille at the end of Hwy 406 to see the lighthouse, and I was delighted to see an older church which is something else that seems not as plentiful on the Newfie landscape.  Progress sometimes outweighs history.

The lighthouse in Cape Anguille was built in 1960 and the old keepers house has been turned into an inn.  Progress and history can go together!  While the inn looked adorable, be aware it is located at the westernmost point in Newfoundland and there were no services in the little town.

However, if you're looking for solitude this place can't be beat.  I walked along the old fence for awhile and I probably could have gone on for miles and seen no one I bet.

Back on the road they were more whimsical sights to see.  Those goofy Newfies!

On Hwy 407 we saw another side of the valley when we stopped at the Codroy Valley Provincial Park.  It's just a day use area with a picnic table and some vault toilets, but the views were breathtaking.

It's also home to the endangered Piping Plover. These little guys fly all the way from the Caribbean and the southern U.S. and a few dozen find their way here for a few months in the summer. They are usually gone by mid-August but we went out to the beach for a look anyway.

Now where to look for those little birds?  Our information said they like the strip of sand between the dunes and the shore.

With my zoom lens I searched the shore, and I did find some little birds, but the much lighter Piping Plover must have already been winging its way home.

A quick identification search online leads me to believe they were Semipalmated Plovers and maybe a Least Sandpiper.  Can anyone confirm?

The little stinkers kept their distance and I didn't pester them but moved across the road where I found another bird.  I don't have time for a search, does anyone want to help me identify it?

I never thought I'd be saying this, but each stop we made on this island made me want to explore it even more and I definitely would stay at the Grand Codroy RV Park again to explore the area more.  I still have 9 more Newfoundland related posts (gulp!) and I'll share a few more but we moved on to New Brunswick yesterday and I'm sure exciting things will be happening here as well that I'll be eager to share.

Hwy 407, Codroy Valley