La Manche Provincial Park & My Visitor



I chose to stop at the La Manche Provincial Park for the night. This is also part of the known Avalon Peninsula.

 

The Park has 69 campsites to offer and it was only me and another guy who had a trailer. I believe this was really a good time to explore before the height of summer when they say this park can sometimes be flocked by tourists. cool.  

my one and only visitor in the campground

The spot I chose was just beside the lake and in front of the comfort station. Good thing there was a hot shower I can use. I already imagined how cold it would get that night.

 

It was a hilarious scene when I got out of the loo. I felt someone was watching me behind the trees. I walked to my campsite then looked around. There she was. A female moose (called cow) was staring straight at me. Now imagine this. I felt like I was the wildlife being watched. hahaha. I quickly got a hold of my camera and took a shot. The click sound made its ears pop up and she made a more curious look. Must be thinking "what's that wildlife doin'". It looked me straight in the eye and walked towards me. okay at this point I wasn't sure if I was to run or what. I said "Hi", then it shifted its gaze and walked towards the loo. Maybe she was waiting for her turn to use the ladies? nyahahha. She stopped, looked at me, then walked a different direction towards the lake. At that point she might have thought "boring. I'm headin' out". I heard her hooves and saw her silhouette against the sunset. That would have been a great photo but I let her be. It was enough for her senses to share the campsite with another "wildlife" :). and yes, I feel blessed I saw her.

 

The sun was slowly settling down for the day. I hurried up and took out my liquid canister and stove. All I wanted was a hot drink and noodles for the night. It wasn't fun using the canister though. Honestly, I wasn't used to that kind of setup. Usually I'd use the one where you just screw the gas canister. But this one was liquid and the tubes weren't pumping it properly. One of the rangers were able to fire it up for me though. So that was a good thing. Eventually I learned how to use it.

 

Once the water boiled up I prepped up my tea, took out my guitar and found myself a spot right beside the lake. It was starting to get chilly but I still wanted to continue with the song I was writing.

 

That night was my first time in the petite car. It was a little bit challenging finding the right position I'd be comfortable in. My usual sleeping position would be to curl up like a baby. But with the situation I was in, curling wouldn't have worked. I chose to recline the drivers seat then stretch my legs to the passengers seat beside me.

 

The temperature slowly went down and I could quickly feel it on my feet. I had 2 layers of socks already plus I wrapped it in the trousers I bought from salvation army. But still the cold was cutting through the fabric. Eventually after a few hours, I got to doze off. Must have been the fatigue from driving.

 

La Manche Village Trail

 

I sort of woke up a little bit early the following morning. I saw the first few rays of the sunrise but decided to sleep in for a while. Around 8 am I heard the sound of a car starting. The trailer a few campsites away was on its way. I slowly woke up and got out of the car. It was still cold outside.

 

La Manche suspension bridge

I quickly worked out the stove and heated me some water for tea then cooked breakfast. I know, should I really be doing this? Buying the easy stuff would have saved me more effort, but I just had this picture in my mind >> read: wilderness + camping stove. DUH, next time I'll be smarter. haha

 

I left the campgrounds around 10:30 am and decided to look for the start of the La Manche Village trail. There was once a village in that section of the Avalon Peninsula but was abandoned in 1966 after a storm damaged the whole place. The bridge was then rebuilt by the East Coast Community and now connects the Trail to both sides of the harbor. By the time I crossed the suspension bridge, the fog was quickly coming in. I decided to just go as far as I can see then head back. The walk was lovely anyway, and remnants of the old village can be seen right before you cross the bridge.

 

I headed back to the carpark and met a couple along the way. I made sure I warned them about the fog. After a few minutes, I was on my way to drive along the rest of the East Coast Trail.