Oh Happy Sight!

July 17, 2015 – Day 32

Bonavista means Happy Sight, and that is what John Cabot must have said when he spied this area in 1497, and landed for the first time in the Americas. 

We thought the same thing when we finally arrived at the Paradise Farm RV Park, just south of Bonavista.  It was about a 5 hour drive, but took a little longer because we stopped in Gander, NL.  Gander is the site of a huge airport that was completed just a year before WWII began.  It is the most easterly airport in North America, and was the refueling point for airplanes flying to and from Europe.  It is also the airport where they landed 42 of the 200 planes that were rerouted and grounded on 9/11.   We visited the North Atlantic Aviation Museum which told the story about how the people of Gander pitched in and did what they could for 6,700 unexpected visitors who were stranded in this community of 10,000 people.  Homes, churches and schools were opened, meals were served, and the stranded passengers were given all the help they could until the airport reopened 4 days later.  The people of Gander rolled out the welcome mat and did what they could for the “plane people”. On display were hundreds of thank you letters from those affected.  It was quite a moving tribute to a great group of Newfoundlanders.

We  visited another very moving site…the Silent Witness Memorial, dedicated to those that lost their lives in Canada’s worst air disaster in 1985. 256 members of the 101st US Airborne Division were killed when their plane crashed after refueling at Gander.  They were on their way home from peacekeeping duties in the Middle East.  A cross marking the spot of the crash was fashioned from metal from the fuselage door.The site is just beyond the end of the airport runway.

These side trips were in places that were not big enough to take a motorhome, so it was a little humorous to see everyone parked in a grocery store parking lot. (We unhooked the cars to take the side trip.)  I’m sure the grocery did quite well on all the purchases that were made, as people took advantage of the stop.  One of the rigs had a flat tire just as we left Gander, which flew up and took out their propane which runs their refrigerator.  This is their second flat, so they are pretty frustrated, but they were able to get help and made it to the campground about 3 hours after the rest of the group.

We are at this campground for 3 nights, and we do not have tv or wi-fi reception.  I hope we can all survive!  It’s a good thing it’s a pretty sight!

PS.  We found Wi-fi at the Little Dairy King in town.  The bonus is that I get an ice cream cone to go along with wifi!