Parker Tours Providing motorcoach tours throughout the United States and ! 117 Cedar Breeze South, Glenburn, ME 04401-1734 • (207) 573-1686 (Landline) (207) 852-8987; 8989 (Cells) e-mail: [email protected]

NEWFOUNDLAND & JULY 6-21, 2017 • • • CAPE BRETON ISLAND • GREAT NORTHERN PENINSULA • LABRADOR COASTAL HIGHWAY • RED BAY • BATTLE HARBOUR • GROS MORNE UNESCO NATIONAL PARK • L’ANSE AUX MEADOWS • CORNER BROOK • ST. ANTHONY • PORT AU CHOIX • GRAND FALLS-WINDSOR • GANDER • TWILLINGATE • PORT AU PORT PENINSULA AND MUCH MORE! PLUS LIVE ENTERTAINMENT --- MUMMERS, THE SHARECROPPERS, MORE!

TOUR ITINERARY DAY 1 (July 6): We’ll leave Bangor and travel The Airline (Route 9) to Calais where we’ll cross the border to New Brunswick, and head down along the St. Croix River to picturesque St. Andrews-by-the-Sea for an included lunch at the Harbour Front Restaurant. After a short city tour, we’ll travel the ocean route to Moncton, New Brunswick, and the Comfort Inn Magnetic Hill for overnight.

DAY 2 (July 7): After breakfast (included), we’ll travel to Pictou, the birthplace in 1773 of “New Scotland.” Af- ter lunch, we’ll rejoin the Trans-Canada Highway and hie on over to Cape Breton Island, crossing the historic Canso Causeway. Soon we’ll arrive in North Sydney, where we will overnight at the Hotel North overlooking the Cabot Strait.

DAY 3 (July 8): We’ll have an included breakfast and then drive a short distance to where our bus will board one of the huge Marine Atlantic ferries (it’s an ocean liner) and we’ll off-load and venture to the passenger decks. We will enjoy live entertainment and lunch and supper will be on your own as we make our daylight crossing. Soon, we will see “The Rock” (as Newfoundland is known) appearing on the horizon. We will arrive at Port-aux-Basques and after off-loading, we’ll travel through the Long Range Mountains and skirt the Anguille Mountains. We’ll pass through the Codroy Pond area (this region has some of the highest winds in Newfoundland) and St. George’s Bay to the town of St. George’s. We’ll then arrive in Corner Brook and the Mamateek Inn for our overnight. This inn sits on a hill and has a spectacular view of Corner Brook and the Humber River. DAY 4 (July 9): Leaving Corner Brook, we’ll head north on the Trans-Canada Highway to Deer Lake and onto the famous Viking Trail to Gros Morne National Park, a United Nations World Heritage Site known for its exceptional beauty and unique geological features. We will take a side road which leads us to the Discovery Centre where we’ll learn about the unique geology of the area. Then it’s a short distance to the Tablelands, a geological wonder unlike anything you’ve ever seen! From there, we’ll head back to Woody Point where our good friend Mike Madigan of The Sharecroppers and his wife, Kathy, will have an included lunch and entertainment ready for us. This is real, authentic New- foundland food and entertainment, and watch for whales in the Bay! Then it’s on to Broom Point, where we will find authentic fishermen who will discuss the cod fishery and show examples of artifacts from this settlement called an Outport. From there, we’ll stop at Western Brook Fjord Overlook and then The Arches, a spectacular ocean rock forma- tion. Finally, it’s on to the Plum Point Motel, our home for the night. There will be time after our included dinner to explore the boardwalk and enjoy the splendor of this area.

DAY 5 (July 10): Today, after our included breakfast, we’ll have a short drive to St. Barbe, where we’ll board the M/V Apollo for a crossing of the Strait of Belle Isle to Lourdes de Blanc Sablon, . After landing, it’s off to Labrador, and we’ll continue on to Red Bay, known as the first industrial complex of the New World. We’ll visit the Red Bay National Historic Site where an interpreter will tell us about remnants of the 16th century Basque whaling station and show us priceless artifacts in the museum. You’ll also see a more modern shipwreck in Red Bay. There is also a tiny post office, so here’s your chance to mail letters or postcards home from a very remote sub-Arctic post office! Then it’s back to L’Anse Amour where we’ll visit the Point Amour , the second tall- est lighthouse in eastern Canada. Finally, we’ll head to L’Anse au Clair, where we’ll spend the night at the Northern Light Inn. After our included supper, enjoy a short walk to the Visitors Cen- ter in the old church (watch for the occasional vehicle!) and visit the nearby Moores’ Handicrafts Ltd., one of the nicest gift shops in Labrador. Before turning in tonight, walk outside and see if the northern lights are shining. If it’s clear, you may see the astounding phenomena of aurora borealis better than anywhere in the U.S. The northern lights are visible well over 200 nights a year at these latitudes.

DAY 6 (July 11): After an included breakfast, we’ll retrace our route to Red Bay and take the gravel road to Mary’s Harbour. It’s an overland route, so we won’t see much ocean, but keep an eye out for wildlife as this is wild country! Keep an eye out for inukshuks as well. Eventually we’ll reach the tiny settlement of Mary’s Harbour on St. Lewis Inlet. We will board the M/V Iceberg Hunter for a trip out to Battle Island, an outport north of Cape Charles. Watch for icebergs, whales, eagles, and seabirds as we cruise to the tiny island, where we’ll arrive about noon. We’ll settle in our rustic but comfortable accommodations for the night and enjoy an included luncheon by the islanders (only nine people live seasonally on the one-square mile island). The settlement of Battle Harbour has immense histori- cal importance as it has been settled since the 1700s, and you will stroll streets once a stopping-off point for Arctic explorers and site of the oldest surviving residence in Labrador. You’ll also see the unique Grenfell Mission cottage which housed a succession of physicians including world-renowned Sir Wilfred Grenfell. The afternoon and evening are yours to explore, or take an included guided tour. Supper tonight is included.

DAY 7 (July 12): After an included breakfast, we’ll depart Battle Harbour and watch for whales and icebergs. We’ve seen over 20 whales at one time on the west end of the island! After arriving at the mainland, we’ll travel north to Port Hope Simpson and environs for a drive-through. We’ll stop at the River Lodge in Mary’s Harbour for lunch (on your own) before heading back on the Labrador Coastal Highway to the Northern Light Inn at L’Anse au Clair. We’ll be back early enough for you to visit the Visitors Center or Moores’ Handicrafts Ltd., and we’ll also go to the Jersey Rooms nearby, site of the earliest settlement on the coast.

DAY 8 (July 13): After an included breakfast at the Northern Light Inn, we’ll retrace our route to Blanc Sablon, Quebec where we will board the M/V Apollo for the crossing of the Strait of Belle Isle to St. Barbe. From there, we’ll travel up the Great Northern Peninsula to L’Anse-aux-Meadows National Historic Park. This is the only known Viking settlement in North America and a United Nations World Heritage Site. We’ll tour the reconstructed sod houses with a local park guide, learn how the Vikings lived, and see Norse artifacts dating back to 1000 AD. Late in the day, we’ll head to Gunner’s Cove for an included buffet supper at the Northern Delight Restaurant and live entertainment with a uniquely Newfoundland group known as the Mummers! Then it’s on to the Hotel North in St. Anthony for the night.

DAY 9 (July 14): After an included breakfast, we’ll drive through town and stop at Fishing Point to look for icebergs and visit a nice gift shop. Then it’s on to the Grenfell Museum. This is a large campus which includes the museum itself and the Grenfell home. Sir Wilfred Grenfell brought modern medicine to this remote area as well as Labrador in the early days of the last century. Known as the “Doctor of the Arctic,” his home is packed with amazing artifacts. Then we’ll stop at the town office for a quick peek at the stuffed polar bear on display. Yes, this is polar bear country during the winter, and they are often seen roaming the streets. After lunch (on your own) at the Viking Mall, we’ll head back along the Great Northern Peninsula, stopping at historic Port au Choix, where we’ll visit the museum and learn more about the worldwide archaeological importance of this tiny outport. Then we’ll view the lighthouse at nearby Cape Riche, and finally, we’ll overnight at the Sea Echo Motel in Port au Choix.

DAY 10 (July 15): This morning after an included breakfast, we’ll head to Daniel’s Harbour for a visit to the Nurse Bennett House. This is where the “Florence Nightingale of Newfoundland,” as Myra Bennett was known, provided medical care for decades. Then it’s on to Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse for some dramatic views of Bonne Bay! From there, back to Rocky Harbour and Parson’s Tourist Home, where our good friend Sid Parsons will have lunch (on your own) ready for us (be sure to try the “local tarts”). After lunch, we’ll head south on the Viking Trail to the Trans-Canada Highway and east into the heart of the island of Newfoundland. When we get to Sheppardville, we’ll stop at a nice book and gift shop for a break. We will overnight in Gander, once known as “the international crossroads of the world,” at the Sinbad’s Hotel. An interesting fact about Sinbad’s Hotel is that you never know who you’ll see! With the international airport nearby, we’ve seen military folks and others from around the world.

DAY 11 (July 16): After our included breakfast, it’s off to the Twillingate Museum in the charming little outport of Twillingate. We’ll also visit the lighthouse at the end of the road. This is a prime site for icebergs if you are still interested in them! Then it’s on to Lewisporte for lunch. From there, it’s back to the Trans-Canada Highway and east to Terra Nova National Park, where we’ll spend some time in the Visitors Center. From there, it’s east again to Clarenville where we will spend the night at the St. Jude’s Motel. DAY 12 (July 17): Leaving Clarenville, we’ll travel north on the Bonavista Peninsula through picturesque towns such as Lethbridge, Trinity Bay and Trinity Bay North to the town of Bonavista. The Bonavista Lighthouse is one of the most recognized sites in eastern Newfoundland. Here we’ll see dramatic cliffs, puffins, whales and much more! We’ll stop for lunch in the town of Bonavista, then head back to the Trans-Canada Highway. Out- side Gander, we’ll stop at the Silent Witness Memorial, a very special spot at the end of a Gander International Airport runway where 256 U.S. military personnel were killed in a 1985 airplane crash. This will be a very moving experience as we walk the very path that the plane carved through the woods as it crashed. From there, we’re back to the Sinbad’s Hotel for the night.

DAY 13 (July 18): After our included breakfast, we’ll visit the North Atlantic Aviation Museum in Gander, then travel west to Grand Falls-Windsor, where we’ll visit the Mary March Museum. After lunch in Grand Falls-Windsor, it’s on to the Newfoundland Insec- tarium near Deer Lake, where we’ll also visit the popular Butterfly Pavilion. Finally, we’re back to Corner Brook where we’ll check in at the Mamateek Inn overlooking the city and Humber Arm. But the fun’s not over as we have a private performance tonight by the internationally known balladeer group, The Sharecroppers. Three retired schoolteachers, the “boys” will entertain us with songs of the island. You won’t want them to stop!

DAY 14: (July 19): Today will be our last full day in Newfoundland, and what a trip it’s been! After our included breakfast, we’ll head south to arrive on the windswept Port au Port Peninsula, where we’ll have dramatic views of the ocean. We’ll stop at the largest wooden church in Newfoundland, Our Lady of Mercy Historic Church in Port au Port West, view the old Arctic Dew Line radar domes, then con- tinue to Alpacas of Newfoundland (great gift shop here for last-minute souvenirs!) in Felix Cove. Then we’ll make a full loop circuit of this beautiful peninsula before once again heading south. In Doyles, we’ll take off through the countryside, eventually reaching the Lighthouse. This is spectacular country with mountains and the sea. Then we’re back through the Codroy Valley and skirting the Anguille Mountains into Port-aux-Basques, where our lodging for the night is at the St. Christopher’s Hotel overlooking Cabot Strait. Supper is included tonight as we reminisce about our time on “The Rock.”

DAY 15 (July 20): After an included breakfast at St. Christopher’s Hotel, we’ll arrive at the Marine Atlantic ferry terminal for our crossing of the Cabot Strait to North Sydney, Nova Scotia. Then we will head south on Cape Breton Island to Port Hawksbury, Nova Scotia, where our lodging will be at the Skye Lodge.

DAY 16 (July 21): Today, after an included breakfast, will be our “homeward bound” day as we head west on the Trans-Canada Highway. We’ll stop for lunch in Salisbury, then it’s on to the international border and home. And what a trip it has been!

This is only a partial listing of all the fun things we will do! But don’t fear, we spread these activities out so you will have plenty of time for rest and relaxation. This is a trip for people of all ages ... we’ve had folks from 16 to 92!

And now ... the small print! Venues, hotels/motels/inns subject to change. The cost is $2,995 per person based on double occupancy; $3,495 single occupancy IF you reserve by April 15, 2017 ($200 more per person after that date).

We ask for a deposit of $500 per person at booking, with full payment due by May 15, 2016. We will gladly set up a payment plan at no additional cost.