Exploring Newfoundland: Our First Adventure Wally-Docking with Large Marge

This post was written by Lynn for the Trinity Times on August 2022

Large Marge Takes on Newfoundland Part 1

On June 21, 2022 (the longest day of the year!) Dave and I stepped into the 24’ Leisure Travel Van we affectionately call “Large Marge” to begin our longest road trip to date. We were bound for Canada’s youngest province, officially known as Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), and we were excited!  We planned a leisurely drive from home to the ferry in North Sydney Nova Scotia, stopping at many interesting sites and camping three nights along the 21-hour route. Our first overnight was a true first for us!  We had never stayed at a Wal Mart parking lot before, but my fellow RVers will concur that these stops are very common as we travel the highways of North America! When a few hours’ rest is all you need, these free spaces are great for “boondocking” ( camping without hydro or water hookups - easy enough in Large Marge because of our excellent battery system!).  In fact, the phenomenon is so common, RVers often refer to a parking lot stay as “Wally-docking”! However, newbie that I was, I went into the WalMart in Victoriaville Québec to ensure we were allowed to stop overnight. The Customer Service rep looked at me like I had two heads, replying to my request (in my dusted-off French) with a nod, saying (also in French) “Of course! It’s WalMart!” 

Our next task was to find something for dinner since cooking a meal in the WalMart parking lot wasn’t an attractive option!  Now, it seems almost as if the sidewalks in Victoriaville were rolled up at 6PM and we were left with only one option for dining: Max Poutine, a hole in the wall featuring Quebec’s most famous dish!   Imagine seeing a menu with literally hundreds of variations of French fries topped with cheese, gravy, and a huge array of creative toppings!  We felt the Spéciale Max calling us and the additions of ground meat and fried onions and peppers did not disappoint!

Back at the WalMart, we chose a very level spot on the parking lot, away from another RV and far from the entrance to the store and settled in for a fairly peaceful night.  Of course, we were wary and heard every noise from a group of classic car fanatics showing off their hot rods across the lot, a bunch of teens walking through the lot in the middle of the night, and the early-morning arrival of a radio-blasting WalMart employee who not-too-subtly showed us that we were actually parked in the employees’ zone!   Since we were hitting the road early,we took the hint and headed off after finally completing our first adventure - but definitely not the last - as Wally-Dockers!  

Safe Travels

Lynn

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