Monday 25 July 2016

St. John's, NFL

 
                       St John's
Quidi Vidi Village, an historical fishing village now home to craft/artist studios,  was our first stop. We had the opportunity to see the artists at work and discuss the intricacies of their craft. We purchased a wood plate ink print depicting the notable capelin. There is a craft brewery here as well, Quidi Vidi Brewery, of which we can recommend their "1892" brew. While in the village, we  happened upon the "Mallard Cottage" for lunch.  Built mostly from ship lumber and decking, with the walls caulked with oakem, it dates back to 1725 and has been designated a world heritage site. The cottage is now a restaurant serving upscale traditonal food with all ingredients locally sourced.  Apparently we lucked out as it is usually fully reserved!
Next stop was Signal Hill, originally known as the Lookout. All though the winds on the ocean were only 10 knots the wind on top of Signal Hill were enough to blow you right off your feet. The view was good and the history displays tell of the significant contribution made in defence, observation and signalling from the early 1700's to WW II. This site was also the reception point of the first wireless signal by Marconi in 1901. 
There were row upon row of the colourful salt box houses dating  from the 1800's. I would think most would have had suites in them, now who knows. If we were there longer it would be interesting to find out about the average condition and usage, and if there is an historical commitee which dictates how they can be restored etc.  First impression is wow look at these places, 2nd impression is they are kind of rundown.
George Street is the bar scene, closed off  to vehicles and about 2 short blocks. Probably wild on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday but Sunday afternoon not stellar. We were hit up four times for loose change and watched the drug trade at work. We also managed a parking ticket - oh well.... The weather was nice, sunny and hot. We drove back to Port Aux Basques (11 hours) on Monday, 28 C and sunny in the interior. Foggy and 18 C on the coast.
                     Quidi Vidi

            The Mallard Cottage

Interior of the Mallard Cottage 
St John's harbour from on top of Signal Hill.
     Windblown atop of Signal Hill



Sunday 24 July 2016

Placentia


Twillingate was nice but it's time to move on. A friend from Deer Lodge Curling Club, Joan Sandell, moved back to Nfld a few years ago and the last time she was back in Winnipeg she said if you are ever in Nfld be sure and stop in. Well we did just that. Joan and Bill reside in Placentia, another picturesque Nfld setting. We showed up on Regatta weekend. This is a major summer event there, with 4 teams of six plus a coxain rowing per heat. They started in the morning and the finals wrapped up about 6pm. They are competing for the "triple crown" award, in which the winning team needs to win top honours in three communities. It is the oldest sporting event in Canada. It started out as a competition between the fisherman and the soldiers in 1816. We enjoyed some of the regatta festivities in town and had front deck seats for the finals as they rowed right past Joan & Bill's front yard. 
We also took in some sightseeing in the area with stops at Castle Hill and a seabird sanctuary. 
Castle Hill is an old fort in Placentiia which the French built in 1689. It wasn't a military stronghold per se but was a strategic site for the rich cod fishing grounds. Times were tough and the soldiers were so poorly paid they had to  fish and hunt to survive.  The fort and cod fishery was eventually ceded to the British as part of a peace treaty. 
From there we drove down to Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve. This is a sea bird breading ground for Gannets, Terns and others. Thousands of bird and fuzzy chicks lined the hill tops and cliff shelves. Quite a sight to see and smell !!
We returned to Joan and Bill's where we enjoyed their annual Regatta party Newfie Style with Newfie music and karaoke  carry on. A big thank-you to Joan and Bill for their hospitality. We probably would not have visited that area if not for them.
                  Joan and Bill










                     Ike and Tina
   

Friday 22 July 2016

The Twillingate Adventure


We were not sure just how far we were going to drive, we just headed east. We travelled along through Grand Falls-Windsor and stopped  at a Visitors Center to help us find a B&B in the area. After speaking with the hostess, she called the Admiral's B&B and booked us in for the last available spot in Twillingate. Twilingate, with a population of 2500, is situated on two adjoining islands and turned out to be a very pretty place - no surprise there as the natural surroundings  of mountains & ocean are pretty awesome for us flat landers!  The day ended with dinner at a local seafood restaurant where we tried Iceberg beer. It's big claim to fame is that it is made with water from 12,000 yr old icebergs (that's about the most interesting thing we can say about it).We booked a spot on a whale watching tour for the next day.  The tour boasted of seeing icebergs also but unfortunately, that season had finished a few weeks earlier. 
In the morning, we were pleasantly surprised to see  many fin and minke whales and got a really nice tour of the islands and coastline while learning about the history and Newfie language from our guide Kim.
After a lunch of moose poutine called "moose mess", we hiked the lighthouse trail to the end of the North Arm for a spectacular view and and a sit to enjoy the sunshine which has been rare indeed!! One of the great things about travelling is the people you meet along the way. During our hike, we met a woman from Ireland who was hitch hiking about Nfld for a months holiday and tenting all the way. Now that's adventuresome!
Dinner theatre that evening was lots of laughs and we enjoyed the traditonal music and skits that the staff put on as entertainment.
Our stay in Twilingate was short and sweet but we managed to take in as much as we could. 











Wednesday 20 July 2016

Western Brook Pond

Joann found an awesome tour package for us today. We drove around the inlet to the other side of the park. There we took a 45 minute self guided hike through  a "Tuckamore" forest along a board walk and across a large bog down to Western Brook Pond.  The pond is what is left after the last ice age receded and the land rose up. At one point in time it was a saltwater fjord reaching to the sea. Now it is an enclosed deep freshwater pond surrounded by steep rock cuts.  Once we  had hiked in, we took the boat tour  of this amazing "Unesco World Heritage" site and marvelled at the natural beauty of the mountains and waterfalls.  
On our return trip we stopped to see the remains of the 1919 wreck of the S.S. Ethie, just south of Cow Head. A pulley system was rigged between the ship and land and used to rescue all the people aboard. We were surprised by how much  of the wreck still remains after almost 100 years. 
We continued our travels with stops in the villages of Rocky Harbour and Norris Point. We met a sailor from Germany who had her 42ft boat tied up at the wharf in Norris Point. She left Greece in May of 2015. 
                Through the forest

              Across the bog

               Up the pond




     Ethie's winlass and some remaining deck boards.


Monday 18 July 2016

Gros Morne



It's fun to be hiking mountains again. We made two treks today up very different terrains. The first left from a visitors center where we headed up and up through the stunted trees and then along board walks above boggy growths of ferns and mosses to the lookout point high above the ocean inlet below. 
The second hike ascended up along a  mountain brook across an array of boulders and ankle-breakers to the top of the "Tablelands". It is quite amazing how the miniature flora can be so small yet have so many small parts and petals. There was still snow on the dark side of this moon-like landscape.  How is that for  poetic BS?