In the early part of our Newfoundland experience I saw a small pothole warning sign in a gift shop. I chuckled but did not buy one. But over the miles I have regretted that decision. We saw so MANY Pothole warning signs and drove past and around a great many pot holes, and even hit a few. I guess the winters there are rough enough that the roads get chewed up.
Our travels have taken us past many amazing sites, so many that I don’t always remember to post about them. So, I will play a little catch up.
One of the interesting things we have seen along the way are piles and piles of chopped wood. They just seem to be sitting along the side of the road with no trace of ownership. But in talking to a woman at Quirpon she indicated “we all KNOW whose wood it is” and I guess there is an honor system and it is not common to poach other people’s wood. We also saw HUNDREDS of lobster traps stacked along the road. Lobster season had just come to an end which is why the traps were sitting out along side of the road. Strangely they were rarely stacked near the water’s edge but along the forest’s edge.
Leaving Gros Morne we drove past a lovely scene with a lighthouse just out of a small town. We decided to drive into the town and check it out. We enjoyed seeing it up close as well as cool things around it.
A few miles down the road we stopped to see the thrombolites which I had never heard of before. Apparently the only other place in the world they exist is in Western Australia.
We were enticed to Twillingate which was billed as ‘Iceberg Alley’ and of course we really wanted to see icebergs. Not only that, it said there would be whales which we also wanted to see. We booked a house in what we thought was Twillingate but when we arrived at 74 Main Street in Twillingate the house did not look like the photo and was not near the ocean. We called and discovered our reservation was actually in Crow Head on Twillingate Island just a few miles farther up the road. Confusing! The house is nice and peaceful with 3 bedrooms, kitchen, internet etc. and it is almost on the ocean.
Alas, there are no icebergs which sadly was to be expected since we had already learned that iceberg season was over and that there were not very many this year anyway.
As we drove toward Twillingate we smelled and saw smoke but could not figure out where the fire was located until we heard in the news that it was in the central area. Lucky for us we made it past the problem area before a road closure near where we had been. Although the fire was not near where we had driven many people were stopped in areas we had been and had to stay the night but could find no lodging. We also learned that the engine room of a ferry boat leaving from Nova Scotia to PEI caught on fire and all passengers had to be evacuated. Hopefully our next ferry trip will be uneventful. We have been blessed with safety in our travels.
Our 3 nights in Crow Head were a respite. In the early part of the day we went out and explored the area - museums, gift shops, the lighthouse where we saw WHALES, off the beaten path vistas, and found a great place to eat [I had the best meal with pan fried shrimp and scallops!]. Then as the clouds gathered we headed home just before the rain poured and it did POUR. We read and watched TV and got some good rest in our evenings.
Our final morning greeted us not with sunshine but with overcast cloudy skies and the temperature was in the low 50’s. The wind was still blowing, flaring the neighbor’s flags out straight. Sue used up the rest of our food by making a breakfast omelet and sandwiches for our travels. It is sad to realize we are now making our way back to civilization. We have enjoyed our days of wonderful immersion into nature. It has been a balm to my soul. I have had the chance to figure myself out a little more, to understand my grief and to feel Iike I can move forward with my life.
Our almost 5 hour journey to St. John’s with overcast conditions was kind of depressing. But as we began to see sunshine my spirits lifted. We were treated to a fantastic show of cloud formations - what a difference the sun makes!
We made a quick stop in Gander which became so famous during 9-11 days. The amazing people in that town housed and fed three times more people than the town’s population when planes were diverted to their airport. We ate our lunch parked next to the airport.
Then we continued on our way with more beautiful skies to view. We arrived in St. John’s and all of a sudden we saw so many cars and so many buildings which were a a stark contrast to our nature immersion. We are on the 5th floor in a nice motel. We have a nice room and will now spend a few days exploring this area.
These roses smelled so wonderful. This was a short walk from our house to the ocean.
We found a hidden beach on our drive and delighted in finding amazing rocks and this cool shell with stuff growing on it. I wondered if it was coral but it broke off so easily. So, I don’t know.
Whales if you look closely.
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