11 September, Wednesday: We leave Terra Nova for St. John’s where late lunch is at the Rocket Bakery and home for the night is the Rendell-Shea Manor. We pay a mandatory visit to the Newfoundland Chocolate Company for our second dessert of extra dark hot chocolate. Our first dessert was a slice of OMG cake at the bakery. . .chocolate cheese cake on the bottom, chocolate mousse on top and
10 September 2019, Tuesday The winds have calmed and the sun is shining, but rain is forecast for the afternoon. We finish our cardamom coffee cake and then strike the tent while it’s dry. O also does a re-pack on Vincent to get better organized in the back and to tuck away Newfoundland jams and sauces for the journey home. (He’s already making plans for a new, broader shelf under
7 September 2019, Saturday – Malady Head Campground As we prepare to leave Dildo Run we strike up a conversation with our new neighbors, two men from Ontario travelling in a white van. They arrived yesterday after spending several days on Fogo Island at an RV campground near Brimstone Head, a place officially designated by the Flat Earth Society as one of the four corners of the earth. It’s a
6 September 2019, Friday It’s a perfect morning – sun shining, breeze blowing, orange chocolate chip cake baking. After breakfast O and I head back to Twillingate Island, this time to Durrell where there are multiple trailheads for a network of trails leading to Spiller’s Cove, Clam Rock Head and Codjack Cove. We begin our hike at the end of Slades Lane, walking over hills and bogs to steep cliffs
5 September 2019, Thursday The night’s 100% chance of rain never arrived, but this morning we have wind and clouds suggesting rain is on the way. And the barometer is dropping. I soon realize my weather site was still set for L’Anse aux Meadows. Here, we are expecting rain mid-day today. O and I finish breakfast and walk over to the beginning of the Black Head Trail which starts just
3 September 2019, Tuesday – At the B&B Today we leave Pistolet Bay and head south in a driving rain and a strong south wind. Nonetheless the trip goes well, and we arrive at the Old Rocky Brook Road B&B by mid-afternoon. Our host is off running errands, but there is a note and room key left for us. The B&B is beautiful and our room is very comfortable. In
2 September 2019, Monday After breakfast O and I drive up the eastern side of Pistolet Bay to Wild Bight where we find the Whale Point Trail. This trail traverses a limestone barren. We walk out to Whale Point on this very windy day and try to find some shelter down among the rocks in which to eat our lunch and watch for whales. Alas, we see no whales, but
1 September 2019, Sunday Showers, laundry, breakfast and on the road by 10 am. From camp we stop at the Dark Tickle Co. (a tickle is a shallow area that “tickles” the bottom of the boat as you pass through) which has a cafe, various Newfoundland items for sale, boat tours and, our primary reason for visiting, Newfoundland wild berry jams, sauces and relishes. Next we drive past the entrance
31 August 2019, Saturday L’Anse aux Meadows gained Unesco World Heritage status in 1978 because of its international significance as the approximate meeting site of aboriginal peoples, ancestors of present day First Nations peoples of the area, and Norse people from Greenland and Iceland. It was the first time that humans wrapped around the entire globe. Leif Eiriksson (as it is spelled in the park brochure) led 60-90 people to
30 August 2019, Friday The brilliant blue of yesterday’s Gulf of St. Lawrence has given way to today’s angry gray, with wind-whipped spray blowing off the tops of the white caps. O and I are very glad we struck camp last evening. We drive back to Rocky Harbour for breakfast at Java Jacks. The little breakfast room fills fast – good thing we are the first ones here. After breakfast