The-PITTSTOP

Central Newfoundland, Sunday and Monday, July 2-3, 2017

A couple of low key days, taking our time and driving through central Newfoundland. We spent Sunday night in Terra Nova National Park - a prime hiking destination. The weather was not cooperating, but we enjoyed the nice campsite among the pines.

Yesterday, we took a detour up the Northern Bonavista peninsula. We stopped in a small town, Dover that sits upon the edge of the tectonic plates that underlie Europe and America. Unfortunately, their visitor center was closed, but the viewpoint was open and had signboards.

Looking north from the viewpoint

We continued north to a wonderful wide beach in Lumsden that you could drive out on. Sand, sea, surf, bathingsuits, and ICEBERGS?? We are close to the main part of Iceberg Alley and saw as many as 10 icebergs on the horizon.

We spent the afternoon enjoying the beautiful weather and then headed back down the other side of the peninsula to a large town called Gander where we will hopefully find a large grocery store and do some errands.

Just down the beach from where we parked - ?????

Lots of ponds (Newfie's word for lakes) with many rocks

About 5 miles from the beach, we ran across this informal campground with folks backed up to the ocean watching the Bergy Bits.

Trinity, Newfoundland - Canada Day, Saturday, July 1, 2017

Happy Canada Day!

We took our time getting ready as it was raining. We tried to call the Bonavista Social Club to see if they would be open for lunch today as it is a holiday, but we did not hear back. So we abandoned visiting them for their highly recommended pizza and headed south back to Trinity where we are going to see a walking Pageant this afternoon and dinner theater this evening.

It was only in the high 40's and blustery winds. The Rising Tide Theatre Pageant is held at various sites throughout the picturesque town of Trinity (posted photos yesterday on our way north through town). The wind was really blowing and I would not have been surprised to see a few snowflakes!

An Englishman and Irishman were our hilarious hosts

We thoroughly enjoyed the 2 hour walking play about the history of the town despite the weather. Actors were excellent, musicians were talented, we learned some history and laughed a lot. They covered the "discovery" by Cabot 500 years after the Vikings and who knows how long after the Native peoples, the life of fishermen and their families in the early days, pirates, colonial courts and justice and some political history. Highly recommend this 20-year old Pageant if you are ever here in Trinity.

She agrees to marry a sailor

Early colonists - fishermen

Pirates used the coves as protected bases in Summer

Drying cod for the Fish merchants

The Irishman has the Englishman searching while he takes a wee nip

The sailor dies, leaving the woman a very young widow

Recreated service in the town's beautiful church

Washerwomen gossiping and bemoaning the hard life of women

The first court in Newfoundland, trying to bring order

Too much gossiping

Trinity's political history

We later went to the Rising Tide dinner theater, which was in the form of a "Kitchen Party." The original kitchen parties were the local townspeople getting together in someone's kitchen or a church to tell stories, recite poems, and music, music, music. The dinner was a quick serve meal of either roast beef or cod au gratin with all the sides and a dessert, followed by the performance. Community seating and we got to socialize with a few couples from Ontario.

We were amazed at the talent that is mostly young people from Fine Arts programs in Newfoundland colleges, along with some great local comedians and actors. Their voices were professional, singing many folks songs and the comedy sketches were hilarious.

We returned to the RV and drove about 2 miles to the one and only campground in the area. Only 15 amp service, but that is enough to run the furnace without worrying about draining our batteries as it will remain in the 40s all night.

A busy and wonderful day.

Bonavista Peninsula, Newfoundland June 29-30, 2017

We continued our drive south along the eastern side of Trinity Bay around the bottom and was on the interstate (Trans-Canada Highway #1 - TCH) for a few miles.

Roadside art

We took a quick detour to drive along the coastal towns of Normans Cove and Long Cove, where we found a spot next to the harbor for lunch and a nap.

Wanted to know, but were afraid to ask.

Then we started north along the western side of Trinity Bay on the Bonavista Peninsula.

Woodpiles and clotheslines, everywhere

Buoys near Trinity marking traps of some type

We stopped to check out the small historic town of Trinity and tried to get a campground near there.

Town of Trinity

Well-known Rising Tide Theatre in Trinity has plays every night in the summer

Church in Trinity

Trinity

They do like colorful homes

But, no luck. So we headed north to Lockston Path Provincial Park and could only get a site without electric. Canada Day weekend (similar to our July 4th) is coming and the campgrounds are filled with folks who started the weekend early. No internet, no TV, but the weather is nice and we were able to have cocktail hour outside, a nice dinner and some yahtzee and reading before bed.

Friday is beautiful, but our goal first thing is to try to find someplace to stay tonight with electric. Our batteries are at least 3 years old and do not hold their charge as well as they should and I am worried about having to go two days and nights without electricity to charge them. We called around and found a new campground near the northern end of the Bonavista Peninsula that has available spots. They have no amenities yet for kids (playground, pool, etc.) so I guess that is why they have spots available. We decided to delay our in-depth exploration of Trinity and go up to the town of Bonavista at the top of the peninsula. We drove up through mostly pine trees and coming over the last hill, the town, the ocean opened up before us with multiple icebergs floating just offshore.

Found a spot near the harbor where we could park, watch the icebergs while we ate lunch.

Wooden drying racks for cod called "flakes"

Ryan Home

Afterwards, we visited the Ryan Premises Museum - a collection of old buildings from the mid 1800's and home of Mr. Ryan who was a wholesale fish marketer. The fishermen barter their catch with him for household supplies. One exhbit about bartering read "Fish low, flour high." So the fishermen were just barely surviving. For cash, many would go on seal hunts on the ice - an extremely dangerous undertaking (and difficult to read about for both the men and the seals).

An anchor!

Note the name of this type of boat

Here, we learned the story of how more than 75 men died in the early 1900's after they were stranded on the ice in a bad storm for over two days. They found them frozen, and in one case, they found a father and son frozen in an embrace. They had to thaw the bodies in a pool in St. John's before they return the bodies to families for burial. Fortunately, they were able to save more than perished, but it is one of Canada's biggest disasters.

They have memorial in nearby Elliston

Birds nesting on cliffs nearby

We saw more exhibits about the different types of boats and how the different fishing techniques, including lines and traps which stayed unchanged here until the 1970's. When refrigeration became available, the drying and salting of the cod died out and with it, a way of life.

In addition to a way of life dying out, the cod were declining and finally a cod fishing moratorium was put in place. All the small fishing villages strung out along the fingers of land that jut out into the Atlantic were adrift with no source of employment. Canada offered relocation of entire villages (even the houses) if everyone would agree to move to a more accessible place with jobs and modern conveniences like elecricity, roads, etc. Many accepted, and whole towns simply disappeared.

We drove around the large town of Bonavista, looking for Dungeon Provincial Park. Very few signs and we were lucky to happen upon it where we found some fabulous photo ops. Cows and horses grazing on the cliffs overlooking Trinity Bay with icebergs floating past. This small Provincial Park is home to an interesting double cave carved by the sea. The ocean here is crystal clear and beautiful.