04 Aug: A view for a Smallwood head, the People who were lost, and staying inside a textile woven gate

Two-night roadtrip! First stop was outside of Gambo at a lookout for Joey, aka Joseph R. Joey Smallwood.

With an early life in news, campaign managing for the Prime Minister of Newfoundland (under the British), and hosting a radio program for six years he decided to run a pig farm at the Gander airfield. In 1946 he became part of the Newfoundland National Convention to recommend options for the future of the province as he pushed for joining Canada. His past skills in broadcasting led to a very strong rural vote for joining Confederation in 1948. He became the province's Liberal party leader in 1949 and was elected Premier the same year becoming Premier of Newfoundland for the next 23 years. After retiring, he wrote two autobiographies and his Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador was completed after his death in 1991. Here there were nice views of Freshwater Bay, Gambo River, and the Newfoundland T’railway (a hiking trail that replaced the rail line and goes from St. John’s to the West side of Newfoundland near Port aux Basques; 890km). 

Near Gander we stopped at the Thomas Howe Demonstration Forest, named after the Province’s first Chief Woods Ranger, for a sandwich lunch and short walk. Many trees, undergrowth, and wee beasties were present, including a 90-year-old White Spruce with above ground curly-fry shaped roots. Some trees had odd growths where the branch sprouted tiny branches everywhere. K mentioned it was a type of tree cancer and often held bird nests. The intricate design was mesmerizing.

Taking a right turn at Gander and continuing down the road, for an hour or so, we took a stretch and pee break. By the shore there was a river boat with a long hull, narrow sides, and shallow flat bottom. K&A said it looked like a good design and they would know from their knowledge of boat designs of different families. Some Newfoundland companies have purchased limited rights to some designs and make molds to manufacture fibreglass versions.

A short distance South of our two-night accommodations is the Beothuk Centre. I’ll let the Centre’s website explain what they are: “Around 300 years ago, this site in Boyd’s Cove in Notre Dame Bay was a Beothuk village. Tour the interpretation centre where exhibits and artifacts foster an appreciation for this unique, and now vanished culture. From the interpretation centre, follow a 1.5 km groomed walking trail to the village site – today an outline of housepits is the only evidence of the Beothuk people who once lived here. Along the trail, a sculpture designed by renowned Newfoundland artist Gerald Squires evokes the tragedy of the Beothuks’ demise.”

The Beothunk’s were a First Nation that entered Newfoundland around 1CE and had three cultural changes before becoming the Beothunk culture around 1500. They lived in small extended family groups that lived in seasonal villages. They were known to use red ochre to paint themselves and most of what they used, reapplying once a year in the spring. The Beothunk avoided interacting with Europeans as most meetings led to injury, death, and/or anger. Pressure from the European settlers, Inuit, and Mi’kmaq had them retreat further inland where resources were more scarce. Two Beothunk women captured by Europeans in 1819 and 1823, Desmaduit and Shanawdithit (Desmaduit’s niece), taught some of their language and provided drawings of their culture as a way for Europeans to understand the Beothunk peoples. At this point the Beothuk peoples were in decline, due to Smallpox/TB/violent interactions. After Shanawdithit died in 1829, and no more Beothunk were found, the Beothunk were declared extinct yet there is evidence that some Beothunk may have integrated into Inuit, Mi’Kmaw, and European communities.

The trail walk to the Beothunk camp site was shaded and very pleasant, with American toads and dragonflies in abundance. On the walk back I enjoyed looking at an interesting rock with mossy blankets. After returning to the Centre, and using the washroom, K and I went to the Spirit Garden that was made to honour the Beothunk and others who have passed away into history. In the Centre you can get a bag of items to make a token, free of charge, and hang it here. In the garden, the combined feelings of loss and the strength to persevere were present.

In front of the Centre, I almost stepped onto an American toad on the wooden walkway. After pointing it out to an attendant, who was walking the perimeter, she scooped it up and placed it into the woods.

Arriving in North Twillingate, at the Hi Tides Hostel, we briefly unpacked before walking around to explore the active and colourful town. We saw a fishing boat returning to its harbour, two pet goats in a yard, and several shops for art, conveyance, food and drink. 

After supper was made in the hostel we relaxed then went to bed. 9.8km walked and 14 flights climbed.

03 August: Big Back Yard, Moving a House by Water, and Nature Made at a Glacier Pace

Chatting, breakfast, coffee, and showers done it was time for local exploration…in the back of K&A’s property.

There was an abundance of variety: tall fireweed blooming pinky purple, miscellaneous greenery of sharp shapes and round, rhododendrons, Balsam fir, Norway spruce, leopard spotted toads, tall cliff faces providing an unanswered challenge yet tempting us with a collage of deep time, light green lichen, and a multi-species inhabited marsh. All this and more after an hour’s walk.

With lunch in our bellies, we took the boat to Loreburn. Once used as a winter hunting camp in the early 1800’s by the Dean family of Southport, shortly after it was then settled by the Price family of Hant’s Harbour Trinity Harbour. Growing to ten families and 46 people, in the 1939 census, and only grew 3 by 1945. The main work here was shore fishing. Currently there are none of the original houses, a rough road has been made to get here by its residents, and several cottages as well as wharfs have been built here. You might wonder why I mentioned all this. Well sit right down kiddies and I’ll tell you a tale. The tale of resettlement.

From 1954 to 1975, after Newfoundland entered Confederation, there were three attempts to resettle isolated and distant villages to be closer to communities with roads connected to hub communities. 300 communities and almost 30k people were resettled. Still regarded as controversial by Newfoundland’s citizens, it was an attempt to cut down on costs to link communities by public marine transport. Even today it costs millions for the province to provide it for ~100 residents. So if you see a picture or painting of houses being moved on the water by pontoons and small boats, that is because of resettlement. In the case of Loreburn, the ancestors of the original residents petitioned the province to be permitted to build their own very long “driveway” and build cottages here.

K&A saw some folks they knew at one cottage. We were invited onto the deck for a chat, offered water, also offered freshly fried cod, then also offered pickled surf clams. The short chat turned into a half hour of catching up, exchanges of news, and who Natalie and I were. This, at its root, is what rural Newfoundland is like so plan accordingly with your schedule. Nobody is a stranger after a conversation and it's likely you will turn into a friend. Saying our goodbye’s we snaked around the cottages towards the North until we found the pathway that led to the East.

The multitude of biomass present in K&A’s property were multiplied immensely. After the climb up the semi-steep embankment the views became royal in their greatness. Here was the terrain that greeted European settlers. The landscape that had most of them staying safely by the shore, especially after meeting the various First Nations. These indigenous peoples had encyclopedic knowledge yet still could not completely encompass all of Newfoundland. So many hills and valleys. So many water features from ponds and marshes to lakes, rivers and waterfalls all created by gargantuan glaciers retreating during the last ice age.

Hiking East we were passing flowers, insects, and interesting geology. We started to see Ford’s Harbour and the town of Southport in the next peninsula across Trinity Bay. We reached a point where we needed a little snack, so after pulling our preferred calorie filled items A’s bar dropped a bit of dark chocolate. When she looked down, she exclaimed “The chocolate’s moving!” Looking closer, it indeed was moving but not by itself. An enterprising black ant had immediately seen an opportunity and was carrying it to its lair.

Returning to Loreburn we hiked an hour and a half up semi-steep hills and weaved around many features, but only went 1.6km as the crow flies.

    As it was still early once we got to the boat, we went past the harbour of Saint Jones Within’s to the West of Bailey’s Cove. On the shoreline and cliffs were astounding examples of deep time geology. Layers of lollypop hues with diagonal stripes and folded layers. Cooled rock pushed to the surface and manipulated in one direction or another by pressures deep within the Earth. In particular there was one huge hexagonal shape, with what looked like quartz dancing within it. Normally the hex column is straight up and down, but I have since found out the cooling method of the rich molten lava must have been at an angle to cause this formation.

Time for supper, chatting, and rest before heading for a comfy bed. 7.2km walked and 27 flights climbed.

01-02 August: Generations of Pepsi, Sealing on the Ice, and Something like Smoking.

The 1st of August was a catch-up day. Catch up on sleep…laundry…and a travel email. We then chatted and played boardgames all day at K&A’s place.

    The next day, we were well rested for a road trip! On the way, during a stop, I was told the story about why you don’t see much Coke around and see a lot more Pepsi (which is a good thing). Once upon a time there were bottling plants for both companies in the province. Then, in 1991 during the economic downturn and cod moratorium, Coke closed their plant down. The Browning Harvey families (the Browning’s made fancy biscuits and the Harvey’s made soda crackers) joined forces in 1931 joined forces in 1931 to make table syrup. In 1941, they went to Boston to sign an exclusive deal with the Pepsi company in Newfoundland and used the cane sugar they were already importing for their table syrup. Once Coke closed their plant, and the citizens showed an immense displeasure towards Coke, the Browning Harveys filled in the gap. With unique flavours not found on the mainland, like pineapple and birch beer Crush, they reinforced their presence in the province with charity events and scholarships.

    At Port Paxton we stopped for an SSC (stretch/snack/coffee) at Two Whales Coffee Shop. The old green house contains the cool vibe of modern rural without being standoffish. They also recycle as much as they can and you get a slight discount if you bring in your own coffee mugs. Sometimes they have live music. The salted caramel brownies brought back Maritime memories of my youth and the Moka a perfect not-too-sweet. My wife had the Garden Swiss chard and cheddar savoury scone.

    Next was Elliston with a good walkabout of the always rough coastal terrain in the province. There was also a monument to the 1914 sealing disaster survivors and 251 dead of the SS Newfoundland and SS Southern Cross. For the SS Newfoundland, the captain sent the 142 men of their sealing teams across the floating ice to where there were more seals nearer his father's ship, SS Stephano. A snow storm came in and the men couldn’t continue. Both ships thought the men were on the other ship. 54 hours later, another ship rescued the 54 living and the 78 dead. The SS Southern Cross had sunk in the same storm losing all 174 crewmen. After reading the names and ages, some as young as 15, in the granite slab it was time for something like smoking.

    Puffins, the clowns of the sea, make up to a third of all birds in Newfoundland when they return mid-May until they leave late August to early September. Their beaks also have fluorescent patterns under UV light. We saw many, with seagulls, just off the rocky shore on isolated craggy peaks. 

After looking at the antics, and taking pictures, we walked a little further to see the coastline. 

Then, I heard from my wife that there were a half dozen Puffins just over the lip of the cliff on our side! Heading back, there they were…happy, content, and looking at the people who were looking at them.

On the way back to our car, we found raspberry plants growing very close to the ground with tiny fruit among their greenery. They were tart and full of flavour. We also saw several of the old stone cellars that are prolific around their community.

We went to Bonavista for a late lunch at Ragged Rocks Gastropub. The decor was bistro style comfort and the other three ordered the seafood chowder while I ordered the Mighty Moose: moose meat mixed with bacon patties times two with a mayo/BBQ spread, sautéed onions, lettuce, and tomato between house buns. I chose a salad as a side because that’s the responsible thing to do. Yummy for my tummy.

At the next stop it was time for history at the Matthew Legacy building. Way back, in the late 1400’s, Giovanni Caboto of Venice sailed the Eastern Mediterranean Sea as a merchant captain before wanting to explore the Western Atlantic Ocean in the 1490’s. Going first to Seville, then Portugal, he ended up in England. There he received royal patronage and financial backing for his first voyage where he discovered…nothing. It was a bust because he ran out of food and water. For his second voyage he had enough supplies for six to seven months and started exploring North America a month and a bit later. The exact location is iffy, but Cape Breton or Bonavista in Newfoundland are the likely locations he first landed. Rewarded after his return a third expedition was financed and…details are sketchy. Recent investigations into documents of the time indicate he traveled down and up the North Eastern seaboard. Because of the legacy of the explorer Giovani Cabato, or under his nativized English name John Cabot, is recognized for his efforts in Bonaventure.

The building contains a full-scale replica of Cabot’s ship of his second voyage, the Matthew, built in 1997-8 with local shipbuilders and carpenters. Also inside there are snippets of information about Cabot and the voyage. To be honest, the ship as it is now has seen better days as birds can easily fly into the building and crap over everything. The staff does what it can.

After a snack at “The Little Dairy King”, of coconut creme pie, we went hiking around the Bonavista lighthouse. Short grass, delicate flowers, and tiny berries are grouped all around the rough rocky terrain we hiked for a short time. Next, because we felt obligated to, was a visit to the Dungeon.

The Dungeon Provincial Park was a short drive away. It is a collapsed sea cave with two openings to the sea that is stunning to visit. There are places on the sides of the collapse that have more recently been pulled by erosion and gravity into the Atlantic ocean’s embrace. Just be careful around the Dungeon and of the cows and sheep that are placed around here by local farmers to freely graze.

On our way back to town, we passed by people on the beach harvesting…something along the shore. It turned out they were gathering ocean smoothed shore stones for their home gardens and pathways!

Shortly after 6pm, we pulled into PK’s for authentic Newfoundland mom & pop style food. It was a place K&A had been to before, but was a little bare. Not of customers, but staff. After twenty or so minutes of waiting to order, the food came out an hour after that. Many tables that had plates and detritus left from customers were still untouched after we received our food. I had the large pan-fried fish with pork scuncheons and fries. K had the "heart attack on a plate" or Turkey dinner with sauce (gravy). It did bring back happy memories of my childhood, as my family went from place to place for beach visits or longer camping trips. There are many places like this all through the Atlantic Provinces: sturdy food for good prices. PK’s just didn’t have enough staff for a Sunday night. I think the Ragged Rocks Bistro across the street attracted them away, but this would require time (that I do not have available) for investigative journalism.

Getting home after dark, we began our beddy-bye routines and slipped off to slumberland. 0.8 and 4.2km walked and 10 flights climbed.