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.

31 July: Learning to jig, battle of the minds, and rolling around some medium sized balls

At oh-dark-early, we all headed to the stage and dock to get our best rig on….best cod jigg’n rig that is.

As my wife and I sat in the front of the boat, admiring the varying terrain of the coastline, we first tried one raised underwater shelf then a second. Although only K&A got a cod each, my wife and I still enjoyed the experience with the views and birds around us. Even saw the occasional eagle.

Cod jigg’n means you use a heavy lure with a hook, a thick line, and a wooden line-reel. You can get down at least 200 feet with this device. The line-reel has two wooden quarter moon shaped crescents attached to each other by two dowels. It allows the weight and line to be led out as the line-reel flips end over end at the bottom of the boat. Once the weight touches bottom, you bring it in a few feet and slowly pull it in and out six or so times to attract the cod who like to be near the bottom. Once achieved you pull it in a few free and repeat until you see the weight and hook.

The third shelf we went to had first A, then myself, then my wife catching a fish. Again and again the weight went down and each time it hooked a cod. The school of cod was fully in session for an hour. When we had enough for a feed for the future, and a little more, it was time to get back home to trim and clean the fish.

After lunch, we began chatting and trying on clothes. We had to prepare. We had to train. We would be tested…for trivia! 80’s and 90’s themed trivia that is. Fuelled up with a supper of yummy pasta bowties and smoked salmon we hit the road for the nearby hub of Clarenville. 

Reaching the very large building beside the community park, we saw it contained a movie theatre, bowling alley, and lounge/bar. The building wasn’t new, but the new owners recently renovated it. 

Once seated in the lounge, soon three other groups of four entered the trivia battlefield of knowledge. We were the only ones in costume, yet no bonus points were added. After seven rounds of questions, we emerged as the best…losers of the night! Ah well. We still had fun and the blueberry and lime Slush Puppies were delicious.

Not yet ready to go home, we played two games of five pin bowling in dim light with swirly galaxies and nebulae around us. It had been a while since I last played. Squeaking in a win for the first game it was my wife that won the second.

Heading home, we got to bed after midnight. A great day. Many kilometres by sea and 0.7km walked.

30 July: Stretching our Mussels

We slept in late and had a lazy morning. Unpacking a little more we chatted with each other until lunch. In the afternoon we went in search of a tasty creature that moves slower than molasses, yet sounds like it could move fast…the mussel.

      With borrowed rubber boots, and appropriate mussel wrangling gear, we drove 45ish minutes to Queen’s Cove. The mussel beds were at the end of a large stream. K&A said the topography of the shore rocks, that the mussel beds were on, had changed since last year.

      Spreading out we waded out to the furthest point and worked our way inward to shore. Any mussel bigger than our entire thumb was fair game. Elusive, these mussels were. Even drawing upon my veteran skills, earned by harvesting them at my grandparent’s cottage beside the Northumberland Straight when a young lad and teenager, I struggled to find the good ones. On top of the shore rocks were sun-tortured remains of the shellfish and in the water were many live ones, but were too small. The few that were good enough were covered in barnacles and/or seaweed. 

     Even with these issues after ninety minutes, we found more than enough for a feed. Before heading back, we washed the mussels with repeated baths of salt water until the dirt had been cleaned off from the outside and they had a chance to clean their insides.

      Once back, we stopped at K&A’s stage and dock and a fire started in the old washing machine drum. A pot of water was placed on the fire, with a bunch of mussels inside, while we waited for it to boil up and chatted. We also got to try A’s pickled squid & pickles, and some of D’s smoked salmon! Yum yum. The sky constantly changed clothing as the sun approached the day’s end. 

      The mussels were delicious, but we had to be careful as many pearls were found inside them. They were made from the grit the mussels took in and encapsulated with its mucus over its lifetime. While cleaning up, the family that loaned my wife and I the rubber boots came by in their boat. After a short conversation we gave them the remaining muscles that we had shucked as thanks for the loan.

      After heading back to the house, we relaxed, veg’d out, and got ready for bed. 1.6km walked.

29 July: Spears, Pettiness, and Extreme Pickle Flavour

Waking, packing, showering, Nespresso coffee, packing, delicious full breakfast, more packing, and loading the car…it was time to move.

      On the drive to Cape Spear, Canada’s most Eastern point, I observed that the terrain is like New Brunswick: hilly, dense forests, and a tough to maintain road system. The difference is the short height of the trees (five to seven feet) and how close they are to the road (a few feet rather than ten). At least they are when growing close to shore. The speed limit of 30km/hr seemed really low, but made sense in the context of one very big thing: moose! With the dense woods, proximity of the woods to the roadway, and lumbering masses of moose you need enough of a warning before stopping in time. So if you come to Newfoundland, follow the guidance on the speed signs.

      At Cape Spear, from 1836 to 1997, there has been a people-maintained lighthouse here. From 1846 to 1955 it was five generations of Cantwell’s that were here doing the job. During WW2 there were two large guns and AA emplacements to protect St. John’s harbour, a short distance away. There is a large ship’s mast by the lighthouse keeper’s house so that flags could be raised to signal the folks in Cabot Tower on Signal Hill. Then they could let the people of St. John's be aware of ships coming.

      Along the shore, the beauty of the plants was nice to see and would have provided comfort to those who stayed here. As long as they were not covered in snow, that is.

      After it was made into a National park in 1997, the lighthouse keeper’s dwelling was turned back in time to 1839. We were told that a total of one-hundred and sixty-eight layers of wallpaper were removed to get down to the wood. The company who made the original wallpaper was able to create a reproduction of the original when the area was turned into a historical park.

      From Cape Spear we drove back to nearby Petty Harbour to see the picturesque village and have a coffee for the road.

     The highway was like those in New Brunswick: long and straight, lots of general sameness, and trees that block the side views. The only breaks in the terrain were what you saw ahead of you in the distance. Fortunately, the scrub, shrubs, lichen, and moss types changed. This is good for keeping the mind alert and active. There were not a lot of places to stop for food along the highway, so we ate scones from our B&B and some Hornby bars.

      Near Clarenville we stopped at Sully’s gas station/market/liquor store/Robin’s Donuts for a bathroom break and to stretch our legs. This was one of your ‘everything’ stores providing items used by the surrounding community. The liquor section was particularly interesting with some fruit wines and a maple syrup wine. They also had Prince Igor extreme pickle flavoured vodka and Newfoundland Port. 

      Leaving Sully’s, we messaged our friends K&A and soon after we left the highway on the #205. The road, as warned, was in a degraded state and had potholes in cracks in other potholes…there were a lot of potholes. Speed was accordingly slow and after twenty minutes we arrived in the community of Saint Jones Within. 

      Made up of 72 permanent residents, and swelling by 40-50 in the summer months, the dominant feature was the harbour. Boats of all sizes with colourful stages (sheds) were selectively scattered around. Within seconds we pulled up to our friend’s place and greeted them with joy.

      After bringing our luggage in, and getting a tour of their place, we chit-chatted and had supper.  We then went on a walk to the community centre, new kids park, and back again. Near their place, we were asked what our shoe sizes were. We needed rubber boots for some activities. Seeing that one of their neighbours was home and cooking something outside, we approached and asked about borrowing two pairs. We were also offered some freshly fried cod and potato wedges. Yummy.

      Time was ticking and the day was long. We said goodnight to the neighbours and thanked them for the boots to borrow and the food given.

    At our friend's place we continued to catch up until the temptation of sleep crept into our bodies and we said our goodnights. 6.5km walked and 27 flights of stairs climbed.