After a lazy conversational morning, we set out. By we I mean my wife and I so we could give K&A a little break. We went to a particular island because it was recommended and random.
Random Island (FB page here) was first settled by the Beothuk First Nations and then Europeans in the 1800’s. The fishing, mining, and logging industries began to collapse in the early 1900’s and many moved to nearby Clarenville. A causeway was built and the population grew to stabilize at ~1200 people, in 11 communities, on an island 32km long.
After taking the causeway we had to wait…then we were moving but soon had to wait…then we moved again and yet again we waited. Road construction was the cause. Large diggers were doing their thing to remove the brush and weeds from each side of the road so large metal tubes could be buried. This is likely for water, power, and/or sewage. The diggers were depositing their loads into large idling dump trucks which would deposit the dirt and detritus on empty land. As a person who likes to plan things out, I saw the logic and approved of having three crews work in tandem. However, I also felt a little righteous indignation from this delay in our travel plans. I don’t know what to call this combination of feelings so I’ll invent the word Apprignation.
Anyhoo, it was close to lunch and we chose “Open On A Nice Day” cafe as a place to eat in Hickman’s Harbour. My wife had a cheese and broccoli soup, which she said was a little salty, and I consumed the chicken panini with house made chips and potato salad. Big portions!
Above the town was our first recommended hike to Burgoyves Cove. There was a sign about it, across the road from the cafe, and I web-checked at K&A’s place to scout the entrance. Both things combined and led us to the tiny parking lot. We began our hike.
Until we reached a higher elevation, the views were that of the lush forest hugging the trail and the varied geology beneath our feet.
At the top we could see much further and passed a mirror finish lake which contained a handful of tied up boats at different locations.
Descending, we walked by large rocky hillsides and at the bottom we first heard a small waterfall and got closer to examine it before the bug squadrons became too much.
Unfortunately, after the half-hour hike we could go no further. The rains of the previous night had filled the path some distance on either side and the waterfall runoff added to the water's depth.
Next we went to Lower Lance Cove to find another trail, mentioned on the Random Island website. Here, like other places, displayed no signage and cell service was less than spotty. Instead we walked along the Federal wharf and looked into the bay and ocean beyond. A huge school of small fish were slowly swimming in circles among the jellyfish. It was very zen when combined with waves lapping against the sides of the boats tied up.
Getting in the car we drove through Britannia, Petly, Aspen, Robinson Blight, Lady Cove, Weybridge, Elliot’s Cove, and Random Heights. All were small villages or a smattering of houses along the road. Of them all, only Hickman’s Harbour and Britannia seemed to have vibrancy and activity. The causeway seemed to have turned this island into a bedroom suburb of Clarenville or for summer cottages.
For supper we ate at The Boat Vietnamese Restaurant and each ordered the vegetable fried rice (with salad and fried tofu on top) and shrimp rolls. I wasn’t surprised when it arrived and the vegetables were the frozen kind, but they did utilize some special method to make them taste good.
We mentioned this to K&A when we got home and were reminded that vegetables are shipped into St. John’s then loaded into other trucks to go to the hub cities which were then delivered from there. Herbs are rare because of their fragility after being transported from the mainland or St.John's. 4km hiked.
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