Monday, July 1, 2019

NEWFOUNDLAND – DEJA VU, TOTALLY FOGGED IN.

Day 66 – Today was several things to us:  (1) another fogged in day – if there were whales in the Cove, and there probably are, we couldn’t see them; (2) it was our 39th anniversary (and we can’t think of a better place to be for that occasion) and (3) it’s Canada Day – Happy Canada Day! Rob made Espresso to start off our celebatory day.

The dense fog remained all day. Then at around 4 p.m. heavy rain arrived. You’d think the rain would cancel out the fog and it would abate, but no. Between the rain and the fog we could barely see our car parked right next to us. We stayed inside all day. The girls loved it and we caught up on some things since we’re leaving tomorrow.

Grates Cove Parking:  This was not officially a campground. The little village of Grates Cove has five gravel parking spaces set aside by the road to the wharf. There is a sign at the top of the road that says, “Free RV Parking”. These gravel sites are terraced; there is a view at each one since they are by a road that goes downhill to the wharf where the fishing boats launch. The sites overlook the beautiful bay which is protected on two sides by cliffs. Water access can be obtained by walking down to the town wharf or by following a boardwalk trail to the rocks below. This trail also leads to an historical display of a fish stage & cook house. At the top of this trail is a small Town Park with a deck which overlooks the Harbour. Old rock walls built by the original settlers during the 1700’s are found around Grates Cove. These rock walls are considered to be a National Landmark. This is a very quiet town; the people are friendly and welcoming. There is an Artist’s Studio/Restaurant/B&B which serves fantastic food, not the standard fried fish ‘n chips, and we were told by people we met in several different towns that we must come here, not only for the beauty of the Cove, the Icebergs which pass close by, and the whales that actually frolic in the Bay, but for the restaurant. The owners of the Studio/B&B/Restaurant were previously teachers and they are fascinating. They also harvest seaweed (with help from their young daughter), in wetsuits from the Cove’s extremely cold waters for use in their own line of body lotion and for cooking; they do the cooking in the restaurant; they do tours of the rock walls/historic sites; they harvest (with a neighbor) the partridgeberries and make the syrup concentrate (which they also sell) that is used in drinks, desserts, and other recipes; run the B&B; AND amazingly remain calm. LOL. There were no hook-ups whatsoever at this “campground”, nor was there access to a dump station or drinking water. No rules & regulations either – stay as long as you want, come & go when you please, and don’t pay for it. (We knew there would be no water and no place to dump before we got here, having checked it out beforehand on a campground scouting day. We arrived with a full tank of water & absolutely nothing in the grey and black water tanks. We found out about this little gem by asking at the Restaurant if they knew any place where someone could park an RV for a few days.) To find this place, go to Grates Cove at the tip of the northwest peninsula in the Avalon Peninsula – other bigger cities that are part of this peninsula are Carbonear, Bay Roberts, and Harbour Grace. Go to the end of this peninsula and follow the only paved road to the road that leads to the wharf (at the red building on the right; there will be a sign that says free parking). The Artist’s Studio/Restaurant/B&B is within walking distance. They can be reached at (709) 587-3880; www.gratescovestudios.com. There is no doubt we’d come here again; we’d live here if we could!