THE ICEBERGS OF TWILLINGATE, PART 2.
Day 56 – It was 34 degrees this morning when we got up, not windy but very foggy. The sun came out around 9 a.m. We were out the door before 10 a.m. It was 39 degrees.
We headed south from Twillingate beyond where we explored yesterday. We saw an iceberg that we hadn’t seen before. Several fishermen were checking lobster traps.
The small villages we drove through were more isolated than yesterday’s towns, but due to their proximity to busy Twillingate, none of them were as isolated as places we visited when we were at Sopp’s Arm. Charming, still, the only noise we heard was of various power tools and machines as people worked on their cottages and gardens. The sun comes out, and out come the people. Even at the most remote villages, we saw the “St. John’s effect” as lots were being prepared and in various stages of construction of new homes. I’m sure we’ll see a lot more of this as we get closer to St. John’s. We saw the smallest Post Office we’d ever seen. Some of the roads were just dirt & mud puddles; our new tires & suspension in the Honda have been holding up well. It was a gorgeous day for a drive.
After driving this peninsula, we decided to head north, back to Sansome & Son’s for lunch. We’d seen people ordering the Seafood Pasta yesterday and it looked so good, we wanted to try it for ourselves. First, we stopped at Dildo Run Provincial Park to use the facilities. Stairs near the restrooms led to an old tram railway line that used to link the villages of Virgin Arm and Friday’s Bay across a one-mile narrow neck of land, thus saving a long boat trip around the eastern side of New World Island.
It had actually reached 61 degrees. Lunch at Sansome & Son’s turned out to be a lousy idea; they were packed serving lunch to a busload of tourists. Vowing to come back tomorrow, we continued traveling north to Twillingate where there were many restaurant choices. We decided to try the Crow Nest Cafe, which is usually so busy that there are no parking places available. On the way to Crow Nest Cafe near the lighthouse at the end of Route 340, we stopped to take pictures of many of the same icebergs that we saw yesterday. The difference between yesterday & today? Some of the icebergs had broken up, some had rolled over, some changed positions offering a new perspective, and it was sunny out, providing us with better lighting.
In 2019, and once already this trip, we’d gone to Crow Nest Cafe, only to find that the very small restaurant was crowded and there was no parking available. Today, since it was after 1 p.m. by the time we got there, we found a parking place, only to go inside, take a look at the menu, and see they had nothing that we wanted. We turned around and drove to Annie’s Harbour Restaurant for lunch; we ate there a couple of days ago and it was very good. Even getting there after the lunch rush, they were busy. We had a great lunch and will not be having dinner tonight! We again split the Crab Dip. Then we split the Seafood Linguini and the Broiled Shrimp & Scallops dinner. Again we brought cheesecake home for tonight.
Shades of things to come: On the narrow two-lane causeway bridge coming into Twillingate, cars were stopped in the middle of the road while people got out to take pictures of the icebergs. We saw several large tour busses today, trying to make their way through the narrow & winding streets of Twillingate. Parking lots were full where vehicles (and busses) had parked for the Iceberg Boat Tours. Near Annie’s Restaurant, a boatload of tourists disembarked from their Iceberg Tour Boat, faces aglow with excitement. It is going to be SO crowded soon. We came at a good time, rain & cold weather, or not!
The temperature was cooler in Twillingate and back at the RV – 54 degrees – but there still was not any wind and the sun was shining. We had been hearing a certain bird call at the RV, and Rob took the camera with him outside to investigate. It was a Northern Waterthrush, a bird we had not encountered before. After working on the Blog, we had a beer & a glass of wine while playing our favorite game, Sequence. It was a good and warmer day; the girls enjoyed the sun on the dashboard and didn’t seem to miss us when we were gone.
