SUMMER IS OFFICIALLY HERE.
Day 63 – And it arrived here today. It was 35 degrees this morning when we got up, not quite frost-advisory weather as was predicted. We woke up to very dense fog. Discouraged, we decided not to rush off to catch the ferry to Change Islands. By 9:35 a.m. the fog was gone and it was brightly sunny. How nice!
Just in case the weather changed dramatically again, Rob went out to take the Brimstone Head trail to the top of the hill. What a view! He was the only one up there; normally there are people hiking the trail, and it will definitely be crowded later if this weather continues. It had gone up to 50 degrees.
We took our showers then headed out to take advantage of the sun and a little warmth. Tomorrow we will leave Fogo Island and take the ferry back to Farewell. Then we will drive to Terra Nova National Park. It will be a long day. We hate to leave Fogo.
First we stopped for the last time on this trip to see what freshly-baked goods were available at Punch Buggy. Because we didn’t fill the freezer with fish yesterday, we ended up filling it with Partridgeberry Scones, Apple Cinnamon Muffins, dense/gluten-free Chocolate Brownie Bars, and Pecan “Dream” Cookies. Hee hee.
At Punch Buggy the man behind the counter told us that this June was the coldest they’ve seen in Newfoundland since 1947. And that probably due to the cold, there have been many more icebergs than usual. He also informed us that the ferry we’re supposed to take tomorrow morning to leave the island is in the shop & may or may not be back in service tomorrow. He told us where to get the most updated ferry information. (This ferry to and from Fogo Island is not reserved in advance. It is first come, first served.) There’s another MUCH smaller ferry that has been taking up the slack since the larger ferry has been out of commission. With a vehicle and an RV, he said basically good luck getting on that ferry if it’s the only one running. His advice was to get to the ferry terminal before the first departure at 7 a.m. And I was wondering how we’d make the 10 a.m. ferry without getting up at 5 a.m.
Then we drove to Joe Batt’s Arm, and YAA!, the sun was out there, also. We could see fog at the horizon, so we knew it could change, but hey, it’s the first time we’ve even seenthe horizon since we got to Fogo. Coming down the hill, we could see many icebergs in the distance, icebergs that probably had been there all along but have been shrouded in fog. We stopped at Etheridge’s Point Community Park and walked around parts of the Park. We spent most of our time there at the shore. The beach was walkable since the tide was out. On most of the beach area, there were views of various icebergs, rocky shores, and plenty of ocean. The beach also overlooked part of the Joe Batt’s Arm village. Across the cove and above the quaint village, perched on the rocky cliff, the Fogo Island Inn loomed over its surroundings. With its windows on all sides, views of the little village below, and three sides of ocean views, this extremely expensive, full-service Inn may be an eyesore to some, but its economic benefits for the Island shouldn’t be overlooked. I guess……
(They require a three-night stay minimum, and the price of one night is as much as some people’s monthly rent.) Check it out: https://fogoislandinn.ca/
It was time for lunch. We drove to the next village, the very popular, Tilting. Their one restaurant was not serving meals today, but people could come in and buy something at the store. We drove back to Joe Batt’s Arm and stopped at a place we’d seen earlier, The Storehouse. They were serving lunch. It was a beautifully refurbished old building with wide-plank wood floors and old tables and chairs, mixed with some modern touches. There were big windows and we could look out over Joe Batt’s Arm and the ocean (plus icebergs) beyond. One wall was covered with painted tiles, floor to ceiling, that when combined into a large piece of artwork, depicted a huge codfish, squid, and other items in the sea, and on the shore was parts of the village and an iceberg. Just gorgeous.
We split the Pan-fried Cod (of course, it must be the National Fish of Newfoundland), served with sauteed baby potatoes, turnips, and sliced leeks, all in a dijon mustard/butter sauce, and the Deep Fried Cod served with cole slaw and mixed greens, both in a light dijon mustard & herb vinaigrette dressing. We got small desserts: Rob had the Lassie Tart (a thick molasses cookie with cream & blueberries on top) and I had Partridgeberry Ice Cream. Everything was very good. If we were going to be here longer, we’d try them for dinner. We’ll keep them in mind for next time we visit Newfoundland. Grin.
After lunch, we went to Tilting and took some pictures. The museums weren’t even open yet. I guess things on the Island, for the most part, are only open in July and August. It was surprisingly warm out, considering the previous days in June. First day of summer? It had reached 74 degrees while we were in Tilting. Car windows down & jackets off!
We got back to the RV at 3 p.m. It was still sunny! We sat outside, first time we’d been able to do that since arriving here. Our iceberg in the cove has been restless. It’s slowly melting and every day it gets stuck in the cove at low tide. When the tide comes back in, the iceberg can float around. This afternoon the iceberg rolled over, displaying its bottom side now. We watched it happen. Very cool.
At 7 p.m. it is 77 degrees at the campground with a wonderful light breeze. The water in the cove is sparkling with the sun on it. The iceberg is moving into the cove on the other side of the rocks in front of the RV. It’s coming on high tide and the iceberg is going for a swim now that it’s free to move again. The girls had a good day with the windows all open in the RV and the sun shining in on them.
For more detailed information about Brimstone Head RV Park, Fogo Island, NL, click here.