It is 7:17 AM and I am oddly parked outside the Canada Post in Bonne Bay. I want to get you caught up on photos over the past few days of Newfoundland as I start my move north again to St. Barbe and the ferry that will take me ultimately to Labrador.
The weather has been amazing! The rain and snow and drizzle, and the curious combinations of all, have dried the air, the sun then rises and magnifies the clarity of everything and makes every color POP!
You’ll remember this photo as I arrived . . . . . . but this is the exact same overlook yesterday in the clear sky and sun. I never even saw the fishing village on the far side of the fjord originally.I love these seats! They becon me to come sit, relax, and enjoy, and on a day like yesterday, it was so easy to partake of the glorious sun!Gros Morne National Park and one of the numerous glacier carved lakes.Every nook and cranny, small or large, along the coast is occupied by a fishing village, most that up until 1967, when the TCH was completed, were connected only by dirt tracks and coastal ferries. Shown in the distance in the village of Lobster Cove, Newfoundland.Lobster Cove Lighthouse, Lobster Cove, Newfoundland. This is a wonderful museum, but you cannot go up to the light. The light is property of the Canadian Coast Guard and still serevs to protect fishing and vessel traffic on the St. Lawrence Seaway.Looking south across the mouth of the bay to Lobster Cove. The banks below are exposed at low tide, here a change of almost 12 feet.The banks that extend out to the sea. These are hazards that historically have chewed up so many vessels, and why the coast of Newfoundland is dotted with hundreds of lighthouses.Night finally comes, but very late! And the colors are fascinating!. . . and new snow continues to show up on the higher slopes with the morning light!Canadians really know how to build quality hiking trails. The boardwalks are meant to help conserve the flora and fauna from destruction and keep people on the proper path! The large rock face along the fjord is called SHAG ROCK.Loons visited near the cabin one morning. They have the most wonderful call, crisp and clear, that echoed across the lake. In my mind, when you hear their call, you always will think of Canada. I had the chance to sit and watch one of the local lobstermen work his pots. Each and every lobster that was caught was carefully measured and sorted.If the lobster was too small, it was simply given a toss, to return to the cold waters and grow some more.Here is mine . . . nice and big and tasty!!Small and large, the fishing villlages are around every turn in the road on the coast. This is actually a privately owned site. You can see all the business it has! The hill to the Right is Burtnt Hill, Home of Delbirt the Moose. I was advised to NOT go looking for Delbirt. He is a BAD Moose and has hospitalized two people in the past year. Delbirt’s days are numbered!!With the arrival of warm weather, all sorts of creatures are emerging to enjoy the spring harvest.The spruce trees are a feast for the squirrels. In 1767, when Captain Cook, the same British Captain that “discovered’ the Hawaiian Islands, charted the west coast of Newfoundland, his crew brewed a “Spruce Beer” from the local trees. The beer provided a much needed source of Vitamin “C” to help stave off scurvy! No one seems to make “Spruce Beer” anymore!!I went on a Bird Walk at the Campgrounds with three Ornitholigists who are part of the first Newfoundland Bird Count, that is occurring now across the island. The group I was with were able to identify, mostly by sound since song birds are small and hide very well, twenty-eight different species of birds. I saw three and photographed ONE! LOLI did find this little one under a Spruce Tree. I think he was actually taking a bath in the wet moss and debris below the tree.Yep . . . I will photograph ANYTHING! LOL This is definately a sign of the thaw in Newfoundland as the Bull Frogs all emerge from their winter homes in the earth!I almost stepped on this rather large and bulbous toady!Some of the songbirds here have the most incredible colors and plummage.It took me over an hour to keep whistling for this little bird to FINALLY fly up into a tree from the dense undergrowth. I guess it finally wanted to see what all the botherv was about. This songbird is only about three inches tall and was aggressively patrolling its patch of forest. Such beautiful colors . . . and look . . . my Subaru!!Also, with the coming of spring and the warmth of the sun, Dandelions are blooming EVERYWHERE along the edges of the fjords, harbors and lakes, so large and bright.Every stream is surging to the sea with the recent rains. I did find some moose tracks along this brook . . . so they are here . . . I just need to keep searching!If not the bright Dandelions, then the Marsh Marigold, bursting forth in every wetland, bring bright spring colors!!
I am going to head north now. I have heard rumors of fields of white Caribou up the coast . . . maybe they are waiting for me!! Be safe and enjoy!!
What the Walrus said . . . 