This morning we head out of Gander heading north on RT
330. When we cross Gander Bay at Clark’s
Head we can see some boats in the water that are attached to rope lines similar
to a clothes line on a pulley. Bring the
boat in or out as you need.
As we pass by the different coves of Gander Bay the sun
decides to peek out the clouds and fog. Leaving
RT 330 we now are heading north on RT 340 and begin crossing to some of the
smaller islands. Crossing a causeway several
boats wait at anchor by this rickety looking dock.
Passing several fish shacks this one seemed particularly
interesting resting on the rocks on top of some cribbing next to a dilapidated
dock.
During our trip, we have passed a number of churches and
this one is no different except that it is on the water’s edge. The waters of the bay were really calm and we
have a good reflection.
Just before we arrive at Twillingate we stop at a tourist stop
named Prime Berth. Here the owner has
created a display that gives us a good look into the life of a Newfoundland cod
fisherman.
The old fish shack where the cod was prepared and salted for
sale. The three manikins in the
background represent the three people that would slice and clean the fish. This fish shack was the owner’s father’s fish
house and it was towed on the water to this location.
A fish filleting and cleaning demonstration showed us how
the fish were cut. The cod's liver was
cut out and we were shown how cod liver oil was collected along with the
tongue, heart and cheeks.
The proprietor of Prime Berth told us how he found a dead
Sei Whale and brought it to an outlying island to decompose and have the bones
dry up. Later he collected all of the
bones and put together the whale bones for a full skeleton for display.
From a higher viewpoint we can see some of the buildings at
the museum along with the boat used for whale and iceberg watching.
There were flowers around the museum, including these
laurels.
I’m always looking for that unusual picture that I did not
contrive. These bottles, rocks, and
shells were already situated by the window just begging me to take their
picture. So I did!
Inside one of the museum buildings was this wanted
sign. I thought it was so funny I had to
put it into the blog. In case you cannot
read it the sign reads “Twillingate Newfoundland: ‘Wanted’ A good women, must be
able to clean, cook seal, dig worms, and clean fish. Must have boat and motor. Please send picture of boat and motor.” LOL!!!
We are nearly finished touring the Prime Berth fishing
museum and I head up to the bridge to get a fuller picture of the museum
buildings. The whale skeleton on the
left, old fish shack on the right by the water and in the center building with a
group is being shown how to fillet a cod fish. A good visit.
Just before getting onto the motor coach, I had to take a
picture of the roses that were around the upper building and souvenir
shop.
Carmen found a plaque in the shop that said it all and
thought I should get one. I don’t think
so!
Just before getting on the coach, I get a picture of Carmen
next to the jaw bone of a Fin whale with the roses in the background.
Nearing Twillingate the sun begins to peak out of the clouds
and I get this picture of the coast and dock.
There are a number of small islands here that adjoin the Twillingate
island.
Having passed through Twillingate we arrive at Long Point
Lighthouse at Crow Head. The fog and
clouds have cleared off and we have a great view of the lighthouse and
surrounding area.
I thought this part of the building with the lighthouse was
interesting; the building was built to contour the land, in this case downhill,
but the window was installed level. Got
to love the different architecture we have seen.
Looking down the coast from the lighthouse you can see how
calm the water is this morning. The
clouds have disappeared and the fog has lifted and we have a fantastic clear
view for miles.
Once again I am stopped in my tracks by a flower. As usually happens I take pictures of the
flora and fauna. Since we have not seen
many animals I’ll show the flowers instead or in this case a single flower with several buds.
Moving to one of the few lookouts around the lighthouse we
were able to see this iceberg in the distance.
It was pretty far away and I’m not sure how big it is, but it looks the
size of a house.
Looking below the lookout where we are standing we can see
several fishing dory. This one has one
of the occupants pulling a cod fish out of the water. Anyone ready for a fish fry for dinner?
Below the lookout cliff we are standing on we can see the
rugged land outcropping. Along the rocks
are walking paths and what appears to be a golf flag, maybe for
Frisbee golf. I sure hope the wind
doesn’t take the frisbee too far out of the way and into the water.
Here is a fantastic group of the flowers captured by
Carmen.
Seen through the trees we get our last view of Long Point Lighthouse
before leaving the area.
Back on the coach we are passing once again through
Twillingate and pass by a number of docks with both lobster and crab traps,
sitting idle now that the fishing season is completed.
While on our drive back towards Gander and the Canadian
Trans-Continental Highway we see this amphibious air tanker, I think it is either a CL-215 or
a CL-415, used to fight forest fires.
Not sure if it was in the process of fighting a fire or just moving from
one place to another.
Working our way to our next stop, Terra Nova National Park,
we pass scenery of the surrounding lands that seem typical of this area. Many fir trees with some birch mixed in and
mountains in the background. From this location we can see quite a distance.
Nearing our stop at the Terra Nova visitor center we see
another pond, at least this time we have some sunshine and have reflections of
the trees.
At the Terra Nova visitor’s center they have a touch tank
where you can see up close many of the variety of fish and crustaceans in and
around the waters of Newfoundland. Here
we can see starfish, crabs, mussels, sea cucumber and scallops.
There also was this extremely tiny fish in the tank that is only about 1/4 inch (or 6.5mm), very small. The attendant mentioned the name of the fish,
but I did not write it down and promptly forgot the fish’s name.
Outside the visitor center, a number of kayaks are by the
water ready for use.
Passing through more of the fir forest, the trees here are
slim and seem to be short as if we were in a higher altitude.
One of the typical rivers we have passed and this one is
very near Port Blandford our stop for the night.
Here is the view from our Terra Nova Resort room as we get
ready for dinner. Tomorrow we will visit
the Bonavista peninsula and return for another night here at the Terra Nova
Resort.
