Bonavista Region

I left Gander around 8:00. I had a 3.5 hour drive to St. John’s. Out in the middle of nowhere, I saw a woman running. It was easily 10 km in either direction to any houses. She had a hydration system on her back which might indicate a long distance. I keep seeing woman out running like this, never men.

A few kilometers past the Bonavista exit I pulled into the visitors center. I told the woman at the desk that I needed some feedback on what I should see in St. John’s. She asked a lot of questions. She wanted to know what I had seen so far. Had I seen the Bonavista region? I told her I had not and that several people told me it is worth visiting. She told me I would not be disappointed. She went to her computer and pulled up so many photos that people had sent her from the region. I was convinced.

Sea Arch At Tickle Cove

I turned around and drove a few kilometers and got on route 230 towards Tickle Cove. She had given me a very detailed map with an outline of things I should see. In Tickle Cove there was a natural arch near the ocean. I missed the turnoff and was taken to the center of Tickle Cove which was on very narrow dirt roads along a cliff above the ocean. There was a graveyard in front of me and not much else. I was able to turn the subi around and let it sit on the road.

I pulled a pear from the cooler and sat on the big moss covered stones on the cliff. I just sat there for an hour. It was so peaceful. No noise, just the peaceful sound of the water lapping against the stone wall and an occasional gull calling out. I took a lot of photos trying to capture this moment. I’m not sure I didn’t it justice.

After my meditation on the rocks, I went to find the stone arch. It was clearly marked at the other end of the “town”. Many of the houses were simply one rooms. There were campers parked on the side of the hill. Some of the structures were in various degrees of collapse. I assume many of them were not inhabited.

I drove back another dirt road to a designated parking lot for about 6 cars. There was one other car already there. The owner was doing the same route as I was and was about 30 minutes ahead of me. I would see her car several times during the day. Getting to the arch was straightforward. AllTrails indicates that The Tickle Cove Sea Arch trail is easy. I heard several people in the distance asking if they were going to be OK. Every effort has been made to make the .5 mile hike rather easy, including the installation of steps over large rocks and a viewing platform in front of the Sea Arch. A separate trail led down the hill and around the large rocks. I took this an found a cliff that allows one to get closer to get better photos. It’s a little difficult in places and wet, so I packed all the camera gear in the backpack while I crossed the rocks. This perspective was much more interesting.

Open Hall

I was on my way to Devil’s Footprint in Keels when I came upon the Sacred Heart Catholic church in Open Hall. The style was very similar to another church I had stopped at days before. There was scaffolding on the front and a chain-linked fence around the perimeter. I noticed a drone was hovering near the front and a man approached to retrieve it. I was about to snap a photo when the other man said something. I had to turn my car engine off to be able to understand.

He came over to the car and asked me what I thought of the church. I asked what they were using the drone for. The cross on top of the church was listing heavily to the left side and they didn’t want to climb a ladder to see why. The drone pilot left to look at the video they had just taken. Eventually he asked where I was from. He seemed to know the states very well. He told me that their was a lovely couple that come here every summer from Connecticut. Their name was Sinclair and he had been a fireman in Somerville, CT.

We eventually got around to introducing ourselves. His name was Art Barker and his family had been there for centuries. His great-grandparents, grandparents, and parents were buried in the cemetery behind the church. Art grew up in Open Hall but had moved to Toronto (as I remember). He comes back for the summer.

As we spoke, Art said, you should come meet the Sinclair’s, they’re the nicest people. He told me he had fishing for capelin in the morning. He had a line off the back of the boat with six hooks as they trolled along. He caught four at one time and described how they quickly swim in different directions and how difficult it is to reel them in. “You should stay a day. I’ll take you cod fishing tomorrow.”, he said. I declined because there were some things that I wanted to do. As I write this, I wish I had taken Art up on his offer. Hopefully, the offer will still stand the next time I come to Newfoundland.

Before joining his friend to review the videos, he suggested I go into the church and have a look. I took some photos and then decided to take a walk through the cemetery. The first grave site, beside the church were Art’s great-grandparents. I was struck by how many small trees and bushes were growing around the craves. They were encroaching on the actual grave themselves, but were trimmed back. This is a stark contrast to grass covered hills I’ve known in the US or the Argentinian sites were there were so many graves there was little room for anything to grow around them.

Many people told me how friendly people were in this region. It is hard to image a more friendly place anywhere.

Painted Rocks

This isn’t a destination on any tourist brochure, but on the road to Keels, the owners have lined their property with huge brightly colored rocks. The largest has a quilted pattern on it.

Devil’s Footprints - Keels, NL

If you’re a geologist this may be one of your fist points of interest in this area. There are imprints in the rocks which resemble a cloven, hoof-shaped footprint. They are “…cavities left were carbonate nodules, called concretions, have eroded out of the bedrock to form cavities.” as the sign near the are describes them. They are fun to see, but for me wouldn’t be in my top 10 list of things to see in the area.

May an even better reason to visit Kell’s is Maudie’s Tea Room with beautiful views of the cove and outrageously good pies. I had the cherry pie, which was hands down the best cherry pie I’ve ever had. The cafe is named after Maud Dowley Lewis, a Canadian folk artist who was born with multiple birth defects. Her story in itself is pretty amazing.

Bonavista

Clouds were darkening as I came into Bonavista. It took a couple minutes to drive through town. This was an old fishing town that may have seen better days. There were many buildings in need of repair. I turned back thinking I would look for something to eat.

I saw a woman sitting on a street with a “Closed To Traffic” sign. Think the sign was placed there to allow her to pain the closesline near the sea, I stopped to have a look. Her name was Peggy Holt, a very friendly, retired art teacher and runner from New Brunswick. Her daughterinlaw, Susan Holt is the leader of the liberal party in New Brunswick. It was fun to watch her capture the peaceful image by the sea. I took some photos and we chatted for 30 minutes.

Peggy Holt painting clothesline in Bonavista, NL

I headed to Walkham’s Gate Pub and Cafe. Everything on the menu was meat (fish and beef) and potatoes. There were no salads or vegetables on the menu. OK, a potato may be a vegetable. I ordered the beef chili with cream on top (dairy).

The cell coverage was pretty good. so, I ordered a slice of Blueberry Pie and settled in to read emails and capture the past couple of days. I had returned my plate to woman behind the counter. She told me they were open until 10pm and she got there at noon to cook. Ten minutes she came over with another slice of pie. She told me I looked like I need another slice.

Paradise Farm RV Park

I left to find my campsite for the night. The owner was still at work and told me to just pick any site. I chose a site with a lake view hoping to see some birds or wildlife in the morning. I decided to sleep in the car due to the weather.

I opened the Outback trunk and hung a light and sat in the back and read. It was too cold for mosquitoes and other insects.

The owner showed up on time at 9:30 pm and I gave him the 25 CAN for my stay. I noticed he was missing two fingers and asked if he lost them in a snowblower, I have a friend that was missing the same two fingers. He told me he lost them in a very bad fight in Russian near an oil rig. He worked for a Canadian oil drilling company. He told me he had been at work since 6:30 am and needed to go get something to eat.

It took me minutes to fall a sleep.