Maggie in Newfoundland Again 2016: Day 17 Twillingate

My banana’s finally ripened and I found a bag of fresh spinach! Doesn’t sound like much to get excited about I know, but it is! We have been happily wandering around the little coastal communities eating the best fish that anyone could imagine. We can stop on the wharf and get an amazing deal on that. Try to find a well-stocked grocery store, or a decent salad and you are out of luck. We went for a couple of days and couldn’t find any milk that wasn’t full fat! Twillingate may have a small little grocery store but it had skim milk, fresh spinach, and bananas. Now the bananas were the colour of granny smiths, but hey, that can happen at home occasionally. My breakfast smoothie was the infusion of veggies I had been missing.

The glorious sunshine beckoned, and we continued to explore the countless hiking opportunities in the area. We were driving along the waterfront when I shouted at David to pull over. I was sure we had just passed someone that I knew. He thought I was crazy, but ever cooperative and accommodating, he turned the truck around. Sure enough, it was a teacher we knew from St. Joan of Arc, the high school across the street from our house where Nancy and Jeffrey both taught! We knew Eva and Dave mostly because a few years ago when Jonathan and Mary-Kate and Michelle were in high school, they went on a trip to the Yukon. Eva and Dave were two of the people who went on the trip with them. We marveled at the likelihood of meeting here! They were travelling with Eva’s parents. Her mom is one of the Filipino nurses that were brought to Newfoundland years ago to address the shortage. She lived in Twillingate for a number of years and has come back often to visit. We laughed that they had now been coast to coast with the Boss family!

Continuing on to our first intended stop at the Auk Island winery, we were not there long before we ran into Michelle and Vince Glavine – another teacher and her husband from St. Joan of Arc! What are the chances?? They are not with Eva and Dave and hadn’t seen them here but we laughed at the coincidence and had a bit of a story swap of things to see and do in the area. Honestly, life is full of the most interesting circumstances!

In addition to the chance meeting, our visit to the winery was fun! Grapes don’t grow in Newfoundland but that didn’t discourage the folks here. They make all their wines from local fruits and berries, most picked by hand by locals and delivered directly to the winery. They also have a collection of dessert wines that they call iceberg wines. Partly because of the name, partly because of the way they bottled we assume “ice wine”. Apparently according to our wine guide not the same thing at all. They are not made with frozen fruit but are made using iceberg water! We are not big lovers of sweet wines and not especially fruit wines so we didn’t expect to like them as much as we did. They had interesting, distinctive tastes and the young girl who led us through our tasting was amusing and informative. Of course with names like 3 Sheets to the Wind, Funky Puffin, Krooked Cod, and Moose Joose, you’d buy them just for the labels!! With a good selection of wine happily settled in the back of the truck, we set out for the Lighthouse.

On our way down, despite being told all the icebergs had gone, we spotted an iceberg. By iceberg standards it was small, but as David pointed out it was still a piece of ice bigger than our house – and that was just the part we could see! Arriving at the Lighthouse at the edge of the point (naturally!) we had a better view but honestly it was secondary to the jagged coastline that extended in both directions. There were plenty of hiking choices and because we had to start somewhere we started with Devil’s Cove. Certainly the toughest trail yet. The path was well marked so there was no fear of getting lost but the trail was designed for mountain goats! For the first part of the trail the views were fabulous but once it wound into the trees the going was tough, the heat was annoying and the flies were vicious! Good exercise to justify all we’ve been eating (and drinking!) but unless you were up for a workout I’m not sure I would recommend it!

Emerging back up on the bluff at the lighthouse we once again bumped into Eva and Dave and her parents. We chatted again for a moment and while we didn’t recommend Devil’s Cove, they did recommend Nanny’s Hole – not making these names up! It led down from the lighthouse in the opposite direction. We considered for a moment and decided to give it a try. If it’s one thing we have learned on vacation, it’s listen for suggestions! The hiking was much easier, and that’s saying something! The approximately 4 km trail traveled down the side of a mountain in a steady decline. When God didn’t provide natural steps or the grade wasn’t “trail” worthy, step were thoughtfully provided - 164 of them, I counted! Not so bad on the way down, but the hike back provided full justification for the afternoon treats!

The views, yet again, were breathtaking! I know I keep saying that but it’s true wherever we go! There were fishing boats just off the coast so we sat and just watched the gulls vie with the men in the boats for the treasures the sea has to offer.

One of the most unbelievable parts of this trail was that it intersected a Newfoundland golf course! Like no golf course I had ever seen, these holes went through a bog, ran along the side of cliffs and the 7^th hole was in the middle of a blueberry patch at the edge of a 300 foot precipice! We overheard people talking about it. The “come-from-aways” thought it a Newfie joke. Locals talked about the local hullabaloo. Apparently some businessman has bought the land and the golf course is the first step in creating a local retreat of sorts. Not everyone agrees with the plan and there have been attempts to stop the creation. I don’t know enough to form an opinion of where I would land in the controversy but I can tell you the course looks ridiculous! As one fellow hiker (who was obviously a golfer) put it, the game on this green would be over when you lost all your balls!

After once again meeting the Glavines on the trail and stopping for a little chat, we went back to the parking lot to find some much needed lunch! The local couple we sat with at the dinner theatre last night highly recommended R&J Seafood Restaurant, not to be confused with D&T Seafood Restaurant! One was outstanding, the other not so much. The suggestion was certainly appreciated as we dove into the best fish and chips we had ever eaten!

Back to the trailer for some afternoon work for David … and maybe a nap for me! I can’t believe how well I sleep here since I don’t at home, and now an afternoon nap – something else that rarely happens! It happened today though and it was glorious!

We had hoped to head to the beach for the sunset tonight but the rain started again just past suppertime! We went for a drive instead and discovered a whole new area to explore tomorrow! With names like Horney Head, Spillers Cove and Main Tickle who knows what we might find! A second stop at the Auk Island Winery for ice cream we noticed earlier in the day finished things off well. After all, who could resist soft serve ice cream with local wine added for flavor? Certainly not us, that will be two Krooked Cod cones please!