Kelly and Mike's RVing/Traveling Adventures: June 20th-21st

Yesterday we had a nice day for a drive to Twillingate, known as Iceberg Alley, because the icebergs float into the area. Twillingate is actually an island that has been connected to the mainland by a bridge. Two thirds of the road getting here was quite rough - pothole upon pothole, bad patch upon bad patch. Once we got here though we could tell it was worth the drive. It is actually a "town" of 2,400 people with the first hospital we have seen on the our road trip. We were told that twenty years ago the town had a population of 8,000 but people have moved West. It is a charming town with lots of B & Bs, lots of restaurants, and a dinner theater. You can tell that it is a more upscale vacation spot than the B & Bs we have seen in all the small hamlets we have driven through or stayed in so far. The town even has a Foodliner grocery store where we stopped to pick up a few things. Of course the prices on everything are high as elsewhere on the trip. Here is a pack of two steaks weighing about a pound for over $33.00 Canadian or $25.00 American. Chicken and pork was equally as expensive.

Upon checking the weather last night we found that today it was to start raining for the next couple of days. We checked about going out on an iceberg and whale watching boat trip and were told that rain didn't matter so we booked a trip for today. Getting up this morning it wasn't raining and actually the rain forecast had been moved back so we were in luck. We dressed in layers to deal with the temperature in the high 40s plus wind on the boat. There were only about fourteen on the boat which made it very easy to move around and take pictures.

Newfoundland is known as "the rock" for a reason. All of the coastline is rock and rock cliffs. Here are a couple of pictures we took on the way out into the bay.

This time of year is the end of the iceberg season and the beginning of the whale migration season. We were able to get up close to the only iceberg remaining in the bay. The Captain said this morning it was only one-fifth of the size it was yesterday and at this rate it will be gone by tomorrow. I am glad we booked today. Here is a picture of Kellen in front of it, a picture of it, and a picture of the three of us in front of it.

Because it was small, about the size of our boat, the Captain was able to get up close. The crew had ice from an iceberg on board for us to taste. It is 12,000 years old water and pure as pure can be. It is so dense that if you put in your beverage it will last eight hours. Here is a picture of Kellen trying it.

The icebergs here are from Greenland. It takes an iceberg four to six years to get here. I would have thought the ice would have taken on a salty flavor over that period of time in the water but it did not.

Here is a picture of the view from our campsite. Not bad. It is good that there are few bugs because of the temperature but it makes it a little too chilly to sit outside when the sun isn't out.

This is the only campground near the island and it had a lot of bad reviews. We have not found it bad at all. The driveway as you first come in has lots of potholes, which we are used to by now, other than that it is fine. As with all the campgrounds here you have to be in the office or the lounge area to use the Wifi. This frustrates Kellen but he is surviving by using Kelly's phone as a hotspot when he can.

Here is a picture of the town from one side to the other. The buildings are well taken care of and there are lots of bright colors. Surprisingly there are new buildings going up. Kellen wondered why there were so many B & Bs until Kelly pointed out that there are no hotels.

Here is a street map so you can see how I could take a picture from one side to the other. The red lines are the streets.

The first mate on the boat ride was "Paul". He was really interesting to talk to. This is the thirty-eighth boat he has been on in his career and four of them he was on went down. He loves the sea. He said his daughter is in the Canadian Navy and will retire this year with twenty years in. She loves the sea as well. He said his son gets seasick just walking down a dock. Paul hunts and traps for food. He was getting a rabbit out of a trap last year when he looked up and saw a moose right there. He must have been on the moose's path because it picked him up with his antlers and threw him against a tree. He broke his knee, his collar bone, and three ribs. He laid there until someone came by and found him. He was in the hospital for twenty-one days. He said he is now quite afraid of moose. He said you can get a tag every three years to hunt moose and every year to hunt bear. He said a couple of years ago a bear ran him up a tree. He was there for seven hours. He had his gun but he had just gotten there and his bullets were still in his knapsack on the ground. Every time the bear tried to come up the tree he hit him with his rifle. The bear clawed and clawed at the tree trying to get to him. Finally someone came by and shot the bear. Crazy. Paul has lived here all of his life. He loves the winter as well. He cuts his own wood for heat and splits it all by hand. They get a permit from the government to cut firewood in certain areas. He said houses here are incredibly cheap. A nice house with a basement can be bought for about $22,000.00. No market.

Paul suggested the winery for lunch. Kelly and I laughed at the idea of a winery when the closest place to grow grapes is in New Brunswick. We took his advice and headed there for lunch after Kelly bought a couple of souvenirs. One thing on the menu we had to try was "jiggs", Cod tongue. They are deep fried and once were for the poor people but now are a delicacy. They have a gelatin/fish combination consistency and are quite tasty. Here is picture of Kelly and Kellen enjoying them.