Barb and Baden’s Newfoundland Adventure – Part 2
The Locals
Before we even came to Newfoundland we had heard from numerous sources that the locals were extremely friendly and loved to talk to strangers. We weren’t sure how much of this was true and how much was urban legend. Being in Newfoundland for just 4 days we can say from experience that this is all 100% true.
A few days ago we had gone out for a hike and afterwards were looking for a place to get some lunch. We were driving around some of the roads and I pulled over to take the photo of the red shack below.
Interestingly enough, while I was doing this Barb decided to wade out into the water to touch one of the small icebergs floating near the shore. Her reaction? “The water is freezing!”
While Barb was drying her shoes a man walked by noticing us stopped to talk. We ended up sitting at one of the picnic tables nearby and the three of us talked for a good 30-40 minutes. He told us of all the good fishing spots nearby in case we had a boat and wanted to go fishing. We found about his family and by the way he owned the red shack that I was photographing.
Later on, we also found out from the lady who owned the B&B where we were staying in Twillingate “Oh that would be John, he drove the school bus for years”.
Yes, everyone does know everyone else in a small town.
On the Road
We had stayed in Twillingate since we had arrived in Newfoundland on Saturday morning and by Tuesday morning we said our goodbye’s to our host and her dog. We had a full day’s drive to our next destination.
When we first arrived at the Gander airport on Saturday it was pouring rain but by and large the weather had stayed sunny for the remaining days. During the drive from Twillingate the temperature was steadily rising and by the time we arrived at our next destination is was 27 degrees according to our car.
From Bonavista to Vancouver Island …
After a full day’s drive from Twillingate we arrived at our hotel in Bonavista. We were both tired from the drive but happy to be at a new destination to explore. The night before we were at a dinner theatre in Twillingate and sat next to one guy who lived in Bonavista so he was giving us recommendations of places to eat and see while we were here.
For those of you who don’t get the reference to my title for this section, there’s a song that many of us sang in school as kids called This Land is Your Land. I can openly say that the only reason why Barb and I chose Bonavista for this leg of the trip was because of this song. 🙂
On the first day in Bonavista, we ended up going to that restaurant that was recommended to us by the guy that we met in Twillingate the night before. The restaurant that he recommended ended up being just a short walk from where we were staying. After we hd eaten we told the waiter that we had been given a recommendation from someone who lived in Bonavista. We gave the guy’s first name and his profession and the waiter says: “oh I know Jim, we’re good friends”. We’re now convinced that everyone knows everyone else in Newfoundland.
The biggest difference being in Bonavista than Twillingate is that we’ve been walking much more here. All of the meals that we’ve eaten outside of the hotel have been at places just a few blocks away so it’s been nice to not always need to drive.
Nonetheless, we did drive around today to get to some of the locals sights. The one that Barb was most looking forward to visiting was the nearby town of Elliston, about 10 Kms away. Among other things Elliston is well known for its puffin nesting grounds.
The puffins are mostly on a separate island about 100 metres away but several of them land on the edge of the grounds where the people are. They seem to be easily frightened and I was fortunate to bring along my long zoom lens to be able to get the closeup shots.
Moving on again
Our short stay in Bonavista will end tomorrow and we’ll be moving on to our final destination where we’ll be for the remainder of our time in Newfoundland.
I’ve taken a lot more photos and continue to upload them to my photo web site.
Baden


6 Comments
Heidi
Baden thanks so much for sharing your adventures. We didn’t get to Newfoundland but absolutely loved the rest of the east coast. Nova Scotia, & PEI were amazing! Have fun!
Arlene
What an interesting trip to a part of Canada most of us don’t get too. Thanks for sharing!
Dad
It is wonderful to visit places that are so beautiful, serene, friendly and above all a part of Canada. In my working days I met many Newfies who worked on our ships and when winter came they went back home to work in the forests cutting wood. They were the most friendliest men I had met, with always a story to tell and how I wished to have sailed with them. My friend Jim lives in Labrador City with Paula and I am very excited whenever we get in touch. Have a great holiday and HAPPY CANADA DAY.
Love Dad
Mary Renvall
Love your adventures . The pictures are wonderful .
Don
Hi Baden, great narrative and beautiful photos as usual. You should be a pro photographer!
Pyrenne & Dave Tromans
Great pictures Baden. Enjoy the rest of your trip.