NFLD Day 6

---

Another beautiful day here in Trinity. A brilliant blue sky, though slightly cooler than yesterday.

We enjoy a complimentary "continental" breakfast at the hotel, which has a lot of lovely choices. We fall into a conversation with a couple from Calgary, who have been here for a few days and are willing to share their experiences.

We try to get on a whale-watching tour but it's all booked up. Apparently, orcas are in the vicinity. We put ourselves on the waiting list for tomorrow. That means we can devote the day to circumnavigating the Bonavista Pennisula and return back to the Artisan Inn in Trinity for another night.

Our destination, Bonavista, lies at the very top of the pennisula. Heading north, we opt for the long, scenic route along the east shore. We pass through many small communities with distinctive names like Trinity Cove, English Harbour, Port Rexton. Each is pretty much the same but each has its own unique charm. The majority of residential homes follow the "salt box" formula: a square 2-storey box for the main part of the house with a 1-storey extension at the front or the back. And, of course, each home prominently features one of the primary colours.

We stop in Port Union, which proudly proclaims itself as the first union-built town. It is a planned community founded by William Coaker in the early 20th century. We drive and stroll past the old fish plant and the row houses built for its workers.

One of the interesting things that we've noticed driving along is the colour of the soil and rocks. They are mostly red, but it's a purply red quite different from, say, PEI. The streams that rush over these rocks pick up some of the colour and end up looking brownish, but they are in fact perfectly clean.

Roads in Bonavista are generally good, except when they aren't. We are now on route 238 to Elliston, which is possibly the worst "paved" road I have ever driven. You basically have to drive down the centre line because the potholes on both sides of the road are so bad.

Arriving in Elliston, thoroughly shaken and needing a restroom, we stop at the information centre/store. The two obviously volunteer locals help us get our bearings. First, we visit the memorial statue to the sealing disasters of 1914, when 251 lives were lost in a single season in two separate incidents. It portrays a father and son, Reuben and Albert Crewe, lost on an ice flow, facing death. We then drive the scenic loop to Maberly and back. Stunning seascapes compel us to jump from the car frequently to take photos. Elliston is the self-proclaimed "Root Cellar Capital of the World," odd as it sounds. All along the drive, we can see scores of root cellars built into the sides of hills.

Back in Elliston, we visit the relatively new sealers' museum, called Home from the Sea. It reviews the history of sealing in Newfoundland, as well as the major sealing disasters. Sobering.

We continue north along the coast until we reach Bonavista. Bonavista is a fairly sizable town, but it's really just a larger version of the outports. We drive through the main part of the town, then take the gravel road to Dungeon Park. Fantastical rock formations greet our eyes at every turn, including many of the famous "fingers", which are columns of rock standin guard in the ocean, left behind when the cliffs around them eroded. The pièce de résistance of Dungeon Park is a collapsed sea cave, where we watch the sea dramatically roar into an enormous cavity in the earth and rush out again.

We retrace our steps and head for Cape Bonavista, the extreme northern tip of the penninsula. Naturally, there is a heritage lighthouse here, but the spot's main claim to fame is that this is believed to be the spot where John Cabot made landfall in 1497. And here is Cabot's statue, gazing thoughtfully out to sea.

We drive back to the town of Bonavista. It's now 4:30 pm and we haven't eaten since breakfast. We track down Mifflin's Tea Room, which has been highly recommended. We enjoy wonderful fish chowder, two cod main dishes and some awesome desserts. Not sure whether this meal was lunch or supper, but it sure was good.

Starting the trek back to Trinity, we drive down the opposite (western) shore of Bonavista Pennisula. More lovely little seaports with funny names. We detour to Tickle Cove just because we like the name–but also to see its famous sea arch. We drive through the town of Red Cliff, named because of the colour of the rock I mentioned earlier. Arriving in Tickle Cove, we follow hand-lettered signs down narrow roadways to find the sea arch. At times, we feel like we're driving through people's backyards. When I fear the car can go no further, we continue on foot. It's a fairly rough hike, up and down over rocks and shale, to arrive at the sea arch, but it's worth it. The sun is just starting to set, almost directly in the middle of the arch. Spectacular.

We reach Trinity shortly after nightfall. Too tired to go out again, we eat our remaining provisions in our room: apple slices, cheese and wine. A sumptuous feast indeed.

---

Photos

Monument to 1914 sealing disaster
Elliston, NFLD

Statue of John Cabot
Cape Bonaventure, NFLD