Sparky's Epic Adventure Across North America (Heart's Content NL)

July 14th: A day to catch up on chores! Sparky had his bi-monthly bath at the Pet Valu in nearby Carbonear. My poor, filthy car finally got a scrubbing, too. And I restocked our groceries. 

Heart's Content, 1st Trans-Atlantic telegraph cable

Here are a few more photos of the area where we are currently staying. Tomorrow we move on to St. John's, the capital of Newfoundland.

Cheers and Happy Saturday

Lynda and The Sparkinator

1st Trans-Atlantic telegraph

Sunset Heart's Desire, Newfoundland 

Do you remember Roman numerals? I think it is 1972

Colourful Winterton, NL

New Perlican, NL

Sparky's Epic Adventure Across North America (to places named Dildo and Heart's Desire)

Yesterday, July 11th, was a rest, relax, and read day, at our cottage on Loon Bay, Newfoundland.

Today, July 12th, we moved on to the next location at Heart's Desire on Trinity Bay. I picked the location solely because of the name. How could I resist a town called "Heart's Desire?" Nearby communities are named Heart's Delight and Heart's Content.

Fishing sheds on the waterfront at Dildo, NL

To get to the cottage, we passed through the small and thriving community of Dildo. Yup! That's the name of the village, and they are proud of it. 

There is a huge sign on the hillside spelling out the town's name. 

According to Wikipedia, the name was first recorded in 1711 and thereafter applied to the Dildo Arm of Trinity Bay. 

Social scientist William Baillie-Hamilton notes that Captain James Cook and his assistant Michael Lane, who mapped Newfoundland in the 1760s, often displayed a sense of humour in the place names they chose, and were not above selecting names that might "offend over-sensitive" readers. Regardless of the origin, the name has brought the town of Dildo a measure of notoriety.

Dildo Brewing and Museum, Dildo, NL

The local brewery, Dildo Brewing Company and Museum, was doing a roaring lunchtime trade when I arrived. There wasn't a seat to be had, so I purchased two of their ales Lassie, a golden brown ale, plus a bitter named Bitter Cold to enjoy later at the cottage.

The patio at the brewery is doggie-friendly, and the community is only about 20 minutes away from Heart's Desire, so we might have to try it tomorrow. In the meantime, I have a date with "Lassie."

Dildo Brewing Company, Dildo, NL

Cheers, Lynda. Sparky sends his woofs!

Dildo, Newfoundland

Sundeck at Loon Bay, NL

Sparky's Epic Adventure Across North America (Twillingate and big icebergs!)

July 9th: Iceberg Alley or the Iceberg Corridor passes in front of Twillingate, Newfoundland, which is a cool place. (Pun intended.) 

Twillingate Iceberg Alley

There were at least six big bergs that I could see, with several others drifting further out in the mist. The icebergs inspire open-mouthed awe as dozens of people witness the spectacle. 

In my heart, I know this shouldn't be happening, but I want to witness the sobering, yet wondrous, sight firsthand. It's a worrisome trend as the Arctic heats up and more icebergs "calve off," or break away from the glaciers and then drift south towards Newfoundland.

The small coastal outports of Newfoundland and Labrador were once a hub of cod fishing and logging. Then the 1992 moratorium on cod fishing caused an economic collapse in many small villages. 

Twillingate Newfoundland

Twillingate icebergs and tour boat

Oddly, global warming has created a new tourism boom in Newfoundland and Labrador. 

In the last ten to fifteen years, the villages have come to rely on the recent influx of amateur photographers and tourists from all over the world who have come to witness the world-changing ice melt. 

The province of Newfoundland and Labrador hosted around 500,000 tourists last year. That's roughly the equivalent of the province's total population. 

Ask anyone in the 50 to 70 range, and likely they will say, "It's on my bucket list," or "I just got back from two weeks in Newfoundland." 

This is my ninth day "on the Rock" and I am thoroughly enjoying the experience. Sparky enjoys the new smells and hundreds of new pee-mails to read and answer. 

Cheers, Lynda and The Sparkinator.

MORE PHOTOS BELOW

Twillingate Newfoundland 

Iceberg Alley - weird slice marks on the iceberg

Tourists staring in open-mouthed awe

Lighthouse at Twillingate 

Twillingate, Newfoundland

Sparky's Epic Adventure Across North America (hunting icebergs in Newfoundland).

 July 8th: I was on the hunt for icebergs early in the morning. Our next reservation is in Botwood, about a two-hour drive from Springdale, so I had lots of time to explore. I headed toward King's Point on the #391, then toward Nicky's Nose Cove, because the name intrigued me. Apparently, the cove was named for a nearby nose-shaped rock. (I wonder who Nick, the owner of the noteworthy nose, was?) 

The biggest piece of the much larger iceberg

There were three good-sized 'bergs and a trail of bits and pieces floating near the shore in Nicky's Nose Cove. According to a friendly local, there had been one very large iceberg that broke apart early in the morning. 

Pretty darn impressive either way. If you look closely at the photos, the tiny dots on the iceberg are seagulls. That gives you an idea of how large this piece was.

Cheers, Lynda and The Sparkinator 

Buried in its own mist - Nicky's Nose Cove

Seagulls on iceberg Nicky's Nose Cove

King's Point well-known pottery store

King's Point By the Sea Inn

King's Point colourful chairs

Sparky's Epic Adventure Across North America (Pilley's Island, Triton, and Brighton)

July 7th: This is our last day in the charming Ocean Breeze cottage in Springdale, Newfoundland, but I decided that we should go on an iceberg hunt in the nearby coves. The three icebergs that are trapped in Hall's Bay, the narrow inlet where Springdale is located, have drifted too far away for good photos.

On Pilley's Island, Newfoundland

Pilley's Island is about an hour's drive from Springdale and closer to the open ocean. It looks promising.

The Sparkinator and I head off towards the Trans Canada Highway, then take the #380 toward Robert's Arm, and onto Pilley's Island via the causeway. I hunted around in Triton and Brighton, looking for ghostly white shapes. 

Nothing. 

The Bumblebee Bight Inn and Brewery

After a quick stop at the local craft brewery, the Bumblebee Bight Inn and Brewery, to purchase one of their ales, we returned to Springdale for a late lunch at our cottage.

Maybe tomorrow, I'll be successful.

Cheers, Lynda and The Sparkinator 

Brighton Newfoundland

Pathway to the local firepit

Local fisherman setting traps 

Local fisherman setting traps

Sparky's Epic Adventure Across North America (Springdale & icebergs!)

July 6th: Happy Birthday to my sis, Val. Wishing you many more celebrations!

Before Sparky and I left Woody Point, I finally stopped in at the Galliott Studios on the waterfront. My friends Berardine and Stewart Cochrane had suggested that I visit while in Woody Point, but for some reason, I had forgotten that they also serve good coffee and goodies. 

Coffee, goodies, pretty things, and dog-friendly!

I popped in for a latte to go and discovered they are also super dog-friendly. Sparky and I could have hung out there every day on the waterfront, drinking coffee and soaking up the local vibe! I really need to ask local establishments more often, "Are you doggie-friendly?" 

More often than not in Newfoundland, the answer is a resounding, "Yes! We love dogs."

The back deck at Galliott's Woody Point

Not a normal iceberg photo

We arrived in Springdale around 1:00 p.m. and were able to check into the Ocean Breezzz Chalet on the waterfront. 

Springdale's population is around 3000. It's on the northwestern shore of Hall's Bay, close to Baie Verte Peninsula, where the icebergs sail silently past. 

Occasionally, the bemouths manage to find a route into Halls's Bay, and some have been known to park themselves in front of the cottage where Sparky and I are staying for two nights. One large icy visitor had just moved from in front of the cottage to the other side of the bay. It will hang around in the bay until it melts.

This one was in front of the cottage yesterday

At my cottage in Springdale, NF

Ocean Breezzz Chalet (yes, the spelling is correct)

Springdale, NF, iceberg across the bay

Sparky's Epic Adventure Across North America (Newfoundland, Trout River and a bit of Gros Morne Park)

July 5th: My travel companion was restless this morning, so we took a short drive to the Discovery Centre, at the edge of Gros Morne National Park near Woody Point, Newfoundland. 

The Tablelands Gros Morne National Park

The Discovery Centre has a fascinating display of the geological history of Newfoundland. When I was about 15 years old, I had plans to be a geologist. (One of my teenage dreams in a long line of potential ist-careers, including a paleontologist, archeologist, or marine biologist.) I still pick up interesting rocks wherever I go and take them home. Typically, a year or so later, I look at the rock and wonder where the hell I found that one. I really should label them.

About the time we left the Discovery Centre, the fog lifted, and I decided to continue on for another 17 kilometers to the oceanside fishing community of Trout River. 

Trout River, Newfoundland

This community lists around 500 year-round residents plus a summertime influx of tourists staying in the handful of cottages and B&Bs. 

The Seaside Restaurant in Trout River has a good reputation for delicious seafood. Open for lunch and dinner, I was too early for either. We turned around and headed back to our cozy cottage at Woody Point.

Essentials! Firewood and fishing equipment

Trout River, Newfoundland

Common signs in Newfoundland

I didn't realize until this afternoon how much goes on in the tiny community of Woody Point. Check out this live music event from the July 1st long weekend.

Live Music @ the Merchant Warehouse Retro Cafe & Wine Bar

https://fb.watch/lBnZQWRFgR/