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June 1st
First thing at breakfast Melinda informed me that the boat would be leaving on a viewing tour at 10 am. Wonderful! I looked down the road and saw the tour office just a few yards away so there was no way I’d get lost on my way to the pier. I’m here to tick off another item on my bucket list. I’m here to see ICEBERGS! You know the ones that travel down from Greenland. The same sort that sank the Titanic 100 years ago! I couldn’t be happy seeing the ones in Alaska which drop off into the ocean right in front of eager tourists. Nope, I wanted to see the ones that had some milage under their belt. On the way in to Twillingate which is in Iceberg Alley I’d kept my eyes peeled anytime there was salt water in sight and didn’t see so much as a growler. So I happily drive down to the Twillingate Adventure Tour office and cafe, pay my fare and go check out the boat which is massive compared to what I was in when I went whale watching out of Tofino. I guess I don’t need gumboots after all. Perry, the captain is watching the fog and grumbling. It’s decided to wait until 11 and nothing looks better so the departure is delayed until 1300. Instead of leaving and looking for things to occupy me until then I stay put and get to know Ashley Fudge, the cook, Sharon and Vanessa a bit better. That’s until some men come by for lunch. They’re served plates of what looks like heaps of mashed potatoes sans gravy but actually is Fisherman’s Brewis [pronounced bruise]. A mixture of cod fish, softened hard tack biscuits and what are described as bacon grubbies. It looks gawdawful but I’m told it’s delicious. I chose a moose burger later which is far more familiar fare for me.
One o’clock rolls around and it’s a go! I’m introduced to Kim Young who is Perry’s sister and she doesn’t waste any time giving us the low-down on what’s what in Twillingate. Kim went to sea fishing with her dad Gus when women didn’t do that sort of thing. Her dad was a mover and shaker in the fishing business in town so Kim knew she had to pull her weight and she did. She was a girlie-girl when she was young but that didn’t faze her a bit when it came to doing what she wanted to do. Kim knows just about everything and anything from potluck to politics and gives us the low-down in a way that is engaging. For instance - a Tickle is a body of water between two pieces of land that you can drive a boat through. The Tickle is usually named for the outside land mass. I’d heard about tickles and knew they were only found in this province but didn’t know what they were. Thanks to Kim Young I’m better educated. Another stunning bit of news was that it takes icebergs two to three years to arrive from Greenland. Also the gorgeous blue slashes on an iceberg reveal where their water mark had been before they flipped. I learn iceberg cubes melt slower than everyday ice because they’re denser and they really aren’t white but clear and clouded with bubbles.
Then Perry tells us there’s an iceberg on his radar and he’s heading towards it. My excitement wells up as my anticipation antenna begin vibrating. Then it comes into view and it’s breathtaking. It has a wide blue slash across it which runs into a fold on the other peak of the berg. We circle around it and each view shows another element of delight. It may be windy and cold outside but I don’t notice. I’m too busy being enraptured. I notice Kim is as excited as I am and she tells me she never tires of seeing them and each one is unique but this one is a real beauty. I can’t help but agree and I think about how lucky I am to travel all this way and hit the jackpot the first day in the place I chose to fulfill a hankering. Seems to me I’m often falling into clover or perhaps the thorns don’t bother me much because it’s part and parcel of going the distance. We head back for shore and a couple of passengers begin to suffer from the sea and the first person who notices they’re queasy is Kim Young who behaves like a perfect host and does everything she can to put them at ease. Back in the cafe Kim sits with her mom and aunt and her conversation is all about the town and what would be best for business. It’s then I discover they own the Inn I’m staying at too. They’ve invested heavily in their town and care a great deal about it’s survival. After devouring my moose burger I head back to the Inn to bask in the memorable moments of my day.
*Photo on my Facebook page*
June 2nd was pretty much a throw-a-way day due to personal issues I needed to deal with which really don't have much to do with traveling but I must make the observation that being a Canadian and needing a doctor away from home is amazingly uncomplicated. Waiting was required so I just took in a few local sights like the Long Point Lighthouse.
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"Tigers bloom where there's oodles of room." Zodiac Zoo
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Rock of Inspiration
