The final stop in Newfoundland was Point Norris. Another picture postcard town on the water, its draw is Westbrook Pond, a large freshwater body carved over the millenia out of the rock by moving glaciers. Of course there was a boat tour and of course there was some rain, but not enough to jeopardize the trip. In order to join the tour you must drive to a parking point, about 27 km from our hotel and then walk about 3 km to the launch and lake. “An easy, flat trail,” we were told. Well, I suppose that some people would call it easy and flat but it wasn’t really flat. And if it isn’t flat, it isn’t easy. As I sweated my way up some of the inclines I saw golf carts filled with people going in my direction, obviously on their way to the boat. “How come no one told us about this?” I grumbled. But it was actually nice to walk through the amazing landscape. And we took the shuttle back. $10.00/pp CA
The tour was worth the walk,maneuvering between rocky faces that were once, the guide said, as high as the Himalayas. But now, over hundreds of millions of years have worn them comparatively to nubs. And now, our explorations were complete and it was time to retrace our steps home.
Addendum
The ride out of Norris Point was so beautiful that I stopped to take pictures. The wildflowers that line the roads in newfoundland, gold and pink mostly, and the tall grasses waving in the wind are so beautiful. From there to Port Aux Basques to catch the ferry to North Sydney, Nova Scotia. This ferry ride about half as long as the ferry from Nove Scotia to Newfoundland because, having gone around the island we were at a southern point and closer to Nova Scotia – 6.5 hours, a daytime trip. From Sydney back to Baddeck, this time staying at a resort that had been full on the way up. Large, sprawling, reminiscent of the fifties and sixties, a good resturant on the lake. Baddeck to Halifax where we had time to do a bit of exploring, strolling the boardwalk along the 4 km waterfront and finding a great Mediterranean Restaurant for dinner. And finally, Halifax to Yarmouth where we spent the night, catching the ferry back to Bar Harbor the next morning.
In spite of the fact that we were on the road and in and out of many hotels, the trip was very relaxing, because Newfoundland feels very relaxing. Driving through so much untouched landscape (but for the poles carrying electricity and whatever else goes through the wires, it was serene. Rocky shores on one side, dense green forests on the other. We did not see one Mcmansion, and while I am sure there is a wealthy group in the province, we did not see anything showy or garish or tasteless. Even the many marinas which held recreational boats did not flash dollar signs. There is a nosstalgic feeling to driving around Newfoundland — the restaurants all feature Hot turkey sandwiches and the noise level is low, except in some of the pubs where the TV’s and the clatter of glasses raises it a bit.
My former writing mentor, Bob Finch, published a collection of essays in 2006 entitled The Iambics of Newfoundland. He wrote of the Newfoundland he discovered in the eightites and nineties, one where there were no tourist facilities at Cape Spear and the only lodgings aside from a sleazy motel on Fogo Island was a bedroom in a family home. The title came from a hitchhiker he had picked up in the States who was on his way home to Newfoundland where he had been been and raised. He said he missed the iambics of his home, then laughed because he knew it wasn’t the exact right word. But I think it was absolutely the right word, and so, apparently did Bob. For Newfoundland definitely has its own, unique and memorable rhythms.
