Day 19

“How you doing me ol’ trout?” greeted us as we arrived at the B&B this morning to fetch Cliff and Liz. Brenda had been waiting since she had heard that we had plans to go to Ferryland today and have a picnic lunch from the lighthouse. Apparently all we were going to get was “a drink box, a piece of fruit and an old crust of bread.” For this we would apparently be expected to pay $25 or $30 dollars each and it “wouldn’t be fit look”! Now while all this seemed rather unlikely, who was I to question Brenda since she was so sure she had a better plan? Following instructions we first stopped at Canadian Tire for a foam cooler then it was off to Breen’s for sandwiches, treats and cold drinks. We were instructed to say that Brenda sent us and we wanted a picnic. Not willing to leave anything to chance we were even assured we wanted the turkey sandwiches with light and dark meat, dressing and cranberry mayo. Evidently we could be trusted to choose our own bread but everything else was precisely dictated. Apparently this would result in a lunch “we couldn’t wrap our gob around”. Understanding by now that resistance was futile we executed orders and were on our way to Ferryland with not more than a brief delay.

The trip down the shore was yet again blessed with exquisite seascapes. Arriving in Tors Cove we just couldn’t wait any longer to stop and explore and since Brenda/Breen’s picnic was waiting in the trunk we didn’t have to wait for Ferryland to have lunch. We had gotten a glimpse of a pretty cove that I was certain we could get to – somehow. David, bless his cooperative little heart was game for another driving adventure and we landed in a little piece of heaven on earth. The pictures hardly do justice to the meadow on a bluff overlooking the ocean and five small islands that lay just off shore. The breeze was gentle, the air warm and sweet and while the East Coast trail led off in one direction there were countless opportunities to explore paths that really weren’t. You know the sort I mean? You know it really isn’t a road but perhaps a fellow traveler, perhaps God, wore a slight path that leads to who knows where. At some points you begin to wonder if perhaps you just imagined the slight indentation in the grass but you can’t resist going on just a little further. I’ve always been a sucker for paths that really aren’t so while Cliff and Liz sat in the meadow to enjoy the day, David and I wandered.

Meadow flowers

A path that really wasn't...

With regret we left our little private cove and continued down the shore. On our approach to Ferryland we passed a sign that informed us that the lighthouse picnics were not available today! I still don’t know which one of us is living right that our lives should be so blessed by perfect plans and changed plans that are also perfect. David and Liz had to be convinced to leave Ferryland and the marvelous picture taking opportunities that it offered. In fact we might be there still but for the fact that we had made reservations and booked a whale watching tour for the late afternoon.

Now Liz usually doesn’t have much use for any plan to watch birds or animals. Her eyesight provides a challenge to viewing elusive creatures, but enjoying boats and being a good sport we all headed to O’Brien’s in Bay Bulls. She needn’t have worried. The birds and the humpback whales were both so plentiful you’d need a blindfold and your head in a sack not to see them! The guides were entertaining; the ocean swells significant enough to provide a thrill and the weather, oh the weather. Although we stayed out until 7:30 in the evening, the jackets that I insisted we would need, stayed where they belonged – in the bag! Now Liz had taken to calling me a boldfaced liar and Cliff thinks Newfoundlanders are a bunch of whiners to complain about their weather. They have experienced nothing but sunshine and warmth – even out on the North Atlantic! So much for the suitcase full of warm clothes I assured them they would need.

The Atlantic Whaler

Puffins are the funniest little birds. Everything they do appears awkward and difficult. They appear frantic when they fly. They look like they struggle when they take off and land. They live on the side of a cliff with other birds that eat them and they don’t swim but skip across the surface of the water! 260,000 pairs of North Atlantic Puffins nest here so there is no problem spotting them. They are also completely charming and fun to watch on the way out to sit in the middle of the humpback feeding ground.

A North Atlantic Puffin

The sky is full of them!

Joe O’Brien builds the suspense as we travel and asks everyone on board to shout if they see something. Using the clock positions as a reference, before long people are shouting 11 o’clock, 7 o’clock, 10 o’clock … in rapid succession as O’Brien announces he has “no friggin’ idea what time it is any more”! At one point we are surrounded by about 15 humpbacks, breaking the surface with their massive bodies as they move through the water eating caplin. The humpbacks feed using a most inventive technique known as bubble net feeding: a group of whales swims in a shrinking circle blowing bubbles below a school of caplin. As the ring gets smaller the bubbles encircle the fish. The whales then suddenly swim upward through the 'net', mouths open wide, swallowing thousands of fish in one gulp - 2000 kg per day! I might add that I’m quite certain we’ve eaten that much since we’d arrived! The distinctive tail appears just before they execute a deep dive and they leave an oily mark on the surface of the sea called a footprint. These whales were plentiful and close – close enough that we could hear the air as they exhaled and felt the spray from the spout! Magnificent!

Whale spouts everywhere!

A tail of a whale!

Since it was close and the view spectacular we stayed with O’Brien’s to have dinner at the end of the cruise. Sitting on the deck overlooking the ocean we marveled at yet another awesome day as we once again feasted on fresh offerings from the sea. Although we had initially toyed with the idea of going back down to Middle Cove Beach now that the caplin were in, we opted instead for an early night to begin the 9 ½ hours of sleep headed my way!! Newfoundland is wonderful, but exhausting.