Day 32 - Bridge Overlook/Pike's Arm to Twilingate to Dildo Provincial Park

Day 32/June 4, 2016  Bridge Overlook/Pike’s Arm to Twilingate to hike

A really spectacular hike

Woke to a foggy and overcast day.

 

Drove to Durrell (near Twilingate) to hike French Beach Cove to Spiller’s Cove Trail.  We both did this one and had intended to add on Spiller’s Cove to Cojack Cove Trail for a total of 12 km or 7.2 miles. 

This was a nice surprise at French Head

We got to a sign indicating where we were and it was not where I thought we were. I thought we were almost done; not just half done.  I was hungry and needed some food and was not going to make another 4+ miles without food. 

So we took that time to take a trail that led us back to the motorhome.  We did lunch and David took off again to finish the other part; I sleptJ  The part that I did was pretty darn awesome and we were the only ones on the trail as it was pretty early…like 9:30 am on a Saturday morning??? 

 We only got a mile or so when we spotted a  HUGE grounded iceberg stuck in by the craggy shore.  What a treat and it wasn’t one that most people were going to get to see!  It was very close and the very large…biggest one we’ve seen this year.

The trail wound up and down and zigged and zagged but had amazing craggy shore and boreal forest views as well and the upbiquitous sometimes too soggy peat to walk on.  I think this may have been my favorite trail or maybe not as they all seem to be??? 

David reports the first hike was better views; good selection Donna and he took the “wrong” trail back because it was almost a mile of swamp.  There are atv trails interwoven with the trails and sometimes they are hard to distinguish.

I spoke to a elderly man picking up seaweed down by the shore; scared the daylights out of him when I spoke as he didn’t hear us come up.  He was collecting seaweed to fertilize his crops (just like they do in Ireland).  Anyone who grows any kind of food here pretty much does the same:

onions, cabbage, parsnips, potatoes, and carrots; we often see rhubarb as well.  Rhubarb is amazingly lush this time of year here although I know nothing about rhubarb except I think the leaves are poisonous?  This man also had a root cellar (all cement so rodents cannot get in; apparently they have the same voles we do…) to store his veggies.

 

I think the national vegetable is chips (French fries) as we see chip trucks all over and HUGE bags of chips in the freezer section.  Anyone who grows veggies always has a big section of potatoes.

We decided that it was time to do laundry so we booked into Dildo Run Provincial Park to get that done frugally.  A nice LONG hot shower was wonderful and the shower rooms were heated enough.  Now that camping.  Our spot is right on the water and there may be 10 other campers here?  A great deal at $18 unserviced (basically a nice parking space with water views in the spruce trees with nice separation between spaces and full use of facilities but not electric or water at site).