We stayed at Dildo Run Provincial Park and drove down Bowl-Me-Down and Stuckless Lane. I think Newfoundland has the strangest place names ever! But despite the odd names, these places were beautiful. There were endless towering cliffs with seaweed covered rocks at the bottom and hidden coves with pebble beaches. In some places, there were four foot gaps between the shore and the little rocky islands. Waves would roar through these canyons, colliding in the middle and sending water flying back out. When the water wasn’t being torn apart by these waves, it was the same color blue as a geyser pond in Yellowstone. But the temperature of the water was slightly different: It was freezing! But that didn’t stop me from swimming!
The people in Twillingate were so friendly! One day, we hiked to see where a little village used to be until the 1960s, when Canada gave $700 to anyone who moved to a main road (you can google the Newfoundland resettlement project). When we got back to the main road, we met a family who had actually floated their house across the bay to the main road. We met their 95 year old dad who showed us around his little workshop where he makes wooden crafts. We were given armfuls of amazing crafts. Then we were invited in the house to see some of the old things they had. They had lots of things, including their great-great-great-grandpa’s staff from London, a kerosene lamp from the 1800s, and a picture of the village before the resettlement. They told us stories about making their own seal skin boots and walking across the frozen bay to school.
The area was very amazing and we were sad to leave, but we are excited for Fogo Island.