Thar she blows!

2010.08.15

This morning we backtracked to Bay Bulls to get O'Brien's Puffin and Whale boat tour. Expensive ($112.89 CDN for 2 seniors) but recommended as the best in the area. We got to see the Gull Island sea bird sanctuary and approached it fairly closely. Of particular interest to us were the puffins because of their distinct appearance. In flight they look like a flying potato. But, they are great swimmers.

There are some 80,000 nesting pairs on the island. They pair up for life, but while out at sea, they do not see each other for about 6 months. They re-use the old nest when they come back. There are also grouping of young adults, chased away from their childhood nests, hanging out on the cliffs trying to figure out how to get a mate and find a place to nest. The guide jokingly told us not to make eye contact with them.

Seeing a puffin on this island this time of year is a sure thing. Seeing a whale is chancy. But, we lucked out and got to see a pair - a mother and calf humpback whales. After seeing them at a distance we got close to where they were spotted and waited for them to come up and recharge their lungs with air. We saw them twice, once on each side of the boat, but not real close before we had to head for port.

We then went on to Ferryland, NL where they have an archeological dig for Lord Baltimore's Colony of Avalon settled in 1621. This settlement didn't take hold as the settlers moved on to warmer climes and finally settled in Maryland.

We also stopped by Renews, NL. We were told this is where the Pilgrims on the Mayflower stopped to take on fresh water and hunt for some meat before continuing to Plymouth.

We finally drove to a camping spot at Chance Cove Provincial Park. One long washboard road to what turned out a free dry camping area. The only facilities were trash bins and pit toilets for those who had nothing else. The rocky beach was not far away and the surf a lullaby.

We spoke with some (Canadian French) folks from Quebec camping in their VW Westfalias. We were touring in opposite directions and it was good to share our experiences.

Odometer reads 66,688.