Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Often, what makes trips memorable is the little hiccups that happen along the way…

After a wonderful breakfast prepared at Philip’s Café, we headed towards Cape St. Mary’s Ecologically  Reserve.

We had been driving a few minutes along the coast when the lights on the dashboard signaled a low pressure in the tires. After assessing the situation at an Esso station, it seemed that all that gravel we drove on yesterday might have punctured a tire… So, back to Philip’s Café while some repair was being done. Never a dull moment…

By then, we had established that NFLD weather could fluctuate quite a bit in the span of 24 hours, and that making plans mainly based on the morning fog could not be the greatest idea. Going with the flow might be a better approach…

On the way, we found a house with a fancy mailbox. We had to stop to take a picture.

We continued driving south to Cape St. Mary’s and The Ecological Reserve to see the birds on the “rock”. What an awesome experience! It was foggy, rainy and windy, but nothing seemed to faze these birds! Our guide was a wealth of information on the species stationed here: Northern Gannets (the predominant group), Murres, Kittiwakes, Razorbills, and Cormorants. What a colony, what a cacophony and what an aroma! The trail from the interpretive centre to the “bird rock” was clearly marked with bright orange wooden pecks (a must in this foggy environment). Visitors were strongly advised to stay on the trail because there was virtually no protection along the cliffs.

At times very thick, the fog would move very quickly, pushed by the wind. Then, it would briefly dissipate to give us glimpses of a bird-jammed cliff, before thickening again without warning!

A colony of Northern gannets is perched on a huge rock. Awesome!

Sheep raised by the local ward

Every turn was a surprise… Suddenly, two big sheep stuck their head out of the grass, looking as puzzled as we were!!! More joined in the fun until they decided we took enough glamour shots and ran to better pastures! Without this excitement, the day would have been very gloomy indeed…

Little beauties on the ground.

The naturalist at the interpretive centre encouraged us to return the following day if the weather was more favourable (our host at the B&B would have to call after breakfast to inquire about the conditions). We agreed!

Dinner at The Three Sisters again since the food is good and the location is nearby. Tortellini and pan-fried cod… Yum!

It’s a small world after all… In the afternoon, Raymond had met a couple with a familiar French accent and as it turned out, they were from Belgium!!! We met them again at The Three Sisters, and they invited us for a drink after dinner. We had a friendly long chat, sharing life experiences from both countries.

Until tomorrow,
Anna

Ray’s Perspective…
Well, today was not a good day for photography. Fog, fog, and more fog.
We went to Cape St Mary’s ecological centre to see thousands of birds but we ended up seeing … I am not sure of what. So we goofed around with video instead. Not very good either. So, today is a write-off.
Anyway, some pictures made the cut simply because we wanted to show fog. LOL.
One of the staff told us that tomorrow the wing will come from Northwest and that is good to keep the fog away. Can you imagine they have 200 days of fog a year!.
He suggested to call in the morning and if the conditions are clear, to come back. We might do that or not.
So, let’s go to sleep and it was an enjoyable day anyway. One had to be there to experience it. Otherwise, let’s just skip over today. Except for the flowers on the trail.

Remember this view until tomorrow.