Day 2 (October 10, 2020): From Bonavista Bay to Trinity Bay

We woke to another windy but blue-sky day in Bonavista. The plan was simple: to see some key sights in the town, then head to Elliston, and then onward to Dildo in Trinity Bay, passing through some sea-side communities enroute. We left our AirBnB in Bonavista at 10AM and arrived in Dildo at 4PM. Finding a place to eat dinner was a challenge, as little remains open in the area. Tomorrow we will set out to discover the Bay de Verde Peninsula, which separates Trinity and Conception Bays.

The Harbour House in Bonavista, the AirBnB where we stayed, was uber comfy!

A beautiful day in Bonavista, but talk about strong wind again! The white-caps were a-plenty, as was the salt spray.

Long-liners in Bonavista.

Bonavista's Loyal Orange Lodge #60 (built in 1907) is a fraternal organization that held great political sway in turn-of-the-19th-century Newfoundland.

The Matthew Legacy Centre in Bonavista commemorates Giovani Cabato (John Cabot), who is said to have landed in Cape Bonavista in 1497.

We were struck with the number of historic and well-preserved wooden buildings in Bonavista, such as these two matching homes in the centre of town.

The wooden Provincial Courthouse in Bonavista was built in 1900.

The Mockbeggar Plantation in Bonavista was the home of F. Gordon Bradley, one of Newfoundland's first senators.

Traditional wooden structure on the waterfront in Bonavista.

Parks Canada has invested heavily in the Ryan Premises, a 19th-century complex in Bonavista, housing a grand home, a store, and warehouses in support of the fishing industry of the day. The Premises are closed for the season, but it was enjoyable to walk around them and to peer into the windows.

The full set of buildings at the Ryan Premises.

The warehouses and merchant shop of the Ryan Premises.

The charming village of Elliston.

Elliston is known for its root cellars, which were used across Newfoundland to keep root vegetables cool.

The sealing industry has deep roots in Newfoundland culture, and many lives have been lost in it. The most tragic was the the loss of 254 lives on the ice, from the SS Newfoundland in March 1914. In another tragedy, 176 lives were lost when the SS Southern Cross vanished at sea. Newfoundland fittingly raised an interpretation centre and memorial to these sealers in Elliston.

The interpretation portion of the Sealers' Memorial.

This monument lists the names, communities and ages of the sealers who died in - and those who survived - Newfoundland's greatest sealing disasters.

Notice on the right hand side of the photo, the ages of those who died.

The statue above pays tribute to 16-year old Albert John Crewe of Elliston, and his father, Ruben. Albert was determined to go to sealing. His father, who had survived the SS Greenland disaster, decided to go with him. On March 14, 1914, Albert John's mother, Mary, woke to a vision that confirmed her worst fears. The sculpture, by Morgan MacDonald, depicts Albert John, being protected by Ruben on the ice, until they both perished.

These chairs pay homage to the puffin colony just off the shore in Elliston.

Log pile in Ellison.

This fishbone was sitting in the grass in Elliston. Clearly, it was caught by a seabird and eaten.

No trouble to tell you're in Newfoundland! This dairy dispenser at the local Irving gas station offers milk and cream. With a can of Carnation milk sitting next to it, as a third option! Where else would you find that?

The incredible flat rocks at Amherst Cove.

As we were leaving the Bonavista Peninsula, we passed through two places of note to Pam and her mom: the first was the tiny Knight's Cove (in honour of Pam's family name).

The second was King's Cove, where Pam's grandmother came from. Pam's mom often visited there as a child, and has always talked about it fondly. So it was great to get to finally visit the village.

King's Cove.

As a child, Pam's mom vividly recalled the local merchant having a large clock. We found the clock! It's next to the door in the photo.

Split pea soup with a fresh dumpling. As a kid, we'd often stop at The Jigger Irving Restaurant in Clarenville, as we traveled to/from my grandmother's in Glovertown. The name "Jigger" has been replaced by the ubiquitous Big-Stop label, but they still serve the home-made soups I recall as a kid.