Exploring the Northern Coast of Central Newfoundland

 We hate two-night stays.  

Sometimes we need to make short stays in order to meet a schedule for other stays.  Lewisporte was one of those short stays; Fogo Island follows it, and we want to spend some time on Fogo before heading to St. John's for its folk festival in early July.

So be it.

Still, we like to maximize the benefits of each stay, so we decided to mine this area for the best that it had to offer.  We were amply rewarded.

The campground where we are staying -- Woolfrey's Pond RV Park -- is owned and run by the municipality of Lewisporte, and is situated on the shores of (as you might guess) Woolfrey's Pond.  As it turns out, Woolfrey's Pond has a boardwalk trail around its entire 2.5 mile perimeter.  We decided to take that walk first thing in the morning (after Ruby Cat got her walk and we had breakfast and our cups of coffee).

The campground has a pretty beach on the lake, complete with Muskoka chairs:

A beautiful, recently reconstructed boardwalk encircles the lake, and we wasted no time starting our walk around it:

An abundance of wildlife populates the lake, its shores, and the wetlands around it, including a beaver family.  No sooner had we read about the local beaver than we spotted the beaver lodge:

Three sides of the lake boast fenny inlets, where streams and swampy waters pour toward the lake and under the boardwalk:

One or two very pretty rest stops are provided -- one with its own tuckamore:

We finally worked our way around to the outflow from the lake -- a lively stream that looked deep enough to harbor some elusive brook trout:

One of the many interpretive signs explains the flora around the lake.  However, the signs did not describe this beautiful flower, the rhododendron canadense, or rhodora, which is related to the rhododendron and mountain laurel most of us know.  It was everywhere around the lake now:

We returned to our campsite and decided venture further out around Lewisporte.  

Kathy learned about a shipwreck of the HMS Calypso nearby, in nearby Embree, so we drove to take a look.  The HMS Calipso was commissioned in 1902 to train and instruct the reservist in naval warfare techniques and procedures which would allow Newfoundland to participate in the defense of the British Empire as many other British Colonies were doing at the time. It contained a wide range of guns including twelve 5 inch guns that would later be transferred to Signal Hill in St. John's, Newfoundland, and used in the protection of that harbor. It is believed that the ship was made of iron and wood. It contained a full set of sails and could travel long distances without the need of refueling with coal. The Calypso was permanently docked in the harbor of St. John's, as it was considered seaworthy. In 1916 it was renamed the HMS Briton to free the name Calypso for a new ship.  The Newfoundland Government sold it to be used as a coal and salt storage hulk for the city of St. John's. In 1952 it once again ran out of use and was towed to the town of Lewisporte.  In 1968 the ship was towed to a small cove in the town of Embree north of Lewisporte and set on fire until it sank. Over 50 years later the rusty remains can still be seen. Today the ship lies partially above the waterline, 50 metres from shore. A new wharf has recently been built next to it which allows visitors to get close to its hull. One of the first things you will notice is that the Briton is not alone. The rusted shell to what many believe is an old fishing trawler lies on its south side:

Lo and behold, Kathy found a beach next to the HMS Calypso, and beaches mean sea glass!  So we beachcombed for sea glass under the watchful eye of the shipwrecked hulk:

We were not disappointed in the sea glass we found.  But perhaps the prettiest thing Kathy found was this beautiful little snail shell:

For his part, David discovered this little crab, shipwrecked himself on this rocky shore:

Having exhausted our sea glass hunting efforts, and it being noon, we hunted down a seafood market, where we ordered up a jar of mussels (pickeled in vinegar) and a whole, fresh-cooked lobster.

It was good that we ate the lobster, because it threatened to eat Kathy:

Here is Kathy, victorious over the lobster, contemplating her luscious lunchtime meal:

Meanwhile, David searched for a convenient place to sit to enjoy his lunch:

When we had been in Embree, Kathy hoped to spot a huge iceberg reported to be floating near that community.  We hadn't been able to find it -- but, as we sat eating our lunch, David spotted that hulking piece of ice peeking out from the point beyond Embree:

We enjoyed the mussels and lobster so much that we returned into the lobster shack and ordered some frozen packs of each.  Then we decided to head up the peninsula to find a better vantage point to see the large iceberg from Ebree.

We never found it.  But we did find a very beautiful cove where we hunted more sea glass:

Here is Kathy leading the sea glass expedition:

David, meanwhile, hunted rocks and views:

All was not in vain.  Kathy found some more sea glass, and David found this beautiful wooden float, complete with anchor rope, which had obviously frayed and broken, leaving float and line to tangle in the waves with seaweed and find its way onto the rocky shore for David's discovery:

Showing his catch to Kathy, David announced that this beautiful float and line would grace some part of our new forever-and-ever house.  So it was packed up and stored for unpacking and hanging somewhere in Twenty Summers sometime in 2024.

See you on Fogo Island!