Dano

Atta boy Terry! Looks like a great day on the water, what did you get for walleye?

Ferns father was having his 80th birthday this summer, so we decided to fly out to Newfoundland with her kids and spend some time exploring the island before heading to Point of Bay for the celebrations. We flew in to Deer Lake where we rented a vehical and went to Triton to visit with Ferns cousins and nieces. Some fishing boats at the wharf in Triton Some of the landscape there We decided to have a feed of lobster so we went to the local guy and he showed us this lobster version of popeye! I bought 16 lobsters for something like $65!!! Paradise! The girls getting them ready.... Mmmmmmmm, all cooked up! After a lovely stay in Triton, we moved on to Gros Morne National Park, what a beautiful place. We visited the Table Land Mountains, a unique geological area that features dense rocks that are tens of kilometers above their usual position in the Earth's mantle. Thoiugh not condusive to plant growth, there are a few to be found like this pitcher plant, the provincial flower. There is a trail that leads around the base of the mountains terminating in a canyon, but what fun is that? I suggested a hard right turn off the trail and we headed up the mountain. It was tough slugging. Every one gave up but me, but Ferns oldest wasnt about to be outdone by an old man, so he sucked it up and kept coming. (he he, I still beat him to the top) I knew Fern would be dissapointed that she didnt make it up to where we were, so I brought her a snowball and gave her my best Magellan. Here is a shot of where we climbed from the road. The climb down was awesome, we followed a small canyon that was still channeling melt water down to the base. Here is Fern and her daughter. Then it was off to the Western Brook Pond, a freshwater Fiord that used to host fisherman such as Lee Wulff back in the day. Its a 3 Km hike in to the boat tour which we did, but it wasnt open yet so we took a side tour to kill some time and these critters came out about 30' from Daniel, Ferns youngest boy, man they were close. The moose are quite abundant there, we stopped counting after seeing 9 in one hour. We got back to the tour boat area too late as they were full!! LOL Then we started up the coast, the "Viking Trail" as they call it, though I doubt the vikings used RV's or rental SUV's. It sure is breathtaking there, beauty surrounds you. In Port Aux Choix, we walked to the wharf and talked to some of the commercial fishermaen there. This boat had just come back from a shrimp run and had netted 40,000 lbs. of shrimp in three days. Holly spotted this creature and we arent sure what it is, some locals said caribou, some said moose.???? Can someone here shed some light on the subjest? We went to Raleigh on the northern peninsula, and visited Lanse Aux Meadows which is the site of the viking settlement. I highly recommend it, the people who staff it are exceptional in their friendliness and knowlege. Its like a museum where you can play with the displays! Here I am about to behead Ferns youngest for somew infraction or other. After I cleaned up that mess and made up with Fern, it was off to St. Anthonys to do the whale/iceberg boat tour, it was well worth it, no whales but there were icebergs. We had already seen both on the viking trail, but wanted to get closer. Fern and I laughing as the theme song for The Titanic plays in the background... Back at our cabin in Raleigh, I asked at the local store if they had fresh mussels, just go get your own they said, so we went to the rocks and tidal pools, picked our own, and had a great feed that evening. Across the bay from our cabin was Burnt Cape Ecological Reserve Burnt Cape Ecological Reserve., a stunningly stark yet beautiful and haunting area that I fell in love with. Everyone said the polar bears should have been gone by then, so we went exploring. I have never seen anything like it. These flowers are virtually growing out of the side of a cliff, I was lying on my stomach with my head and shoulders over the edge with Sidney holding my legs to get this shot. These are whats left of some rock that the wave action has carved channels into. This shot is looking down into a channel as a wave recedes. They were anywhere from 3 to 5 feet deep. Back down the peninsula to be on timew for the birthday party, it rained for two days which wasntr so bad as we were driving anyway. We arrived at the Bay of Exploits and went out on a boat tour with Ferns uncle. This is the boat that is used to bring the pilot out to the big freighters, which he then pilots into the port at Botwood. I could spend a lifetime taking pictures out there, everything is so interesting, the rocks are awesome. Someday, I hope to live there, perhaps in something like this.... Hope you enjoyed my report, I've bored all the people around here with the pics and stories, so I needed a new audience... There should be a couple of fishing reports coming up in a few weeks, so stay tuned.

MMMmmmm, thats a great report! Congrats on the fish.

Good stuff Cliff & Hazel, I've always been fond of that song. Cliff, the way you and Hazel sing together reminds me of the duo consisting of Eugene Levy and Cathy O'hara as Mitch and Mickey in the fine film A Mighty Wind. This is by no means meant as an insult, I think they sing just fine together, thanks for sharing.

Hey man, happy birthday and all the best!

Nice ride man, congratulations! That trip will be remebered for a long time.

Anyone ever see any indigenous fish aside from the suckers?

Sorry to hear of your familys' loss Paul. Please accept my deepest condolance's.

Probably a drop in the bucket compared to what is leaching out of undersized, non maintained and yes, even non existant cottage septic beds, septic tanks and holding tanks in the area, never mind outhouses.

Sad news. My deepest condolances to his family, he will be missed.

Yea, its too heavy Terry, I aint going to help you dig, pull, dig that pig out of a drift somewhere between Temagami and Lady Evelyn..... plus insurance will be more with the bigger motor.

That is a sin to treat a dog like that, good on you for stepping up to the plate. The biggest expense I've ever had with my rescue dogs are the vet bills, all the other stuff is cheap.

Well well Roger, please accept my heartfelt congratulations on your retirement, I think that is just fantastic. On the other hand, you do look kind of young to be retiring..... Lol Terry, once again we are in the same boat!!

I'm with you there Terry....

If citizenship is of no relevance when it comes to defending innocent individuals douG, I hope you are willing to foot the bill for the defence of the millions and millions of people who are accused of crimes around the world every year. Willingly relocating BACK to a part of the world where human life has no more meaning than a pile of dog poop is at best a misguided decision, but it strikes me as colossal stupidity. I dont feel any responsibility to defend these kids, but by all means send them a cheque. Speaking to the bigger issue, our immigration policies need a real overhaul, we are being used.

Did you get your two Heinekens?

What does the death of a complete stranger have to with it, or your feelings toward the lodge owners? All "anglers" should feel it is their duty to report poaching or other illegal activities, if you dont, you are just as guilty as the poachers.

Seemed a little out of character for you Rich, thought maybe you'd got out on the wrong side of bed this morning, no worries man!

Yea. thats a great multi species river for sure. Guys, that grass looks awfully green for a winter photo.....I dont think most cell phone cameras have the best optics or imaging capabilities, but on the upside, at least he knew what species it was.

Congratulations Dan!!

I am truly sorry to hear that Gary, my condolances...

Well done Dan, some nice walleyes' there.

Atta boy Stoty, you did better than you thought! They may be the fish of 10,000 casts, but you beat those odds easy as they are also the fish of 20,000 trolling motors. Congratulations champ!

Yea, thats a cool story. I have been fortunate enough to have had this experience several times, it never gets old.

Way to go guys, congratulations!