Maggie in Newfoundland Again 2016: Day 26 Trinity Bay

Today we decided to tackle Skerwink Trail. I remembered that the trailhead was very close to the park but when we turned onto the main road and saw the swirling fog weave in and out of the hills and coves that surround us, we were mesmerized. We were in fact quite a distance away when we realized that we must have missed our turn to Trinity East! Finding a spot to turn around (no easy task around here) we headed back the way we had come and realized that the turn off was right in the spot where the fog was playing with the landscape! No big deal! We have been “lost” on Newfoundland backroads before – often in fact! Some of our best days and David’s best pictures happened when we were lost!

The little town that is home to this coastal trail is beautiful! Brightly coloured houses dot the hills that lead down to the cove. While a bright blue, or orange, or Pepto-Bismol pink house would look ridiculous in Ontario, here the brilliant colours work! I heard a story at one time about a doctor who had come to Newfoundland to live in an outport. Apparently he claimed the reason Newfoundlanders painted their houses distinctive, bright colours was so they could find them wandering home in the fog! Maybe true? I don’t know but it creates a treat for the eye in every little village and cove.

The Skerwink Trail is rated as “Difficult”. We have hiked many trials since we have been here and find no rhyme nor reason to the ratings? We have learned to assume little by a trail’s description. While this trail was lovely and we certainly made it through without issue – for a fellow not fond of open heights, this one may have qualified as a bit of a challenge in a few spots! He was a trouper though (not that he had much choice when you’re 3 km in on a trail loop!) The trails hugs the top edge of the bluff out to Skerwink Head before heading back in along the other side of the ridge and down to a lovely rocky beach. Along with the incredible views, the occasional rock climbs and the countless stairs we saw fresh tracks and droppings so I had some hope of spotting a moose! When we passed fresh bear scat though I stopped wishing for wildlife viewing! Not sure where or how you hide when you are as big as a moose, but we hiked alone.

Another bit of work to be done so we went back to the park for the late afternoon. We had dinner reservations tonight so time to freshen up after or hike wasn’t a bad idea anyway!

Dinner at the Twine Loft was inspired by a Facebook post last fall. My cousin Leslie and her husband Dennis had come to Trinity for a little getaway and posted pictures of their hike on the Skerwink, drinks on the deck overlooking the ocean and dinner at the Twine Loft. It all looked so good we thought we would make it part of our plan! Great tip!

We arrived for happy hour and met two other couples. We all spent the hour before dinner enjoying wine on the back deck right on the water! One couple was from Calgary and were visiting Newfoundland for the first time. They were here for a wedding in Gros Morne and took some extra time to stay and explore the island. They had visited some of the same places we have so we exchanged stories and tips. He and David both had to stop at one point and do a work check-in on their phones. Both of them are electrical engineers working on the road!

The other couple are from Grand Falls and are on vacation on their sailboat travelling along the coast. We compared living in a boat and living in an RV and agreed they are similar experiences. Our home doesn’t float and they don’t do well on land, otherwise similar experiences, right down to a few places we have both visited in the last couple of weeks! In the course of the conversation we talked about university. He and I had both gone to MUN and in a discussion of memory (I could remember my student number 7703218, but couldn’t remember where I left my glasses or why I went upstairs!) He laughed and said, “7706704”. We were at MUN at the same time, and both studied biology in our first year. He went on to get his science degree while I veered off to social work, but at a small university the chances that we had been in the same place together years ago was pretty good!

When we were fetched for dinner, we sat in the tiny dining room that once held fishing nets! Like so many of the buildings here, it has been beautifully restored and repurposed. Again like so many of the places we’ve eaten, the kitchen is part of the dining room, providing a very intimate and homey atmosphere. From where David is sitting he can watch our meal being prepared and when lively numbers play from the traditional background music, he reports the cook is dancing in the kitchen!

When asked where we were from (for the umpteenth time since we have arrived in Newfoundland – and the answer isn’t straightforward for me!) and the story unfolds, I find out that our waitress and her family were neighbours of Mom and Dad when they lived in Labrador! Her son went to school with my sister, and yes she remembered Moya! What are the chances?

By the time we leave the Twine Loft the sun is fading and while we wander around, picture opportunities aren’t great. With a promise to return Trinity tomorrow we go back to our cozy trailer to settle in for the night.