First the Other Things
On TV, starting in mid winter, we see lots of Newfoundland
tourism ads. There are pictures of harbours, brightly painted boats, barren
landscapes, and people enjoying the simplest of pleasures. The advertisements
speak to their history, the quaintness of the outports, and a lifestyle that
much of the world has left behind. As
one of their advertising taglines says, they're as far from Disneyland as you
can get.
The town of Rose Blanche is the classic Newfoundland outport
portrayed in those ads. And, like many
small Newfoundland communities, it has started down the tourism business road.
They have a little trail network, two B&Bs, a store, restored their
historic lighthouse, and more. They should probably think of adding a little
campground to broaden their offerings. Rose Blanche is at the end of the road
(highway 470). It's the perfect destination just 45 minutes from getting off
the ferry at Port aux Basques, the main gateway to Newfoundland. There is
already a fair amount of tourist day traffic, but there's so much more
financial potential if the tourists can stay longer.
The area is an artist's dream. Everywhere you look there's
inspiration, in the form of seascapes, relics of all sorts, colourful houses, boats
in the harbour, fishing gear on the stages, and more.
On a more personal note, when Marlene and I were getting
ready to venture to Newfoundland, I wanted to get the feel for being a
Newfoundlander. I really had no idea what that meant, but I wrote about my dream
of rowing a dory in the harbour through the morning fog. One morning near the
end of our stay, I did just that. The harbour water was calm as glass, but as I
rowed through the fog beyond the protection of the harbour, Little Rosie and I
started riding the gentle sea swell. It was perfectly quiet except for the
sound of the waves breaking on the shore, along with the moan of the whistle
buoy. It was a magical experience , but from following our series of stories,
you probably know we've realized that dream and much more. We had a wonderful
relaxing time, a little travel adventure, and learned a great deal about
Newfoundland.
You might be wondering about Katie-Lew, the little cottage
by the sea we spoke of buying. Well, the deal is moving ahead at a snail's pace
as those things often do. We've done land searches back to the original owners
squatting on Crown Land, and discovered
transfers from family to family, and generation to generation since 1906. Some
of the original documents are handwritten, yellowed and torn, with metes and
bound descriptions using language from their time, chains as a unit of measure,
and referencing landmarks that no longer
exist. From our hands-on research, we're feeling the history of the land and
experiencing the culture that makes Rose Blanche and Newfoundland such a
fascinating place.
And now for the Kudos
Rose Blanche - We can't say enough about the people we met. The
people of Rose Blanche, both mainlanders and Islanders alike made us feel very
welcome. They told us their family stories, gave us fish and moose meat, lent
us their rowboat and offered to help with any of our needs. Thanks specifically
to Julie, Art, Wayne, Clayton, Tammy and the retired guys that meet daily in the shed
as they call it, just down the harbour. Also a very special thanks to Lynne and
Norm. Lynne the owner of RoseSea B&B let us use their internet, and row her
Little Rosie. Norm introduced me to single malt scotch, but it's an acquired
taste and I'm still working on it.
If you would like to experience Rose Blanche first hand, as Lynne says, follow your dreams to Newfoundland:
La Scie - The town of La Scie has a wonderful little
municipal campground, Island Cove Park. The cost was reasonable, it was on the
edge of town and convenient to their services. From our story, you will
remember the scenery was spectacular, and the local people friendly and
helpful. Specifically, the Park Manager, Bev was bubbly, outgoing, and enthusiastically
ensured we had everything we needed.
For more information, email Bev at
beverly.shea@live.com
The Friendly Fisherman - most importantly, Joe and Cathy,
the owners of the Friendly Fisherman, our home away from home in Rose Blanche.
It's a beautiful place in a beautiful place. Thank you for letting us stay in
your vacation home. We couldn't have asked for more, and it made all the rest
possible.
Lastly, thank you for following us to Newfoundland, reading
our stories, commenting, and asking questions. We enjoyed sharing our travel stories
with you.
