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So a day of retracing steps to places that require a lot of walking without the fear of senior suffocation. We has hoped for a early start but I had to wait for the bank to open as this was the week-day on the rock. Starting Sunday there would the marathon driving sessions back to the States.

I wasn’t so worried about the time as i was about trying to get into a stopping frame of mind. Road side attractions come up quickly on the 430 by the time one reacts one has to turn around and that may mean a few kilometres before there is a chance.

The usual plan race to the destination of the day then make our way back slowly. We both were allowed two exceptions. I used mine immediately in St. Paul as i wanted to photograph a gospel church. Baleful the steward wasn’t far behind in the use of her exception just down the road in Parson’s Pond

After pit stops at picturesque places - well for me - we were in Port au Choix ahead of schedule.

Made a mistake during the walk as i thought that we would break off and do our own thing whereas the steward thought that we were on this together - i think it had something to do with the bear tracks we saw on a path leading through some deep woods. It was a mistake on my part which had her a bit peeved as it seems that she was racing after me through the park - past a giant majestic caribou - and into town calling my name. i thought that i had heard someone call out but when i looked around there was a person but i didn’t recognise her and thus thought that it was my ego in overdrive.

Supposedly i was tracked through town by her asking people if they had seen a person with a florescent courier bag and a camera - she should be more specific.

Spoke to two men asking if it were quicker to get to the welcome centre of the park by retracing my steps or simply continuing on. It was about even so not liking to retrace steps i continued.

I was in my own world liking the actually working fishing area and while i made some snaps within the park, i was more in my element once i left. Places that are in use and where people cannot be bothered on how they look are more interesting than theme park places. I like that some sheds had bird houses on them.

I liked minor moments of tidiness.

In town i photographed around the fish plant. There were too many machines in front of Wu’s Chinese Canadian Restaurant to do it justice but did get the house with two garages one with a basketball hoop on it the other with three moose antlers.

An ok two hours spent and now it was time to do the random stopping. Well not really on the way up the steward couldn’t find the sea of lobster pots that seemed to clog every dirt road for about a kilometre or so. Obviously it was north of Port au Choix - asked Parks Canada buddy - 30 minutes away.

I bargain a couple of stops away to be able to photograph that but then leaving town think it stupid i have enough lobster pots even it these go off into infinity away from the gulf and into the mountains. Here was an air field to document, the Foodland was begging to be discovered, the club in Port Saunders would be ignored. I did a take back and instead photographed a bit around the area.

Then i took back my take back and said that if we didn’t see the lobster pots in 30 minutes, i’d turn around and head back for the real part of the now late afternoon.

Twenty eight minutes later....

It was good that i photographed them, it was good as i would have been frustrated in thinking that i had come so far and not done anything but then i would be frustrated about anything - L’Anse aux Meadows, St. Anthony...

It was good as there was this homestead almost lost in the foot hills of the Long Range that was a summing up of the area.

It was bad as i knew that Baleful the steward wanted to go out to the fishing area behind St. Paul’s and while it was only 90 minutes away any sort of real stoppages would mean it would duckish when we arrrived.

So a race through -except for the stop in Hawke’s Bay for the Ball park, oh and Bellburns for a closed convenience on the road through town and Daniel’s Harbour for a seaplane, and Parsons Pond for a Gospel church sign of damnation and the pond park.

Been to St. Paul’s many times - well three like where it is situated on the edge of the gulf as far away from the town as possible but there being only five buildings in the whole place there was some trepidation as to what i might do there while the steward was exploring. i didn’t have a problem with all the racing around, it was nice to be “forced” to come to terms with such a minimal space.i simply had to look with more concentration and ignore the razor sharp weeds that were slicing and dicing my feet.

The return trip seemed promising photographically and wanted to try not to race and make more snaps at the other fishing areas along the way. it was duckish and there was something a tourist has to see when on the Great Northern.

After spotting another moose - cow and two calves - this time there were even more machines on the verge to photograph them an they were much closer, we headed to Western Brook Pond to look up the fjord in the setting sun.

Path was longer than i remember, barely made it Baleful just wanting to get back to the cabin but it was worth it. The change of colour on the rocks, the way light was changing rapidly it was worth fact that i had thought the trek a tenth of what i was.

Some lovely people came up on the trail and said
-if you don’t mind the extra length on the circular trail there is a moose
-there is also one on the road near the ss ethie just now.
Off they raced.


The first night of two of refrigerator clearing leftovers.