Pilley's Island

June 16 to 20: Our next stop was between the Baie Verte Peninsula and Twillingate Peninsula. Back when we were in Quirpon and visited the Black Tickle store, we picked up a card from the Bumblebee Brewery. We entered the brewery as the destination in our Garmin GPS. The tourist map showed several campgrounds in the area. We kept our eyes open for a suitable place. Robert's Arm is about 25 km from Hwy 1. These islands and places are not well published tourist destinations, there are few attractions in the tourist guide. It is an active commercial fishing area and has a big mussel farm

Follow us @NavigatorAndWheelman. The We found our authentic Newfoundland is the third episode in our Labrador and Newfoundland journey.

A few kilometers before we reached the Bumblebee Brewery, we saw the Crescent Lake RV Park and pulled in. Site #3 was available for 4 nights. We parked the camping trailer and went for a late lunch at the brewery. This was the beginning of four amazing days. More about them later.

We found fresh seafood and learned about their trade when we spoke with the people. We actually ran out of time to do all the things we learned. We didn't pick fresh mussels along the shore and we had no time to buy and cook a fresh lobster. We saw them for $10 a pound fresh from local fishermen.
 

Bumblebee Bight Inn and Brewery
There is more to the Bumblebee Brewery on Pilley's Island than we thought. They have rooms, a restaurant and they were working on an RV park next to the building. We had Cod Taccos and a Bumblebee Burger with their Porter, a very nice beer. I bought a 6-pack. The food was delicious. We enjoyed it so much that we returned two days later when they had live entertainment. Unlike the first time, this place was rock'n.

Triton Sperm Whale Exhibit
The first day was not yet over, we had time to visit the Triton Sperm Whale Exhibit. We were the only visitors and Terry, the guide, asked us if we were interested in a tour. Considering that there is a skeleton of a sperm whale, two or three showcases and maybe 5 pictures on the wall, we appreciated the guided tour. Now, this is not your 'normal' tour. Terry knows all the details about the sperm whale that was exhibited. Terry is also very knowledgeable about the Newfoundland Language and any other topic that came up. We spent about three hours at the exhibit and we can honestly say that the sperm whale may be the center piece, but Terry was the highlight of the visit.

Crescent Lake RV Park
The Crescent Lake RV Park deserves more explanation than a '10 out of 10' rating does justice. We met Roz and Doug and they tended to all their guests at the site in person. They came by every evening to ask about the day and exchanged tips and stories. We learned that we can pick mussels anywhere along the shore and where the best places are. The big mussel farm, only a few minutes away, makes a living with them. So the conditions here are right. The season for them is coming to an end, so we were told. After they spawn, the quality drops. With the rich supply of fresh seasonable seafood, there are many ways you can get it at the restaurants. According to Roz and Doug, there is only one way to cook mussels, lobsters and crabs. Get them fresh and a bucket full of seawater to boil or steam them. No addatives needed, all the salt is already in there.

Fast-forward a few days. After our St. John's visit, we didn't get room on the ferry from Argentia back to Nova Scotia and had to drive all the way back to Port aux Basques. During our first stay at Crescent Lake RV Park, we didn't have enough time, so we returned. A big, warm welcome back with two full days to catch up on what we missed on our first visit. Now that the Cod fishing was open for 10 days, we went out in a boat to catch some fish. Wow, what an amazing experience, the fish were plentyfull. We pulled out three Cod worth while keeping. We watched a local lobster fisherman who was checking the traps. We had an opportunity to ask questions. He pulled out the traps, measured the lobster and kept the ones that met the size. He also pulled out a lobster with eggs on the underbelly, that went back into the sea.
That same night, most guests from Crescent Lake RV Park met around the communal firepit. We were introduced to Touton over the campfire. The dough is wrapped around a stick, cooked over the fire, brushed with butter and sprinkled with cinnamon. This goes well with stories told around the fire with new friends from the campground.

Hazelnut Hill trail around Crescent Lake
It was late when we left for the hike and it took more time than expected. We ordered fresh lobster before we left. By the time we returned, it was past 5 PM. Doug kindly helped us out. He had the cooking equipment and the expertise, not only for the cooking, but also for the consumption of the beast. A cutting plier worked very well to crack open the claw, the other parts were a matter of technique
But back to the hike. The trail goes all the way up to Hazelnut Hill, the only big, round rock there. We were not surprised to climb a lot of stairs to reach the top. A nice trail, well maintained and a great view over Pilley's Island and the lake.

Drinking Water
Travelling in a small camping trailer has some limitations. The room to store things is one of them and drinking water is possibly the bulkiest of them all. We don't buy bottled water to fulfill our needs. At the start of the trip, we get three 4 liter jugs and refill them on the go. Not all campsites have drinking water, or the water is chlorinated. We usually look for reverse osmosis refill stations where the water has a neutral taste and the coffee has a coffee taste . One of the places here in rural Newfoundland where we always found a refill station for our 4 liter jugs was in a drugstore. The one here in Robert's Arm was the Greenbay South Pharmacy. We mention that because we were looking for refill stations when we arrived.

Trails in Newfoundland
We love to explore places that are not in the tourist guide. Newfoundland is one of those places where our curiosity pays off more often than not. Around here, this means hopping from island to island. Our campsite was outside Robert's Arm. The next islands were Pilley's Island, Triton Island, Brighton Tickle Island, Cobbler Island and Long Island. If you don't like climbing stairs, like a lot of stairs, you may not enjoy these trails as much as we did.

Freddie's Lookout on Triton Island
The Gaia App shows several trails, but we couldn't find a road or parking area. While searching for signs, we found Freddie's Lookout sign. Parking is @ 49.53434, -55.60308
 

Brighton Island Trails on Brighton Tickle Island
We were looking for a trail that leads to the top of a hill with lots of stairs. We did not find such a trail on Brighton Tickle Island. There is only one road on the island, so it is almost impossible to get lost. However, we did find the trail on the next island.

Cobbler's Trail on Cobbler Island
This island is after Brighton Tickle Island and the trail is immediately after the causeway. Parking is @ 49.54949, -55.63558
 

Beothuk Hiking Trail on Long Island
The bog is a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Without the wind, we were their prey. It does not happen often, but the mosquito net made the forested part of the hike enjoyable. This was the dance BEFORE Ursula covered her head with the net. Parking is @ 49.62342, -55.68984

 
 

We spent about two hours on the trail. We had to kill some time to return to the Tea Room after 3 PM. This is the only place on Long Island that is open to the public. We met Roxanne, who runs the restaurant and serves her home-cooked meals. They were amazing. We had Moose Soup for lunch and the Turkey Fathersday Dinner after the hike. She cooks all the meals herself and still had time to chat with us about Long Island.
The ferry service schedule is somewhat of a secret. It is not published at the dock and the link to the website requires a cell phone signal (zero bars at the dock). Anyway, we got to the island for free and took the 6 PM return ferry for $11.50. Hm, the ferry fee is only published on the island