Wild Strawberries

We went to Bell Island again by ferry on another lovely day. It is the best value for money that you can get. We go over the “Tickle”, by boat, with our car and K9, all for under $10. There are two ferries in service, MV Flanders and MV Hamel. It is very relaxing to ride on the Flanders as it has a top deck as well. We saw some Whale spouts on the horizon.

“In Newfoundland a tickle refers to a narrow passage of water separating two lands forms.”

The most surprising part of the day was that we saw wild Blue Bells and came upon Wild Strawberries. It is the first time in my life, that I have picked wild Strawberries. We also came upon some wild Roses again. I had to keep the K9 away from the cliffs while my better half was taking pictures. I tried to run through the meadows singing; “The Hills are alive with the sound of music” but had to give it up, the ground wasn’t smooth enough, I would fall into a hole or trip over a snarled grass. I wonder if they had mowed a path for Julie Andrews in “The sound of music”

The cliffs of B.I are red from the Iron Oxide in the earth.

“Bell Island has it’s own geological designation –the Bell Island Group. Geology made this island important with its massive deposits of iron ore.”

We went to Bell Rock on the west side of the island, a sea stack which we had not found the first time we visited, you follow a horse-shoe turn and then a worn cart path. It was a good thing we came with the Jeep, as we had had rain and the gravel road was muddy and full of potholes.

Bell island is becoming a ghost-town, unless they start catering for tourists, as there is no more work, many people retire or are snowbirds (People who live in warmer climates in the winter.)

It is strange to think when you look across Tickle, that German U boats sunk ore carriers during world war 2 and that there are wrecks in the harbor. Apperently once the Bell Island cannons hit Portugal Cove. Dats how we does it in Newfounland.