Day: August 3, 2019

July 31, 2019

After visiting Dildo I proceeded back to the TCH and further east, then south on Route 90.  I saw signs for this Nature Park and thought I’d make a quick stop and check it out.

I walked around the Visitor Center and asked the young lady at the front desk what there was to see here.  She showed me a map of the walking trail but I told her I probably wouldn’t be doing that today (historically I don’t see many animals out and about mid-day, even in a zoo).  She went on to explain what this facility is all about, and it isn’t a zoo…

The folks here at Salmonier rehabilitate injured animals and, when possible, reintroduce them to the wild.  My youngest brother lives outside of Cleveland, Ohio and twice they have taken me to a similar facility there (in a county-run park!).  The young lady explained that unlike a zoo, their animals are likely to be visible during the day but, of course, couldn’t guarantee it.  She talked me right into it.  I went back to the car to get my floppy hat (the sun was now out in full) and my digital camera.

There is a long boardwalk which meanders through the park and goes past various areas where the animals now live while recovering from their injuries.

The bird of the day was the red finch (not in for rehab, just native to the area).  Children are asked to keep an eye out and alert the staff if they see one.  I didn’t see any.

First up, this Snowy Owl:

Next, the first caribou I have ever seen in person:

Next, a Great Horned Owl – but first, a warning:

His eyes appeared to be open when I first saw him but after I moved the camera to see both eyes through the chainlink fence he had them shut in all the other photos (and his left eyelid appeared to be damaged).

Next up, a beautiful pair of Bald Eagles:

A Peregrine Falcon, which I have seen in flight but never up close.  This one was on the ground near a tree trunk and shrubbery was hiding most of his body.

As we walked down the boardwalk to the next area this small bird landed on the railing.

The people I had befriended during the walk knew what it was but I don’t remember what they told me.  I have looked up birds of Newfoundland but didn’t see it.  I do know it wasn’t a red finch.  It, too, was just passing through from the outside world.  …

When we got to the Newfoundland Pine Marten area the people in front of us said that it had been out running around but had gone into a box up on a pole (to hide or nap) just before we got there.  The red foxes were also hiding.

The moose were not.  I present the only two moose I’ve seen in Newfoundland – Joey and Isabella.  The young lady at the Visitor Center said that Joey often responds to his name but he was resting quite a ways from the boardwalk.

Isabella, the cow, was even further away, almost totally obscured by trees and brush (I don’t think I would have spotted her with the naked eye and had trouble even finding her with the camera when my new friends told me where she was.  Looking at the photos she appears to have been facing away from me with her head pointing downward and to her left).

And maybe Joey did hear his name called after all, as he turned to face us directly:

And last up on my little excursion, a mink.

This little guy would come out in the open, grab some food and take it under some nearby plants to eat in privacy.  He came out for more every minute or so.

And here he is licking his little mink lips after eating a tasty morsel:

Visiting this Park was time extremely well spent.  I enjoyed meeting new friends and spending quality time in this excellent facility.

 

July 31, 2019

… a phrase I would never have thought I would write in my little blog…

Wednesday morning I left Sunnyside and drove south on the Trans Canada Highway.  When I got to the exit for Blaketown (they don’t even have the guts to put Dildo on the big sign) I got off the highway and proceeded north on Route 80, backtracking to the village of Dildo. Yes, there were directional signs once you were off the TCH but I drove right past the exit as I noticed the smaller signs up at the top of the exit ramp and had to turn around.  In many rural spots the TCH is just a 2-lane road.

Before I got there I actually drove through fashionable South Dildo (in case you want to live here and not have to associate with Dildo white trash).

 

Well damn, I could have stayed here!

I continued on up the road to Dildo proper.

Below, looking west from Route 80 towards Dildo Island in Spread Eagle Bay (insert, pun intended, your own joke here).   JohnBoy – Stop It!

And finally, I made it…

Now I can honestly say  Been There  (but NOT gonna say  Done That!).

It was foggy in places on the way down the TCH that morning and I was prepared to say that Dildo was moist when I arrived  (JohnBoy – STOP IT!) but the fog had burned off by the time I got here.

That sound you hear is my mother spinning in her grave.  Believe me, she would be embarrassed and sooooooo ashamed of me.  I can still taste the Ivory soap when she washed out my mouth with it if I said a bad word (in the 60’s probably just “damn”).  Oh, if she could only hear me play Cards Against Humanity.  My sister-in-law in New York says she’s heard things she NEVER expected to hear me utter.

I went to the Dildo Brewing Company in town to buy some, uh, artifacts to remember my trip by.  Their beer may not been any good (don’t know, didn’t try it) but you can bet they sell a lot of t-shirts and beer mugs.

My friend Shawn had informed me that Jimmy Kimmel talked about the town of Dildo on his show Thursday night last week, the day after I was there.  You can find it on YouTube.