Beautiful Day
Today was an absolutely beautiful day. My wife and I decided to go for a long hike in the hills above the Western side of Mutton Bay, to get some exercise. All of the nice seafood meals, and late evening drinks by the wood stove, were starting to add a few pounds, and I was looking forward to some exercise. I also thought that it would be a great opportunity to get some photos from the top of the hill, and I was not disappointed.We headed out across the plain near our cottage, and then proceeded to climb up to the main hill, which is near a point out in the gulf. As we climbed the higher and higher, the views became much more spectacular, and we just kept saying “Wow!” as we reach the top of each smaller hill on the way up. There are just so many beautiful spots along that particular path, and there are lots of large boulders where you can stop for a break, and just stop and stare at the ocean.
We also found some excellent berry patches along the way, and my wife quickly filled up a small margarine container with bakeapples. We both ate lots of berries, and it was really great to just snack as we walked. In the more sheltered areas, the bakeapples were starting to get a little over ripe, but at the higher elevations, and in the open, they were just perfect.
We also saw a couple of owls or hawks along the way too, and I managed to take a picture of one of them. I guess the noise that we made as we were walking startled them, and they took off from some bushes in front of us. They just seemed to float on the wind in front of us, and they looked absolutely magnificent just hanging there.
After we reached the highest peak, we deicided to hike back down to the water, and then walk along the shore instead of just retracing our steps back the way we cam up. We had to be a little careful on the way down, since we were not familiar with the area, and the moss can sometimes be slippery. There are lots of cracks and cliffs where you can hurt yourself if you are not careful, but we did not have any problems.
The hike back along the shore was also very nice, and much less windy than on the top of the mountain. It was also a great opportunity for my wife to collect some firewood to make some picture frames. She got the idea for the frames from the Stage Restaurant, and it should be a nice project when we get back.
Just as we were walking back into the village, one of our neighbours told us that the Relais Nordik had hit a rock in Harrington Harbour. Apparently, this happened last night as the boat was coming in through a narrow passage, just outside of the Harrington wharf. There was a hole ripped in the side, and all 150 of the passengers would have to get off of the boat in Harrington. Luckily, nobone was hurt, but it must have been very scary for the people on board.
Since the villages of Harrington, Chevery, Tete a la Baleine, La Tabatiere, and Saint Augustine are isolated, the Relais Nordik being out of commission is a big deal, since it is the main way that these villages get their supplies. We were already having trouble getting a few items, such as eggs in the local stores, and there would probably be more shortages soon. I would imagine that they will have to quickly get another boat running to replace the Relais Nordik, if the damage is as extensive as it sounded.
We continued back to our house for luch, and then went back up on the hills nearby again to enjoy the rest of the beautiful day. The kids were running around on the moss, and eating more bake apples. The bakeapples seemed to give them short energy boosts and they would run for five minutes, and then stop and eat some more. I also showed them how to roll down the mossy hills, which was a game that I used to play when I was a kid. It basically consists of climbing to the top to a hill covered in moss, and then lying on your side, and roling down to the bottom. Once you get to the bottom, you are pretty dizzy, so the goal is to try to stand up right away, and try to run back up without falling down. It is great fun.
This evening, we had invited several of our old friends over for our first house warming party. Two of them brought guitars, and we had a great time. I am not a singer, by any stretch of the imagination, but at one point I was singing part of a John Prine song. My cousin left at around 2 a.m., after many beers, and a late snack of local shrimp that I had in the fridge.
This was definitley the best day of our vaction so far.