July 14,2009 Terra Nova to Twillingate

We hit the road for Twillingate. We made a stop in Gander to see the North Atlantic Aviation Museum. The story was mostly about the Gander airport, which was built in the late 1930's with no idea that it would play an important role in transatlantic air traffic. It played a pivotal role in the transport of airplanes to Europe during WWII. After the war, it was a stoping off place for transatlantic crossings, until the big jets came in. On 911, when all air traffic had to land, Gander received 39 airliners and of course all the passengers. The community rallied to provide housing and food for the visitors. These kindnesses have not been forgotten, as evidenced by the thank you notes from folks all over the world who spent time in Gander.

From Gander we went north to Twillingate. We found the Iceberg Man and booked a 4:00 trip to see the bergs. Then we wended our way through town to find our campground, which was on a hill overlooking Notre Dame Bay. A neighbor said we should go to Durrel harbor to see the bergs. Off we went and sure enough, there they were. Many of them, big and small, some close in at the beach. We took pictures then jumped into the car and went down the road for our boat tour.

Cecil, the Iceberg Man was just as nice as could be. He clearly loved what he was doing and said he never got tired of seeing the bergs. Off we went with only two other women on board; it was a small boat. Reminded us of Davey Lubin, up in Sitka. The day was sunny and warm. Even on the water it was not too cool. We went into Durrels cove or bay and circled all the bergs. About two weeks ago they were one big iceberg, the second largest ever to come this way. It has broken up into many bergs and Cecil expected that they would last about 2 more weeks. The colors were spectacular and the color changed as we came around each one. It was an amazing two hours. It was so beautiful and so relaxing. The Iceberg Man has been doing business for over twenty years. Recently other competitors have come to town and played off his name, so he lost some business. If you are ever in Twillingate, and want to see the bergs, look for him.