River Thieves

We have a blue sky, fairly good road, and we are also visiting the world that Michael Crummey wrote about in “River Thieves”, a historical novel about the extinction of the Beothuk (Red) Indians of central Newfoundland. We’ve imagined the setting from his colourful details and are excited to see it including: Bay of Exploits, Exploits River, Notre Dame Bay, Ship Cove (Botwood), and Twillingate. Crummey’s book is an authentic tragedy that is alive with both the rich vernacular and the details of that time and place- a great read even if you’re not planning a trip to central Newfoundland.
Doreen, our hostess at Indian river Brook B&B, not only provides us with a delicious traditional breakfast of blueberry pancakes and sausages, she also sings some folksongs and accompanies her singing with a “dance master”. This is a fascinating combination of percussion instrument and jointed stick puppet that she performs very well - these amazing Newfies!
Our morning ride begins in country much the same as yesterday: trees, rocks, brooks, and ponds. We stop in Bishop Falls for gas and can’t resist the smells coming from the bakery adjoining and purchase cinnamon buns that we make into lunch when we get to Botwood via Hwy 350, a pretty coastal town with a very interesting history. It began as a camping place for Beothuk Indians where they could fish and gather shellfish. The Newfoundland fishery pushed the Beothuk inland when they used this site seasonally. The protected harbour soon attracted permanent settlers and in 1939 the first regularly scheduled commercial trans-atlantic flights arrived here from Foynes, Ireland. These flying boats were the private jets of the day and their history is preserved in the local museum. During World War II, Botwood became an important antisubmarine base with in excess of 10,000 military personnel. Today it is a quiet town of less than 4000 people in the Bay of Exploits.
We return to the Trans Canada Hwy and ride until route 340 departs for the Kittiwake Coast. We head to Boyd’s Cove Interpretation Centre which is a Beothuk archaeological site. We meet a very interesting elderly fellow who is recreating Beothuk birch bark canoes. He is 93 years young still building incredibly authentic Indian canoes that navigate the nearby waters as well as the originals.
Route 340 is called the Road to the Isles which refers to a series of islands in Notre Dame Bay that were connected to each other and the main island by causeways in the 1960’s. Chappell Island, New World Island and Twillingate Island have become major tourist attractions as a result. Our destination is Captain’s Legacy B&B in Twillingate. Once the stop over point for the Newfoundland fishery going to Labrador, Twillingate’s economic importance dwindled until the causeways brought visitors to see whales, icebergs and these remote coastal villages. After a supper of fresh fish we climb one of the many hills to get a panoramic view of Twillingate and the necessary photos, as rain is forecast for tomorrow. A bonus is the wild blueberries, raspberries, and partridgeberries we pick and eat for dessert.