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DAY 1 SUNDAY JUNE 17 DEER LAKE & SHALLOW BAY

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Paradise My wife, Helen and I decided to take an eight day tour with McCarthy's Party, a local tour company. We flew into Deer Lake with other folks on the tour. At the airport our tour guide John Warren greeted us. Some of the tour participants had arrived a day earlier while others were arriving later in the afternoon. Eventually all 37 people on the tour boarded the coach and were greeted by Gary our driver. It was a beautiful sunny day for our 2 hour drive to the Shallow Bay Motel & Cabins. On the way we stopped at a scenic viewpoint Arriving at the motel we were assigned our accommodation for our two night stay Some of us were in the cabins which were very cosy and well appointed McCarthy's laid on a welcome dinner allowing the group to meet and socialize. Before turning in I waited for the sun to set but as usual it fell below the clouds

DAY 2 MONDAY JUNE 18 NORRIS PT & WOODY PT

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We were greeted with grey skies and cool temperatures for our boat ride. After a cooked breakfast we set off for a one hour ride to Norris Point where we boarded the boat bound for Woody Point Despite the weather we had fine views of the Tablelands Rock formations  and Lobster fisherman casting their traps. We also spotted several Bald Eagles along the way The boat crew were very knowledgeable and informative about the geology and ecosystem. In addition they entertained us with Screech tasting,  an hilarious"Kissing the Cod" ceremony and a selection of Newfoundland songs These guys are professional musicians known as "Anchors Away". Plus they are competent sailors The Captain had everyone in stitches Before docking we viewed the Woody Point shoreline Leaving the boat it was raining "cats and dogs" After a short coach ride we arrived at our lunch spot. The restaurant even served "Moose...

DAY 3 TUESDAY JUNE 19 KING"S PT & LEWISPORTE

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Overnight and this morning we experienced more rain. We boarded the coach at 8:30 am for a fairly lengthy ride to King's Pointe. On the way we stopped in Deer Lake for a pit stop. Here I saw the only Moose on the entire trip! At King's Point we visited the Whale Pavilion. It contained a skeleton of a  Humpback Whale some 50 feet in length Outside the Pavilion I was struck with these images A short hop and we arrived at the "By the Sea Inn & Cafe" for lunch. The seafood chowder was most enjoyable Motoring on for 90 min or so we reached Lewisporte for our Newfoundland "Mug Up". The friendly staff served tea, sandwiches and cakes. Phil Grimes, a local musician, played a series of jigs and reels and soon folks were up on the dance floor including Helen and John After another hour on the coach we reached the "Sinbad's Hotel & Suites, our hotel for the night

DAY 4 TUESDAY JUNE 20 TWILLINGATE, DURRELL & BEOTHUK CTR

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It was an early start with breakfast at 7 am and a departure at 8 am. We then set off to Twillingate. Our first stop was the Long Point Lighthouse perched high on the cliffs above the ocean. We had the chance to explore the surrounding area George points thinking its a Humpback Whale Leaving the point we visited the Durrell Historic Museum. Inside was a stuffed Polar Bear which was caught snooping around the town before meeting it's maker The view from the museum offered some picturesque shots of the town Our lunch stop was at the nearby Anchor Inn Motel. Here I had my first of several Iceberg Beers on the trip Lunch over John allowed the group an unplanned stop at the Auk Island Winery. After tasting a flight of 5 wines which were all made from various berries I plumped for a bottle of "Outport Raspberry Wine" blended with original Newfoundland Dark Rum No such luck! Leaving Twillingate we headed to th...