6: July 30th Fogo Island

July 30^th Fogo Island

A wonderful day hiking around and exploring Fogo Island. These way out of the way places really tug at me. I was thinking maybe we could spend a couple of years in a place like this and then I remembered that I’m seventy one and the days of flitting here and there (Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Vermont, Florida) are in the rear view mirror.

The Canadians staying at our B&B told us over breakfast that they’d met some Texans at a B&B earlier in the trip who were proud Trump supporters. Newfoundland seems like a strange place for a Trump supporter to go, but I don’t know why I feel that way.

After breakfast we headed up the hill outside the B&B for a trek over to a rare sandy beach, the first sandy beach we’ve seen in Newfoundland. Took off my shirt and shoes and submerged myself in some seriously cold water for a couple of milliseconds. The walk took us by some old paddocks, a graveyard, and, of course, gorgeous coastal views. The views were made even more beautiful by the first completely sunny morning we’ve experienced in Newfoundland. Days have usually started out foggy.

By the time we got back from our morning jaunt it was time to drive over to the town of Fogo for lunch at Bang Belly. Bang Belly had its grand opening July 21^st so we’re lucky to be here afterwards. Finding lunch and dinner on Fogo Island is not trivial which worries Maria since she harbors a constant fear during our travels that we might starve to death. After lunch we hiked up a huge rock outcropping just down the street from Bang Belly’s called “Brimstone” with a view of the town of Fogo I’d been looking for.

Later in the afternoon we visited some of the small harbor towns that dot the island. Deep Bay, Island Harbor, Joe Batts Arm – all picturesque, quaint. All exert a pull on me.

Fogo Island has one really weird sight. A $1,750/night hotel that looks like it was designed by Frank Gehry and although it might work in some major city, it’s a jarring sight here on Fogo Island. The woman who had it built grew up on Fogo Island and apparently her parents, who fished out of Joe Batts Arm for a living, left the island after their livelihood vanished due to moratorium on cod fishing in 1992. The daughter, Zita Cobb, made millions in high tech and has worked to make Fogo Island a geo tourist destination. She’s been a great benefactor of the island and when I mentioned to our B&B owner how jarring the sight was, he jumped right at me insisting it was very attractive. No need to argue given what Ms. Cobb has done for Fogo.

Maria has remarked that a lot of Newfoundland women are on the large side. Let me repeat that Maria made the remark, not me. If I had mentioned that fact, I’d be #Metoo’d to death. I will say they carry themselves with real authority, so it becomes them. Maria also noticed that a lot of men are really skinny.

The weather on this trip has been, at least by Newfoundland standards, unusually warm. Highs of 85. But maybe the word “unusual” should be struck from the meteorological vocabulary. All recent weather around the world lately has usually been "unusual." It seems to me that when global warming really hits its stride places like Newfoundland and probably all of Canada might not have as much to complain about as the rest of us. That’s assuming everyone else is fine staying in their overheated environs. Otherwise the Newfies are going to have to start taking kids away from parents to stem the flow of hot immigrants.