This was a quick adventure after watching a massive iceberg being posted on my https://www.facebook.com/groups/NewfoundlandIcebergReports iceberg page for the past week or so.

You can see pictures here. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1418795631759210/search/?q=Triton%20may%202022

We watched for a window of opportunity and also got a window of blue skies for our drive to Triton from Gander on Wednesday, March 4, 2022.

Our usual spot (we’ve been to Triton once before) is staying at Parker’s Blue Water Inn owned by Wanda Bridger (https://www.facebook.com/marlene.bridger.9) and she had lovely Room 8 available with a water view. Having done a day trip to Bumble Bee Bight Brewery previously we also made a reservation for dinner, anticipating that the area is busy with iceberg tourism. https://bumblebeebight.ca/

We didn’t book a boat tour because our time was limited and really, I wanted to leave it to the folks who have never had the experience before. The only registered and insured boat tour in Triton is Badger Bay Boat Tours and demand was high. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1809191196053426

Our first viewing of the iceberg was across from the Triton Sperm Whale Pavillion which should open soon for the summer. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Triton-Sperm-Whale-Pavilion/277381022824751 There were lots of tourists from exotic places like “near Corner Brook” and Colorado and this was their first time seeing icebergs.

The berg had crossed the bay but was easily visible with features seen best by binoculars or a good zoom lens. (I have an average zoom lens but did what I could as you can tell.)

From there I went looking for squid rings. Fudge’s Restaurant was full with people waiting. The restaurants in Triton do great calamari and we decided to try Neveah’s Cafe at the Ultramar garage in Triton. We had a great meal by sharing a clubhouse and fries and squid rings. They were brought out by a young cook named Emily and absolutely delicious.

A quick check in at Parker’s Bluewater Inn. Room 8 was gorgeous and the long door provides access to a water view in two directions! A previous guest even left some iceberg ice! We relaxed for a bit and then we did a little drive through town looking for good vantages spots to see the iceberg and to pick up some refreshments.

Basically, you can see this iceberg from every business open on Main Street for a kilometre or more! Pretty hard to miss, actually. Imagine it as a cat or animal curled up. The head is to the right here. Note that for later. Also, it’s to the left of some large white rocks on shore.

We went early to our Bumblebee Bight Brewery dinner trying to beat the supper rush. We were seated at 4:30 in an almost full dining room that filled up minutes after we arrived. Folks were at gradual stages of their visit so we had our orders taken, got great local beers (lager and a Blonde) and we served and finished in an hour!

Tables over regularly and we just had a main course but it was relaxed and lovely. It was full when we left too. Make reservations to avoid disappointment. https://bumblebeebight.ca/

It was neither rushed or slow and after 2 years of not doing a whole lot it was nice to sit in a dining room and people watch.

But the food!

I had the Cod Tacos and opted to get the salad special in lieu of fries. Such a lovely meal. Tacos were generous in size and the battered cod was perfect. Crispy and hot inside. The salad was amazing with lots of blueberries and feta cheese. I’d drive back just for that meal!

The server, Alex was very busy and apologized that I had to wait a few minutes at the cash. When I told her we were in and fed in an hour she almost teared up! She was doing a great job as were the other staff. Many places are still looking for staff and the owner said they pretty much got slammed today. (I guess folks knew it was his birthday.)

We stopped to look at the bergs again on the drive home and then relaxed in that lovely room. I think the motel was full but it was very quiet and comfortable.

Breakfast doesn’t leave many choices in small towns. Luckily, the only place open is usually good. This is the case in Triton.

We went back to Neveah’s at the Ultramar and there was only one empty table. With the exception of a visiting photographer, every table was occupied by a man in work clothes. At 9 am, Triton men are not on their way to work. They have probably hauled crab pots and done a pretty good day’s work to get an appetite for a full breakfast.

My new friend Cleo from the Causeway Express https://www.facebook.com/causewayexpress was one of the first to take pictures of the iceberg. We’d stopped to meet her on the way to Triton and she had suggested the breakfast sandwich at Neveah’s and it was great. Leo’s breakfast was the large bologna and eggs. There was a full breakfast menu with choice of meats in small or large portions. Coffee was good and self serve. Because we were last ones in, it was fairly quick service and the men finished up and went on about whatever the rest of the day’s work might be.

We met a man at breakfast and he invited us to come and see his ‘spot’. After a nice drive to Brighton we popped up and caught him outside of his shed. He invited us in to see the model motor boat built by his father years ago, complete with a wooden motor. It felt good to talk to strangers again and share stories. We are still wearing masks to protect ourselves and others from Covid but this felt much like the old normal.

We took a last look in the stores in Triton and at the iceberg that had moved out they bay a bit and had turned around 180 degrees to show the other face. This berg is V shaped and still huge in spite of several calvings.

On our way out to the TransCanada Highway from Green Bay South we decided to do a detour to Kings Point on the northern side of the bay. I have a favourite gift shop full of unique art, crafts and pottery from which I have been purchasing for about 30 years. They did not disappoint. https://www.kingspointpottery.com/

By the Sea Inn and Cafe has expanded over the years of our visits to Kings Point and has recently changed hands. The new owners seem to be keeping the high standard and quality we’ve always enjoyed. We shared an order of ribs and I had a great garden salad and finally, we were on our way home.

Home was a couple of hours drive but for folks from Green Bay, it looks like this on the highway. The welcome sign for the area is a benchmark for regular travelers across Newfoundland.

Thank you Green Bay. Always hospitable and welcoming. An area worth spending a number of days on holiday whether there are icebergs or not.