In 2018, Rusty and I hiked the East Coast Trail in Newfoundland, located on the east coast of the Avalon Peninsula. In order to make our plans, we needed to find a place to leave our van for 3 weeks, and get a ride to the southern terminus at Cape Race. Our friends Michael Spino and Susan Henderson have family in Newfoundland, and they set us up to meet Donna and Bob Squires, who live in St John’s and were up to the challenge of being our trail angels.

What began as a ride to a trailhead became an instant friendship, and not only did the Squires provide us with a ride, they also opened their home to us when we needed a break from hiking, providing us with bountiful meals, and a comfortable guest room. After completing the trail, we all agreed to get together again soon.

The next year, in 2019, Rusty and I booked a 2-month trip to Argentina, an urban excursion to La Plata, the capitol city of the province of Buenos Aires. We asked the Squires to join us, and they eagerly agreed. That trip was a crazy, fun time, visiting museums, restaurants, and drinking as much Malbec as would fit in our tummies. Donna and Bob also taught us some new card games, where we lost lots of pesos to them.

The Squires encouraged us to come back to Newfoundland to visit them in the winter, which is their favorite time of year. They also had a cabin near the town of Gambo, nestled among dozens of ponds and trails that back up to a vast wilderness and wildlife preserve. Sounded like a fun and cozy winter getaway.

Unfortunately, in 2020 Covid came to town (everyone’s town!) and we were not able to visit that year. Time passed. Other adventures came and went. Three years later, Rusty and I finally decided we needed to get this winter Newfoundland trip booked. So, when Donna and Bob suggested to come the last 2 weeks in February (for the best snow) we booked our flights for Feb 13^th. And boy did it snow! In fact, a blizzard hit Newfoundland on the 14^th, stranding us in Toronto for 2 days waiting for a connecting flight. But the weather cleared, and by February 15, 2024 we were in St. John’s. As we carried our bags into their home, Donna remarked more than once, “I can’t believe you’re really here.”

Over the next 3 days it snowed a lot more, further delaying our excursion. But it gave us plenty of time to catch up with the Squires, eat lots of cod and tea buns, and play cards. We got to spend time with their daughter, Tracy, who we weren’t able to meet during our last trip. She flies a Beechcraft King Air 350 for the Labrador/Newfoundland “Air Ambulance Program” between St. John’s and Goose Bay. Her plane was grounded in St. John’s for repairs so she stayed with over a couple of nights. We got a tour of her plane before she left, and learned about her son Noah (who, at 9 years old, is already an aspiring pilot). We also met Bob and Donna’s son, Christopher, via Facetime. Ironically, he was vacationing with his family in Mexico where it was quite warm.

We spent the rest of the time shoveling snow and getting ready for the trip to the Squires’ cabin. It took hours to shop and pack up the food and wine (lots of wine… and rum), winter clothes and gear (like snowshoes). Plus, we had to borrow a snowmobile from Ron and Heather (Bob’s sister and brother-in-law) for us. You see, in the winter the cabin can only be reached by snowmobile, which is called a “Ski-Doo” in Canada.

When the sun finally came out and plows cleared the roads, we were off on our snowy adventure. It ain’t easy getting to the cabin, as no place worth going to ever is. But that just makes the whole adventure more appealing. Gambo is a 3-hour drive west from St. John’s, along the Trans Canada Highway. Then we turned off down Gambo Pond Road, which led us to a small development where the electricity ends and the snow-plowing stops. Just past that was a staging area where we were met by a welcoming committee comprised of Bob’s brother Glen, their uncle Max, and their friends Barry and his wife Florence. They helped us off-load the Ski-Doo, and pack all the gear and supplies in sleds we would pull behind us for the 24-kilometer ride to the cabin. Rusty, who has years of experience riding motorcycles, has never driven a Ski-Doo before. So he got a quick lesson on how to operate the controls and what to expect on the trail.

Then, off to the cabin we went with Glen and Max in the lead on their 2 Ski-Doos. Rusty and I followed next. Donna and Bob were behind us, with Barry and Florence pulling up the rear. The next 45 minutes zooming across the snowy trails, bogs and frozen ponds was a rush! It was very bouncy, and quite windy and a little scary, not having been snowmobiling before. First, we drove along a wide snowy trail that had already been well-traveled by previous Ski-Doos. Then we skated across 2 huge ponds where it was much flatter but everyone went much faster and spread out side-by-side. Eventually, we got back up on the main trail and began to see signs of a rustic collection of cabins dotting the landscape. The Squire’s cabin appeared soon after, and parking our Ski-Doos, we began unpacking the sleds for the week. Glen had already started a fire in the woodstove, so when we entered the cabin it was warm and welcoming. He and Max also brought us water from a spring, and we all pitched in to get set up for the week.

While at the cabin we went show shoeing, cross-country skiing, and ice fishing. Bob and Rusty took many trips into the bog for firewood and water. We ate lots of comfort food, drank good wine, and played cards into the wee hours of the morning. Donna served up her famous cod casserole and lasagna. At one point we were joined by more family: Heidi and her husband Bernard, and Colleen and her husband Darren, and that was a great night to remember, all of us squeezed into the kitchen, eating, drinking, and talking late into the night.

When our week was over, we packed up the sleds again and headed back to where the trucks were parked. There was talk about whether we should go back to St. John’s or take a side trip to Sibleys Cove to visit some family members. Sibleys Cove won. The town of Sibleys Cove is quite a distance from Gambo, but the weather was perfect and a few stops along the way broke up the trip. We stayed at Bob’s father’s house, where we met Bob’s dad Bill, along with Bob’s sisters, Gail and Heather. We also met Colleen’s parents, Nellie and Don, along with Donna’s mom, Eva and her brother Allan and his wife Jeannie, and Heidi’s mom, Marlene. Whew! It was hard to keep track of everyone’s names and the family tree, but everyone was so kind and welcoming to us!

After spending the night at Sibleys Cove, we returned to St John’s for more merriment before our return trip to the States. We visited Quidi Vidi, a beloved neighborhood of St. John’s, featuring a colorful wharf of fishing buildings, which was very pretty with all the snow. We also drove up to Signal Hill, which overlooks the entrance to St John’s Harbour. On the north was Cabot Tower with its defending canon. Across the inlet stood Fort Amherst and its lighthouse. It was very windy. One evening we were invited to Heidi and Bernard’s house in Paradise, where we were joined by Colleen and Darren, and Rose, Max’s twin sister. We had a full-fledged turkey dinner with all the sides and dessert. It was wonderful!

Bob belongs to a hockey team, which meets every Wednesday morning, so on the last full day of our trip, we were treated to an authentic hockey game, and those guys, mostly in their 60s and 70s, are killing it on the ice! Wow, we were so impressed. There, we also met another one of Bob’s cohorts, Jeff, who posed for a photo in his gear. On the way home after the game, we stopped to visit with Bob and Donna’s good friends Suzan and Austin “Smitty” Smith. Smitty was quite the entertaining host, talking and joking and pouring us tall drinks of rum and Kahlua (even though is was just one o’clock in the afternoon).

That night, Donna and I made a final yummy meal of cod, salmon, potatoes, salad, and bread. After dinner, we decided to play cards one last time, with the idea that we would all turn in early since we were leaving the next day. But much to our surprise, there was a knock on the door in mid-evening, and who should walk in but Donna and Bob’s neighbor Johnny, and his wife, Bridget. Johnny was coifed in a funny black wig and a traditional sou’wester, worn by fishermen, carrying a duffel bag and an oar.

“Is there a dead fish in that bag?” I asked. He smiled, and said, “yes there is!” Surprise on us, Johnny (AKA Captain Jack) was there to get us “Screeched In,” a Newfoundland tradition of making a visitor an honorary Newfoundlander. It was totally unexpected and seriously fun. We learned lots of Newfoundland history, sang songs, drank Screech rum, kissed a cod and when Captain Jack asked us if we would like to become Newfoundlanders, we replied “’Deed I is, me ol’ cock!’

To all of our Newfoundland friends, we hope to see you again soon, and “Long may your big jib draw!”