Isy wanted to join in the fun of getting out of Corner Brook, asking to go somewhere picturesque and relaxing that was only an hour or two away.

Considering our location in Western Newfoundland, the answer was obvious: the Robinsons area down between Stephenville and Port aux Basques!

There's a lot of farming lanes, old homes, and pleasant seaside walks down here, but not a ton in terms of big physical attractions. One attraction is the sea stacks at Ship Cove Beach, which I thought we should visit to bump up this weekend's excitement.

Except that Isy was confused with the hype, "so it's just a big rock that sticks out of the ocean? What's so special about it? I've seen a rock sticking out of the ocean before."

She sort of broke my brain here, as yeah, what's so remarkable about a sea stack? It's undeniable that Ball's Pyramid is amazing, but this 20-foot sea stack near Highlands Newfoundland? I guess it's not enough to get excite some people to navigate the stairs down to the beach.

I had another reason for coming out here, as the government had announced their plans to destroy a dilapidated bridge along the woods road that leads out to the sea stack. A lot of people raised a stink at this news, arguing that the sea stack was a beloved local hangout and an attraction for visitors.

Nevertheless, a sign was posted that the bridge would be destroyed in 2022; although the group dedicated to saving the bridge is still writing letters to politicians, so I have to assume the bridge is still there as of August 2023.

(The above picture comes from a different removed bridge location, another 1.5km up the road from Ship Cove.)

Back near our cabin in Robinsons we went for a late afternoon stroll along a farming lane, next to maintained fields that reminded me of Ontario slightly, or at least Nova Scotia.

Climbing up a short muddy incline, we were then on the old Newfoundland Railway, which is only about a kilometer (0.6mi) away from much of the highway down here.

This was the Robinsons River West Bridge and I was very excited to check it out without having to chew through the gravel on the T'Railway path on my bike, haha.

Noticing this beaver on the way back, once Kingsley finally spotted him, the dog was extremely excited to stop and watch Mr. Beaver swim loops in the flooded area.

The cabin that we rented was great, both in terms of amenities and also not being too expensive. Not to mention the cabin's location in an area I love, as it reminds me of the Magdalen Islands' gentle hills, grasslands, and calm oceanic views.

It wasn't exactly the Magdalen Islands, but the Magdalen Islands are a bit of a pain for me to get to, so this was nice.

As the sun started to go down, it was apparent that it was going to be a decent sunset.

We let the dog out onto the deck, Isy poured up a drink for herself and I wandered all around the quiet dirt roads that led through these cabins that were half-empty in early spring. It was very nice to be settled in here for the night in such a scenic spot.

Waking up the next day and not a fan of lazy mornings, I went for a walk and soon found myself creeping around the bushes of St. George's Anglican Church looking at Magnolia Warblers.

Eventually I realized I should check out the actual church as well.

A piece of paper affixed to the bulletin board provided the history:

The Robinsons New Church Committee had their first meeting on April 30, 1912. Following that meeting, parishioners went around and collected money for construction of the church, although there was some disagreement about where to put it.

The bishop would make the decision to build St. George's at its current location, purchasing the land from Robert Hulan for $120. The cornerstone for St. George's was laid on September 18, 1917, with a celebration of the event being held at the Orange Hall.

Back at the cabin, I rallied the troops and we got out for a short beach walk that brought us to this really strange rock.

It sort of looked like a concrete sewer piece, but trying to get as close as the waves would allow, I still didn't see anything that would lead me to believe it was anything but a strangely-shaped rock.

Now that we'd checked out of the cabin, Isy was the first to say we should stay another day and how it was too bad we didn't have our camping gear in the car.

No problem though as one of our favourite motels was out on the highway right by the Robinsons exit.

Welcome to the Midway Motel.

The classic interior and how often we've had the Midway to ourselves are two reasons we love this place. You also know that I like the incredible price point for 2 beds with no pet fee - a solid $65/night! (plus taxes)

The Midway is also fun because of how empty the road is between Port aux Basques and Corner Brook, and the fact that everyone who lives in Western Newfoundland has driven by the Midway and wondered about it. Telling people in Corner Brook about staying at the Midway, we've got reactions varying from disbelief that the place isn't abandoned, to shock that we'd stay in such a grimy place.

It's actually not grimy though, just worn. The people saying these things also haven't ever stayed at the Midway and are just judging it by the outside.

The last time we were here, the owner asked if I wanted to see the old lounge and I couldn't have said yes quicker.

I was kicking myself that I'd left both my cell phone and camera in the room though, so now I was left trying to take a picture through the window on this visit.

"We don't open the lounge too often these days. Peoples' habits have just changed," the owner told me and which I thought meant that far fewer people drink and drive now.

That wasn't it though, as the owner instead said that it's how you don't get groups of guys coming on snowmobile or quad and spending the night here anymore (or at least not enough to regularly open the lounge).

As for the night at the Midway, this time there wasn't another person here, even the motel proprietor who closed up and went home.

This means we might've been able to have a race in the hallway, one where I know Isy will want the record to show that she won. This is because I pulled up instead of running into the wall, while she didn't stop and gave it 100%.

It was like she was being coached by Dan Campbell, haha.

In addition to having the motel to ourselves, Road House was on TV, so it was pretty much the perfect night. Especially as I had one of those awesome lounge chairs to lounge in, while cheering on Swayze as he kicked ass and cleaned up the Dirty Deuce.

Totally worth $65/night (plus taxes).