Nature Break – Bellevue Beach Off-Season

Do you need a bit of a nature break? Enjoy these 8 minutes at Bellevue Beach off-season with me.

This was my first overnight road trip in my first car, on the way back from my Woody Island retreat in mid-September.

I remember being shocked when I first moved to Newfoundland in 2011. Traveling at the end of September had been a challenge because much of the island had closed down for the winter.

But with the summery weather we’d been having, I wasn’t prepared to find not only accommodations and tourist attractions closed-down, but also restaurants in the Bellevue Beach area.

I called on my team of Divine Helpers to find me a place to sleep. And they did.

Note that I was only 1.5 hours from home, but determined to have a touristy adventure with Miss Ella (that’s my new-to-me 2007 Hyundai Elantra).

When I saw some cabins, I drove in, not realizing at first that this was one of the places I’d called the day before.

The place was deserted… almost.

Ivan, the owner, was up in the main house. After a bit of chatting and a call to his wife, he generously agreed to open up a cabin if I couldn’t find anything else in the village.

When all I found on my explorations was a bag of chips, I returned to take him up on his offer.

After emptying the cabin of deck furniture and turning the power back on, I was a happy camper with a view of the inland water and the long stretch of land I was soon going to explore.

Ivan told me that a few days before, that view was filled with campers.

I was happy for the natural views without crowds. 

He  even arranged with the owners for me to drive through the gate to spend a few hours on the beach at sunset. They’d spent the day clearing the grounds of picnic tables.

The next morning, I returned to walk the Vinland Trail for 3.5 hours in photographic bliss. By the time I got back, even the trail sign had been taken down.

I was in heaven: grounded, connected, surrounded by water and walking on all sorts of terrain from beach stones to sand to forest floors.

This was the kind of freedom I’d envisioned when I welcomed Miss Ella in my life.

I was originally motivated by an Artstmarts project I’m working on now, teaching intuitive painting to 535 elementary students every day for 5 weeks in a school 30 minutes away without bus service.

This first solo overnight road trip was a bonus! There are all kinds of freedoms – some when I didn’t have a car and different ones with. 

Hope you enjoyed this 8-minute nature break in Bellevue Beach with me.

Have a great week!