From 0 to 16 in three hours

Within an hour we went from this:

 To this:

When we left Fogo Island, there was a frost on the car, and it was just above zero, with 40+ km winds. When we arrived at Springdale, it was 16 degrees and still.

Suddenly we went from February to April, in 3 hours.

Springdale, a small town just left of Newfoundland's centre, if known at all, is known for having the largest sandbank in North America, according to our gas station attendant. Or at least it was the largest until local industry started picking away at it.  

photo courtesy Chamber of Commerce, as I am not that tall

We chose it because it seemed a good location to spend a night to break up our journey west, and there weren't that many options. In the end, we found Springdale has more than enough other charms. We stayed at the seemingly so new it's not quite finished Riverwood Inn, and discovered a lovely 5km trail along the Indian River, past wetlands and a bird sanctuary.

We had a beer on our deck and watched the light change over the river, and then happened to see something on the lawn.

Is it an otter? A groundhog? And then it turned and we saw its flat tail - it's a beaver!

Then, out of the river, it's another one!

then another - 

And another - 

There - in the water - 

Number 5 came up on the other lawn

Five beaver! All munching on the newly planted and probably very expensive turf.

We must have watched them for an hour. They ate, swam, played, ate more and then finally set off, swimming slowly up river as the light changed and we came indoors, forever changed. Thank you Springdale.