From Cupids to Kilbride to Conception Bay South

Otherwise entitled: They Have GOT to be Trolling

Newfoundland is an odd place. Wonderful, sometimes almost magical, but odd. It was the last province to join confederation (a choice that many people here will still tell you was wrong), is home to the easternmost point in North America, and harbors a dory-load of dialects and local slang that are beyond entertaining, but that I don’t really hope to ever understand.

But those things are not for this post.

No, this post is dedicated to the sheer entertainment value of road signs as you drive across this massive chunk of rock. The place names that I can’t imagine finding anywhere else, but that seem right at home here.

Remember Port Blandford, from a previous post? Not even the tip of the iceberg tour.

There’s a story behind every town name, but I don’t pretend to know them. Actually, imagining those stories helps kill time on a long drive. Let’s take, for example…

Goobies.

Is that not the best word? And it’s an actual town a ways outside of St. John’s. I recently decided that the only reason people would name a town Goobies is that they couldn’t fit “Goober Boobies” on the sign. If that’s wrong (and I can only assume it is), I don’t want to know what’s right.

There are places I’d like to know the real story on, though. Little Heart’s Ease. Heart’s Content. Harbour Grace. Fair Haven. See a theme? Life hasn’t always been easy here; still isn’t for a lot of people. These communities probably didn’t start out as much by today’s standards, but they must have been a special kind of home to the people who named them. The names look nice on a map, too.

But really, the entertainment value is in the amusing names, isn’t it? the “WTF?!” inspiring road signs, the ones that occasionally invoke giggles from those of us who apparently have a 4th-grade boy living inside of our funny bones.

So without further preamble may I present, in no particular order (drumroll please…):

My Favourite Place Names in Newfoundland and Labrador

Come By Chance

Conception Bay

Bald Nap

the Provincial Seamen’s Museum (not a town, but come on people!)

Ballyhack

Pushthrough

Beaver Cove

Quidi Vidi (pronounced “kiddy-viddy.” It’s just fun to say. Try it!)

Furby’s Cove

Hiscock’s Point (at this point I’m pretty sure they’re just screwing with us)

Gin Cove

Deep Bight

Random Island (this may, in fact, where my blog inspiration is shipped from)

The Gut

St. Jones Within

St. Jones Without (aww…)

Horwood

Sheshatshit*

Blow Me Down (located in Conception Bay)

Jerry’s Nose

Noggin Cove (right near me, I love it. See also: Noggin Cove Head)

The Broads

Deadman’s Cove

Kitchuses (gesundheit!)

Kilbride

Low Point (I think we’ve all been there.)

Too Good Arm

Tickles (tee hee!)

Exploits

Muddy Hole

The Motion (honestly, I need to just go through here some day)

Spread Eagle, which is right across the bay from our last-but-certainly-not-least entry…

*

Dildo

*

Goodnight, folks!

*now commonly spelled “Sheshatshiu,” but where’s the fun in that?