We made it to Newfoundland and as far east as one can go in North America so it looks like from here everything will bring us closer to home! Once we got off the ferry we headed across the Avalon Peninsula to Witless Bay and a little further south. It was very foggy as we headed across the peninsula and it was just as you would picture Newfoundland, rocky and densely treed with a very dense fog covering everything. We were trying to find the East Coast trail to take a small hike instead we ended up doing a lot of driving and enjoying the rugged coastline but we never found a good place to hike. Then we thought maybe we would take a boat tour in the Witless Bay area to see the bounty of seabirds and shorebirds (with our fingers crossed to see some puffins) but the wind was whipping up a storm because of hurricane Katia blowing by so all the tours had been cancelled for the day. We continued up the coast to Cape Spear where we braved the Newfoundland winds to stand on the most easterly point of land in all of North America. We also walked up to the Cape Spear lighthouse which first beamed its warning light in 1836. This site also contains bunkers and gun barrels from a World War II defense battery was set up to protect St. John's harbour. The girls and I toured the area but it was bitterly cold with the wind howling and the damp sea air. We found a place to park in downtown St. John's and walked Water Street enjoying the old buildings and looking for something hot to drink and eat. We found a delightful little bistro and enjoyed a bowl of homemade soup, great chocolate cupcakes and a wonderful london fog. St. John's is such a beautiful city with amazing buildings and beautiful cliffs hugging the harbour. St. John's is North America's oldest settlement, people have been living here since the 1620s. After our warm up at the bistro we headed out of the downtown and up to 'the battery' but the roads were too narrow for us to drive down so we continued up the hill to Signal Hill. Up on Signal Hill we had a spectacular view of St. John's, the harbour, and out to the Atlantic. We went in to the Cabot Tower (built in 1897 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Cabot's arrival) where in 1901 Guglielmo Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless signal. It was also, up here on Signal Hill, where the last battle of the Seven Year War in North America was fought. Now back down the hill we went and into the village of Quidi Vidi, which is a quaint little fishing village reminiscent of times past. Finally we drove past the parliament buildings which, I must say, are not very impressive before finding a place to call it a night. Newfoundland was the last province to join Confederation which didn't join until 1949.
A fishing village in Newfoundland.
The girls as far east as they can go.
Cape Spear Lighthouse
Downtown St. John's
Looking back to St. John's from the top of Signal Hill.
Cabot Tower
Neat houses in St. John's
Quidi Vidi village.
Sunday, September 11
Happy Birthday to you - Jason Owen!
Today we had a lovely Sunday morning meeting in St. John's at the home of Bob and Laura Triska with a wonderful lunch and visit to follow. We decided to get out of town and find somewhere to camp out on the Bonavista Peninsula so we wouldn't so many hours to travel on Monday. We drove up through Paradise and along Conception Bay it was a beautiful drive with lots of sunshine today.
The little lake where we camped for the night.
Monday, September 12
Today we toured the picturesque, historic town of Trinity with buildings open to the public which were built in the 1880's and some reconstructed buildings that were originally built in the 1760's. In the grave yard adjacent to the Anglican church there is a headstone dating from 1763. I was amazed by the size and grandeur of the buildings and homes found here. One of the tour guides informed us that this was a large community in its time and even rivaled that of St. John's with a population of around 700 people back in the 1800's and servicing the surrounding community totaling more than a thousand people this was a busy and bustling place in its time. We continued up the coast to Bonavista where we went out to the lighthouse - one of Newfoundland's earliest - built in 1842-1843 and began operation on September 11, 1843 (same birthday as Jason only much older). This is also the point where John Cabot first landed in 1497, when he landed he sent word back to England that the sea was so full of cod you could put a bucket in the water, pull it up and it would be full. Rumor has it he stopped here because the cod were so thick in the water his boat could not continue. We came back down the peninsula and found a place for the night in Gander. Tired now so I am going to bed.
Looking in to the village of Trinity.
Mailbox
Street signs in Trinity.
St. Paul's, Anglican Church in Trinity built between 1892- 1894.
Cape Bonavista lighthouse.
Statue of John Cabot.
Reconstructed salt flakes - where the salted cod was laid out in the sun to dry.
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