To the most easterly point in North America

Mon July 2 - Another warm sunny day in St John's - NOT!!! But we went to check out Cape Spear anyway. This is the most easterly point in North America.

It was very cold and windy out on the point. We were all bundled up with 4 or 5 layers. This is also the site of the oldest surviving lighthouse in Newfoundland and a coastal defense battery during World War II.

Even though the weather was sketchy, we did have a nice surprise. There were two pairs of humpback whales feeding and frolicking just off shore. They came as close as a couple of hundred feet. We even saw one of them breaching 3 times. Very cool, but we were not fast enough to get a picture.

In the evening we went for pizza, then on a ghost walk.  Little Red Dog was thoroughly intrigued by the spooky tour.
 

The rolling fog created the perfect evening for a Haunted Hike. As we walked through dark alleys and laneways our guide told us tales of public hangings, duels, prostitution and horrific murders. We passed over forgotten cemeteries and unmarked graves, past buildings known to be visited by those who have passed over to the other side. Stories of vengeful lovers, murdered soldiers and mysterious fires awaited us. At one stop we looked up to a 3rd floor window of an apartment building. A woman was dancing in the window wrapped in a sheer curtain. I think that she has seen the haunted walks before and was making fun of us.
I'm happy to say that everyone returned safe and sound.

First to celebrate Canada Day

July 1/18 - Canada Day.
We woke up at 4:30 am to go to Signal Hill so that we could be among the first Canadians to see the sun on Canada Day. Sunrise is at 5:07 am. When we arrived at 4:50 am there was a bit of fog but we could clearly see all of St John's from the hill. At 5:05 am this is what we saw looking east.

No sunrise for us on this day

July 1 is also Memorial Day in Newfoundland to recall the losses of approximately 700 Newfoundland soldiers at Beaumont Hamel during the 1st World War.

Flags are flown at half staff in the morning in memory of the lost soldiers, then at noon they are moved to full staff to celebrate Canada Day.
After the ceremony we were treated to Canada Day cupcakes. Little Red Dog decided to sleep in.

We were back home by 7:00 am and since non of us were accustomed to being up at 4:00 am we all went back to bed.
In the afternoon Jordan & Rebecca chose to stay home and relax. Maryann & I went to the park to partake in the celebrations. The afternoon festivities were mostly geared to the kids but they was some live music to enjoy. I was quite disappointed in the balloon entertainers. There were 3 people sharing 1 pump and a little distance away was another woman with her own pump. NONE of them were wearing a costume of any kind or even any red for Canada Day. No effort for entertainers.
Another cupcake and a Timmies.

In the evening we went back to Signal Hill for the fireworks display. Remembering the morning, and considering we were going to be on top of a hill, we all bundled up. But it turned out to be quite comfortable. The wind had died down. It was actually so calm that the smoke from the fireworks hung in the air and partly obscured the bursts.

Still, it was a good 20 minute display. A good way to end Canada Day.

A soggy picnic

Sat June 30 - We woke up to a cold damp day. But Jordan had made reservations for us so we bundled up and headed for Ferryland, a community of 400 people about an hour south of St John's. Jordan had booked a picnic at the Ferryland Lighthouse. A little more about that later.
On the way we stopped at the Colony of Avalon Archaeological Museum. This is widely recognized as the best preserved early English colonial site in North America.
We toured the museum and lab then, even though it was raining, we did the self guided tour of the dig site.

From there we continued to the lighthouse for our picnic. 

The Lighthouse Picnic is quite popular so we had to make reservations days in advance. And you know Newfoundland weather is very unpredictable, so you take what you get. We had a lovely indoor picnic on the second floor of the lighthouse.

We had a choice of 4 types of sandwiches plus a pasta salad, a jar of lemonade and a dessert. We imagined that we were sitting on a blanket overlooking the ocean.

On the way home we saw this lonely little ATM in parking lot.

Our day on Signal Hill

Fri June 29 - Jordan & Rebecca had to work today so Little Red Dog, Maryann and I decided to explore Signal Hill. It was a beautiful sunny day but very windy up on the hill.
After exploring the tower, we set out on the North Head Trail. It starts by going down about 100 steps to a plateau.

















From there, you can go off in several directions. I could have explored this area for an hour. At one point I could head lots of squawking so went to investigate. I found a cliff with hundreds of sea gulls.

Continuing on we got a great view of my son, Jordan's, house and the Fort Amherst lighthouse. His house is in the little group to the right in the picture.

The trail gets a little narrow and interesting. 

It ends at the edge of The Battery district of St John's. We had to walk across someones front deck to get back on the street.

Back on top of the hill Little Red Dog checked out the cannons. This one is aimed right at Jordan's house.

Apparently, this was the first nice day in a very long time, so when the kids got home from work we ended the day with a nice cold one on the deck.

Getting closer

Thur June 28 - Up bright and early for our last day on the road before St John's.
Since we were passing through Terra Nova National Park, and we had time, we decided to take a hike or two. First stop was Blue Hill Trail. A fairly short trail, but a beautiful vista/look-off at the summit. Little Red Dog was thrilled with the panoramic view.

We saw these red Muskoka chairs in several places

Next stop was the Visitor Center. There was a short film, displays and a touch tank of various sea species.

After a short hike on Heritage Trail we went to the cafe to get some sandwiches for lunch. You'll never guess who we saw in the cafe. The faces of a now very familiar family from Markham. This would be the last time that we would see them. They are going to Trinity then back to Gander to fly home.





Sandwiches to go, we headed to Ochre Hill Trail - a 5 km fairly challenging hike. But the payoff was spectacular. Along the way we saw several piles of Moose poop and fresh moose tracks, but alas, no moose. Is it too much to ask to see a moose??

At the end of the trail there was a absolutely amazing view. It was a clear day so we could see for MILES!! (Or, in Canada, we could see for kilometers. But that just doesn't sound right). What a wonderful place to pause for lunch. And the take away sandwiches from the visitor center cafe were more delicious because of the lunch spot.
Back down the trail, and a short drive we arrived at an old fire tower.

It was extremely windy, but I knew I had to scale the stairs. Little Red Dog was a bit anxious but we held hands and did it. And, yes, the tower was shaking way up there. But what a view!!

Safely back on the ground we realized that it was getting late. So  we hopped in the car and made our final push into St John's.
Jordan & Rebecca were patiently waiting for us. They had promised to take us for the best fish & chips in St John's. It certainly was a grand way to be welcomed in St John's..

On our way to St John's

Wed June 27
Today we started our long journey across the island towards St John's. We didn't do much today except drive. However, we did take a small detour into King's Point. This would be the most northerly point of our trip.
One of the claims to fame of King's Point is the Dr. Jon Lien Whale Pavilion. It houses the world's largest humpback whale skeleton. It is beautifully displayed and the story of how the towns people came together to recover a whale that unfortunately died when it became caught in fishing equipment is quite interesting.

We had lunch on the beach where we saw these cute trash receptacles.





There are also hiking trails to 4 waterfalls. Unfortunately, we did not have time to enjoy any of them.

Next stop was the Salmonid Interpretation Center at Grand Falls-Windsor. This is one of the largest Atlantic Salmon enhancement projects in North America. It is commonly known as a salmon ladder, helping the Atlantic salmon to return upstream to spawn. But it is much more than that. They also study and conserve the salmon population.

We stopped by the cafe for a little refreshment and - surprise, surprise - we bumped into the family from Markham that we have seen at so many other sites.
We forged onward to Gander where we spent the night. Of course, we had to drive by the airport to see where all the action was on Sept 11, 2001. We had seen "Come From Away" a few weeks before we headed out on vacation. We were surprised that there is no sort of memorial about the at historic day.

Icebergs!!!

Tue June 26 - Yesterday was reasonably warm as we walked around the Viking village. And wouldn't you know, today, when we have a boat tour booked to see icebergs, it is near freezing. Oh well, bundle up and let's go.

48 brave souls boarded this boat for a 2 hour tour. Our new friends from Markham joined us on the tour. The skipper passed out blankets to the passengers who could not fit in the cabin. It was near freezing as we left port. The tour guide told us that this is one of the coldest days he has seen this late in the season. He was very informative. Icebergs can take up to 2 years to reach Newfoundland from Greenland. Then they break up and melt in only 4 - 6 weeks.

We did see some spectacular icebergs. Little Red Dog didn't let the cold weather bother him.

We also looked for whales, but the tour guide said it is a little early for the whales. In a couple of weeks there will likely be daily sightings. Our guide was very knowledgeable about marine things. As well as seeing icebergs we learned a lot about ocean life, cod fishing, whales and living in northern Newfoundland. 

On our way back south, we stopped at what would be a beautiful beach in the middle of summer. But was a little blustery today.

When we checked into out B and B, our hostess told us about a kitchen party at one of the bars in town so we decided to check it out.

We were expecting a band but one guy with a guitar and synthesizer showed up. It was not exactly what we expected. But it turned out to be some fun. Better than sitting in our room. 

They had a Skreeching in ceremony. About 12 more people are now honorary Newfies. We decided to wait until we get to St John's and maybe get Skreeched with Jordan & Rebecca.

We met a couple from Lakeside Ontario. Everywhere we go, we meet people from Ontario.