Thank you, St. John’s, and thank you to everyone for reading

Well, it’s the very last day of my trip, with a few hours before my flight home, and it is gray and raining in St. John’s. But, yesterday was beautiful! Very warm and sunny with a blue sky and lots of happy tourists and locals strolling around downtown. Thank you St. John’s!

Immediately after checking in at Memorial University, I took a bus to downtown and then up to Signal Hill which has been the site of St. John’s harbour defences from the mid 1600s up to the second World War. I was too tired to read all of the signs and take in much of anything, but I was surprised to learn that a decisive battle for control of North America took place here in 1762 between French and British forces. Of course, Signal Hill is also famous as the place where Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless communication in 1901. Cabot tower, which now stands on Signal Hill, was built in 1897 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of John Cabot’s landfall in 1497.

I was more interested in just taking in the views of St. John’s harbour and city, and in searching the blue Atlantic for signs of whales or icebergs. None were there to be spotted, but the horizon was a deep blue line full of possibilities.

I know there are smudges on my pictures from the last few days. I think maybe water got onto my camera’s sensor. Hopefully, that is fixable! But, look at that beautiful horizon!

From the top of Signal Hill, I walked down to the little cove and village of Qidi Vidi. It was a very quiet and peacful walk down, though I was conscious that the trip back up would be strenuous! Here are some pictures of my walk to Qidi Vidi, and then of the cove itself.

After taking my pictures, I started to feel quite tired, as well as hot, so rather than walk back up and over Signal Hill, I begged a ride back to town from a young couple, both teachers from Winnipeg. They let me off on one of the hillside streets, a few blocks above Water Street, and I had a fun time looking at, and taking pictures, of the colourful and historic houses of St. John’s.

I was rapidly running out of steam, so I walked into the cool and silent sanctuary of the Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, and I rested for a few moments, enjoying the high Gothic arches and the stained glass windows. Somewhat rejuventated, I headed back out into the warm afternoon and walked the few more blocks to downtown to find George Street, famous for its row of pubs where tourists get “screeched in” and become honourary Newfoundlanders by drinking screech and kissing a frozen codfish. Many of the pubs had a very Irish pedigree!

Finally, I walked the last block down to the harbour and saw this enormous fishing boat! I had no idea they came this big. Fishing on an industrial scale. No wonder there are few fish left in the sea!

Here are some other pictures from the harbour in St. John’s, and then looking across to the entrance of the harbour, called “the narrows”, and to Signal Hill. I think the big orange ships, Atlantic Raven and Atlantic Eagle, are fishing vessels as well.

Now, I was really quite tired. It was only 4 p.m. Newfoundland time, but I’d been up since 5:00 a.m. Irish time, nineteen and a half hours earlier. So, I caught the bus back to the university, had a quick food court supper at the university centre building, and then retired to my room. I thought I would blog last evening, but I had trouble staying awake, so I gave in to sleep and slept for a good 10 hours.

Now, after a quiet morning, it’s almost time to head to the airport. Thank you very much to everyone who has been following my journey through this blog. Thank you for reading, and thank you so much for your supportive comments. Until the next adventure, then.

All the best,

Christine

Skerwink Trail, and “So Sorry St. John’s”

On my last morning in Trinity, I hiked the beautiful Skerwink trail which is located just north of town. Only 5.3 km in length, this trail packs in forest boardwalks and sts, clifftop views, and patches of bog with their unique plants and flowers. And, as a finale in the last two kilometers, views of Trinity across the bay, a beautiful curving beach, and then a fine sparkling lake too. So much fun!

After my wonderful hike, I headed back to St. John’s, a trip of almost 3 hours. The driving was good until about 40 km from St. John’s when the clouds thickened and darkened, and it began to rain. It’s now about 24 hours later and it hasn’t let up a bit. It’s raining like the wettest, rainiest day we get in Vancouver. Two people who have walked by me have been completely drenched, as if they had fallen in the pond outside. As well, it’s below 10 degrees, and the wind is gusting from between 40 and 70 km per hour out there. I know this fact about the weather because I googled it while sitting here in comfort and warmth in a glassed-in hallway at the summer accommodations headquarters of Memorial University. Today was supposed to be my “Tour St. John’s” day, but, so sorry St. John’s, I’m not going out there until I have to for food and my flight. A happy time, though, writing up these posts and reflecting on my brief but wonderful time here in Newfoundland. I’ll see you next in Ireland!

Bonavista, and another look at the puffins

After my fabulous hike, I drove the 20 or so km north to Cape Bonavista with its iconic lighthouse. As I arrived in town, I at first found the settlement rather stark and straggly and utilitarian-looking, with the look and feel of settlements you would see in the Arctic, ranged as it is across flat, barren land. But, upon a closer look, I loved it. It is straggling, and somewhat stark, but also incredibly beautiful and historic.

I went first to the lighthouse which was fogged in and the foghorn was so loud! Jagged, huge boulders the size of apartment buildings are toppled into the sea at crazy angles just below the lighthouse. Then, I drove all over town, taking photos and enjoying the late afternoon light and warmth away from the fog.

The Canada flag at the top of the collection is there because I felt very emotional and proud to be “From Bonavista, to Vancouver Island…This land was made for you and me!” The stacked firewood at the end is there because in almost every yard I saw a wood pile. The wood piles came in various forms, arrangments, and sizes but each one brought to mind that I’m here in the summer but the residents are in it for the long haul through cold long winters.

I’m afraid that my pictures do not justice to Bonavista, and I would have loved to spend more time there, and probably should have, but I was hoping that I could see the puffins at closer range so I headed back to Elliston, hungry, but forgoing supper in the hopes of a lucky viewing. No such luck was to be had, but I did have the pleasure of meeting a professional nature photographer from Toronto, Megan Lorenz. Wow! Her equipment was impressive! She had a little stuffed puffin that she set up on the cliff edge to lure any curious bachelors to come close (puffin bachelors that is). None came by as we chatted, and despite my great reluctance to leave, hunger, happy fatigue, and a reluctance to drive home in moosey darkness urged me to say goodnight and head back to Trinity. Here are a few more puffin pictures I took, but if you want to see real pictures, with incredible sharpness and timing, visit Megan’s site. Viewing her photos is a pleasure and a gift!

What a glorious day I had!

Trinity, Elliston puffins and pony, and the Klondike hike

After my wonderful afternoon at Tickle Head and the Random Passage site, I headed 16 km back north to the iconic town of Trinity. You come around a hill, and there it is below you, a colourful array of beautiful historic buildings lovingly restored and hosting happy visitors. I took many photos of the town and buildings in the early evening light, as well as views of the lighthouse across the bay. Here are a few of those photos.

After a good night’s sleep in my beautiful room at Maidment House (the mustard-yellow house above), I headed up the coast to Elliston to hike the Klondike trail (no, not that one, this one was only 8 km return!) and to see the puffins. On the drive there, I saw a beautiful iceberg in the bay across from the pretty town of Melrose. I drove into town and then out towards the farthest point at the north end of the bay, but as I drove I saw a bank of fog moving in. It was a race! I grabbed my camera, scrambled over the rocks, quickly changed lenses and lifted my camera just as the fog obliterated the iceberg completely (it’s hiding just to the left of the islands off shore – perfectly camouflaged). And it stayed stubbornly hidden in that fog all day! I consoled myself by taking a few shots in Melrose.

I carried on to Elliston where I visited the puffin site. I had heard from a friend, and confirmed from research online, that the puffins who nest on the rock just offshore sometimes come onto the headland where hopeful visitors are watching from only meters away. Alas, I was not lucky enough to have this happen but I contented myself with watching and photographing these iconic Newfoundland birds from some distance away. They are very difficult to photograph in flight as they are really fast!

Then, some photos of the very scenic Elliston, famous also as the “root cellar capital of the world”, with over 150 of these cellars dotted around this area. Stunning coastline, sturdy houses, and one charming pony.

After viewing the puffins, I headed to the northern end of Elliston to do the Klondike trail. The first kilometer and a half went through forest and a beautiful bog where I took pictutes of the rather amazing-looking pitcher plant.

Then, the trail opened up and followed the clifftop around Spillars Cove to a rise from which I could see way far away across to the Cape Bonavista lighthouse. I wanted to keep on walking all the way there! As well, far to the west, across the peninsula, I could see 1, 2, 3, 4, icebergs far off in the distance. Tiny, but there! It was a glorious hike, so quiet. I met only a few other hikers for a brief hello, but mostly it was just me and the wind and the birds, flowers, and view. I was very happy!

Next, on to Bonavista!

“Tickle Head” and the Random Passage film site at New Bonaventure

After a quick stop in Placentia for some provisions of fresh fruit and vegetables, cheese and crackers, I continued north on Highway 100, then west on the Trans Canada, then north on 230 towards Trinity. Most of the Trans Canada was in excellent condition, but I still had to be careful of the occassional pothole which, at 110 km, could prove disastrous to my rental car. Newfoundland is huge, and the roadways are extensive. The cost of maintenance and snow clearance on thousands of kilometers of road must put a huge strain on the province’s budget, with not a huge tax base to draw on. What an expense to link all of the tiny towns and coves, but a lifeline to residents.

Finally I arrived at New Bonaventure, just south of Trinity, which was one of the film sites for the delightful and funny film “The Grand Seduction” starring the wonderful Irish actor Brendan Gleeson as well as Taylor Kitsch, Gordon Pinsent, and “This Hour Has 22 Minutes” favourites Mark Critch, Cathy Jones and Mary Walsh. Here are some photos of Joe’s Bar, which was built for the film, and of New Bonaventure which to me will forever be known by the fictional name of “Tickle Head.”

While researching the film sites for “The Grand Seduction”, I read that the same area had been used to film “Random Passage”, a 6 hour Irish-Canadian production about a young Irish woman, Mary Bundle, and how she left starvation in Ireland and servitude in a work house in England in the 1850’s to travel to St. John’s. She found work as a maid in a big house, but was fired without pay when the lady of the house did not appreciate her husband’s attentions towards Mary. An encounter with a chancey Irishman named Tim Toope led to the two of them attempting a robbery in the big house during which the owner was accidentally killed by Toope. Mary went into hiding with Toop in the cellar of a wharehouse on the docks in the harbour, having heard that she was wanted for the murder. There, she had a child by Toope, and he callously rid himself of a crying baby and a challenging woman by conning Mary into boarding a schooner which he said was bound for England. In fact, it was bound for the outposts of northeastern Newfoundland to deliver supplies in exchange for barrels of salted cod. Upon discovery on the ship, the sailors were happy to have a cook and a young woman to use for their pleasure, or so they thought. Mary fought and frightened them off with talk of spells and curses, and she abandoned ship at the first oupost they reached, “Random Passage”. At this outpost there were already other unwanted newcomers, the Andrews family from England, who had been put ashore because the mother was ill after a stillborn childbirth at sea. Unwanted by the few fishers who already inhabit the harbour, as winter is coming and provisions are already low, the story carries on for another 25 years of hardship, relationships, marriages, births, and deaths. It is a wonderful film, and I highly recommend it.

Here, are a few photos of the buildings and interiors that were built on site for the film and which remain as a living museum of life in outpost Newfoundland in the late 19th century. The guided tour was excellent, and the site was beautiful, with a lake, ponds and stream just above the settlement, and grassy meadows leading down to the cove.

And, to finish my wonderful visit, an iceberg offshore and then a bowl of moose stew in the onsite tearoom.

On to Cape St. Mary’s

After leaving Cape Spear, I headed south on Highway 11 and passed the lovely little town of Maddox Cove/Petty Harbour.

Then on to Witless Bay where I had a brief lunch stop.

There are bunches of lupins all over on the roadsides and in fields. Here is a nice grouping with buttercups in a field beside the beach at Witless Bay.

Next time I come to Newfoundland I’ll drive the full Irish Loop, but in the interests of time I had to shortcut on Highway 13, the “Witless Bay Line”. The sign that greeted me at the beginning of this road read “Rough Road for 20 km”. And so began my introduction to Newfoundland’s potholes! The road wasn’t too bad after all, just enough potholes to keep me energized. The road was beautifully lonely and scenic, first lined with shrubby forest and then it rose higher to more open spaces dotted with ponds and small lakes. Here’s my little red car beside the Witless Bay Line.

And looking ahead.

And looking out over the tundra-like landscape. There are caribou in this part of Newfoundland but I wasn’t lucky enough to see any.

Then, after transferring to Route 90, after a brief zoom along the Trans Canada westwards, I stopped for a welcome walk in the Salmonier Nature Reserve. This 3 km walk on raised boardwalks wove through scrub forest and beautiful wetland meadows.

And as I walked along…the sun came out!

The sky continued to clear as I continued south on 90, then west on 91, then south again on 92. There were more high open vistas, with glimpses of the sea to the east, and some very beautiful rivers like the Salmonier River and the Red Head River. Finally, I arrived at Branch. What a wonderful little town! I stopped for a few photos of the long gravel beach and small harbour, wishing I could spend more time there. It had a very peaceful feeling.

But, the gannets of St. Mary’s were calling me and I was anxious to get there while the weather was fine and clear. Cape St. Mary’s is often shrouded in fog, with an average of only 10 clear days between June and September!

The road between Branch and the turnoff for the cape was beautiful and awful! The worst potholes yet! I crawled along at about 20-30 km/hr, wishing I could enjoy glimpses of the gorgeous wide open scenery, but too anxious to take my eyes off the road for more than a fraction of a second in case I fell hard into a deep pothole. Then I really would be delayed in seeing the gannets!

Finally the turnoff came and it was a very narrow road, but newly paved and headed straight for the cape. Hourray!

This is the first view of Bird Rock after leaving the parking area and the excellent interpretive centre. Up to 24,000 gannets nest here, with murres and gulls nesting lower down on the cliffs. The rock is white with gannets.

In the foreground is “Bird Rock” which is a sea stack a short distance away from the cliff-top viewing area. I love the golden colour of the gannets’ necks and their distinctive blue-gray bills lined with black. A wonderful film that introduced me to the beauty of gannets is “Winged Migration.”

Gannets have a wing span of up to six feet and are powerful fliers. They dive down like torpedos into the sea at up to 100 km per hour, folding their wings back at the last moment and pursuing their prey underwater.

Glad I brought my zoom lens!

Here’s a view from Bird Rock looking back towards the interpretive centre and lighthouse. It was so wonderful to sit and watch the gannets for about two hours in the warm sun. Such a contrast from my morning at Cape Spear! I learned later that this was the first clear day in 30 days!

My last photograph of the day. These beautiful irises grow wild all over the Avalon peninsula, and perhaps all of Newfoundland. I’ll have to come back again and touch every corner of the island to find out! They grow on roadsides, fields, yards, and boggy areas. It was a pleasure to see them each day.

Newfoundland!

Well, after months of planning, my travel date finally arrived! I was lucky to get a window seat on both legs of my trip from Vancouver to Toronto and then on to St. John’s. I love looking at the earth from above, identifying features, places, geological processes…What a massive and beautiful country we have!

I arrived in St. John’s late last Wednesday night to biting wind, rain, and a temperature of 7 degrees Celcius! I quickly organized my rental car, and found my way to Memorial University to stay in their residence accommodation for my first night. So fun to have my own residence room! It takes me back to being 18 and having my first home-away-from home.

The next morning, after a quick continental breakfast. I headed off to Cape Spear, the most easterly point on mainland North America. It’s the closest I can get to Ireland without crossing the ocean. When I am in Ireland, I will also visit the most westerly point of Europe. When I left St. John’s, it was still overcast and windy, with some rain it the air. When I got to Cape Spear, the wind had picked up and it was difficult to open the car door! After I managed to push my way out, the wind ripped right through my fleece and stole all of my body heat in about two seconds so I hustled back in the car and put on another shirt and my rain coat and my rain pants. I put on a hat and tied up my hood, grabbed my camera, pushed my way out again, and tried my best to to stay upright! I headed towards the water and balls of sea foam were flying past me like large windblown snowflakes. It was exhilirating! I love the formidable and impressive and mighty North Atlantic!

Cape Spear lighthouses from a distance. The lighthouse on the left is operational, and fully automated. The lighthouse on the right has been decomissioned and is now a very interesting museum set up to show how the early lighthouse keepers and their families lived and worked in such isolation and hard conditions.

My photos do not do justice to the size of the waves!