St John's July 30

We went out to Cape Spear this morning as soon as the sun decided to poke through. It is only a 20 minuit drive from St John's. We wern't there very long and the fog rolled in again but there was no rain and the sun came and went all day.

Cape Spear is the most easterly point in North America. There were an unusual number of whales in the Harbour and Joanne spent her time watching them splash and blow.

Susan and I went shopping and looked around the site. I picked up the Sou'wester I had been wanting every time I ran across one.

This is a working lighthouse. The old one was open for tours.

From Cape Spear we headed off to find Quidi (say "kitty") Vidi on the other side of St John's. We took a side trip and caught this view it from across the narrows. Then we continued on up to Fort Amherst on the point.

Near Quidi Vidi was this grouping of buildings between the hills but still on ocean water.

A view of St John's from across the narrows.

Another view.

Heading up to Fort Amherst, across the narrows from St John's.

Joanne in front of the Fort Amherst lighthouse.

Looking down on Fort Amherst from Signal Hill on the other side of the narrows.

Looking at Cabot Tower on Signal Hill from across the narrows at Fort Amherst.

Cabot Tower up close. You can walk through it and visit a gift store in the bottom.

The sea gull didn't seem to mind me sharing his rock.

Driving along the other side of the harbour we came upon another boat Joanne recognized from the north. This one is in dry dock.

Last stop of the day was at the Geo centre but we were too late to visit it. We saw some stuff in the gift shop and a rock display outside. I think it would have been interesting.

Here Joanne is peeking through an opening in a cement wall.

We were driving home on Duckworth Street when Joanne spied a restaurant down this tiny street.

The Duke of Duckworth is well known for good bar grub so we decided to have supper here.

Tonight we pack up and prepare to head to Fortune tomorrow.

St. Johns July 29

Well, apparently we made it to St. Johns last night. I just stopped the last post rather suddenly and I can only blame these two girls for creating too many distractions.

Today we decided to hit the downtown because it was foggy and drizzly. Although we have Joanne's van we took a cab to avoid having to park and started walking along the harbour.

Joanne was surprised to see a boat she recognised from Iqualuit. She worked for Fisheries and Oceans Canada up there and was responsible for getting this boat its fishing licence in the past.

That is the courthouse at the end of the street.

There are a few street scenes that are typical of the style here. They are painted in lively jelly bean colors and look perky even on a grey day.

A nice apartment building.

This is the old Masonic temple.

The Masonic emblem on the gate.

The Anglican Cathedral of John the Baptist.

It is a beautiful church.

Rear view.

Inside the cathedral.

Flower of the day.

Well, that was a fun day. We managed to include some shopping also. Now we are hoping to get some sun tomorrow so we can go see some tourist sights.

Off to St. John's, July 28

We headed out for St John's this morning but stopped along the way to visit the town of Trinity on the Bonavista Peninsula.

I appreciate all the wild flowers growing everywhere in Newfoundland.

We were ready for lunch so stopped in at this old Heritage home restaurant.

Heritage is the name of the game here and in fact the whole town is a designated heritage site. No modern design buildings are allowed.

This town which almost died in years gone by is now thriving on tourism. Many of the houses are now restaurants, craft shops, galleries and B & Bs.
Boat tours and live entertainment are also available.



The town is surrounded by water on three sides and the views are fantastic.

We walked the whole town in 2 hours.

Lots of green space between the buildings make for charming settings.

These wild flowers are very showy in the fields. They are Orange Hawk weed.

The Lupins are in bloom growing wild all over and they are so lovely.

I love the bold colors on the houses here. This is the typical "salt box" house design except for the piece at the back.

Looking out toward a lighthouse near Trinity.

Susan in front of St Paul's Anglican Church. A very large church for the size of the town.

Me inside the Holy Trinity Catholic Church which was a tiny church but very bright and cheerful inside.

The town is nestled against some hills.

A flowering shrub I had not seen before.

Self tour done and we are heading back to the car.

Gander July 27

Bert and Joanne at breakfast in our hotel.

We immediately headed north, taking the scenic route along the coast to Boyd's Cove where we went to the Beothuk Interpretation Centre and Historic Site. The Beothuk people were living in Newfoundland as far back as 200 AD. The site is still being excavated. There are no known descendants of these people living now.


Looking toward the ocean on the grounds of the site.

Susan enjoying the viewpoint.

View of the shore.

I don't know what flower this is.

From the sign at the site. The people are original inhabitants of Newfoundland.

After the centre we drove further north to Twillingate where we found a super little fish market/restaurant for lunch.

In the evening we took in a super theater performance of Beyond the Overpass Theatre called Petty Cash - The Has Been Who Never Was. It was really good.

Off to Gander July 26

Here is my sister Susan waiting at our gate in Toronto airport on our way to Gander, Newfoundland. We traveled together from Regina this morning. Next stop St. John's.


Looking around the in Toronto airport while waiting at our gate.



In St John's we boarded this Beachcomber aircraft for the last leg. It is the smallest commercial aircraft I've ever been on with one row of seats on each side. One of the pilots was waiting on the tarmac to sky-check our bags. He then gave us the safety presentation, brought some additional baggage on board, closed up the door and went to the cockpit to co-pilot the plane. It was a 45 minuet flight.

Me, enjoying the camaraderie of my fellow passengers.

My other sister, Joanne and her husband Bert were waiting at the airport in Gander to take us to our hotel.

It was a good quick day of travelling but we are more than ready to hit our beds tonight.