Day 18: Boat Tour and Bon Fire

Today with help from Catherine we were able to secure some discounted tickets to a Boat tour to see whales and puffins.  The tour took us along the coast and the captain was able to navigate the boat close to shore after spotting a whale.  Thank god for Gravol as between the waves coming into shore and the reflected waves returning back the ride was choppy to say the least.  The crew repeatedly advised passengers to hold on to prevent falls which was good advice.  We were able to see a young humpback blow and do a jump out of the water but unfortunately with the movement of the boat taking a photo was pretty well impossible.  The view of the humpback whale was quite impressive to say the least.  We then doubled back inland a bit to see the bird colony where the puffins were to be found.  Although the boat was still pitching in the waves I was able to get some photos this time.  Towards the end of the Boat Tour unbeknownst to us Catherine had conspired to have us "Screeched In" by the crew.  Among other things during the ceremony we had to kiss a puffin's rear (no not a real one - fortunately we didn't have to kiss a cod fish as is sometimes done), take the shoes off of one foot, dunk the other foot - shoe and all into a pail of salt water, recite a Newfie expression and finally down a shot of Screech (rum).  Marching off the boat with sodden feet Atty and I left as honorary Newfies.  In the evening Patrick, Wilfred and Catherine came over to the cabin.  Patrick arranged to have a bonfire down on the beach.  I soon realized that it had been too long since I last sat in front of a fire.  It does ones' soul good to sit in front of a fire and and look into flames as the wood in the fire crackles away.

Puffins

Gannets

Puffins

Treetops as seen from the cabin

Wilfred, Catherine, Me, Atty and Patrick with the cabin in the background

Day 17: St John's - The Rooms and Rennies River TrailClic

Today was rainy so the plan was to visit "The Rooms" museum in St. John's and take a walk along the Rennie River trail weather permitting.  The museum houses not only historical artifacts but also art.  Although we only spent a few hours there it was interesting.  We learned that a large portion of the Irish that emigrated to Newfoundland came from one county in Ireland, Waterford.  The weather held out for us long enough to do a section of the Rennie River trail which runs through St. John's.  Walking through some sections it's hard to believe you're in the middle of a city.

A view of The Rooms museum from the inside

Downtown St. John's looking towards the narrows from The Rooms

Signal Hill as viewed from The Rooms

Atty and Patrick on the Rennie River trao;

A view of the Rennie River trail

Me and Atty on the Rennie River Trail

Click on this picture to see a panoramic view of St. John's from The Rooms

Day 16: East Coast Trail - La Manche/Doctor's Cove hike

On our last trip to Newfoundland (4 years ago) one of the hikes we did was to an abandoned fishing village called La Manche.  The village was largely destroyed by a bad storm Jan 28, 1966 with many of the buildings and infrastructure washed away.  We found both the hike and the site interesting.  Little did we know that we'd be doing the same hike 4 years later but with a difference.  In the interim Atty had met Patrick while teaching English overseas in the Sultanate of Oman.  It so happened that Patrick had a friend (in Newfoundland) Catherine, whose family lived in La Manche before it was resettled!  It's funny how through a series of unrelated events people become linked together.  Anyway, the plan today was to hike from Catherine and Wilfred's home to the trailhead and then do the trail.  As such the invitation was extended to have breakfast at Catherine and Wilfred's home before heading out on the hike.  Let's just say that Catherine out did herself and we definitely left the house full after breakfast!  The hike for the most part is not that difficult but there is one steep hill at the beginning of the trail that is a killer.  Once we got to La Manche Catherine showed us around and explained how the site looked when she was young and the village was still being used.  We were taken to the foundations of her grandmother's home, to where the school was located and other sites.  It really was fascinating to hear her accounts of life there as it brought the ruins back to life.  It was a treat having her and Wilfred share their memories of the village with us.  I was able to locate some photos of La Manche before it was resettled to show you how the village originally appeared.  On the way back we took a small side trail to Doctor's Cove and had a rest stop there.  It's a beautiful location where you can observe the waves come in to rock formations along the shore. 

Wilfred and Patrick

Catherine and Atty

Wilfred taking in the view from the suspension bridge

A view of the La Manche site as it appears now

A view of La Manche when it still was a working fishing village

The La Manche suspension bridge

Catherine (afraid of heights) crossing the bridge at La Manche....sorry Catherine but I had to show this!

Looking out towards the Atlantic from La Manche

Catherine and Wilfred standing on the ruins of Catherine's grandmother's home

A view of La Manche in the early 60's before the storm

Wilfred, Catherine, Patrick and Atty

A dragonfly that landed nearby to sun itself

The new boardwalk leading into La Manche is located higher up the rocky shore than the original

A view of the entrance to La Manche as it appears today

A view of the entrance to La Manche as it once was

Waves crashing in at Doctor's Cove

Atty taking a break at Doctor's Cove

Catching a break at Doctor's Cove

Walking back to Wilfred and Catherine's place

Day 15: St. John's - Signal Hill Hike and Petty Harbour

Today Patrick took us (Ruby, Atty and me) to St. John's to do the North Head trail hike which travels around Signal Hill (from Battery Road at the base up to the Cabot Tower).  The trail according to Parks Canada is usually done by going from top to bottom.  However, Patrick had us doing the reverse (bottom to top) which is a bit more challenging as you ascend about 500 ft.  It is a wonderfully scenic trail which provides views of St. John's harbour, the narrows and Fort Amherst.

A bit of history about Signal Hill.  This was the location where Marconi received the first trans Atlantic wireless signal in December of 1901.  Signal Hill derived it's name before Marconi as flags were used at the summit to signal ships coming and going from the harbour from the 1700's onward.  The Cabot tower was the last flag signalling station built (completed in 1900) at the summit of Signal Hill.

Our hike took about two hours to complete and we visited Patrick's hometown of Petty Harbour afterwards. We had lunch at Chafe's Landing which is a charming restaurant located in a converted old house.  We then did a tour of Petty Habour whose history dates back to the 1600's (first as a fishing station and later with permanent residents).  It's look is similar to what you'd expect to see on a post card from Newfoundland as the pictures below show.

Patrick at the beginning of our hike

A view of the Narrows

Me, Ruby, Patrick and Atty

Atty, Ruby and Patrick

Traversing along a narrow cliffside portion of the trail

Atty and I with St. John's in the background

Another view of the Narrows facing towards St. John's

A view of Fort Amherst from the trail

A view from near the top looking out towards the Atlantic

A view of some of the stairways along the trail

Patrick, Atty and Ruby

Thistles and sky as seen along the trail

The Cabot Tower

The post office in Petty Harbour

Patrick's hometown of Petty Harbour

Another view of Petty Harbour

Day 14: Travel day and visit to Trinity

We left Twillingate today to make our way towards St. John's to vist our friend Patrick.  A brief side trip was made en route to stop at the town of Trinity.  The town which is a living historical site dates all the way back to the 1500's and was founded by the Portuguese who came here to fish.  Although the town has much to offer we could only spend a few hours here before heading onward.  Below are some shots of the town that will give you an idea of what we saw.