An absolutely beautiful morning here in Deer Lake. Warm and sunny, and the strong winds of yesterday have moderated into a pleasant breeze. Forecast high is 20°. Holiday Inn breakfast. I'm sure most people have had at least one of these in their lives. It fills the void, anyway. And we're off on the eastward trek back to St. John's along the TCH. The aim is to go as far as we can/want and then see whether we will have time for other excursions. The fact we have already made it to Deer Lake is a plus. A ways out of Deer Lake, we pass the town of Howley. Our friend Andrea has roots here and so we give it a salute as we drive past. Andrea tells us that this was where moose were introduced ... read more

We wake up to a wet, dreary, cold day. Breakfast at the hotel restaurant. And we are en route north. The goal is to reach the extreme northern tip of the Newfoundland "finger": L'Anse aux Meadows. As you may know, L'Anse aux Meadows is the site of the only confirmed Viking settlement in North America. It was discovered by Norwegian researchers and is believed to be where Leif Erikson and other Vikings stayed intermittently for about ten years. It dates to 1000 AD, 500 years before Columbus' voyages. We stop at Arches Provincial Park near Parson's Creek. The attraction here is a series of magnificent sea arches. They were actually carved out underwater thousands of years ago, then pushed up to their present elevation and location at the ocean's edge. And they are wonderful! We have ... read more

We awake to a sunny but windy day in Twillingate, with many clouds in the sky, some threatening. It's rained at some point in the night and the temperature is noticeably cooler. We check out of the hotel, then tour Twillingate. The original name of the town, by the way, is Toulinguet. It was so named by the French because the rugged coastline reminded them of this area in Brest. But Toulinguet did not trip lightly over the English tongue and Twillingate is the result. We visit the Twillingate Museum, lovingly put together and maintained by community volunteers in the former Anglican rector's house. It's well worth the visit, with many interesting stories to piece together from the displays. One of these is the life of Georgina Stirling, born in Twillingate, who became a world-renown operatic ... read more

Another beautiful day here in Trinity. A brilliant blue sky, though slightly cooler than yesterday. We enjoy a complimentary "continental" breakfast at the hotel, which has a lot of lovely choices. We fall into a conversation with a couple from Calgary, who have been here for a few days and are willing to share their experiences. We try to get on a whale-watching tour but it's all booked up. Apparently, orcas are in the vicinity. We put ourselves on the waiting list for tomorrow. That means we can devote the day to circumnavigating the Bonavista Pennisula and return back to the Artisan Inn in Trinity for another night. Our destination, Bonavista, lies at the very top of the pennisula. Heading north, we opt for the long, scenic route along the east shore. We pass through many ... read more

Payback for two beautiful days. It's absolutely pouring rain this morning. I'm talking sheets here. Cats and dogs. When it rains in Newfoundland, it rains! You get the picture. We have breakfast at the hotel restaurant, then pack, check out, and head south from St. John's down highway 10. Our goal is the southeastern hump of the Avalon Pennisula, the so-called Irish Loop. We drive through Bay Bulls and stop at a diner in Witless Bay for a pit stop. There is an ecological reserve here consisting of five offshore islands that has one of the largest concentrations of sea birds in the world, including puffins. The Witless Bay Ecological Reserve is accessible only through boat tours. We're not sure if a tour is worth attempting today, given the weather (did I mention that it's raining?), ... read more