Bonavista National Historic Site

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Since it was raining all morning we scrub our AM hike and drive to Bonavista, NL. This National Historic Site includes several buildings dedicated to the fishing industry and the hearty people who survived in this remote coastal area. The cod was bountiful and the work endless. The men’s job was to bring in the fish and then split it. Everyone was involved in cleaning, salting, and drying the fish on flakes (pole stands in the fresh air). Care was taken to remove the liver for “cod liver oil”. The job was labor intensive and never improved with time and technology until the cod was over-fished and the catch steadily declined. These people were a generation behind the “modern” world existing on the barter system. With the introduction of refrigeration, things slowly changed.
In 1497, John Cabot sailed across the uncharted Atlantic into the land he named “Bonavista”, and yes it has beautiful views! On our way to the lighthouse, we came across whales, just off the shore, performing for us. It was a splendid show and we didn’t have to pay the sightseeing people.
Our last stop was the Dungeon, as folks here call it. Actually it is two arches in the sea eroding, creating a foreboding appearance.
July 16,2006. We are on our way to Newfoundland’s largest city, St. John’s. One stop on route is Trinity, a quaint little town nestled in a natural harbor. Mussel Farms are common on the water, the only thing visible is a buoy, but underneath is a long sock-like netting, growing mussels.
St. John’s is the largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador and the capital. It is one old city and the roads
are worse than Pittsburgh. We parked on Harbor Street and just walked around. Then we were off to the brewery, Quidi Vidi, it is Latin, but the local pronunciation is something else again, (Kiddie Viddie). We walked around town for a while and drove out to the Pippy RV Park.

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Photos

St. George Street, the party place in St. John’s
there are 22 bars in two blocks This is the party street

A collection of lots of junk, Quidi Vidi pronounced (kiddie viddie).
this was the fishing boat dock Must have been there for years