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Published: June 27th 2016
Please Paint
...passed this sign so often while in the Avalon that a phone call is required.La Manche Provincial Park was a long time coming and the flags of welcome were an encouraging sign.
We had passed many small villages usually at the bottom of a steep mountain.
One such was the much discussed Witless Bay. From here the ECO tours whale excursion leave. Elaine who runs the B&B had been approached via email. Now the man with the Zodiac was interviewed. He was selling beers to the next four people he was taking out in red somewhat worn bodysuits said to be floating devices ….with open legs? … Don’t think so. His answer was to tie up the bottoms. The suits are said to be regularly washed at the laundromat in town. WE did not BELIEVE that.
The total impression he made was one piracy, mistruths, arrogance … I’ve got the Zodiac…you are along for
my ride… and there are no seat belts in the Zodiac … no way were we going on that tour … $85 and no guarantee… no mention of all or partial refund. At $85 some refund should be made … NIX him!
Finally after much upping the mountain and downing the mountain the Provincial Park was reached.
And then there was an extremely steep decent to the campgrounds. Third gear had a vigorous workout this day.
No water tap at the site and the tap at the side of the shower house carried the note …Boil Water.
The shower was somewhat hot and activated by repeated pushing of a stubby knob in the wall of the shower stall. The whole place was very clean even after the school group used the facilities leaving behind overpowering scents of perfume.
All three nights friendly people camped beside us, the couple from BC being both nice and funny and extremely curious about the wan setup. At one point it appeared as if they wanted to check the softness of the foam mattress … they both had to squeeze it and an effort had to be made to stop them from removing the sheets for a better look. They found dinner in the rain under the rainbow umbrella so amusing enough it had to be commemorated to digital.
Because the campsites are so close together all four sides of the wan had to be covered to guard against being totally exposed while the reading light was turned
on.
On the morning of June 21 considerable time was spent at Tim’s in Gould getting a blog published. Once that was accomplished the drive into St John’s was resumed. A sign had stated 27km …but that was just to the amalgamated city limits LOL.
Once in the city proper having taken Waterford Road which is populated with absolutely intriguing houses from another era … all of which are unaffordable … clear signs directed traffic to Cape Spear, the furthest point of land on the Atlantic Seaboard of North America. A moderate trail along the ocean cliff leads to a gift shop and the Cape Spear Lighthouse and oldest dwelling for a lighthouse keeper’s family in Canada. The opportunity of paying an entrance fee was forgone after hearing another visitor say there is not much in there. Lighthouses are not a priority … better a museum or a library. The drive to Cape spear was uphill all the way and of course leaving the Cape the road continuously went down.
At Blackhead two icebergs were visible in the Bay. The woman who runs an ad hoc gift shop from her property said that one of
the bergs had grounded itself but the second one was floating around.
Finally Signal Hill ….VERY VERY VERY windy
Signal Hill lies across the water of the Neck of St. John’s Harbour from Cape Spear. It is a somewhat ugly Victorian building where the first Morse code signals were received by Marconi. It was so windy people with weight were at an advantage.
The best part of coming up here was the magnificent view of the beautiful Harbour, one of the best protected harbours in North America.
Now it was 17:00. Everything was closing. We would have to return another day to visit the GeoCentre and The Rooms.
For the rest of today the hunt was on for a mall in hopes of finding open a haircutting place. For $22 which included a $5 tip the mission was accomplished.
Next in desperation, eggs and Philadelphia cheese were bought at a Needs outlet … Needs being like a 7/11. The cheese turned out to be a slimy dip which was not to be borne and therefore made a quick exit in to the garbage bag …. Goodbye $4.99+tax. Further down the road a Foodland was
still open. All empty bottles were brought into the store in hopes of filling them with potable water. The woman at the cash could only advise bottled water be bought … YUK … between a rock and a hard place … profits to PepsiCo!
The drive back was behind an infuriatingly Oldman going at or below the speed limit. At least we pull over when we see more than three four cars behind our 80km/hr progress.
The dinner at a somewhat late hour consisted of cooked sausage warmed with boiling water with kale salad and some bread. Not to be missed was an extremely delicious Tetley Tea … strong, sweet and hot!
The walk back from the shower was in the dark. Tanksbetogot there was a full moon.
And so ended the first night in Newfoundland … with Labrador only a wish away for another day … definitely not during this trip.
(On June 24 had tea with people who had done the Trans-Labrador Highway just a few weeks ago. They said it was hard to get a satellite phone because phones were all at the other end of the highway. The road they said
was better than potholed asphalt.)
Friday June 24
th necessitated a return visit to St John’s. Two important attractions, The Rooms and The Geo-Centre were still to be visited.
The Johnson Geo-Centre has been created by drilling down into the rock of Signal Hill and once inside one can witness and touch the 560million year old rock. Also on exhibit is a very well laid out story concentrating on The Truth about the Titanic Tragedy. The guide, with a master’s degree (in something??) was most informative, answered questions well and seemed a source of many extra interesting facts. For Titanic aficionados, one who was visiting from England, this exhibit is worth the drive to St. John’s.
Lunch in the wan was a pre-made sandwich with left over coffee made during breakfast at the campsite. With a well-defined map received at the Geo-Centre progress was swift and direct to The Rooms and the Cathedral.
Designed by PHB Group Inc (Philip Pratt, Charles Henley and Paul Blackwood), The Rooms sits prominently on the St. John’s skyline. Photo by Ned Pratt Photography ...https://www.canadianarchitect.com
First The Rooms. What an ugly structure, inside and out. These are of course personal observations.
WWll Bunker
...one of two and the guns are all rusted ... mechanisms gone. Phillip Pratt, the brother of Christopher Pratt, was the architect. Apparently the buildings are supposed to reflect bait shacks, which they do but the size of the two buildings and the location high on a hill in the centre of the St. John’s skyline makes the museum stick out like a sour thumb.
The interior is full of pipes and extremely busy. The aluminium forget-me-nots hung in commemoration to fallen soldiers from Nfld. In WW1 were almost missed … and it is a striking tribute!
The exhibit rooms are well displayed with the history of Nfld., the influence of the Irish, the importance of the fishing industry, artefacts from the Indigenous (the Beothuk were totally annihilated) and the remnants of the colonial influence especially the merchants who as in all places lived high on the hog.
Two point five hours spent at The Rooms and three hours used reading info at the Geo-Centre put us directly into Friday rush-hour traffic leaving St. John’s for cabins, seasonally parked RV’s and weekend reservations at campsites. Added to that was the fact that school let out on Thursday. And the radio warned about using Kenworth …and where were we …on
Kenworth Road!
All in all the Geo-Centre is an essential visit for rock buffs, The Rooms for Canadian history, Signal Hill for those interested in a perfect view and those and dedicated to social media… come see how it all began and how it all operated before Google. Cape Spear is just a place one must visit if Tofino B.C. and Ushvia Argentina have been reached. That leaves Resolute in the Arctic. Then all four extremes of the Western Hemisphere will have been visited.
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