Lets start on the ferry!! We left Cape Breton on a sunny Friday evening, headed for Argentia, Newfoundland. Taking the long ferry, its about a 14 hour ferry ride.... and its amazing. The ferry is quite big, spacious, with cabins for sleeping , ( at $ 180 for a cabin, we decided against that one... ), lounge chairs for sleeping, a couple of restaurants and a snack bar, and a lounge and bar. ( for drinking, socializing, listening to live music, and also for sleeping on the couches. Which is exactly where we slept. ) While on the ferry, we met lots of locals, found out about some great free camping spots, listened to local bands, and even met Steve from Surrey B.C. coming over to St. Johns for work, and who also knows a friend of ours, James Crape! ( Small world indeed!!! ) Watched the sun set and rise again over the ocean, and though sleepy in the morning, couldn't contain our excitement when we finally landed on the rock.
Our first stop in Newfoundland, was at Cape Marys.( This is along the Avalon Peninsula. ) This is an ecological reserve, and home to thousands of Garnets and other sea birds that make their home all along the cliffs at the oceans edge. It's amazing to be able to get within meters of their nesting sites, watching them fly and dive amongst the rocks, and the landscape was hard to beat. Barren and craggy, high cliffs jutting out with the waves crashing thirty feet in the air... it feels like an interesting combination of B.C. and Scotland here. Stopped for groceries in Conception Bay South, and then settled in for the night at ButterPot provincial park.
The next night, we made our way out to one of the free campsites we were told about, out at Cape Race. A very long, somewhat harrowing drive up and down steep hills, over gravel roads and small bridges, but at the end of the drive, totally worth it. We spent the night beside a lighthouse, and watched a pod of humpback whales spouting water into the air and slapping their fins in the ocean. It was here as well, we got to watch the sunrise out of the Atlantic in the morning fog... coffee's in hand, we head out to La Manche provincial park.
This park is lovely. It has a great swimming pond, and tonnes of hiking you can do. One trail leads you up to a small falls area, and the other leads you up to the remains of a village that was destroyed in the late 60's by storm. The path to the village also has a suspension bridge, ( For those of you who know me, you know my fear of heights, but after some cajoling from Rob, I managed to make it across with assistance, and back, though running halfway, by myself. lol ) which gives quite the view of the river and bay below.
Next up? Cape Spear. The most Eastern point of Canada!!! , and from there we went up to Signal Hill in St. Johns, place of Cabbot tower, and the first wireless transmission across the Atlantic. St. Johns is a really great town. Good food, cool architecture, and great people. As I write this, I am sitting in the living room of my friend Leisha, who was very generous in lending us her apartment during our stay . A million thankyous to you, Leisha, for giving us a home base, making us feel so comfortable, and the marvelous snuggles of your cat.
Tune in next time for more adventures from the rock,
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