Newfoundland's West Coast - August 17 & 18, 2006 (Re-run)

 Our last days in Newfoundland were spent exploring several areas we had bypassed the first time around.  This experience drove home the point of how easy it is to miss beautiful scenery while touring.  The typical mistake is taking too little time, almost never spending too much time.  In such a remote place, it would definitely be better to plan more time than you think you need, as getting back there will likely never happen.

Sheaves Cove was one of my favorite stops, with its spectacular waterfalls over the rocky shore and into the sea.

Cape St. George and Cape Ray also offered some nice views of the coast and a few of the small settlements there.

 

Before driving onto the ferry back to the mainland, there was time to visit the historic old lighthouse at Rose Blanche on the southern coast.  This is where the road ends; to go farther along this coast requires a ferry ride.  While the ferry stops at several villages, very few people live in those villages and the numbers are rapidly shrinking as the population ages.

Crossing Newfoundland Again - August 15 - 18, 2006 (Re-run)

 From St. John's, we could have taken the 14 hour ferry back to the mainland, but we chose instead to drive back across the island to the 6 hour ferry.  The reasoning for this was to visit places we had bypassed in a rush to reach St. John's on the date we had reservations at the only campground.  Besides, the longer ferry ride cost way more and who wants to spend that much time at sea?

Somehow we happened to find our way to Triton Island for more fishing villages.  Also, the waters there were absolutely full of jelly fish.

Two men in a small boat turned cranks to reel in long lines loaded with unbaited hooks.  Many, many fish were brought in and simply fell off the hooks and into the boat.  Pretty easy and pretty clever method of fishing.

Our next stop was a place called Rattling Brook, which had nice woods, streams and waterfalls, in addition to fishing.

By the third day, we were back on the west coast and spent the night in the village of Kippens, which was off the main highway, but on the way to our next significant destination.  Here we visited a llama ranch and enjoyed more coastal scenery.

St. John's, Newfoundland, Part 3 - August 12-14, 2006 (Re-run)

For me, one of the impressive things about St. John's was its varied architecture.  Most of the structures are no more than two or three stories due to a long-time height restriction.  I assume that has now been lifted, or at least allows for exceptions, because there are several taller buildings that are obviously more modern.  Built on hilly terrain, the city is in small ways reminiscent of San Francisco.  They even have some row houses that you might call "painted ladies".

There are also good examples of classical architecture, especially in the churches.  The most noteworthy is St. John's Cathedral, which is also a basilica.  

Next door to St. John's Cathedral is a convent with a rather plain exterior, but housing a very interesting collection of art and artifacts.  A sculpture called "veiled virgin" reflects a style that was popular in the mid 18th and 19th centuries in Italy.  Carved of Carrara marble, it appears to show a translucent veil.  The date of its creation is not known, but it was moved to the convent in 1856.  A vintage phonograph also stood out.

Speaking of art, colorful statues of mermaids were located around the city, no doubt painted by various local artists.

While touring the countryside around St. John's, we came upon a boat tour of a nearby island occupied by puffins and a couple other species of birds.

Before departing the city, we returned to Signal Hill for a view of the sunset and night lights.  We regretted spending only three days there, but our campground (the only one in the area) was booked up and couldn't give us more time.