Day 54 - June 17, 2022

A very big day. Up early for the drive from Rocky Harbour to St. Andrews. Arches Provincial Park offered a few good shots. A couple days ago I met a very nice young lady on the Western Brook Pond boat tour, Trisha. Coincidentally, Joy is her middle name. We agreed to do some touring around St. Anthony in search of icebergs. She had arrived at St. Anthony a day earlier and already knew where a couple were, so we spent the rest of the day photographing icebergs, then L’Anse aux Meadows, the site where Leif Ericson landed approximately 1,000 ad (almost 500 years before Christopher Columbus). We also saw a Mama Moose with her calf. Then dinner to end a perfect day. All in all, a very good day. It was nice to have someone to do some exploring with, thank you Trisha!

Day 55 - June 18, 2022

A much quieter day today. I just drove the back roads (gee, what a surprise!) around St. Anthony. The landscape is very barren. Rocky with poor soil and the plants and trees have a hard time surviving. The homes are actually quite nice. Homes are mostly heated with wood and there are huge wood piles at every home and every few hundred yards beside the roads. Also, beside the roads are gardens where topsoil has been brought in to grow vegetables. They fence them and some are covered with netting.

More Newfoundland landscape shots and more icebergs. I also found a family of Eider ducks. Beautiful. The males are so colourful. There is also a shot of some of the babies. And a Coast Guard vessel coming into port at St. Anthony.

Day 56 - June 19, 2022

Our time in St. Anthony has come to an end so, off to Deer Lake today. The day started out cool and very foggy and got worse from there. It started raining about a third of the way and absolutely poured the rest of the way. As a result, only a few shots of the fog which only help to show the barren landscape. Oh, and one on Bud E. Bear. He didn’t seem to mind the weather at all!

Tomorrow…Twillingate.

Day 57 - June 20, 2022

Deer Lake to Twillingate. Once again driving in heavy rain and fog for most of the trip. The good news is that it cleared up nicely by the time we got to Twillingate. A few shots along the way and a few of the houses. On one of the boat cruises we were told that a fisherman can make $100,000 in six weeks during lobster season and then move on to cod, crab etc. They do OK.

At one point we watched a crab boat come into dock. Of course, Bud E. wanted some shots on board and the crew accommodated his request. A couple shots of a few of the catch and some older shoreline structures.

Twillingate is beautiful. We stayed in a lovely B&B that the owner says was the first residential home in Twillingate and is over 150 years old. Then a drive out to the lighthouse and the surrounding beauty.

I started this journey with a drive to the Pacific coast where I wrote Joy’s name in the sand, then watched the tide wash it away. I have now done the same on the Atlantic coast. After that a couple shots of Twillingate at night.

Day 58 - June 21, 2022

Today was Twillingate to Bonavista and again it was driving in heavy rain and fog. Only today it did not clear up when we arrived. So only a few on the road and some in Bonavista. Just a quick observation that Twillingate is much prettier than Bonavista. However, that might change if there is some sunshine tomorrow.

Just outside of Twillingate is a provincial park. Is it just me or does anyone else think they could have put a little more thought into the naming of said park? We did see a large bald eagle but she was in no mood to pose.

Bonavista does have some great old buildings and architecture. The lighthouse that you see here cannot even be seen from a hundred yards because the fog is so thick.

Day 59 - June 22, 2022

Puffin Pandemonium!

When we planned this trip, the idea was to be able to find and photograph two things we had never seen before. Icebergs (check) and Atlantic Puffins. Check and Mate.

The day was supposed to be sunny, but it started out foggy and the fog would roll in and out all day. We started by driving to a place called Open Hall (an aside here…the roads are really bad) where I had heard a rumour of a small berg. Not only did we find that but also a large Bald Eagle that was happy to pose for me. The iceberg, some coastline shots a few shots of homes and then the Puffins. Ohhhh….so cute. And, for the most part, not afraid of people as you will see.

More shoreline shots, hots around Bonavista showing more of the maritime architecture and finally a couple of the sunset from our back deck where we are staying. A very good day. The hardest part was choosing the photos. I have a few hundred more that didn’t make the cut even though they are as good as these.

Tomorrow…off to St. John’s.

Day 60 - June 23, 2022

The day was a travel day, so I expected rain, in spite of the good forecast. When I arose, I was surprised to see sunshine. I decided I would try to get a few shots of the Puffins in sunlight instead of fog but by the time I got there…you know…cloud, fog and rain. On the way, I did get a few shots of the Bonavista lighthouse, a fox, a couple young sheep and shoreline before heading off to St. John’s.

There I met up with the nice girl, Trisha, that I had met on the boat cruise at Western Brook Bay and once again she had scouted out some good shooting spots. We walked around old St. John’s for a bit, then went up to Signal Hill for some sunset views. St. John’s is very beautiful. I have a few days here so we’ll see what trouble I can get into in the next little while.