Newfoundland12 - St John's

Our next port of call was St John's and the Pippy Park Campground, a very convenient park within the city. We looked at the sky and decided to do Witless Bay and Signal Hill while the sky was clear.  Had we arrived via the long ferry earlier in the month we would have experienced three weeks of fog with a Low spinning offshore.  We signed up with Gatherall's Tour because Molly Baun (smaller and closer) was not in business yet for the season.

As we motored out to Gull Island to see the puffins, we were entertained for 30 minutes or so by two humpback whales (mom and baby). The captain just moves along at about 4 knots and follows them around until they decide they have better things to do than amuse tourists.  

I thought I had seen puffins back at Bonavista and Elliston Point, but, low and behold, a slow ride around Gull Island put us in view of 1000's of puffins and murres.  Puffins use small burrows for their young; murres just put their eggs on the rocks.  When their backs are turned to you, they are hiding their eggs. Flying around were also Black Guillemot and a couple of fulmars (difficult to see among all the other kittiwakes and gulls of all kinds).  Shearwater were not to be seen since they stay at sea unless foggy.  We did see scientists on the island conducting research.

Black-footed Kittiwakes

Atlantic Puffins

Murres and a few Razorbills

Enroute to Witless Bay, we saw this model harbour just off the road and could not resist taking a picture:

After spending time at the Signal Hill Visitor's Center, we hiked up to Cabot Tower and I logged the Earthcache there.  No wonder this is a good harbour: narrow entrance, excellent lookouts on both sides of the cut and a large, protected harbour.  When we started in Western Newfoundland, the history was of Eskimos, Vikings and European fishermen.  St John's is decidedly Irish.  Lunch at the Celtic Hearth and I had Shepherd's Pie.

The next day after a couple of geocaches in the park, we visited the museum "The Rooms".  The building, glass overlooking the harbour, is as impressive as the exhibits.  This "legacy center" emphasizes those who came before, their hardships and how it affects who they are today.  Notable for me at least are the etchings depicting life in Wesleyville outpost.  Outposts were temporary camps set up by visiting fishermen in the season.  Later, having brought wives and children, they became small villages.  There are still some outposts in existence; but due to concern for their remoteness and the difficulty of adequate social services, most have been relocated to cities.  They are, however, an intergal part of their province history.  We drove out to Quidi Vidi, the closest outpost to St John's.

Quidi Vidi

I had to do one more geocache before leaving St John's, so we searched for one on the way back up the hill to our van.  We searched and searched.  GPS was spinning in circles.  However, on a hunch, I stuck my finger up the end of a steel handrail and there it was.  A little magnet was holding it in place.

View from Signal Hill