Newfoundland...A Place Time Almost Forgot

I'm in Newfoundland right now gearing up for the Canadian Library Association trade show happening in St. John's. I booked my trip a day early by accident as I thought I was going to need to set up today but in fact, I managed to get a day off to tour around. Not knowing Newfoundland at all, I decided to drive the Irish Loop, historic route 10/90 on the southern part of the island. The total length of the trip was estimated at 320km. My tour book told me that there were chances to see 10,000 whales, puffins, and icebergs...

The first part of my drive was through some small fishing villages. They were mostly the same; small square houses, and NO services aside from the local whale watching tours and small cafes. I decided to take a walk at the first town in search of a lighthouse to take some pictures of. I ended up talking to a few locals who told me it was down a trail and pointed me in the right direction. They were pretty insistent on telling me NOT TO GET CLOSE TO THE CLIFFS. I think they thought I had no idea what I was doing. I ended up walking along the East Coast Trail for a little while but stumbled upon a sign that said the lighthouse was 3.7km away (which really meant more like 7.4km for me) and I was concerned about not having enough time to complete the loop. There were a few shots to be had of water crashing against the rocks.As I continued down the road I ended up in Ferryland, one of the oldest settlements in North America (dating back to the 17th century). I stopped there for some lunch at a small cafe that served a variety of food including cod tongues (which people were eating when I walked in). The food was OK but to just sit there and listen to the accents, be immersed in that history, it was pretty neat. I manged to get a few shots of boats, small bay islands, etc...As I continued down the road the scenery changed and it became what I would picture the tundra looking like. Lots of small ponds, very low vegetation, and NOTHING around. I passed a few shacks on the road that I'm not totally convinced were abandoned but clearly did not have modern amenities like running water or electricity! I was told by the waitress that I could expect to see herds of caribou but alas, I did not see any. I ended up driving down to St. Shotts and took a drive in the wilderness. I don't know why, but every time I get out on the road I need to get off the beaten path (though St. Shotts was already quite off the beaten path but still a paved road led to it!). There the waves were crashing into the rocks and made for some nice pictures.Once I left St. Shotts it was getting late, about 4:30pm, and I was considering going back the way I came but my better judgment told me to continue on. I hate turning around when I've started something. I was at about 1/2 a tank of fuel and had about 150km left in my journey. As I continued the scenery stayed much of the same...tundra followed by fishing town. When I arrived in St. Mary's I thought it wise to grab some fuel at one of the three gas stations I passed on my entire trip! The remainder of the drive was boring and uneventful.

I'd have to say I was pretty disappointed with my first tour of Newfoundland. I didn't see any whales, puffin, or icebergs. The drive was long and pretty boring. That said, it did give me some time to ponder...

1. Despite the boredom of my drive, it was neat to experience this part of Canada.
2. I have no idea how these people sustain themselves. In each town I saw basically no services, no businesses, and very few boats (which could mean they were all out to sea!).
3. I would go BONKERS living in this part of Canada
4. If it were not for new cars in people's driveways, this part of Canada could easily pass for any decade between 1920-2007
   
5. I'm more determined to see a whale, a puffin, and/or an iceberg before I leave

Hopefully I'll have a chance to blog again before I return to Calgary.

D