St.John's and surrounding area

" What type of dog is this? " --- It's a Newfoundland !!!!

It is Monday morning August 25 and the time has quickly passed. Since our last pdate we traveled to St.John's from Eastport a day late because of torrential rain and wind. Many of the roads were washed out and the TC was closed. Saturday the sun shone and we had a lovely trip to Pippy Campground in Central St.John's. In the sun Newfoundland is a very pretty place with many rivers,lakes and views of the ocean. Pippy is part of a large park next to Memorial University and the University Medical Center. A great spot but some sites are pretty tight to get into. They have a large area mainly for caravans called " Loop 4" which are pull through sites with Wi-Fi and would suggest you ask for this area if you have a big rig. Our site was heavily treed and couldn't get my broken satellite dish to work. No Olympics- Rats !!!! Called Starchoice and got a Tech to come out and fix my broken receiver and bought a spare one so I wouldn't have any more problems. It was nice being in a city as my cell phone worked and they had a Costco !!!! We visited Signal Hill and learned about Marconi's first wireless signal. Spectacular views of the very protected Harbour and spent time at the Interpretative center. Drove out to the most easterly part of Canada - Cape Spear. This was a hot sunny afternoon and the whales were along the cliffs. What a performance but no Icebergs. We visited " The Rooms " which is the Provincial Museum and overlooks St.John's Harbour. It is a very spectacular building which I thought was a hotel when we first past it. " The Rooms " in Newfoundland talk is a place where the fisherman store the nets. Stopped off at Quidi Vidi ( a small harbour in St.John's) to sample the Iceberg Beer at the Quidi Vidi Brewery. We then travelled north to Torbay where my father flew in the War. Dad never talked about his time in Torbay so was determined get some history. Torbay is just 20 km north of St.John's and is where the British Landed to march by land and retake St.John's. The Torbay museum was in the city hall and closed for renovations. The staff were working and very helpful as I explained my reason for coming. I thought I would be a celebrity but they get many history seekers coming in. The base at Torbay was just next to St.John's airport and was been torn down two years ago. The museum had no pictures of the base so we drove up the road and took some pictures of the footings where the barracks were. It is sad not more has been done to preserve the memories as many pilots escorted convoys never to return because of fog and bad weather. We then travelled north through Flat Rock to Pouch Cove where we stopped to admire the typical Newfoundland fishing village. As we sat on the bench looking at the sea an old man stopped and sat down next to us. After a brief introduction he told us the history of Pouch Cove over the next hour and will be one of the most memorable experiences on this trip. He was born there and worked as a carpenter all his life. Many people from Europe and US and even BC are moving to Newfoundland and buying homes in small communities like this. Other day trips were to surrounding areas like Brigus and Conception Bay. Friday- August 22 we left Pippy park travelled with Dave & Donna Bridges ( New friends from BC) back to Grand Falls. Sanger RV Park is a great spot and an easy 5 hour drive. The next morning we parted and travelled under sunny sky's to Gros Morne National Park on the Western Coast of Newfoundland. We are in a nice KOA campground and will leave the RV here for 10 days as we do some day trips.
Note: " Just one click on the map will give you a larger version "


Pictures:

St.John's & Area
Bonavista
Botwood & Twillingate


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