Tags
Blue Rodeo, Cabot Tower, Cape Spear, Jelly Bean Rowhouses, Newfoundland, Pippy Park, Quidi Vidi Brewery, Royal St. John's Regatta, Signal Hill, St. John's, The Rooms
Waking to a sunny day, we continued north on 10 except for side trip one, to Bauline East. A small, pretty harbour in a tiny town we got our first look at what happens to cod after folks cut out the fillets and tongue.
Bauline East Harbour
After the fillets and tongues are taken, there is a lot of waste which goes right into the water to eventually be consumed by various bottom creatures.
Side trip two was to Bay Bulls where Pennecon Limited clearly must be the biggest employer in town.
Bay Bulls and the Pennecon Limited yard.
We wanted to go to the easternmost point in North America so we took Petty Harbour Road off 10 to wander the long way around to Cape Spear Lighthouse National Historic Site. The second lighthouse built in Newfoundland, it began operation in 1836. Similar to the Cape Bonavista lighthouse, the light tower centered in the surrounding square wooden keepers house was built first with the house constructed around it. The light apparatus was seven oil burners (Cape Bonavista light had six) set in silvered reflectors with the whole apparatus being turned by weights that needed frequent rewinding. Fun fact: the copper-domed lantern room and the lighting apparatus, which had already been used for twenty-eight years in the Inchkeith Lighthouse on the Firth of Forth in Scotland, was designed and provided by Stevenson and Sons, Stevenson being the grandfather of author Robert Louis Stevenson!
The original Cape Spear Lighthouse. There is no access to the tower itself unfortunately.
We thought the way they stored the glass globes for the light’s oil lamps was interesting.
After enjoying the views at Cape Spear we headed the last 18 miles up to St. John’s and the Pippy Park Campground & Trailer Park. With no reservations, there were no hook-up sites available but there was a small, mostly empty overflow spot where we could boondock. St. John’s is the provincial capital city and Newfoundland’s largest city so we knew this was going to be a switch from the quiet we’d been enjoying for so long.
Opened in 2005, The Rooms houses the Art Gallery of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Provincial Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador.
The Rooms. Everywhere we have been in Newfoundland and Labrador we always saw references to The Rooms holding artifacts from whatever Interpretation Center we were visiting. We had to go.
We figured it was a good place to start our exploration of St. John’s, so we rang for a taxi, driving and parking an RV in the city not being high on our list. 🙂 Jumping into the cab, the driver who is just as friendly as everyone in the province, says, “So ya here for the regatta tomorrow?” “Ahhhh, what regatta?” say we. “Ya donna know ‘bout the regatta? The Royal St. John’s Regatta? It’s huge, the whole island comes, 40,000 maybe 50,000 people!” WELL…..surprise!!! No wonder the RV park was full! BUT….we went on to The Rooms.
On the very top floor of the exhibit, these canoes and kayaks were laid out on the rafters.
Having done pretty much all of The Rooms and had a lovely light lunch in the museum, we headed down towards the harbor in a zig-zag fashion looking for the famous Jelly Bean Row houses. Pretty quickly it becomes apparent that these wonderful colorful houses (which by the by we have noted in previous blog posts are all over The Rock) are not just one row, but street after street of multi-hued homes, many accented with potted bouquets of magnificent flowers.
Jelly Bean Row Houses are a common and fun feature of St. John’s.
Flowerboxes add even more color.
The next morning, Wednesday, August 2nd dawns a bit raw and grey, but we’ve decided that after we run a couple of errands we’re going to join with all of (or at least a whole lot of) Newfoundlanders and go to the 199th Royal St. John’s Regatta, It’s the oldest annual sporting event in North America. Guess what….it’s a local holiday and pretty much nothing is open not even the grocery stores because, well, everyone is down by Quidi Vidi (kiddy viddy) Lake! So we call for a taxi and he takes us as close as he can. WHAT FUN!!
Bang! at the shot of the starter’s gun, the rowers are off for a half mile leg before turning around and finishing here at the start line. The most strategic part is executing the turn properly.
Winners! Racers of all ages from young kids to grey hairs, everyone used the same boats.
Having enjoyed ourselves with “all the rowing” and the famous French fries at Ziggy Peelgoods (four lines and nearly half hour wait) we hiked via Kings Bridge Road into downtown. Down at the harbour, we had an “okay” steak dinner at The Keg Steakhouse & Bar overlooking the ships tied up just outside across the way. Afterwards, we wandered around a bit, heading back up the hill. Note: St. John’s was built on a steep hillside so from the harbour most everything else is up, so good exercise! 🙂 As we got up to just below George Street all access was blocked, there were “event people” and “event security” everywhere and music could be heard. As we walked up around the perimeter I asked what was going on and they said “Blue Rodeo is playing tonight” “OK, who are they?” “One of the top bands in Canada for the last 20 years!” When we got to where they were taking/selling tickets I reminded Ed Life’s an Adventure and we handed over our cash, went in and had a BLAST! Blue Rodeo is GOOD!
Blue Rodeo! It was a late night but what a blast. The aroma of weed lingered in Marti’s sweater for a week. No, she didn’t, it was just in the air.
Next day was an oil change and check up at the St John’s Mercedes dealer and errands. In the late afternoon our friend, Suzanne Anthony a fellow full-timing, blogging RV’er also living in a View similar to our rig, joined us in camp. We had been sharing notes and suggestions all around Canada so it was great fun to finally meet.
The following morning the three of us drove over to Quidi Vidi Village in our RV. A neighborhood of St. John’s once known as a fishing village, Quidi Vidi Village is now a major tourist attraction because of the Quidi Vidi Brewery. They are famous for their Iceberg beer which I have mentioned before as well as seven other beers. Unfortunately, there are no tastings without a tour, and all the tours were booked. Oh well, Ed had tried a number of them already 🙂
The green building is the brewery.
The Quidi Vidi harbour is almost a lake with a tiny narrows, visible on the right, as the entrance to the ocean.
Next on the list of St. John’s attractions was Signal Hill, the site of Marconi’s first transatlantic wireless communication and Cabot Tower. Overlooking the harbour and the Atlantic Ocean this high hill has been an important defensive position since 1640 and even held anti-aircraft and anti U-Boat defense guns of the United States during World War II.
Cabot Tower on Signal Hill.
The view of St. John’s and the harbour from the top of Cabot Tower. You can see what a perfect defensive position this hilltop is.
We dropped Suzanne at The Rooms where she would spend the afternoon and with plans to meet later in town for drinks and dinner, we went back to camp to do laundry. With another taxi ride into town, we walked around a bit and then had a good meal at Oliver’s, which we recommend.
We had actually been a little uncertain about going to THE BIG CITY after all the quiet villages and no crowds we’d been experiencing. As it worked out, even with the regatta, country/rock concert and all, it did not feel overcrowded and we had a lot of fun! Plus, there is the bonus of meeting a fellow RV traveler and absolutely now having a new friend! It’s an adventure!
Leaving Bauline Harbour we saw this really cute yard ornament.
In Bay Bulls, this drilling rig is at the head of the harbour, coming or going we couldn’t tell.
Like it says on the side of the ship, it’s a heavy lift crane…
…to lift heavy stuff like all this anchor chain. Look at the size of the links and the anchors compared to the trucks in the yard.
The new light at Cape Spear which came on in 1955. It’s a pretty place with lots of boardwalk and paths around the cape and cliffs.
A view from the cliffs at Cape Spear. Marti thinks the white foam looks like a bridal train.
The lightkeeper’s office which is restored to the period of 1839. Note the flags used for sending messages and weather status. In Canada, the job of lightkeeper is often passed down from father to son and so, the Cantwell family were the keepers of the Cape Spear light for over 150 years with only two short intermissions.
There are two heavy gun emplacements on Cape Spear to help defend the nearby convoy routes to Europe during WWII. The 10″ M1888 guns were Lend-Lease batteries on disappearing carriages. The emplacements are currently under restoration.
The current light, 45 feet tall with a visible range of 20 nautical miles, went into service in 1955 and is automatic.
The interior space at The Rooms is as beautiful as it is functional. History, culture, art and the archives of Newfoundland and Labrador are all housed here in one building.
As we waited for a table in the cafe at The Rooms, we had a lovely view from the balcony of downtown St. John’s and the harbour with Cabot Tower and Signal Hill in the distance.
What kind of chowder? Fish Chowder of course… delicious too.
Mailbox detail from some of the jelly bean houses.
Newfoundlanders use color everywhere to brighten up their homes and lives.
At The Keg Steakhouse & Bar, they store the wine in these immense walls of temperature controlled movable racks.
Quidi Vidi Lake on the right and St. John’s Harbour on the left from Signal Hill.
Yours Truly at the Blue Rodeo concert on George Street with thousands of our new best friends and their weed… 🙂
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Whack-A-Mole Wheels 
I always enjoy your travelogs and photos. Very colorful!
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Thank you Marti and Ed for taking me on the adventures of your life. I want to go to The Rooms! Thank you for introducing me to the “best island”. Happy Trails! Anne
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Thank you, Anne! Since Marti wants to spend an entire year on the island we will let you know and you will have a place to stay! We know the finest restaurants!
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