August 9, 2010 - August 12, 2010 Back on the Road Again ? The Avalon Peninsula
While camped out for 3 days at Cummins in Mount Pearl for a diagnosis and fix for our engine problems, we explored Newfoundland?s capital and major port city, St. John?s, on the Avalon Peninsula. On a fairly foggy day, we walked up to the Cabot Tower on Signal Hill, an historic strategic military site high above the entrance to the St. John?s harbor. From there, we drove the Jeep for a long day trip around the southeast Avalon coast, the Irish Loop, from Bay Bulls and Witless Bay to Holyrood and back to St. John?s. As we were driving through Trepassey, we stopped to admire a huge model square-rigger ship perched on the back of a pickup truck on the roadside. Its owner and builder, Vince Davis, came out to talk to us about this masterpiece that took him about 9 months to make. She?s a beauty and for sale for a mere $6,000.
The news came that our engine needed a new turbo charger related sensor. The new sensor was easily installed and seems to have done the trick. On a very rainy early afternoon, we left Cummins for the Argentia Sunset Park with a FHU with good 30 amp service. The wifi is on again and mostly off again but with some patience serves the purpose. The fog was so thick that we almost missed the moose (cow and calf) about 30 feet from us as we walked around the campground in the evening.
Thursday morning brought clouds and some increasing sunshine?a good day for a Jeep drive to Cape St. Mary?s Ecological Reserve. It is a really worthwhile visit, and we were amazed by the huge cliffside colonies of Gannets, Kittiwakes, and Murres. By following a short marked trail along the top of the cliffs, we were able to take in the sounds and smells while getting a great view of the thousands of birds at their nesting sites.
August 13, 2010 ? August 16, 2010 ? The Bonavista Peninsula
On to Bonavista to the wonderful Paradise Farm Trailer Park on Route 230. We love this park for a number of reasons. The owners, Chris and Colette, are great people, the kind we wish we?d see at every park we stop at. We had a nice site with good 30 amp service and water in a beautiful and quiet setting. A dump station is on the premises, and they have ongoing improvements. Paradise Farm was easy to get to sticking to Route 230, a pretty good road off the TCH. The RV park is in a great location only a short drive to Bonavista, Trinity Bight, and Elliston. We were delighted to see Minke whales each evening off the coast of Cape Bonavista. We hiked the spectacular, not-to-be-missed 5.3k loop Skerwink Trail out of Trinity East, taking in one breathtaking coastal view after another. Lunch at nearby Two Whales was a real treat?delicious homemade breads, soups, and desserts. The 10k out and back/return Klondike Trail, once a mid 1800?s road between Elliston North and Spillers Cove, also had unbeatable coastal views with the added attraction of unlimited wild blueberries and raspberries along the trail. We peaked into one of over 100 root cellars in Elliston, ?The Root Cellar Capital of the World? and had a close-up look at Puffins on their nesting ground island.