Puffins and Foghorns

Today began and ended, for the most part, in a true Newfoundland “pea soup” fog. Ron drove us out to Cape Spear and for about an hour we explored North America’s most easterly point of land. We climbed the trail to the original lighthouse, all the time accompanied by the eerie sound of the foghorn, warning sailors of the dangerous coast. It was a quiet day at the Cape with few visitors besides ourselves. In fact the only people we met were also from Winnipeg - a young doctor from the Health Science Centre beginning a run across Canada to raise money for cancer research.

From there we went to Petty Cove, a small, working fishing village. We met a local crab and lobster fisherman who explained the details of lobster licenses and the costs of catching crab. You can see in the pictures our first encounter with a cranky crustacean (I mean the crab, not Mrs. Caron)!

Our day ended with a 1.5 hour boat tour on the Atlantic to see puffins, whales and icebergs. We saw no whales or icebergs but a sky filled with puffins and a close encounter with 2 soaring bald eagles. Again, the people we met on the boat were from Winnipeg –who knew so many ‘tobans were out and about in NL! I assure you there is a difference between our dry cold and the damp cold of the east coast. By the end of the trip we were all shivering to the bone. We also learned that in some cases, prairie landlubbers can never grow sea legs, as several of our boys got their first bad taste of sea-sickness. But the day’s adventure ended with a great supper at the Captain’s Table in Witless and all of us recovered to enjoy a hot meal with good friends.

Tomorrow, we’re off to Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve. I think tonight we’ll all fall asleep early, happy to be in a warm bed and dreaming about puffins and lighthouses and the sound of the foghorn.

Cathy H.