Day 19 (Aug. 20) - St. John's, Newfoundland

This morning we woke to cloudy skies. Our plan was to visit a few local historic sights instead of doing the longer hike in Ferryland. First we stopped at the grocery store and fueled up the car. We made our way over to Cape Spear, the easternmost point of Canada. Soon we gained elevation on Cape Spear Highway and this was our view. Can you see anything? 

A few minutes later we arrived at the parking area for the Cape Spear Lighthouse National Historic Site. 

It was the most fog we've had on this trip. We could hear the ocean but could not see it, and the fog horn was constantly sounding, adding even more drama to the scene.

The original lighthouse is the oldest surviving one in all of Newfoundland and Labrador, used in the 1830s. 

Surprisingly it was only one of two along the entire rocky coastline of this province in 1836 when the lighthouse came into operation. The light placed in the lighthouse was shipped from Scotland where it had been in use since 1815. We walked through the cozy restored rooms that were nicely presented, showing how the lightkeeper and family lived in such an isolated place.  

This was the flag room that stored all the various signal flags to assist with navigation.

These stairs lead to the bedrooms, workshop, and storage areas.

This room was the workshop with many tools to keep the lighthouse operating.

We liked the barrels of various goods.

Not only food was stored here but also oils to keep the light burning.

And of course a little rum helped keep the lighthouse keeper running. 

This stairway in the center of the second floor spirals up to the light room. Although the surrounding house is wood the center core is masonry to make it very sturdy.

The modern lighthouse was built in 1955 and could barely be seen through the thick fog. 

After that visit, we decided to come back to our hotel and grab lunch before venturing out again. A small group of people were doing a Fun Run. We agreed there's nothing fun about running.

A little dog participated.

Michele was feeling a bit under the weather so we watched movies in our room instead of going back out. Around 3pm the skies opened up and poured rain. Michele commented that Newfoundland appears to be rainy 70% of the time. 

We ordered takeout from a delicious restaurant across the street and walked along the harbor until it was ready. We think these ships are part of the Canadian Coast Guard fleet. 

Earlier today we saw a cruise ship docked, but it was gone by 5pm. The working ships had colorful buoys.

The fog/marine layer had a distinctive vertical line as it was moving out of the city.

Tomorrow we take a scenic route towards Argentia where we pick up our ferry back to Nova Scotia. We may not be able to post a blog on the ship due to lack of WiFi, but will catch up once we're back on land.