June 16 (Day 39) to June 19 (Day 42): St. John’s, Newfoundland’s Capitol City, and Cape Spear, Eastern most point of North America!

Cape Spear, most easterly point of North America
Of course Michele had to find the most eastern Geocache in North America!

We rolled into St. John’s right into a very nice campground literally in the middle of the city – Pippy Park.  St. John’s is the largest city in the Province with many interesting things to see and do and we hit the ground running.  First we took care of our trusty steed that carries us down these beautiful roads and had our engine serviced.  Day two found us on the road to Cape Spear, the most easterly point of land on the North American Continent and home of Cape Spear Lighthouse National Historic Site, another Parks Canada site.  We waited around until everybody had moved on and took photographic evidence that at that specific time we were the only folks on earth who were standing on the furthermost east landfall of North America!  Just makes one feel special!  After a first day of heavy rain the weather cleared for our day at Cape Spear where we watched a Minke Whale and many Northern Gannets, Common Terns and gulls fishing just off the point.  There are two lighthouses at Cape Spear - the oldest was constructed by local citizens to “bring them home from the sea” when weather was an issue and the newest built to overcome the design faults of the first.  The original was incorporated into a much larger structure that housed the lighthouse keeper and his family, the assistant keeper and all they needed to remain on watch and maintain the light.  At one point the lighthouse building was literally blown off its foundation by a hurricane with winds over 200 MPH.  The Parks Canada attendant, the daughter of a Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman, was one of the best informed and helpful interpreters I have ever run into and I was lucky enough to catch her site supervisor to pass that along.

A highlight of our day was a dramatic weather shift that turned our day into magnificent sunshine and warm temps.  When I was working to improve and maintain good air quality and attendant visibility in parks I managed I caught and used a phrase describing the day following a very large wet weather system that gave way to clearing – I heard folks in Maine called them “sparklers.”  This trip I also discovered that folks from Maine also call them “wicked clear”.  Either way, the day was a sparkler and wicked clear!    

St. John's harbor

Signal Hill

We topped our sunny day off with a visit to Signal Hill, a strategically important hill used to protect St. John’s harbor.  It was the site of several battles over control of St. John’s in its infancy. Factoid from Signal Hill – the first transcontinental wireless communication was sent to Europe by the Marconi folks in 1901.  From Signal Hill a motorcycle rider I struck up a conversation with walked me over to the overlook and pointed out the former site of a large U.S. Military base intended as a spy platform during the Cold War.  Who knew that the first golf course in Newfoundland was compliments of U.S. taxpayers?  Several pubs with live music, way cool museums (one with an incredible exhibit about the loss of the Titanic), and catch up shopping and we’re ready to head back to the countryside down coast.  

View of St. John's harbor from Signal Hill