Rex and Nancy's Travels - "ALL WHO WANDER ARE NOT LOST" - JRR Tolkein

Tuesday, we took the Jeep to Hickman Crysler Dodge Jeep in St. John’s to have them check the transmission and fix the driver’s seat.  The transmission is okay, and it would take 2 weeks to get the part for the seat so we will wait to get that fixed when we get back to Arizona. Wednesday, we drove the southeastern part of the Avalon Peninsula called The Irish Loop because of its strong Irish heritage.   We stopped at St. Vincent’s where we were hoping to be able to see whales from the beach.  The underwater cliffs drop down very suddenly enabling whales to come close to shore.  Usually, a great place to see whales but it was too foggy to see anything today. We next stopped at the Cape Race Lighthouse, but it was so foggy we could hardly see it.  Cape Race lies along one of the busiest shipping lanes between Europe and North America.  The original cast iron tower was built in 1856 and was replaced in 1907 with a taller concrete tower and a more powerful lantern.  Cape Race Lighthouse is

Sunday morning, we left the Bonavista Peninsula and drove to the Avalon Peninsula.   The drive was beautiful but difficult as it was very windy.   We are staying at Bluefin RV Park in Holyrood. Monday morning, we drove to Cape Spear Lighthouse National Historic Site on the south side of St. John’s Bay.   The lighthouse was built in 1836 to guide ships safely into St. John’s Harbor.   It is the oldest surviving lighthouse in Newfoundland and Labrador and remained in service until 1955. At that time, it was replaced with this white, concrete tower which continues to guide vessels safely through the waters surrounding Cape Spear. After touring the lighthouse, we walked to the remnants of bunkers that were part of the coastal defense during World War II. From 1941 to 1945 Canadian and American troops occupied Fort Cape Spear. A beautiful view from the most easterly point in Canada. And – we were excited to get to see a whale from the overlook.   We are sure the people in the boat were much

Saturday morning, we drove to Trinity East and hiked the Skerwink Trail.   This 5.3 km coastal trail was named one of the top 35 walks in North America and Europe by Travel & Leisure .   We liked the “caution high cliffs” on the sign as that means beautiful overlooks! After hiking through some of the coastal forest we came to our first overlook. The views are amazing. Every time we hiked to an overlook, we were not disappointed with the views - the sea stacks were beautiful. Nancy and Tacky on the trail between overlooks.                                    A great view through the trees. We made it to one of the high cliffs with spectacular views.                     Another wonderful view through the trees. Tacky, Nancy and Rex hiking down from the cliffs.   It was a good hike and “wow” the views were spectacular.  We can see why this hike is so popular. After our hike, we drove back into Trinity and ate a picnic lunch in the park.  We then attended the Rising Tide Theatre product

Friday morning, we drove to Trinity where we had a 3-hour Ocean Safari Adventure booked with Trinity Eco Tours.   It was very foggy in Trinity Bay, and we were not optimistic about our chances of seeing whales.   Upon arrive, we were provided with these very stylish one-piece full-flotation suits to keep us safe and warm on our trip. Our zodiac-style boat - we straddled the seats like sitting in a saddle.   We were advised that we would get wet.                The fog got worse as we left the harbor. The tall cliffs along the shore were beautiful in the fog. The fog cleared a little and we could see bald eagles sitting in the trees. This bald eagle was sitting on the rocks. The fog got denser, and you could barely see the coast.  The ride did get rough as we went farther from the bay – and we did get wet! Another bald eagle through the fog. Some of our group spotted the fin of a fin whale but it was far off, and we lost it before we could get close. We were very fortunate to see this