The Screeching-In

There were several options to being 'Screeched-In' and we had many recommendations.  We stumbled upon the 'Spirit of Newfoundland' Screech Room yesterday as we walked back from a failed visit to the Rooms  (the St. John's Archives and Museum)

We noted the time and planned our day to ensure we could attend the 2:30pm Screeching-In. 

We arrived promptly at 1:30 - not wanting to be late - and luckily they had a fully stocked bar and we proceeded to 'warm-up' for the screeching.

The Screech was lined up and waiting for us...

Our hostess, Renee Alexander was a lot of fun.  She gave us the history of Screech - Rum traded with Jamaica for Cod - seems like a good deal :)

So... We each kissed the Cod...  (well documented as you can see)

   

       

Renee then asked us:  "Are you ready to become an honorary Newfoundlander?"
We each in turn answered:  "Indeed I is, me old cock, and long may your big jib draw !!"


Down the hatch went the Screech

And we have our certificates!

Oh, did I mention we did a bit of shopping :).  We got a few looks walking down Duckworths with this box.   By the way Steve and Alex:  There's another box on the way - don't open it!

After all that hard work, we figured we needed a second visit to the Duke of Duckworth's for some more Thanksgiving on a plate.  yum-yum :D

Cape Spear

No trip to Newfoundland is complete without a trip to the Eastern-most point in North America - Cape Spear.  Also as noted on the sign - where Canada begins!

The views were great, we also took in some 'bonus' whale-watching as we walked the trails.  We have discovered, that similar to Ireland, the parks in Newfoundland involved a lot of walking, stairs and few safety features.

 In all the Lighthouses we have visited, there are 2 lighthouses.  The original light-house that used to be manned by a person or family that was responsible for keeping the light operational.  And the new, automated lighthouse tour that is more familiar.

Visit to Signal Hill

This morning started with a visit to Signal Hill.  The best place to see the city and the harbour.

With our trusty tripod, we were able to capture a group shot at the top of the hill.

Again - every direction had incredible views, although we thought the sea was considerably quieter than during yesterday's whale watching.

As we toured Signal Hill we were impressed with the fortifications of the harbour.  Enemy ships trying to navigate the narrow harbour entrance would face cannon fire from both sides.

Canada's Greatest Hero

While we were arriving back in St. John's harbour, Captain Barry pointed out the location of the recently erected new Terry Fox Memorial.

We walked down there after dinner - and it was an incredibly moving memorial.

It was unveiled on April 12, 2012, 32 years to the day after he started his 'Marathon of Hope'.  

This is the location of mile zero - where Terry gathered a jar of seawater, dated it, dipped his artificial leg in the ocean and then began his run.

The monument actually denotes the path of his first steps along the waterfront and gives a detailed summary of his life and the his run to raise funds for for cancer.  It was at Port-aux-Basques, NL where the city gave him $10,000 - $1 for each citizen - that he set his goal to raise the equivalent of $1 for each Canadian citizen.  He is truly one of the best Canadians ever.

Fun in St. John's

Before we embarked on the day, Jan did some volunteer work in the harbour - hauling in and tying up a the Lady Remington III -  a mere 4,28 tons .  She's learned a a lot about seamanship along the trip.

We were excited to start our whale-watching tour with the Iceberg Quest tour company.

As you can see, the wind and the waves were a bit intense.  Some of our fellow sight-seers were below  nursing their queasy stomachs (code for vomiting in white kitchen catcher bags) while we enjoyed the turbulent upper deck.

One of our fellow passengers was kind enough to take our picture  before he headed below to toss his cookies.

After 45 minutes we were off the coast of Cape Spear, and several whales were surfacing, spouting and spraying all around us.  Everyone was on the lookout and the captain did a fantastic job of navigating to allow us to catch the best view possible.  With all the jostling and rocking of the boat, this was the best shot we got :)

On the trip out from and into the St. John's harbour, we captured some great pictures of the local landscape - the Battery Row houses - a couple are for sale if anyone is interested...

The St. John's Harbour lighthouse at Fort Amherst:

Also, one of the classic images of St. John's -  the 'jellybean' houses - named for their multi coloured facades

34.5 degrees - Melting on the way to St Joihn's

Apparently a historical little village on the route to St.Johns;  not very motorcycle friendly - lots of sharp uphill turns with blind hills.  We stopped to take a walk, but it was too hot to change so we trudged around in all our gear.  Took 1 picture, had some ice cream and moved on.

Arrived early in Sr. John's at the Murray premises - Jan was proud :)

We promptly went to the highly recommended "Duke of Duckworth's" for the reputedly best fish and chips in town.

With local intel (Thanks Joe Power) we made sure to order our fries with dressing and gravy.  It was like Thanksgiving on a plate!!!!!  Definitely the best fish and chips ever - and we've have tried a lot of fish and chips - including Ireland.

As Marc and Mary do in every city we visit, they tried to pay a call on the local constabulary. In Newfoundland, it' been a bit of a challenge,  In fact, after this photo, the local police, sounded the alarm due to the suspicious characters lurking outside the 'Lockup"

Marc waved and they scurried away.

We did a tour of downtown St. John's.  Lots of good shops and pubs - but when we came upon the Harbour Park, Mary had to cuddle up to the Newfoundland dog statue.  She misses Bosco :(

Of course we  paid a visit to George Street and enjoyed some local music and a few pints.

After several stops at various pubs we headed back to our rooms at the Murray Premises since Joe needed to satisfy his 'munchie' craving with his coveted 'Bridge Mixture'.  He compare it to 'Lucky Charms' but have you ever tried it?????
 

Baccalieu Trail

Early start on July 14th, after a hearty breakfast, we headed out to see the Baccalieu Trail on the peninsula between Trinity Bay and Conception Bay.

We started our trip in Dildo but we have no photos appropriate for posting here :-o

We do have this picture of a very interesting rock formation along the trail.  There's a bottle of Nova Scotia wine for the first one to name it :) (we're not shipping any Newfoundland wine home )

As you can see the sights were fantastic - although the places to stop proved difficult, often on the opposite side of the road with lots of loose gravel.

At Heart's Content  we were guided by locals to a the lighthouse - a really great view of the bay and the town.

Joe took this great shot - he told Jan and Mary it was of them but, I think it was of the bikes - what do you think?

The GPS's then told us this was the best route to the northern-most point of the peninsula.  Gravel was a bit unpredictable - lots of soft places.  After about 4km, we met some lads on a 4-wheel ATV that said we would have to cross 24 inches of water if we continued.  Back we went to the paved road to complete the loop.

The scenery was the highlight of the day!

Carbonear - Harbour Grace

We arrived in Argentia NL at 10:30 in the morning.  We were happy to see our bikes travel well with others, but it was a new experience getting all packed up and removing the tie-downs on the bikes quickly.  Cars were already departing as we were trying to get organized.

We arrived in Carbonear a bit early for check-in, no one was home at the Inn except 2 young lads cutting the grass.  We headed out for lunch and some exploring.

We have given up trying to find restaurants on the GPS - way to out of date!!  We now now rely on the local recommendations.  We were directed to a small, family-run establishment - literally at the end of the road - Mad Rock.  It had 6 tables - all were full and we were told to wait outside (in the heat) until a table was free.

We all had the cafe special - fishcakes, beans and touton (deep fried bread eaten with molasses :))

After lunch, we took a drive on the gravel road out to the Mad Rock scenic trail in Spaniard's Bay.


Then we were off to Harbour Grace to see the sights:   The Boat that doesn't Float...

... and the Plane that doesn't fly  (behind Amelia and Mary)

Amelia Earhart started her transatlantic flight from Harbour Grace, NL.  It was hard to know who admired Amelia Earhart more Mary or Joe - He likes tall women.

By 4pm, we headed back to Carbonear and Sophia's Hertiage Inn, a very beautiful Inn but as the front steps show - some parts of town needed a bit of work.  We had 2 great nights of sleep, maybe because the ferry bunks were the last thing we had to compare.

The driveway needed a bit of work too - a bit steep and very rutty.  Going down was even worse since there was a lot of loose gravel on the driveway and on the street at the bottom

One of the more interesting traditions here in Newfoundland that the boys are enjoying is that they are usually served first - they are adamant that this tradition should be brought back to the mainland