Far East Travel

We arrived at our campsite mid-day, leaving our afternoon free to wander downtown for a bit of city life. With a population of over 110,000, St. John’s is the largest city and the capital of the Newfoundland/Labrador province.

St. John’s holds the distinction of being Canada’s most easterly city. Some argue Cape Spear, just outside St. John’s, is the eastern most point in all of North America, however folks in Greenland and Alaska will disagree.
The original Cape Spear lighthouse was built in 1835 and operated continuously until 1955. Whether a signaling the entrance to St. John’s Bay or defending against WWII attacks, the lighthouse has a rich history and is open to the public as a National Historic Site.

I freely admit to not doing my travel homework. I confess to ignoring this squatty building, then discovering my photo was not the star of the show. Here’s a borrowed photo from Wikipedia of Newfoundland and Labrador’s real oldest (and much shorter) surviving lighthouse so that when you go, you’ll know which to photograph.

We couldn’t resist setting foot on the portion of Newfoundland’s East Coast accessible from Cape Spear. The 6-mile round trip took us out to North Head and an expansive view of the Atlantic Ocean.

The best hike delivers a surprise or a treat at the end and the La Manche Village Path (above) did not disappoint. The short 3-mile round trip walk began at a small harbor and led us along another portion of the East Coast Trail. Our destination was the spectacular La Manche suspension bridge, built in 1999 to replace the bridge washed away by waves in a 1966 storm. We walked across, just to say we had, and then returned to search for a lunch spot.

Cabot Tower (above) sits atop Signal Hill, and is billed as St. John’s most popular National Historic Landmark. For many years it served as an important line of defense and in 1901 it was the site of the first transatlantic wireless transmission.
It also offers an incredible circular coastal hike for those with strong knees and no fear of heights. We couldn’t resist, setting out in the fog and finishing up under clearing skies.

We have one more stop before leaving Newfoundland. Where will that be?