Driving to the Edge of Avalon

Here we are at Tors Cove -- about halfway down the east coast of the Avalon Peninsula from St. John's Newfoundland.  We've never been here before.  This is our chance to see the southeastern coast of Newfoundland.  We decided to take a drive down to the southernmost point, focusing on some lighthouses along the way.

Our first stop was the Visitor Center in Portugal Cove, which it the entry point to the Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve, but also identifies itself as the "Edge of Avalon":

 

 

There is so much to see here, on the southeastern coast of the Avalon Peninsula, that we decided to defer our exploration of Mistaken Point and the Cape Race Lighthouse until another day.  Instead, we drove south to the southernmost tip of the Avalon Peninsula.

Our first stop was St. Shott's and the St. Shott's Lightstation, Cape Freels, the southernmost point of the Avalon Peninsula, is also the southernmost point in Newfoundland. During the summer of 1882, three large vessels ran aground near Cape Freels. Though no lives were lost in these three shipwrecks, the incidents highlighted the need for a fog alarm along that coast. As a result, a fog alarm was constructed on Cape Freels, which stands to this day at the end of a long gravel road out of St. Shott's, a small, remote village at the tip of the Avalon Peninsula.

As we drove through St. Shott's toward the lightstation, we passed some typically Newfie architecture -- old and painted with bright colors:

 

 

The lightstation itself was not too impressive, because it only consisted of a small foghorn and an outbuilding.  The most remarkable structure on the head was this rainbow-colored bench, where we ate our lunch:

 

 

The rocks jutting out from the point were impressive, however:

 

 

Back in the village of St. Shott's, we stopped to hunt for sea glass along a gravelly beach, where some exposed basalt had been worn smooth by the incessant action of incoming waves:

 

 

Leaving St. Shott's, we drove out to Cape Pine, along a relatively well-maintained gravel road, crossing an empty plateau of grass, with very little spruce or other trees:

 

 

The Cape Pine Lighthouse was an ample reward, with its classic lighthouse visage.  We felt sad, however, that it does not seem to have been adopted and maintained:

 

 

Cape Pine, a barren point just east of the southernmost point in Newfoundland, appeared on early Portuguese charts as “C de pena,” which translates to “cape of punishment or sorrow.” This name proved prophetic, as numerous shipwrecks occurred in the vicinity through the centuries.  Painted in broad red and white horizontal bands, Cape Pine Lighthouse was initially equipped with a revolving lighting apparatus fitted with sixteen lamps and reflectors. While the tower measured seventeen meters tall, its light, a white flash every twenty seconds, had a focal plane of ninety-two meters thanks to the high headland on which it was erected. The completed lighthouse was turned over to Newfoundland’s Commissioners of Lighthouses in November 1850.

 

Standing by the light, we looked out to the point and saw a lonely stage sitting over the water:

 

 

A rustic fence leads down toward the stage and the water from the lighthouse:

 

 

Satisfied with our visit to that classic lighthouse, we headed back toward Trepassey, where we encountered this cute little harbor light --

 

 

-- on the road out to the Powles Head Lighthouse:

 

 

Powles Head is the southern end of a peninsula that forms the southern shore of Trepassey Harbour and is connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway:

In 1925, a lighthouse in a wooden light tower was replaced by a round iron tower, painted white. By 1960, this iron tower was thoroughly rusted, and it was replaced that year by the current combination light and fog alarm building, which has a square tower rising from one of its corners. In 1961, two keeper’s dwellings were built near the new lighthouse, but the assistant keeper’s dwelling was subsequently removed from the site. The station is no longer staffed. When we drove up, a fellow had just arrived to check on the lighthouse in advance of an impending storm, and he had brought a frisky 2-year-old rescue puppy that had been trapped with a group of wild dogs in Labrador.  The puppy was mellow and friendly.  We petted her and chatted with the lighthouse attendant before heading back on the road to our campground.

All in all, it was a full day -- seven hours of driving and walking and investigating!  The next two days are forecast to be rainy due to the advance of Hurricane Franklin up the Atlantic coast of North America.  As a result, we may not have another adventure to report to you for a few days.

East Coast Trail - Bauline East to La Manche Village

Sunday, August 27, 2023

Hi Blog!

We spent Saturday bibbling about the RV, counting and organizing Christmas presents (yes, Christmas presents; because we're on the road, we have to do a lot of advance shopping and ship the presents internationally so they get to their recipients on time), doing laundry, walking Ruby and all the other stuff we never blog about. 

After a beautiful sunrise this morning, we were eager to get out and hike more of the East Coast Trail. While the trail literally follows the road in front of our campground, we decided to drive down to the Bauline East Trailhead to minimize our road walking. Since the 500 meters of the road to the trail are privately maintained, the East Coast Trail Committee encourages hikers to park at the Bauline East Harbor. There is plenty of parking, a picnic table, chairs and a beach to explore for sea glass -- not to mention a beautiful view:

The harbor is home to several small fishing boats. Recreational cod fishing is allowed Saturday, Sunday and Monday. It was obvious from the number of seagulls and discarded fish heads that most of the fisher folk caught their limit.

The trail description we have says to leave the wharf, turn right and climb up an unpaved road. What it fails to tell you is that there are three unpaved roads that all converge. We weren't sure which road to follow until we saw this sign buried in the brush. Rather than cut the brush back, they just nailed another sign on top. However, now that the summer is almost over, the top sign is now obscured by brush!

At Melvin's Meadow, we left the road behind and began following a cart path. We trekked through a mixed wood forest. Kathy had her blueberry radar going as we approached Doctor's Cove. We decided to defer exploring the cove until the return trip.

As we continued on, we passed a sharp rock fissure known as Black Gulch. There are pairs of these steep-sided fissures on either side of La Manche Bay. It is believed that these fissures were formed as the glaciers melted 10,000 years ago.

We stopped to take in the view as the path led straight across the top of this rock ledge.

Dave hiked down to get a closer look.

As we neared the former LaManche Village site, we began to see ruins in the woods. La Manche was used as a fishing harbor for many years and was known as one of the best fishing coves on the southern shore. The community was settled around 1840. The first settler was George Melvin, of English descent, who came from Burnt Cove, three kilometres away. He was followed shortly by relatives.

Before 1966, an anchored walkway extended out over the ocean. This route was repeatedly torn apart by storms. Instead, our route climbed up a steep hollow via 70 wooden and stone steps, then briefly followed an old path along a high ridge, and descended 87 step to the suspension bridge.

On January 25, 1966, a powerful winter storm hit the east coast of Newfoundland. A combination of high tide and waves caused many boats, flakes, stores and the original suspension bridge connecting both sides of the harbor to be destroyed and washed out to sea. The destruction of the village was enough to cause the people living there to relocate.

As we descended those 87 steps, we got our first look at the new suspension bridge:

Bridges here were washed away on at least four occasions. The present bridge was constructed by the East Coast Trail Conference in 1999. It is 42.5 meters (140') long and 22.5 meters high (74') high. The cables are drilled and bolted into bedrock.

La Manche Ponds drain into the ocean via this impressive waterfall.

Once you cross the suspension bridge, you can either take the LaManche Trail and search for more ruins on your way to La Manche Provincial Park Campground, or continue along the coast on the next section of the East Coast Trail known as the Flamber Head Path. We decided to hike around the shoreline to see if we could get another view of the bridge.

La Manche got its name in the 16th/17th century by French sailors who are believed to have used the cove to hide from English ships during their raids on Ferryland and St. Johns. La Manche is French for "the channel" which describes the long, narrow shape of the harbor.

We decided the far side of the harbor would make a great lunch spot. While Kathy picked blueberries, Dave explored more of the trail. Not as many day trippers come this way, since it is almost 11 kilometers until the next trailhead in Brigus South. We both agreed it wouldn't be fun to come down this part of the trail in the rain.

Because today is Sunday and the weather was nice, we probably saw more hikers today than we have on the last several hikes combined. Since we came from Bauline East, we were able to convince another couple that the Bauline East harbor, with its boats and picnic table, would make a nice turnaround spot for their hike from the campground. We also convinced another couple that, if they had time, they should check out Doctor's Cove, which this is:

While the trail guide mentioned stepping stones around the Doctor's Cove to the pebble beach, the path was overgrown with summer foliage. We decided to rock-hop over the large boulders. Everything we learned about rock-hopping we learned in the Boulder Fields of Hickory Run State Park in Pennsylvania.

The dark grey shale in Doctor's Cove was originally deposited as a submarine delta over 550 million years ago. It has fragmented into pancake-shaped pieces. While there were large examples, Kathy found one that was just the right size for her rock bowl in the RV.

As with most hikes, the trek back to the trailhead was uneventful. Back at the harbor, Kathy took the opportunity to collect some more sea glass, while Dave ducked a Jeep parked up the street.

The weather will be hit-or-miss the next few days. We hope to get out and hike more of the East Coast Trail, but we also want to explore some of the other outports along the Irish Loop. So, stay tuned.

Lord Baltimore's Colony of Avalon

We are camped in Tors Cove, on the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland, for 18 days and have been identifying adventures on the Avalon Peninsula while we are here.  One of the interesting things we wanted to see was the "Lost Colony of Avalon," in Ferryland, south of where we are staying.  So today we combined a trip to the visitor center for the archaeological dig at Avalon with a visit to the Ferryland Lighthouse.  See our prior blog entry for that adventure.

Here is the sign that greeted us as we arrived:

 

 

The Avalon Peninsula was one of the first European-inhabited areas in North America. In 1497 the Bristol Guild of Merchants financed a voyage by John Cabot to Newfoundland, where he is reported to have spoken of "a land of codfish." They were familiar with the Avalon Peninsula where many would set up temporary shelters to dry fish. Sir George Calvert (subsequently titled Lord Baltimore) acquired a large land holding on the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland and hired Captain Edward Wynne to set up headquarters in Ferryland. The initial colony grew to a population of 100, becoming the first successful permanent settlement on Newfoundland.

In 1623, Calvert was given a Royal Charter for the "Province of Avalon," named after Avalon in Somersetshire, England. Calvert wished to make the colony a refuge for Roman Catholics facing persecution in England. A series of crises and calamities, including the extremely harsh winters of Newfoundland, led Calvert to quit the colony in 1629 for "some other warmer climate of this new world," which turned out to be Maryland, though his family maintained agents to govern Avalon.  Calvert's Avalon Province was subsequently increased to greater portions of the present-day Avalon Peninsula until 1637, when the entire island of Newfoundland was granted by charter to Sir David Kirke and a partner in reward for Kirke's success in taking Quebec City from the French. Lord Baltimore's son fought against the new charter on the grounds that it conflicted with the charter in favor of Calvert, and in 1660 gained official recognition of the old Charter of Avalon, but never attempted to retake the colony.  The site of the colony, while not specifically located, was designated a National Historic Site in 1953.

Despite the fact that the specific location of the original Colony of Avalon was not known, the people of Ferryland were no strangers to the history of the location. Many a local has a story of finding a piece of pottery or glass in their gardens, yet the exact location was a mystery. In 1992, serious archaeological digging began, and the complete cobblestone street of Avalon was discovered.  The project quickly grew during the 1990s when the cod moratorium saw large numbers of locals involved in fishing out of their usual work. In an effort to keep locals employed and build local tourism, the government helped with funding additional digging, keeping the community that had been instrumental to the discovery involved for the future of Ferryland.  The richness and variety of the artifacts uncovered blew away researchers and visitors alike. Completely blowing away the stereotypes on how colonists lived, the dig turned up gold coins, beautiful jewelry, and venetian glass.

 

One of the reasons for the richness of artifacts from the site is that, after the original colony was abandoned, water and erosion from hills above the site caused it to be buried over in mud and silt, and it remained preserved underground for the intervening centuries.  When it was finally rediscovered, nothing had been looted, and the entire site had been preserved intact.  The site is now recognized as the best preserved English colonial site in North America.

 

This was our first view of the archaeological dig, which has exposed numerous stone walls, cobblestone floors, and (next to the barrier on the left in the photo below) the cobblestone street that ran the length of the community:

 

 

Everything we saw and that is in these photos is in the exact position in which it was found -- only cleaned of the surrounding mud and silt.  Most of the stone floors are completely intact.  The walls stand up to 3 feet.  Slate from the wooden roofs fell when the wood rotted or burned, but was recovered and is now stacked in exhibits in the exhibit center to allow visitors to see how thin and light it is. 

Here is a photo of what was a two story residence with a separate kitchen building in the back and up on the hillside.  A path that was uncovered by archaeologists leads to what had been a second story entrance to the house:

 

 

The Calverts' mansion -- a large residence which was later occupied by whoever managed the community from time to time, occupies a prominent position and is clearly the largest residence in the community:

 

 

We walked down to what had been the waterfront, but is now perhaps 30 feet in from the water.  A stone-covered sewer trench leads from the Calvert residence (it ran under the stone floor) -- and possibly from other residences and down to a septic well where the waves and tides washed it clean twice a day.  Our tour guide joked that this made it the first flush toilet in North America:

 

 

The archaeologists also discovered the community well, which descends 25 feet below the present surface of the ground.  It has been cleaned out.  We were allowed to look in but cautioned not to fall:

 

 

From the well, we could look back across a large kitchen garden and manufacturing building, past a moat leading down the hillside to the water, to the rest of the community.  A palisade wall was constructed of wood timbers and surrounded the main part of the community and all of the residence except one.

 

 

Here is a closer look at the kitchen garden, where the visitor center staff is growing vegetables that would have been grown here at the time the colony was active:

 

 

This was the far end of the cobblestone street, which appears to be very wide.  It was constructed to protect the villagers from having to walk on muddy streets when rain washed down from the adjoining hillside:

 

 

After our tour of the archaeological site, we had a chance to visit a reconstruction of a kitchen which would have been typical for the colony, although larger than the kitchens actually found on the site.  We were greeted by a staff member who has been running the kitchen for 20 years.  In the last few years, she has coordinated a colonial cook-off, where a specific recipe typical of the colony is posted on the community website and people are encouraged to try their hands at the recipe, posting photos of their results.  Prizes are offered and a wonderful time is had by all!

 

Kathy and our hostess obviously had a good time playing with the cast iron kitchen implements and a reproduction puzzle jug that was used for entertainment in the colony, much as it was in England during the period:

The community gift shop had some unique items for sale, so we indulged in purchases to try to match uniquely Newfie gifts to some of our holiday gift recipients.  We can't tell you more, because they are supposed to be surprises!

Ferryland Lighthouse Picnic

Friday, August 25, 2023 

Hi Blog!

We've been collecting lighthouses during our travels around Newfoundland. There are several on the Avalon Peninsula that we are looking forward to visiting, including the Ferryland Head Lighthouse pictured below. The older lighthouses usually have keeper's houses. Since all the lighthouses in Newfoundland have been automated, there is no need for keepers anymore. Communities are trying to find ways to use these old empty houses, which often need lots of maintenance. To help offset the costs, some of the old keeper's residences have been turned into museums and gift shops, while others now operate as B&Bs. The Ferryland Head Lighthouse keeper's house is now home to Lighthouse Picnics.

In 2003, local resident Jill Curran (whose great-grandfather was once keeper), started Lighthouse Picnics, offering picnic lunches from a small stand outside the building. But with an outpouring of community support and more customers than she could prepare food for, the keeper's house was re-opened in June 2004.

After carefully looking at the weather forecasts, we made our picnic reservations for Friday. Despite a very foggy start, the weather cleared by 10:00 a.m. We drove down from Tors Cove to Ferryland, with a quick stop at the Lost Colony of Avalon Visitor's Center to find out about a tour after lunch. More on that in the next blog.

The Ferryland Lighthouse sits at the end of a long ithsmus that extends into the Atlantic Ocean. We were able to drive halfway out before we had to park the Jeep and walk the rest of the way. From the parking lot, we got our first look at the lighthouse.

From our vantage point, we can look across The Narrows to Isle Aux Bois (Island of Trees). It's either a joke because there are no trees, or there were once trees that have since been cut down. 

From here we begin our 25 minute walk to the lighthouse. Work on the lighthouse was carried out during 1870 and 1871. The round, cylindrical light tower was built of stone and red brick and still retains its original lantern room, fitted with two rows of triangular panes of glass. The fixed white light from the tower’s third-order Fresnel lens was displayed for the first time on October 1, 1871.

A good part of the walk is through a coastal spruce forest. The road heads straight for the lighthouse.

The forest floor is covered with moss. The air smells fresh and earthy. The sound of ocean waves accompanies us along the road.

As we leave the forest behind, we get a better look at the lighthouse. In 1892, the outer brickwork of the light tower was crumbing. An iron casing was wrapped around the tower to protect and secure the structure.

Below, Dave stands in the opening in the wattle fence, in which green branches are woven to form a lattice and then dry in place. These types of fences are traditionally found in the British Isles and Ireland.

From here, we can look all the way back to the town of Ferryland.

When Hurricane Fiona swept across Newfoundland in 2022, it damaged part of the Keeper's House. Before Fiona, all the food for the Lighthouse Picnics was made onsite. The main part of the house is now a museum and gift shop. Until the repairs are finished, the museum is closed and the food is made in town and driven up to the lighthouse.

Once you pick up your picnic lunch, you then have to decide where to eat your lunch. Kathy spotted an inuksuk garden and we decided to have lunch with the inuksuks.

We spread out our beach towels and leaned up again some rocks to enjoy the view while we munched our lunch.

Dave enjoyed his chicken curry on whole grain bread while Kathy dined on roasted veggies and goat cheese. We each had a couscous and chickpea salad and a cookie. We washed it all down with fresh squeezed lemonade.

After lunch, we relaxed in the warm sunshine and watched the other visitors make their way around the various paths across the headlands. Two small islands known as Hares Ears sit just off the end of the peninsula. We decided to go take a look.

We spotted a seal fishing in the waters between the head and the island.

When we could go no further without falling into the ocean, we turned and took another photo of the lighthouse.

We spent the rest of our walk marveling at the forces of nature. Thousands of years of sediment formed layer after layer of rock, which then toppled over.

Blue sky moments are rare in Newfoundland. The clear skies paint the ocean a vivid blue. 

As we make our way back to the trailhead, we can now brag to have eaten at the most easterly restaurant in all of North America. 

To your health!