Avalon Peninsula

July 1 to 3: We came here to visit a friend, she lives here on the Avalon Peninsula. The Golden Arm RV Park in Green's Harbour had a site for us for two nights. It was Canada Day and we were lucky to even get a spot. We drove north on the west coast of the peninsula and passed through towns with the most unusual names.

Follow us @NavigatorAndWheelman on our St. John's and Avalon Peninsula journey.

Dildo Newfoundland
In Dildo, we had dinner at the Dildo Brewing Company. The food was delicious, so was the beer. They have five brews on tap. As usual, I picked the stout, the Stout Dildo.

Green's Harbour
The first time we drove past the Ice Cream & Espresso sign. But the promise to enjoy a good brewed coffee brought us back that evening. I had to get the Affogato. It brings back memories from my childhood. This is a scoop of ice cream with hot espresso. Don't be fooled by the simple appearance, it hides an amazing choice of coffees and ice cream.

Heart's Desire
Driving further north, we passed Heart's Delight and then Heart's Desire. We pulled over to take a closer look at the colourful rocky shore.

Heart's Content Cable Station
Next destination up the coast was the Cable Station in Heart's Content. Back in 1866, a trans-oceanic submarine telegraph cable connected this site with one in Ireland. The site was operating until 1965. All the equipment was left intact. It is an amazing piece of history.

Hant's Harbour Lighthouse
We had to stretch our legs and walked to Hant's Harbour Lighthouse. The view from the lighthouse is worth the short hike.

Bay de Verde
On the way south along the east coast, we stopped in Bay de Verde. The visitor information center is in a prime location to overlook the town. The harbour has an active seafood processing plant and ships were unloading their catch.
We drove down to the Heritage House and parked the Jeep. Stairs lead down to the harbour with historical information along the path.

Harbour Grace
Driving south on Hwy 70, we noticed a large ship in the bay of Harbour Grace. We had no information about this place but were curious about what this ship was doing there. It seemed out of time and place. Well, once we stopped along the beach, we noticed that the ship had been there for many years, since 1967 to be exact.
We also learned that Amelia Earhart started from the airstrip in Harbour Grace to become the second person to fly solo across the Atlantic. She was the first female pilot to cross the Atlantic.

Brigus
Before we headed toward St. John's, we stopped in Brigus. We were hoping to get lunch, but ended up taking a walk through town and visiting Saint Georges Church. We passed interesting lawn ornaments and had to see the tunnel down to the harbour.

Cape Race Lighthouse
The next day we drove the Irish Trail in the southern part of the Avalon Peninsula. The Cape Race Lighthouse is active. The road turns off in Portugal Cove through the Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve. A very quiet drive and a good spot to shoot some great pictures at dawn and dusk.