Day 1 (September 3, 2025): Enroute to the Rock

In September 2024, I took my parents back to Burin, NL, where they began their married life and ministry in 1959.  It was such a nice experience for them, and for me -- even though I wasn't yet born during their Burin years.  When we returned from that trip, Dad said to me one day, "I would like to go back to Twillingate next year, maybe."  And so, the seed was sown for the short trip that is the subject of this blog. When the plans settled, to go all the way to Twillingate, it only made sense to add another stop along the way:  the Bonavista Peninsula, where Dad started out as a student minister from 1950-52, before leaving Newfoundland for university studies in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

September is often a really nice month to visit Newfoundland, promising many sunny days and weather that is still warm, in the last few weeks of summer's official run.  Such was the case through the entire mini-vacation, as  you will see in the photos of this short blog.

After finishing a half day of parole hearings, I took the bus to Halifax Airport for my 2:40PM Porter Airlines flight to St. John's.  All was on time and, as you can see, the sky was completely clear, providing some beautiful scenes enroute.

I landed in St. John's, got a rental car, headed to my mother-in-law's to wish her a happy 65th wedding anniversary (my father-in-law passed away in 2011, sadly), and then drove to Clarke's Beach in time for supper with Mom and Dad.  And so endeth day one! :-)

The airport at Saint Pierre, France, off Newfoundland's Burin Peninsula.  Imagine: all summer long, there are nonstop flights from that runway to Charles de Gaulle in Paris!

In the center of the photo, you can see the burn area of the August 2025 Paddy's Pond Fire, just on the outskirts of St. John's.

Cape Spear, the closest point in North America to Europe.

The stunning cliffs of Red Cliff, upon final descent to St. John's Airport.


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