It was another early rise and another breakfast of ham and eggs in the AirBNB. It was 10AM when we pulled out of the driveway in Bonavista. After some sights in the historic fishing community, we headed to Cape Bonavista (famous for its lighthouse and known as the landing site of John Cabot in 1497). From there, it was on to The Dungeon Provincial Park, Elliston to see cellars and puffins, and then a drive along the Bonavista Peninsula's east coast to visit English Harbour and Trinity.
By the time we arrived back in Clarke's Beach at 5PM, we had driven over 1100KM from Thursday morning to Saturday afternoon.
The visit packed a lot of distance, visits, and sights into 56 hours, especially for a 93-year old and an 85-year old! But Mom and Dad were troopers about it all, and they seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Of course, trips require time to process. And the beauty of a blog is that it serves as an aid for processing places and visits for years to come.
Thanks for reading this blog. And, if you have never been, both Twillingate and Bonavista are treasures in Newfoundland and Labrador's storehouse of amazing places.
Breakfast at our AirBnB in Bonavista, which was very clean, well-equipped and tastefully decorated.
Outside the AirBnB in Bonavista.
The restored Ryan Premises in Bonavista are a Parks Canada National Historic Site.
Some of the well-maintained wooden buildings in the heart of Bonavista.
Bonavista is a very busy fishing hub with a bustling DFO Small Craft Harbour.
Mockbeggar Plantation has been a fishery plantation site since the 1700s and played a major role in the development of Bonavista. The main house was built in the 1870s and has been restored to 1939 – the time when Newfoundland statesman and advocate for Confederation with Canada, F. Gordon Bradley, lived there.
Cape Bonavista.
A fish 'flake' in Cape Bonavista.
Stone Island off Cape Bonavista.
Completed in 1843, the light at Cape Bonavista was the only connection to land for generations of mariners while out on the dark and rugged sea. It functioned until 1962.
John Cabot landed in Cape Bonavista in 1497.
Cape Bonavista Lighthouse.
The Chimney at Spillars Cove.
Community pasture at Cape Bonavista, enroute to The Dungeon Provincial Park.
The Chimney at Spillars Cove.
The Dungeon Provincial Park, just south of Cape Bonavista, has been declared a UNESCO Geosite.
Elliston has more than 130 documented root cellars. Of those, half are still in working condition and used today. Here is a sampling of them!
Although Elliston touts itself as a the Root Cellar Capital of the World, root cellars can be found all over Newfoundland. These traditional food storage systems were (are) used mainly for root vegetables, like potatoes and carrots. Root cellars are built right into the ground, mainly into small hills and banks. The natural humidity and moisture keeps things cool in the summer and prevents freezing in the winter.
A traditional potato ground in Elliston.
Traditional outport home in Elliston.
Near the puffin viewing area in Elliston.
Island just off the coast at Elliston, where puffins rule the roost!
Sandy Cove Beach in Elliston.
English Harbour.
We worked our way home along the eastern coast of the Bonavista Peninsula. English Harbour is where Dad was based from 1950-52, when he served as a student minister in these parts. Serving up to a dozen points on the pastoral charge without a car, it was nothing short of a miracle, the way he made his way around. In his second year, he acquired a bike from Eaton's, which helped connect him with the Bonavista Branch-line of the Newfoundland Railway.
The view of English Harbour.
Back in 1982, Dad, Mom and I visited English Harbour and were able to access the little church there, where Dad served from 1950-52. We even went through the old registry books and saw his funeral, birth and marriage entries from back then. Sadly, the church burned to the ground in 2003. This memorial to the church is all that remains today.
A little further south, historic Trinity is about as picture-perfect as you can imagine, with the homes and buildings having been carefully restored.
We had a great picnic in Trinity.
St. Paul's Anglican Church in Trinity is where the famous hymn, 'We Love the Place, O God' was penned.
Most Holy Trinity Church (Roman Catholic), Trinity.
The Methodist Schoolhouse in Trinity. Dad re-started United Church services in Trinity in 1950, using this building -- after a difficult negotiation to be able to use the facility. The keyholder eventually gave in and, sadly, his was the first funeral that dad had to do in Trinity.
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