Peace and calm in Brigus and Conception Hr.

Every place in Newfoundland and Labrador has it's own beauty, and just a several hour drive through communities is just a tease. A lifetime or more is truly needed to explore all the scenes, towns, seascapes, beaches, etc. that are pretty, rough, exciting, dramatic, and dreamscapes. Here are a few shots from a short visit to Conception Harbour and Brigus. By the way, Brigus is a model community in terms of its beauty, cleanliness, calm and history - spectacular! Conception Hr. is lush beauty.
Conception Harbour calm
Conception Harbour
All is peaceful in Brigus
The pearly gates to a Church in Brigus
Conception Hr. calm
Ye Olde Stone Barn, Brigus (1850)

Surfing the ebb

With over two months of mainly rain, drizzle and fog, plus cold temps, I am not sure what possessed me to gravitate to somewhere where the air was full of ocean spray, which created a fog-like air. I did not miss the rdf, actually who has a chance to miss it, it never leaves. Anyway, on this day I was lucky enough to see our coastline once again, which created its own mystic fog.

Fall leaves... us loving nature

Autumn @ Bowring Park

Cruising to St. John's

The Crown Princess must have been making good time on this morning. She arrived 40 minutes earlier than her scheduled 7 a.m. time. Boasting a passenger capacity of 3780, this was the largest cruise ship in St. John's this year.
Maneuvering to dock


Check out the size

Petty Harbour, Newfoundland

Just a short drive from St. John, there are a couple of ways to reach the picturesque community of Petty Harbour. One is by the access road from the Goulds (far west end of St. John's), and the other is along the route to Cape Spear. From the latter route, you will also pass through the pretty, and expanding community of Maddox Cove.

On this day, residents of Petty Harbour put off a Heritage Festival at harbour side.





For more photos and information on Petty Harbour, and Maddox Cove, visit their website at www.pettyharbourmaddoxcove.ca/
* If you would like to order a print of Petty Harbour, please visit www.printscharles.ca

Drive to the Isles - on the way to Twillingate

Just a couple of great looking towns on the Drive to the Isles. It was my first time driving there, and so well worth the day trip. Actually, the scenery and communities were so interesting and beautiful, that I would really want to spend a month on this little peninsula alone. One would need it to just explore and climb some hills for shots of the towns, land and seascapes, the geography, vegetation and community attractions. That's not even mentioning tourist attractions like whale and iceberg watching, and strolling the streets of historic Twillingate.

On this trip there, where normally it would take maybe 1.5 hours from Gander, it took over four hours, simply because of photo stops along the way. New never-before visited places can often cause that, especially on a rather bright day, which enhances the view of what nature has to offer.

There are many communities along this route, and to really get a full appreciation of each one would require much more time, or many return trips to the area. Below are a few places and scenes along the route.


From Gander to Twillingate is about 115 km.


There are many views like this along the way.

This is a more detailed map of the "Road to the Isles".


The community of Fairbanks

A view near Cottleview causeway


Beautiful Boyd's Cove




Twillingate seems to be rather "touristy" with lots to see and do, including museums, crafts shops, diners, and boat tours. I did not have enough time to fully explore the streets but will next visit. The view from some restaurants is fantastic.

Here is a view from one restaurant along Twillingate's busy streets.


The town of Twillingate


Reflecting on the days trip at Fairbanks again.

Baine Hr. Calm

Conception Bay

A piece of Pouch Cove

The photo below is taken on part of the East Coast Trail with the community of Pouch Cove in the background. Some spots like this do not have safety rails so they are somewhat risky to pass by.

Somewhere near the cliffs of Pouch Cove there was a heroic rescue in 1875. Alfred Moores had himself lowered down a cliff and rescued 11 people from a shipwreck. See plaque below.

Autumn in Gambo

Birthplace of NL's first Premier, Joseph Smallwood.

Surfing Beaches

This pristine, fine sand beach is one of many around Newfoundland and Labrador's magnificent coastline. Driving along scenic coastal vistas, especially if the area is new to you, is a fantastic experience. You have to stop driving, get out, walk on a newly seen beach and appreciate the peaceful beauty that, well surrounds us.

In Vancouver, it is so spectacular with the Coastal Mountains in the city background, that you may feel like you're living in a postcard, or you can't believe you're living there. In Newfoundland and Labrador one also feels pride about the natural beauty and variety of the landscapes. In fact, on this trip, the idea of having a home overlooking this, or other beaches sprang to mind. So many places to hike, explore, admire and relax.

This has to be good for the health. After a day of beaching, you won't be complaining.

Click here for other blog posts of Newfoundland and Labrador scenes.

Placentia from Castle Hill

Beautiful and historic Placentia. These pictures were taken just before sunset and do not do justice to the town. You can see the beach front, which has a boardwalk along the perimeter. (Click to enlarge)
There's much to see and do here and you'll need a whole day at least to tour the picturesque place.

Take a Hike

.. and take a camera with you. It will take many more years for this NL resident to see the thousands of corners, points, coves, hilltops, valleys, beaches, etc. of this province, but it's nice to look forward to. An Alberta couple visiting Cape St. Mary's mentioned the beauty of the place, and correctly added, that every province has it's particular splendor. Here, it is a hiker's paradise, off and on the beaten trails. One of the advantages of this south eastern Canadian province is that the population is low, and there still remains vast areas of largely unspoiled, i.e., undeveloped, expanses. So when you're up to it, take a hike - good for the heart, lungs, legs, and soul (another blog topic perhaps).

The Greatest Cape

Is Cape St. Mary's.

Even without the 1000s of birds, the place would still be interesting to visit, hike and photograph. It's located at the Southwestern tip of Avalon Peninsula.
The most scenic way to get there is by turning off the TCH at the Placentia road intersection (click on the map below for a larger view).The Cape Shore drive is along Route 100. That drive on a clear day is spectacular.

For about 50 or more km, just on the way to the Cape, you will feel inclined to stop and just look

at the many million dollar views. Your trip becomes more pleasurable with scenes of beaches, barasways, rolling hills, pasture lands, meadows, and quaint communities. Oh yeah, watch out for moose at all times.

It's a good idea to phone ahead to the Cape St. Mary's visitor information centre (709-277-1666) to see if the coast is clear, that is, fog free - quite often it is foggy there.

Regarding weather conditions, if it's wet or very windy, be extra cautious hiking the hilltops. As you can see, get too close to the edge, and your sightseeing will have ended permanently.

There is about a 1.4 km walk from the information centre to the bird sanctuary.

This is a peaceful, beautiful, and an amazing part of the province.
To get a relaxing taste of mother nature, the great escape is indeed , Cape St. Mary's.

(In this picture, the Northern Gannet, one of six types of birds that nest here. For more information on the bird sanctuary, click here).