After a late night of drinking, we both slept really good last night. After eating breakfast at the hostel we headed north to Elliston to hopefully see some puffins.
But first we stumbled across a Sealer's Memorial and I am such a history geek that we had to stop here. The names of all the people that died in 1914 on the S.S. Southern Cross and the S.S. Newfoundland sealing disasters are listed here.
The heartbreaking story about this memorial to a father protecting his son until the very end as they froze to death can be read here.
This is a root cellar. They were commonly used in Newfoundland and elsewhere to store food for the long winters.
I believe this is a salt box house. If there was a for sale sign on it, I might have bought it. What a great location right on the ocean.
After having a wonderful conversation with the lady at the Interpretive Center for the Puffin Viewing Site, I slowly wandered along the cliffs.
The views mixed with the refreshing salty ocean air were intoxicating.
Since Christy went straight out to take pictures of the puffins, I relaxed and enjoyed the sites and sounds of being surrounded by water. I had several interesting conversations with other photographers and people who appreciate being surrounded by unspoiled natural beauty.
Christy watching the puffins from a beautiful vantage point.
Puffins everywhere on the small rock island just a few feet across the water from us.
The seagulls and eagles were looking for eggs or young puffins.
We walked back up the high cliff peninsula...
...taking pictures along the way.
I really enjoyed hiking along the cliffs here.
We stopped in one of the decorated root cellars on this site.
A cool wooden puffin chair.
I also love walking through cemeteries.
I love imagining all the stories buried there below the names.
If you've been reading this blog lately, you seen nothing but shoreline cliffs and lighthouses. Here is another one...the Bonavista Lighthouse.
Another unique looking lighthouse.
Canada is celebrating it's 150th year as a country.
This is a raven or a crow depending on where you live. Chrissy took this picture because for years we have joked about the ravens circling above us whenever we are out hiking. The joke is they are waiting for us to die so they can peck our eyes out. So far it's been Gregg & Chrissy stay alive and ravens get zero tasty eyeballs.
I need to hike here with a geologist to explain all the wild rock formations and stratifications.
History Geek Alert. I paid the $6 to gain access to the lighthouse while Christy hiked along the cliffs.
There was a very knowledgeable and entertaining young lady explaining what life was like here 100 years ago.
This really was like stepping back into the 1800's.
There was a clothes rack left out so you could dress like the 1800's. So I put on the biggest jacket I could find. Unfortunately, modern life has left me fatter than those that lived here in the 1800's.
The children's room in the lighthouse.
It was very cool to see how a weight slowly dropped to turn this old seal oil fueled light assembly.
Here's more information about this lighthouse built in 1843.
I couldn't find Christy after touring the lighthouse, so I hiked along the cliffs.
I found Christy.
Another view of this 174 year old lighthouse.
I guess Christy found me.
One of the greatest things to do...stand at the end of the land and look out over the ocean.
Hikers love to stack rocks all over the world.
Just trying to get some new colors in a picture.
Chrissy hiking back to the car.
Another memorial to fishermen.
John Cabot landed somewhere near Bonavista in 1497. Of course, like Columbus before him, he didn't realize this was unknown land to Europeans. He thought he landed in Asia.
There are two things Newfoundlanders must love...cod tongues and ice cream. These two items are available everywhere. We have a long drive south to Placentia. So we ate lunch here.
The Newfoundland tourism board has amazing videos on you tube. They also have given a name to every shoreline road. This one to Placentia is the Cape Shore.
We stayed at this lovely and comfortable inn.
We walked down the street and had a tasty dinner at The Three Sisters Pub in a traditional salt box house built in 1883.
We ended another wonderful exploring Newfoundland with a glass of wine (Christy) and a Quidi Vidi 1892 Traditional Ale (Gregg). Slainte Newfoundland.
