THE AVALON PENINSULA, PART 1

EASTERN CANADA JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY

THE AVALON PENINSULA  (Part 1)

JUNE 9-14, 2011

Emerging from the maw of the ferry like Jonah being coughed up by the whale, we headed north on the Trans Canada Highway to spend the night in Corner Brook, Newfoundland’s second largest city.  We had to remember to reset the clocks because Newfoundland Time is in the only 1/2 hour time zone in the world.  As soon as you get off the ferry, it is apparent why all Canadians affectionately refer to Newfoundland as “The Rock”, since it seems as if that’s all there is - a singular gigantic rock covered by a thin layer of acidic soil, dressed with scruffy stunted trees, grass and water.  Due to the impenetrable granitic underpinnings, telephone and power poles lining the road have to be supported  by “rock paddocks”, crates of stones around the base of each pole. Not a great location for agriculture, but spectacular for scenery, especially when you add in the crashing north Atlantic surf.

Although the June days are long here, and the evenings seem even more prolonged due to the angular descent of the boreal sun, we had to keep a watchful eye for moose along the road.  These long-legged 1000 pound ungulates cause many serious road accidents each year, and evening is the most dangerous time.  

We arose early the next morning for our easy 700 km (420 mile) drive across southern Newfoundland to the capital city of St. John’s, which would be our headquarters for exploring the Avalon Peninsula.  Spring was just beginning to show its face here, and the hills were a riot of greens - dark balsam firs and black spruce, mixed with the bright hues of emerging aspen, birch, willow and maple.  There seemed to be a new pond, lake or river, each more beautiful than the last, around every bend of the road.  Vehicles were sporadically parked along the highway and we could see fly-fishermen artfully casting for the trout and salmon that are abundant in the dark tannin-stained waters.  

As we drove past the city of Gander, our thoughts turned to the days immediately after  9/11, when numerous planes in transit were ordered grounded.  Dozens of passenger flights ended up at the old military air base in Gander, built to service US planes during WW II, where generous Newfoundlanders warmly provided homes and hospitality for the stranded passengers until the flight ban was lifted several days later.

Sprawling like a giant sea star from the southeastern corner of Newfoundland, the Avalon Peninsula holds 40% of the province’s population, which doesn’t say much, since there are only half a million residents spread out out over this vast territory, including Labrador, which has only 4% of the population. Most Americans don’t seem to have much knowledge of this seemingly remote Canadian province, but here are some startling facts: 

- Newfoundland and Labrador was a separate country until 1949, when the province narrowly voted to to become confederated with Canada; due to many ties with the United States, there was a strong movement to become what would have been the 49th state!  Numerous Newfoundlanders have relatives in the USA, especially in New England.

- The Avalon Peninsula is the closest area in North America to continental Europe and as a result, was settled by Europeans long before most other areas of the United States

- John Cabot first made landfall in North America in 1497 by sailing along the coast of the Avalon Peninsula

- Basque whalers and cod fishermen were probably working the Grand Banks and encamped in Newfoundland and Labrador before Columbus sailed the ocean blue

- The Grand Banks was the foremost fishery in the world, especially for abundant “king  cod”, attracting fishing fleets from dozens of nations for almost 500 years until it became over fished within the past 30 years, resulting in a fishing moratorium enacted in 1992

- The first schools and courthouse in North America were in Newfoundland

- During World Wars I&II, the United States established numerous military bases in N&L , using it as a staging area for deployment to and from Europe for troops and supplies

- Until the 1980s, when commercial airplanes became able to carry sufficient fuel, almost all trans-atlantic flights stopped in N&L for refueling

St. John's Harbor

St. John’s has become an upscale, cosmopolitan city in the last 20 years, featuring trendy restaurants, office towers, all sorts of hotels, micro-breweries,  a convention center and every amenity a visitor could hope for.   Duckworth Street seemed to have the widest array of international and local eateries, while several great pubs fronted  Water Street.  We stayed at the Sheraton, overlooking the harbor and much of the area’s incredible history.  Signal Hill, perched high above the entrance to the harbor, was the site of ship to land flag communication since the 1600s and ultimately, the first wireless transmission between North America and Europe in 1901 by Guglielmo Marconi.  In 1762, the French surrendered control of the area to the British after “The Battle of Signal Hill.”  The United States maintained anti-aircraft guns here during WWII.

Two restaurants to recommend: high-priced, but excellent, is Portabello on Duckworth Street, offering excellent local seafood and of course, a mushroom soup that will bring tears to your eyes.  Just down the road, much more reasonably priced, was delicious fare at Bagel Cafe, with everything from breakfast to snow crabs and blackened salmon for dinner in a cozy atmosphere.

Green Island, Witless Bay Ecological Reserve

There is an abundance of activities to enjoy on the Avalon Peninsula and being birders and wildlife junkies, we chose to go for the fruits of the sea.  Just south of St. John’s  is the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve, established to protect the millions of seabirds that nest on the preserve’s four islands.  Over a quarter million Atlantic Puffins nest here, along with millions of Common Murres and Leach’s Storm-petrels, with smaller numbers of Razorbills, Thick-billed Murres, Northern Fulmars and several other species. These birds all are totally pelagic, which means they only come to land to nest, otherwise spending their entire lives at sea.  I can describe the experience, but until you personally see an immense torrent of birds pour off a cliff like a waterfall without even appearing to diminish the number of birds still there, it’s hard to picture.  Watching the puffins attempts at flying always brings a smile, even to the most hard core birders, as these wind-up bathtub toys wildly flap their wings to gain altitude and then crash into either water or ground when they land.  They are designed for diving and graceful “flying” under water, using their long narrow wings and rear mounted feet for rudders, like a seal.  Puffins can hold up to 15 small fish in their colorful beaks at one time.

Atlantic Puffin

Dancing a Jig on Obrien's Boat

Razorbills

You used to have find a willing fisherman to take you out to the islands but now an industry has sprung up for seabird and whale watching tours.  We highly recommend O’Brien’s (www.obriensboattours.com) in Bay Bulls, whose boat not only provides excellent descriptions by a naturalist, but live singing of Scottish and Irish sea shanties.  One of the crew may even grab your hand to dance a jig.  During July, a small fish called capelin come in to shore by the zillions themselves, to “roll” and lay eggs on the beaches.  The birds and whales rely on them for food, so they also come close to shore and can put on quite a show.  Just remember: it’s cold out there on the sea.  No matter how sunny and warm it may be on land, the water temperature rarely gets above 40 degrees Fahrenheit, so that’s what you’ll be dealing with as you enjoy close-up views of zillions of birds.

To be continued...

Questions?  Write sam.fried@live.com