The first stop after leaving St. John's was Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove, a picturesque little community of about 900 people. The town settlement can be traces back to the 1660s. It is the site of the first hydroelectric generating station (Petty Harbour Generating Station) in Newfoundland and Labrador. Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove is still an active fishing community with fishers involved in the cod fishery and snow crab fishery.
Chairs very fitting of their location - at Petty Harbour
Further south and the next stop was Bay Bulls for a whale watching tour and to see the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve. Humpback and minke whales are often seen here, and the plentiful food has attracted millions and millions and millions of seabirds to the reserve’s four islands..
The lighthouse marking the entrance into Bay Bulls harbour
As seen on my whale watching tour
The common murre makes its home in the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve
and they are there by the thousands... maybe even millions!
The reserve also contains North America’s largest Atlantic puffin colony. More than 260, 000 pairs of the province’s official bird nest here during the late spring and summer.
Just south of La Manche Provincial Park a hiking trail takes you to what used to be the small village settlement of La Manche. La Manche was originally settled in 1840 and because of limited land in the area the community remained small, with the population peaking at about 54 at the time of Confederation. In 1966 however a rogue wave crashed into the inlet where La Manche was located and completely destroyed the entire village. This is what the site looks like today - and you can still see some of the foundations of the homes that were there pre-1966. A beautiful suspension bridge, which replaces the one that was washed away, now joins the two sides of the inlet.
Remains of one of the houses of La Manche - high up on the cliff!
Ferryland is one of the oldest European settlements in North America. The Colony of Avalon, as it was named, was founded in the 1620s by Lord Baltimore, whose family later founded the American colony of Maryland. An archeological dig has uncovered thousands of artifacts. Also, since 1870, the Lighthouse at Ferryland Head has stood as a beacon to passing ships. At times a stark warning of the dangerous jagged shores, at times a comforting reminder to sailors that they were not alone int he pitch-black night. The lighthouse is still operational however, it has been automated since 1970.
Back on the road again and at one point I looked out saw what I thought was a whale blow. After spend a bit of time watching I discovered that what I actually saw was not a whale blow but hundreds of northern gannets all out on the ocean together and diving down to get their feed. It was quite a sight!
My drive today ended at Trepassey, at the southern end of the Irish Loop.
Nice whale tail from Bay Bulls! Hoping you went out with O'Briens, whose cousins we spent time with on our last trip. Are you feeling the need to re-read the colony of unrequited dreams when you get back? Ferryland always makes me think of that book.
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