Newfoundland 2018

   This morning there were many wispy clouds, but no fog, the temperature was 13 °C and a moderate wind, that got stronger with gusts over 65 km per hour in the afternoon when the high was 21°C with fewer clouds. Today we had a later start. The coach – a Prevost H3-45 - departed at 9 a.m. for a three-hour tour of St. John’s with a local guide, Tom, from McCarthy’s Party tours.  Lynn and Janet decided to skip the city tour.   St. John’s is one of the oldest settlements in North America with St. Augustine, Florida, (Spanish) and Quebec City (French) also claiming the distinction.  August 5, 1583 Englishman Sir Humphrey Gilbert laid claim to Newfoundland, England’s first overseas colony. This is commemorated at Harbourside Park, near the old King’s Wharf. In the 1829 St. John’s census 75% of the population was Irish – 15 years before the Irish Potato Famine.   Tom explained that there are three geological zones making up the Newf...

    The sky was sunny this morning with a few wispy clouds that increased during the day. There was a light breeze and the starting temperature was 10 °C.   We had the usual wakeup call 30 minutes before the luggage needed to be placed in the hall to be transferred to the replacement coach. We managed to fit in a 25 minute walk after breakfast. Today’s departure was at 7:50 a.m. for the two-hour drive to Bay Bull for a tour boat cruise.       Our coach seat rotation found us at the middle of the coach on the right-hand side. We travelled on the Trans-Canada most of the way, passing the town of Come by Chance and its oil refinery, which serves the off-shore oil fields. There was a stop at a gas station with a Subway, Tim Hortons and Circle K convenience store for people to buy a snack or something for a post cruise lunch. Before the turn off to route 13, the Irish Loop, we crossed the narrowest piece of land in Newfoundland ...