Thank you!
*****
January 26, 2013
Here's the song for this bunch:
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I went for a very short drive outside the city to some of our neighbouring villages - all of which are home to a mix of rural residents, tax refugees who commute to the city, and wealthy foreigners.
My first destination was the village of Maddox Cove and, on the way, I took a short detour to Cape Spear, the most easterly point in North America. You can see it from downtown St. John's and it's only a few minutes outside the city.
And here is the view looking back toward St. John's. If you look closely, you can see a second red ship in the background. That second ship is exiting The Narrows, which is the entrance to St. John's Harbour. The city is directly behind the two hills on either side of that ship.
And here is the village of Maddox Cove. It's unusual in that it's mostly new - there were very few homes here until commuters started buying and developing properties in the area.
Just a few minutes away (and technically part of the same municipality) is Petty Harbour. It's the exact opposite of Maddox Cove - mostly old and home to rural residents. It's a place I especially love because my mother's side of the family was among the first to settle here in the 1600s
Driving from St. John's to Cape Spear, through Maddox Cove and Petty Harbour, forms a loop and brings you back to a suburban neighbourhood of St. John's called the Goulds. From there, you can take the Irish Loop to communities further "out around the bay", which is the local term for anything outside of St. John's.
The first community of any significant size/prominence is Bay Bulls, which - despite being a very small town - is quite busy. It has an industrial port and also hosts many of the whale, bird and iceberg-viewing tour boats most popular with tourists. It is also home to growing developments of suburban McMansions.
And, finally, at the end of this short drive, we arrived in the village of Witless Bay. It has a small parking lot beside its grocery store right on the waterfront so this is where we drive to pick up a little snack and eat in the car while enjoying the view. Today there were small waves, lots of birds (including Turrs, which are similar to loons and spend much of their time underwater), and even a few seals.
This first photo was taken from my car, through the windshield. That's how close you can get.
(To help you figure it out: the seal is swimming on its back, its nose/mouth and chest are what's poking out of the water).