Saturday, July 14 - St John, New Foundland

We got off the ferry at about 5:30AM, in a flurry of motorcycle activity.  Everyone had to get the tie-downs released, start motors, and get in line to leave.  At least the parking deck was not slick, and we had no trouble.  Our new friends from New Foundland invited us to have a "truckers" breakfast with their group at a restaurant not far from the ferry landing.  We enjoyed their company again, and then they led us to our motel in St. John, where they lived, about 40 miles away.  Then we went exploring.

First we visited "Signal Hill", the place where Marconi received the very first Trans-Atlantic radio signal.  It also had been a lookout hill for the British and French, when they were fighting to see who would win Canada.  The lookout  allows a wonderful view of St. John, the largest city in New Foundland, and the very secure, deep harbor at St. John.  A stone tower had been built in early days, and has been restored by a historic society.

Our second and most important goal was to go to Cape Spear, the "Farthest East point of Land in North America"!!  This has been one of our prime reasons for going to New Foundland - to go as far East as we could on the Continent, and WE DID IT!!

Next, we explored some of the NF coast, looking at the small protected inlets and harbors, and went on to ride on "The Rock", as New Foundlanders call their island.  The part around St. John is certainly appropriately named as we found out while riding on fairly flat, treeless, almost solid rock high plateau.  It was interesting how many "pot holes" of small lakes there were on the Rock.  We passed many, many of these, from 10 yards wide, to 100 yards wide, to 1/4 mile wide.  There are a few which are 1/2 mile wide and more.

After that, the day turned rainy, and we decided that after the night on the ferry we needed a nap.  So that ended a successful day.

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