Day Eight – St. John's to the Ferry
Miles: 200
It was in the mid-50s when we set out on Monday morning and there was no rain in sight nor in the forecast. We decided to ride up to Signal Hill and see what it looked like in clear weather. We rode into the parking lot and took pics and kept moving. Next we went to Cape Spear which is the easternmost point in Canada and in all of North America. It was a blustery as we parked and walked out to the point. There was a lighthouse and some old World War II batteries but it was a good walk up to those areas and we didn't have much time so we stayed down at the lower level and took pictures. There was an old underground bunker that served as a munitions facility that we explored before getting back on the bikes and continuing south. The ride south was uneventful and we were happy just not having to ride in the rain. It was around 12:30 when we reached Cape St Mary's where there is a famous ecological reserve with a heavy population of birds. Probably the most famous of which are the 24,000 northern gannets that call this spot on the Avalon Peninsula home, but there are many other types here as well. There is very nice visitors center with lots of information, but as usual we didn't have much time to spend looking at birds. The walking trail takes you right to the very edge of the cliff and within close proximity to the birds but we only walked several hundred feet and took out pictures. We rode a short distance down the light house and took some more pictures that could easily pass for Ireland. Lighthouse construction started in 1858 and was first lit in 1860. It was upgraded in the 1950s and has remained mostly unchanged since then. We continued up the West coast of the Avalon Peninsula and stopped in Placentia to pick up some wine for the long ferry ride back to Nova Scotia. We made time to ride up to Castle Hill where the remains of an old fort still stood. The fort was the place of many battles over the years between the French and English as they fought for control of North America. The fort and a wonderful view overlooking the town of Placentia and we sat in the sunshine soaking in the scenery as we waited for our time to go down and get in line for the ferry. A short ride down the hill had us in line in plenty of time, and after a very short wait we were given the green light to board. We took our wine and luggage and found our berth that had two very nice beds and a bathroom that really was quite nice. Before long we were underway. We stayed up on top and waited the coast line and enjoyed the fresh air of the late afternoon. The ferry is a 16 hour trip from Placentia back to Nova Scotia so we had plenty of time. We started by having a nice dinner in the best place on the ship. It wasn't great but it was not bad either. The service was very good. After dinner we grabbed our wine and went to the lounge to listen to the band. We were not sure if it was against policy to bring your alcohol, but we just had a glass from our room and no one seemed to even notice so we didn't think it was a big deal. We stayed for a while and listened and walked around a little, but before long we called it a night, retiring to our berth where we would get a full night's sleep and hit the dock at 9:00 ready to ride.
