26 September 2019, Thursday This morning we are off to the Joggins Fossil Centre, about a 45 minute drive from our campground. Joggins is particularly important because it is the best location for seeing fossils from the late Carboniferous Period. This time period is referred to as the “Pennsylvanian” by geologists. The rocks here represent a time when Africa and North America were colliding as Pangaea, the supercontinent, formed causing
22-23 September: We leave Elliston and drive to Corner Brook on the 22nd. On the 23 we are up early to reach the ferry for our 11:45 departure from Newfoundland. 24 September 2019, Tuesday: We drive to Parrsboro, Nova Scotia from which it is an additional 40 minute drive to Cape Chignecto Provincial Park. I have cancelled our backcountry hiking reservations there as my ankle is not quite up to
21 September 2019, Saturday It is very windy this morning with wind speeds up to 50 plus mph. It is also raining. The weather has caused the festival organizers to reconsider the hike. This event will now be held at the municipal park as the winds are not conducive to safe hiking, or to the chefs and musicians being able to perform. O and I pull on extra warm layers
20 September 2019, Friday Today is yet another perfect September day. Bonavista and Elliston are only about 10 minutes apart by car and Dungeon Provincial Park is in between the two so we must stop to see it. The dungeon was formed when the roof of sea caves collapsed leaving an enclosed area with two arches communicating with the sea. Watching the wave action in the sunshine is mesmerizing. Next
19 September 2019, Thursday The sun is bright, the winds are calm – it’s a beautiful day in Bonavista. After another delightful breakfast , O and I seek out the Skerwink Trail. Skerwink is another name for the shearwater, a bird that skims the waves for food. As usual, both our GPS and the Maps app get the trailhead location wrong. We finally find it by heading for Trinity East
17-18 September 2019 September 17: Today we leave Edge of the Avalon Inn and drive north about 220 miles to Bonavista. It’s a rainy drive through bogs and along coastline, up to Route 1 and then onto the Bonavista Peninsula. We have driven out of the rain, but it is close behind. We have a very good dinner at Ragged Rock Gastropub and return to the Lancaster Inn for an
16 September 2019, Monday It rained a bit last night so our picnic table is rather wet. O cooks up some hot water for coffee and tea, and we warm chocolate avalanche croissants in the frittata pan. Soon after breakfast we leave Butter Pot Provincial Park and drive south towards Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve, another Unesco World Heritage site. Mistaken Point is 89 miles away and just over a 2
15 September 2019, Sunday This morning, after taking advantage of Butter Pot’s very reasonable rates for laundry, we head south on Route 10 to yet another section of the East Coast Trail. Immediately past La Manche Provincial Park is La Manche Road, an unpaved, potholed lane that travels past some houses and a large pond to a parking area. From here it is a one kilometer walk to access the
14 September 2019, Saturday We have hopes today of walking far enough along the Spout Trail (another section of the ECT) to see the spout from afar. Spouts occur when waves push water up through gaps or holes in cliffs producing a geyser-like effect. Unfortunately, our trail guidebook fails to mention that there is a 6 km hike along an ATV trail just to access the East Coast Trail at
13 September 2019, Friday It is still cold, cloudy and damp this morning so we find a Coffee Matters shop not too far away from Butter Pot at which to eat breakfast and we then drive down Route 10 looking for trail access to the Beaches Path section of the East Coast Trail. I picked this particular trail because it runs along the protected south side of a peninsula jutting