So, instead, I picked up the rental car I had reserved (rental cars are almost impossible to get in the province because the companies sold off their fleet during COVID). I need it for getting food, provisions, doing laundry, washing sleeping bags, getting propane cooking fuel and a variety of other items. By late morning we were headed out to Signal Hill perched high above the entrance narrows of St. John's Harbour. The views from up there are stunning. On the left in the photo above is the entrance to the harbor, called the narrows. To the right in the photo is the inner, deep water port of St. John's. It is truly one of the most amazing natural harbors of the world. This port city vies with Trinidad, Cuba as one of the two oldest port towns in North America. The name and port appear on a Portuguese chat of 1519.

The long, narrow entrance has made this a defensible port through the centuries. It generally remains ice free in winter and is the closest major port to Europe. Few natural harbors have such a configuration. The proximity to Europe, combined with ample room, deep water and the ability to place dual submarine nets across the entrance made St. John's the port of choice for allied supply ships from North America to gather in safety and then depart as a convoy with naval corvette escort vessels to make the mad dash across the Atlantic during World War II.

Signal Hill is also famous for being the point at which Guglielmo Marconi received the first trans-Atlantic wireless communication from England. His technology, on December 12, 1901 would change world communications in the most incomprehensible way. Suddenly, instead of news taking weeks to cross the Atlantic aboard a ship, global messaging could be instantaneous. I think of cell phones, the Internet and other technologies of my life as being significant advances. But, they are nothing compared to the change ushered in on that cold December day atop Signal Hill in St. John's - that was a communication revolution!

From Signal Hill we headed south down the coast of the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland in our rental car. Annie and I had previously visited Cape Spear National Historic Site, and I wanted to return. Cape Spear is the easternmost point in North America, where the sun first strikes our continent each morning. It is a stunning headland reaching into the cold Atlantic with shear cliffs off one side. During wars it also housed troops and batteries to help protect the waters off St. John's from U-boats. The cape itself is beautiful.

Perched atop the cape stands Canada's oldest lighthouse, Cape Spear, which is a National Historic Site. The 1836 structure has the light directly above the classic keepers cottage. This old beacon is a reminder of how sailors for centuries have relied on lighthouses to keep clear of danger and safely find port.

We had a quick lunch of codfish and chips in the tiny fishing outport of Quidi Vidi and then headed to The Rooms museum with exhibits of indigenous people's culture and Newfoundland and Labrador art.

Now, off to bed and I hope to report back with good news on the diesel tomorrow!

Bill

Tazzarin's Whale & Iceberg logo design by Emily Dove