Day 7 (July 15, 2021): A re-positioning day to prepare for part two of our vacation

We have spent six days wandering the west and south coasts of Newfoundland, and we can honestly say it has been a geographical, cultural and experiential smorgasbord!  When our heads hit the pillows last night, though, we were really wiped out.  So this day of re-positioning travel was welcome.

Burgeo had a planned power outage from 6-11AM this morning.  As a result, our B&B host was unable to prepare the normal full breakfast, but with the help of a Coleman stove, homemade muesli, boiled eggs, muffins and coffee provided adequate fuel for the day ahead.

About 20 years ago, Burgeo invested in the construction of a wooden stairwell to the top of the highest peak in the town's core.  We climbed it before hitting the road and were deeply impressed with the sweeping views of the town and surrounding areas.

The Burgeo Highway stretched out before us at 9:30AM, but having experienced it on Monday, we were not as intimidated today.  We did the 146KM in just under 1½ hours.  As with the drive down the Highway last Monday, we saw no moose or bears.  But we did see what we think was a pine marten cross the road.

We were heading to Deer Lake for a 4PM flight to St. John's.  Since we were making good time, we decided to nix planned stops in Corner Brook and Deer Lake and try to change to a 1:30PM flight.  Eureka - we had success!  The ol' adage, "don't ask, don't get" proved its worth yet again.  We landed in St. John's at 2:30PM.  

Tomorrow, we start part two of this Newfoundland vacation: a tour around the southern part of the Avalon Peninsula.

The view of Burgeo Haven from Maiden Tea Hill.

The wooden staircase to the summit of Maiden Tea Hill, overlooking Burgeo and surrounding area.

And the view from the top of Maiden Tea Hill.



No, your screen isn't blurry.  That is a fog bank we encountered on the Burgeo Highway.  As the owner of the Burgeo Haven B&B told us, "You need three people to do the Burgeo Highway:  a driver, a pothole spotter, and a wildlife spotter!"  It's quite true.

We changed to an earlier Provincial Airlines flight from Deer Lake to St. John's.  The Dash 8-300 flight had originated in Moncton and was carrying on to St. John's.

A view of the Humber, one of Newfoundland's mightiest rivers, as it meanders through Deer Lake.

Newfoundland's interior contains a mind-boggling amount of fresh water.  There are more ponds than you can count.

A view of Bell Island, Little Bell Island (top centre) and Kelly's Island (top right) in Conception Bay.


Hertz in Deer Lake had given us a brand new Kia Soul with 31KM on the odometer.  Hertz in St. John's gave us a brand new Toyota Corolla with 34KM on the odometer!  Rental cars are in short supply here.  Hertz told me their summer fleet normally has 600 cars.  This year, it's around 250 cars.  So it is impossible to secure a rental car here.