Signals and Spears – As East as it Gets in Canada

Cape Spear Lighthouse - Farthest Point East in Canada

In May 2007 Bro and I set off on a wild adventure crisscrossing, back and forth, across Canada self researching tourism communities and adventures.  The research mission would take allot of  determination and a little luck… we figured as much so.  And that excited us even more.

Our goal was to travel across the country from Vancouver Island, British Columbia on the west coast to St. Johns, Newfoundland on the east coast of Canada. We would document everything. The time frame to research the entire country was pegged at 6 years – give or take depending on the weather. 

Some thought it was a crazy plan… some provided encouragement. Bro and I thought it was  an opportunity of a life time.  We would learn more about Canada and we would grow our unique brand of tourism into a national network of travel and adventure websites (CanadaEH.net).  It was a leap we had to take.  It was win win.

Winds and Cliffs at Cape Spear Lighthouse

The travel route was not a straight line – no, I would say it was more like connecting the dots. Bro and I zigged and zagged, went north then south, went west then east. We researched every corner of the country – no short cuts.

We researched in sunshine, rain, fog, wind and snow. It did not matter. We avoided hurricanes and rode out storms – thunder crackling and lightening bolts striking. The weather was our friend and our enemy -sometimes in the same day.

We kept our heads down and focused on one season at a time, one kilometre at a time, one community at a time, one park at a time, one trail at a time… you get the idea.

However… when all was said and done dreams do come true because here we stand in St. Johns Newfoundland at the Cape Spear Lighthouse National Historic Site on what seems like the end of the world to us. St. Johns is the oldest city in Canada and the Cape Spear Lighthouse is the farthest point east in Canada. Next stop is the Atlantic Ocean and Europe.

Historic Cape Spear Lighthouse

On Cape Spear there is an old weathered lighthouse resting high up on a cliff battered by weather, preserved by history. It is dressed up like a barber shop pole now retired and living out its life as a museum providing tours.

And not far away sits a new cone shaped lighthouse void of any character. It is white, cylindrical and has a personailty of a pylon. Combined… the lighthouses, past and present, have protected vessels from the rugged coastline cliffs of Newfoundland, Canada for many decades.

A long series of steps leads us to the top of the cliffs and to both lighthouses of Cape Spear. We lucked out on this trip as the weather was cooperating – it was so beautiful with sunshine blues all around. However, the winds were working overtime- blistering and kicking up a fuss. They were not cold winds… no way… they were warm winds – playful winds wanting to play tag.

Surrounding the lighthouses there were many trails. Some climbed cliffs and others followed headlands to lookouts and viewpoints. All the trails are exposed to the powerful windy moods of Mother Nature. Our clothes fluttered and flapped against our bodies like flags hanging onto a flag pole. The gusts of wind were pulling us left and pushing us right. Hats were ripped off our heads as if tied to a string. The wind was playing pinball with our bodies leaving us no choice but to stagger, weave and wobble along the trails.

Views of St. John's from Signal Hill

Back in St. Johns Newfoundland we poked and prodded around town researching the parks, historic sites, downtown streets, trails, heritage buildings, museums and anything else we could find.

Water Street is the main street downtown. Lots of shops and stores to visit. In many cases the shops and stores appeared to be all in one long building – sharing walls, separated by paint color only.  What we could not find was a good gift shop with St. John souvenir clothing like hoodies and fleeces… it should not of been that hard to find a gift store? It was… so we gave up as time was a wasting.

The big find for many when in St Johns, including us, was the Signal Hill Historic Site. The historic site is located on a cliff towering high above the harbour and the City of St. Johns. It is a prime sightseeing destination with a long military and communications history.

Signal Hill during prime time acted as a scouting post, battery, fortress and communications centre for the early development years of Canada. The historic site includes many battle canons, the Queens Battery and the Cabot Tower. The tower, an impressive stone castle,  is now a museum and base camp for guided interpretive tours. There are hiking trails with information signs exploring the rugged cliffs, heritage sites and the surrounding headland summits.

Cabot Tower

Up on Signal Hill the sights dazzled us and the winds pushed and shoved – our clothes still flapped, our hats still flew and our swagger was still more like a stagger.

At the base of the hill, near the main trailhead, is a gift shop and a sign indicating you have reached the most eastern point of Canada. We wobbled, we toppled, we weebled and hobbled from destination to destination… high fiving and grinning from ear to ear loving every second of it.