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Day 8 (July 26, 2020): The end of a truly amazing vacation

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Vacations are multi-staged affairs - the planning... the anticipation... the actual experience... the wind-down.... the reflection.  Waking up to the pounding rain on the roof of the Inn in Cape St. George, it was clear that we were in the wind-down phase.  We knew we had a few hours to catch a last cluster of sights, as well as make it back to Deer Lake Airport for our afternoon flight home.  After a week of what was perfect weather, we didn't begrudge a little rain on our last day. We knew there was one last hot breakfast to enjoy, followed by a drive along the south coast of the Port-au-Port Peninsula, and then on to Deer Lake, with a drive around Stephenville enroute.  (It was neat to see the way the American Base had shaped the town and still leaves its lasting imprint.) Upon arrival in Deer Lake, with two hours left to spare before flight time, we decided to make a dash for Sir Richards Squires Memorial Provincial Park (named after one of Newfoundland's pre-Confedera
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Day 7 (July 25, 2020): The Port-au-Port Peninsula

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Today was the last full day of our vacation, so we set off with two objectives:  first, to visit the mouth of the Bay of Islands (the bay which provides access to Corner Brook);  second, to make our way to the Port au Port Peninsula, the traditional core of Newfoundland's French Acadian community. This morning provided the first bacon and eggs of the trip, which took forever for The Glynmill to prepare.  But it was worth the wait.  We set off at 9:30AM for Bottle Cove, the most westerly community from Corner Brook towards the opening of the Bay of Islands.  It took an hour to get out there, but the mountains, the islands, and the fishing communities enroute made for an unexpectedly pleasant journey.  Route 450 passes through such communities as Benoit's Cove, John's Brook, York Harbour and Lark Harbour before ending at Bottle Cove.  Blow-Me-Down Provincial Park, a place I have wanted to visit since I was a kid, is just before Lark Harbour, so we drove around the park, ex
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Day 6 (July 24, 2020): Port Saunders to Corner Brook

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Today marked the end of our visit to the Great Northern Peninsula.  After an enjoyable night at 'A Wave From It All' in Port Saunders and a breakfast in our cottage overlooking the harbour, we headed to Port au Choix to explore the National Historic Site there, including Point Riche. Then we started our drive to Corner Brook, taking in many sights along the way.  It was yet another sunny, warm day in this part of Newfoundland, making the drive all the more enjoyable.  We stopped in Rocky Harbour to pick up a few things, but were able to pull into the hotel in Corner Brook at 4:30PM.  After an enjoyable hike along the City's trail system and after drinking in the views from Crow's Hill, we returned to The Glynmill Inn for a wonderful dinner to celebrate our 28th wedding anniversary. This morning's view from our accommodation -- 'A Wave From It All' -- in Port Saunders. Port Saunders has an active fishery.  These are the town's long-liners.
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