The Best of Spectacular Newfoundland Coast to Coast

Activity note: Hotel check-in available from 3:00 p.m.

Afternoon: Arrive to colourful St. John's and transfer to the hotel. Program Registration. 4:00-5:00 p.m. Come meet our group leader in the lobby and get your welcome packet. If you arrive late, please ask for your packet when you check in and the front desk will be happy to help you.

Dinner: At 6:00 pm in the hotel, we’ll have a welcome dinner

Evening: We’ll begin our evening with an orientation session where we’ll get to know each other as well as review the up-to-date program schedule and any changes. We’ll go over important information as well as have time for questions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars or settle in for the night. You may also wish to explore what the city has to offer. The hotel is near St. John’s harbour, surrounded by shopping, restaurants, and rainbow houses.

Activity note: Walking approximately two miles over four hours. Driving about 35 miles over 1.5 hours

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel

Morning: We begin our visit to St. John's with a presentation on Newfoundland geology with a local expert. Next, we will embark on an expert-led coach exploration of St. John's, the capital of Newfoundland and Labrador. This colorful city, born of its sheltered harbor, was a busy port 40 years before the Mayflower landed at Plymouth. Although it is a small city, St. John's has a warm, vibrant spirit. Water Street is one of the oldest streets in North America. We'll then visit Signal Hill National Historic Site and Cabot Tower.

Lunch: En route we’ll enjoy our boxed lunches

Afternoon: This afternoon we will explore Cape Spear Lighthouse National Historic Site, the most easterly point of land in North America. Transfer to "The Rooms" for an introduction to the people of Newfoundland. A unique blend of art gallery, archives and museum; its controversial design mirrors the colorful "fishing rooms" where families came together to process their catch. This is a wonderful opportunity to be exposed to local culture and craft as well as traditional and modern looks at life in Newfoundland and Labrador as it houses the largest collection of artefacts and specimens - from the First Nations, Vikings, French, and English.

Dinner: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy local flavors. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: The puffin and whale watching is aboard Gatherall’s Catamaran, a designed and built passenger vessel – not a converted fishing boat. It is more stable than conventional vessels; which means less seasickness and a more pleasant ride. Space for all passengers both outside and inside. Two washrooms and an on-board bar/canteen service. Boating approximately 20 miles over 1.5 hours. Walking about ½ mile over 1 hour. Driving around 200 miles over 4 hours.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel

Morning: This morning, our local expert will discuss seabirds and the marine ecology of Newfoundland and Labrador. Learn about the diversity of North Atlantic seabirds and the Low Arctic ocean conditions along the coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador that provide their habitat. Newfoundland is the southern limit for icebergs and many Arctic seabirds. We will also explore the interrelationships between seabirds and their ocean environment and assess the current information about the North Atlantic, the fishes in it and climate change from the point of view of the spectacular seabirds of Newfoundland and Labrador. Then travel to Witless Bay where a boat field trip will give us the opportunity to spot puffins and whales (weather and season permitting). The Witless Bay Ecological Reserve is where over 1,000,000 pairs of seabirds gather to breed during the summer months. The onboard interpretive program will describe the natural and cultural heritage of Newfoundland.

Lunch: We’ll enjoy lunch at a local restaurant

Afternoon: We continue to travel to Port Union with a stop in Trinity to explore the town's historic sites and landmarks. The preservation of Trinity's cultural and built heritage has made it perhaps the most notable "heritage community" in the province.

Dinner: Dinner at a Local Restaurant

Evening: Arrive and check-in to the hotel in Port Union

Activity note: Walking 2 miles over four hours, some uneven terrain, stops for interpretation but no seating. Driving 60 miles over 1.5 hours.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel

Morning: On an expert-led visit of historic Port Union, see the buildings of the town, including the factory and the Coaker Bungalow. Many are being restored to their original state. Local experts talk about each site and the part it played in the life and times of Port Union. A local historian will deliver a presentation on Port Union and its history. Learn how Sir William Coaker formed a union of fishermen in the early 1900s to fight against the merchant trade of St. John's. His goal was to revolutionize the fishery, placing control of the fish trade in the hands of fishermen. Sir William is noted as an activist, labor leader, visionary, businessman, publisher and politician.

Lunch: We’ll enjoy lunch at a local restaurant

Afternoon: At Ryan Premises National Historic Site, learn the intriguing story of the East Coast fishery. Parks Canada staff will describe the compelling story of the fishing industry in Newfoundland in the unique setting of these restored merchant's premises. The first thing we notice is the smell of salt cod. More than a century after employees of James Ryan Ltd. began salting and storing the cod brought in by local fishermen, the tangy aroma of their work remains as strong as if the enterprise had just closed yesterday. We will also visit the Cape Bonavista Lighthouse Provincial Historic Site, located at the headland of Cape Bonavista. As trained locals interpret this site, we will learn how important this lighthouse was in guiding mariners and shipping traffic bound for Labrador. Discover the vital role played by lighthouses, and the extraordinary breed of men and women who operated them, in safeguarding the lives of the mariners who executed their trade off Newfoundland's rugged coast. The lighthouse is now a Provincial Historic Site, restored to the 1870s. Bonavista is one of the oldest settlements on the northeast coast of Newfoundland. A quaint fishing community of 4,600 people, it is the largest community in the province to rely solely on the inshore fishing industry. Its name is presumed to have come from Italian explorer John Cabot's exclamation "O Buena Vista", meaning "O Happy Sight", when he first sighted land off Cape Bonavista in 1497

Dinner: Local residents will join us for dinner and share their stories about life in rural Newfoundland. Dinner will feature a variety of traditional Newfoundland dishes.

Evening: Following dinner there will be traditional music and dancing, and you may want to try your hand at playing the "ugly sticks" and spoons; and become an honourary Newfoundlander at a screech-in. An evening of fun and laughter.

Activity note: Walking 1.5 miles over 3.5 hours. Driving 220 miles over 4.5 hours.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel

Morning: Set off for Twillingate with stops en route. At Terra Nova National Park, learn about the geology and geography of the park, the marine life along its coastline and the issues affecting its ecological integrity. Discover why the park's theme is "where long fingers of the North Atlantic Ocean touch our boreal landscape". After watching a short introductory movie, we will have an expert-led visit of the marine exhibits and touch tank, then up to the top of Blue Hill. The natural habitat of this 400-square-kilometre park includes spruce and fir forest, rolling hills, sheltered inlets, rugged coastline, bogs, ponds, streams and glacial features. From whales roaming the rich feeding grounds of the Sounds to the orchids of the boreal habitat, this area has supported an impressive array of marine and terrestrial life for thousands of years. Salmon, moose, bear, lynx and bald eagles are just some of the wildlife we may see at Terra Nova.

Lunch: We’ll enjoy lunch at a local restaurant

Afternoon: At the Beothuk Interpretation Centre Provincial Historic Site in Boyd's Cove, learn the haunting story of the extinct Beothuk people. Discover how these people lived in the 17th century - who they traded with and what sort of religion they practiced. Explore the physical world in which the Beothuk lived by following a traditional path through the forest used by early European settlers and possibly also by the Beothuk. Archaeological excavations have uncovered a group of house pits occupied between 1650 and 1720 AD, at a time when the now-extinct Beothuk people had had some interaction with Europeans and were making use of metal scavenged from European sites. The Beothuk people became extinct with the death of Shanawdithit, a Beothuk woman, in St. John's in 1829. The Boyd's Cove site and Notre Dame Bay area provide important information about the life and culture of this unique people.

Dinner: We'll enjoy dinner at the hotel in Twillingate,

Evening: This evening is yours to explore local sites and discover Twillingate on your own or relax at the hotel. This town of 5,000 people is located in beautiful Notre Dame Bay. The town probably dates from the 15th century, when it was a fishing port. It flourished in the 18th century, becoming known as the "Capital of the North". Since the downturn in the fishery, many businesspeople and residents have turned to tourism to turn the town's fortunes around.

Activity note: Walking 2 miles over 4.5 hours. Driving 25 miles over 1 hour.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel

Morning: We will start the day with a trip to the Isles Wooden Boat Builder’s Museum and Workshop. Twillingate is one of the province’s oldest ports and a perfect place to learn about the Newfoundland tradition of wooden boat building. We’ll meet with a boat builder to learn about this ancient art and the part it has played in the lives of the people of the island and get an up close look at a boat being built. Next, we visit the Twillingate Museum, where we’ll glimpse into the lives of the people of Twillingate in the early 1900s. Housed in the former Anglican rectory, the museum recreates a typical household of the time, complete with a parlour for entertaining guest to a cozy kitchen with its Waterloo Stove and flowering geraniums. A museum guide will escort us to the very interesting cemetery located behind the museum, with rocky outcroppings and the ocean as a backdrop. This is the resting place of a woman who once was Newfoundland’s most famous export, the prima donna soprano Georgina Stirling, who performed under the name Marie Toulinquet.

Lunch: We’ll enjoy lunch and an exploration at the Auk Island Winery.

Afternoon: We’re in for a treat as meet with a local expert on traditional foods for a multi-sensory learning experience. After gathering on the shore at her family’s fishing stage — a special wooden building where cod fishing equipment was kept and cod where cleaned and sometimes processed — we’ll learn about the importance of cod in the lives of one family and the devasting effect that the moratorium has had. We’ll also learn about efforts to preserve and promote traditional Newfoundland food sources and traditions. After this inspiring talk, we will walk on a spit of land to nearby Beatrix Island for a “mug up.” We’ll enjoy nature-inspired cool or warm drinks over the fire and a sampling of traditional foods, that may include: cod tongue, capelin, smoked fish, fish n brewis, or salt cod. Our menu will vary and depend on what we locally source each day. Road Scholars can beach comb, sit by the fire and watch the culinary creations by our expert, or just relax by the sea.

Dinner: We'll enjoy dinner at the hotel

Evening: At leisure

Activity note: Walking ½ mile over 2 hours. Driving 250 miles over 8 hours (rest stops taken throughout journey).

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel

Morning: This morning we board the coach and head across the island to explore the West Coast and Great Northern Peninsula. We will make a few stops along the way in Grand Falls-Windsor, King's Point and Deer Lake before reaching our destination in Cow Head.

Lunch: We'll enjoy lunch at a local restaurant in King's Point

Afternoon: Visit the King's Point Whale Pavilion where the main attraction is a 50- foot whale skeleton. The humpback whale skeleton was extracted from a carcass that washed up in northeastern Newfoundland several years ago. Then continue on to Cow Head. This small fishing village is situated on the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Gros Morne National Park. It represents a large sample of Newfoundland's western highlands and coastal lowlands - a landscape of mountains, fjords, deep glacial lakes and wave-carved cliffs.

Dinner: We'll enjoy dinner in the hotel.

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: Walking roughly 2 miles over 3 hours. Driving 60 miles over 1.5 hours.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel

Morning: This morning we set off to explore Gros Morne National Park by coach, water taxi and on foot. At the Gros Morne National Park, park staff will give insight into the forces which shaped the landscape of this UNESCO World Heritage Site at the Discovery Centre. Gros Morne is characterized by a diverse landscape which includes barren cliffs, fjords, bogs, beaches, mountains, and forests.

Lunch: We’ll enjoy lunch at a local restaurant

Afternoon: Explore the Tablelands with a Parks expert. While walking Earth’s mantle, our expert will explain the plate tectonics and glacial formations which shaped the Tablelands as well as introduce us to the unique plants and vegetation in the region.

Dinner: We'll enjoy dinner at the hotel

Evening: At leisure

Activity note: Today we will walk the trail to Western Brook Pond 3 km (2 miles) in length each way. The trail is boardwalk and gravel with some slight grades. There is no transportation available on the trail. Located at dockside is a sheltered waiting area, indoor washrooms, canteen, gift shop, picnic area. Two Coast Guard approved vessels have a combined capacity of 165 people. Live interpretation of some the geological and historical features of this wonder of nature. Driving 60 miles over 1 hour.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel

Morning: Walk the Western Brook Pond Trail after transferring by Motorcoach. Bask in the view of the land-locked fjord, waterfalls, and billion-year-old cliffs while wandering the recently revitalized trail. Once we arrive at the end of the trail we will explore the Western Brook Pond by boat (weather permitting). A local resource person will provide onboard commentary. The “pond” is one of numerous glacially carved fjords in the Long Range Mountains, the northernmost extension of the Appalachian Mountains. Waterfalls cascade from a height of 2,000 feet, and we may even spot some of the local wildlife. The lake is home to Atlantic salmon, brook trout, and Arctic char, as well as an unusual colony of cliff-nesting gulls.

Lunch: We will enjoy our box lunches dockside at Western Brook Pond. There is a sheltered waiting area, indoor washroom facilities, canteen services and a gift shop as well as several beautiful picnic areas.

Afternoon: Depart by coach to explore other areas in the Park. Curving around a long and sweeping bay with the mountains in the background, we will see Rocky Harbour and stop at the Lobster Cove Lighthouse.

Dinner: We'll enjoy dinner at the hotel

Evening: Enjoy a presentation at the hotel by the Gros Morne Theatre Company, focusing on Newfoundland stories, song and music, celebrating the Newfoundland culture, heritage, and most importantly her people. Plays include stories about heroic nurses, heroic actions during a ship wreck, a pair of Newfoundland Eds, and a real life murder mystery from the 1800s.

Activity note: Walking 1.5 miles over 3 hours. Driving 225 miles over 5.5 hours.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel

Morning: Depart by coach for St. Anthony. The town had its beginnings as a seasonal fishing station for French and Biscayan (Basque) fishermen in the early 1500s. This is how Jacques Cartier came upon it in 1534, when he named the protected harbor St. Anthony Haven. A permanent coastal settlement did not begin until after the Napoleonic Wars ended in 1815. During the latter decades of the 19th century, the town was a service point for Newfoundland schooners sailing between the Labrador coast and ports in Bonavista. As the largest town at the tip of the Great Northern Peninsula, it was a base camp for early European settlers.

Lunch: We’ll enjoy lunch at a local restaurant

Afternoon: Learn how the Vikings would have lived 1,000 years ago at the Norstead Viking Village, a re-created Viking village. Costumed interpreters carry out authentic demonstrations. At the boatshed, marvel at a full-scale replica of a Viking ship. At the place of worship, explore the transition from paganism to Christianity. Visit the chieftain's hall, blacksmith shop, tents and fire pit. Next explore L'Anse-aux-Meadows National Historic Site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site - one of the highlights of this program. At L'Anse aux Meadows we will learn about this famous ancient Viking settlement, the first European encampment in the New World and site of Leif Erickson's Vinland. Discover the westward migration of the Vikings and understand how they lived so long ago. Stand on the same grassy plain facing the sea where the Vikings stood 1,000 years ago, then stoop to enter the reconstructed sod house that once protected them from the chill, wind and snow. Experience first-hand the warm, smoky atmosphere of these efficient buildings, while costumed interpreters depict Viking life. Eight Norse sod-house foundations were unearthed by explorer Helge Ingstad and his wife, archaeologist Anne Stine Ingstad, in the 1960s.

Dinner: At a local restaurant.

Evening: Arrive and check-in to the hotel in St. Anthony.

Activity note: The Gaffer III is a custom built 48 passenger boat with washrooms, heated cabin, stereo and PA system. There is a forward observation deck for unrestricted nature viewing that is easily accessible. For the adventurous, the Gaffer III has a fly-bridge for that panoramic view. Vessel and crew are Canadian Coast Guard Certified. Approximately 30 miles of boating over 2.5 hours. Walking 1 mile over 1.5 hours.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel

Morning: Embark on a whale watching expedition off the coast of St. Anthony and explore the coastal waters of Iceberg Alley. Keep an eye out for humpback whales, Atlantic white-beaked dolphins, Minke, fin and killer whales which can sometimes be seen.

Lunch: We’ll enjoy lunch at a local restaurant

Afternoon: Visit the Grenfell Historic Properties complex in St. Anthony. Learn about the life of medical missionary Sir Wilfred Grenfell from a local historian at the Grenfell House Museum and Interpretive Centre. Get crafty at the Grenfell Handicrafts located at the Interpretive Centre. We will depart for Plum Point stopping at Flower’s Cove, where we learn about thrombolites, formed by a photosynthetic process from the calcium carbonate found in the limestone rocks which is thought to have been the first creatures on the planet to release free oxygen. This is one of two locations on the planet where thrombolites are known to exist.

Dinner: At the hotel in Plum Point

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: Walking 1 mile over 1.5 hours. Driving 130 miles over 3.5 hours. Ferry crossing is approximately 25 miles; about 2 hours;

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: After travelling to St. Barbe by motorcoach, we’ll board the ferry for Labrador, keep watch for whales or icebergs which can sometimes be seen during the ferry crossing. Then travel by motorcoach along the Labrador Coastal Drive to the Point Amour Lighthouse Provincial Historic Site. Explore the Point Amour Lighthouse Provincial Historic Site with a local expert, the tallest lighthouse in Atlantic Canada. Lighthouses play an integral part in the history and culture of Newfoundland as we will discover through a presentation at the historic site featuring a local storyteller and a morning social featuring Labrador tea and wildberry tarts.

Lunch: Enjoy local flavors at a nearby restaurant in Red Bay

Afternoon: We visit Red Bay National Historic Site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for a presentation given by a Parks historian highlighting the Basque whaling industry dating back to the 1500s and the role that it played in the history of Canada. Then, at the on-site museum, explore artifacts and exhibits with a local historian that tell the intriguing story of 16th century Basque whalers who built the first industrial complex of the New World here and see how the thriving industry of whale oil production lit the lamps of Europe in the late Middle Ages. Red Bay is the most complete and best-preserved example of these ports.

Dinner: At the hotel in L' Anse Au Clair

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: Ferry crossing is approximately 25 miles; about 2 hours; Walking 1 mile over 2.5 hours. Driving 170 miles over 3.5 hours.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel

Morning: On a field trip to the Port au Choix National Historic Site, we will learn how the rich waters off this coast have supported many different groups of people. The remains of four ancient cultures have been found at Port au Choix to date: Maritime Archaic Indian, Dorset and Groswater Paleoeskimo, and Recent Indians. Archaeologists searched many years for a site such as this one, which sheds new light on our understanding of native peoples in this part of the world. Visit the lighthouse at Port Riche and have an opportunity to hunt for fossils.

Lunch: We'll enjoy lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Depart by coach for Deer Lake, arriving approximately 6:00 p.m.

Dinner: In Deer Lake we'll enjoy a farewell dinner and share a final evening together.

Breakfast: Breakfast at 7:00 am in the hotel. Program concludes.

Morning: Participants travelling on early morning flights will need to take a taxi to the Deer Lake Airport. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Please join our Facebook page and share photos of your program. Visit us at www.facebook.com/rsadventures. Best wishes for all your journeys!