Today was rainy, but we didn’t let it damped our spirits. We were excited to explore the Bonavista Penninsula. We set out for King’s Cove to do a little hike up to a lighthouse dating back to 1892. 
Once we got up to the lighthouse it started to drizzle, so we decided to take the shorter loop back to the car. We were rewarded with wild blueberries growing trail side and helped ourselves to a nice little snack. As we were packing up our gear to get in the car and head out to Bonavista to see the lighthouse, a gentleman pulled up and asked if we needed directions or suggestions. He suggested we take a little detour to the town of Keels (population 60) to see the cottages atop the rocky bluffs over the ocean. We were in the mood for exploring, so we figured “why not?”
Keels isn’t exactly on the tourist map, so as we rolled into town we turned some heads. As we were turning around at the end of a street, a Newfie man came out to greet us. He asked if we liked Newfie music and we said we hadn’t heard much of it yet, so he invited us in to listen to some.
We entered Francis and Dorothy’s house as complete strangers and left as friends. He told us about his music and sold us his CD. He gave Autumn a Christmas ornament and some cookies. We’re going to try to get his music onto Folk Alley and then he’ll really be famous. Francis then offered to drive us to our next destination (even though we have GPS, he insisted). Before leaving town we checked out the Devil’s footprints, which are interesting formations in the cliffs by the ocean. He then proceeded to floor it along the coastal road and we had a hard time keeping up and nearly got pulled over by the Canadian police. Francis waited for us as we caught up after slowing down so as not to get a ticket. We parted ways at the Bonavista lighthouse, but upon his request, we will send a Christmas card and visit him when we return to Newfoundland. The lighthouse was great, but the 20+ whales cruising out in the bay stole the show. We saw several cruising in packs, feeding on the capelin, a few breaches, some nice fin slapping and tail action as they dove. We’re not sure if they were Humpback or Minke whales. I’m going to go to sleep tonight with the sound of them surfacing and breathing in my head. So beautiful!
On the way home, we had planned to see puffins in Elliston and check out some of the old homes in Trinity, but the rain was getting worse and Autumn had had enough for the day, so we turned in early. We’re looking forward to Terra Nova National Park tomorrow!
