Sunnyside to St. John’s, NL

July 31, 2019

My itinerary for Wednesday was to stop in Dildo (if you don’t understand that comment wait until the next post…) and take one of my primary scenic drives following Route 90 south from near Holyrood to the bottom of the Avalon Peninsula where it becomes Route 10 north through Trepassey and all the way up the east coast to St. John’s.

First let me comment on a side trip I didn’t make.  My original plan was to take Routes 210 and 220 southwest from just north of Goobies (highlighted in pink on the map above and just north of where I had stayed Tuesday night in Sunnyside).  That spoon-shaped route would take me down to the southwest part of the Burin Peninsula.

Off-shore there, to the west of Fortune and Lamaleine, are three islands which are technically France.  There is a ferry which takes people out from Grand Bank (on the upper part of the spoon) to St. Pierre.  You are, in fact, going to another country and need to take your passport.

The three islands, Grande Miquelon, Petite Miquelon and Ile Ste. Pierre are south of the island of Newfoundland (obviously) but curiously are in the Greenland Time Zone!!  I have verified this fact – pay no attention to the map which says they are in the Atlantic Time Zone.  Greenland time is 1/2 hour AHEAD of Newfoundland & Labrador time, which itself is 1/2 hour ahead of Atlantic.  This means that while riding the ferry from Grand Bank to Ile Ste. Pierre you must set your watch ahead 1/2 hour even though you are traveling west.  This is perhaps the only place in the world where this is the case.

The three islands sound charming but time simply did not permit me to take this trip.  If there is one thing I’ve learned being on Newfoundland is that these small, secondary roads have low speed limits, go through small towns and often are not in very good condition.  Going anywhere using those roads takes longer than you think…