To Middle Cove Beach We Go

Posted on July 22, 2012 by theplaceswevebeen

Living on an island has its advantages. One of the biggest is the ability to be on a beach or a cliff, overlooking the ocean within hours, or in our case within 15 minutes. Yesterday, we headed out to the beach in Middle Cove. The town of Middle Cove is about a 10 minute drive outside of the capital city of St. John’s. The beach is a popular place for people to enjoy the Sunshine while looking out at the waves of the mighty Atlantic Ocean.

Being this close to the ocean makes me grateful that I live on an island. The ability to be standing on the shores of the Atlantic within minutes is something to be very thankful for.

Have you been to the ocean lately?

Summer in St. John’s (alidoesit.wordpress.com)
Mists of the Avalon (seastrandsstudio.com)

Summertime in Bowring Park

Posted on July 12, 2012 by theplaceswevebeen

Summertime is here. To me it seemed to take awhile to get here, but the hot days of summer are here. There is nothing better than getting outside and enjoying the warm weather. One of the best places to do that in St. John’s is in Bowring Park.

The park was officially opened in 1941 on land that was donated to the city by Sir Edward Rennie Bowring on behalf of his company Bowring Brothers Ltd.

The park has plenty of grassy areas with picnic tables for family and friends to get together. It also has a number of recreation facilities such as a swimming pool and tennis courts for people to pass the time.

There are several trails that make their way through the park. They provide a way to exercise and a place to escape the city and enjoy nature. These photos were taken from the trail alongside the Waterford River.

The statue of the caribou is a monument to the battle the Royal Newfoundland Regiment fought during the Battle of the Somme in Beaumont-Hamel, France. Another monument sits at the battlefield in France and also includes a statue of a caribou.

There is nothing better than getting outside on a summer day. If you are in St. John’s or planning to visit make sure you spend some of that time outside in Bowring Park.

More information on the park can be found here: http://www.bowringpark.com/

The emotional legacy of Beaumont Hamel (cbc.ca)

Weekly Photo Challenge: Movement

Posted on July 9, 2012 by theplaceswevebeen

Movement as seen from a park bench next to the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon.

Walking Around Branscombe’s Pond

Posted on June 28, 2012 by theplaceswevebeen

I’ve been scouring the internet lately in an effort to find things in my area to explore and blog about. One of the things I’ve mentioned in a previous blog is the vast amount of hiking/walking opportunities there are in Newfoundland. So, there was no wonder when I came across a website that lists all the hiking/walking trails in my area. One of these trails is around Branscombe’s Pond here in Mount Pearl and just a five minute drive from my residence.

The pond is not a large pond and the trail around it is very short. Which is prefect when your pregnant wife needs some exercise, but doesn’t want to overdo it.

The trail brings you along a boardwalk around the edge of the pond, and through the woods on the other side of the pond.

Hopefully as the summer weather improves, I’ll get a chance to get out and explore the other paths that are in my area. Expect more hiking posts to come.

Here is a website that lists all of the trails in my area. According to the website, there are about 125km of trails ready to be strolled on.

http://www.grandconcourse.ca/default.asp

Hiking to Maddox Cove, Newfoundland

Posted on June 17, 2012 by theplaceswevebeen

I’m finally back on my blog after a a time of transition. We recently moved into our new place in Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and between shopping for furniture, hanging pictures and waiting over a week for our internet to be connected, we have been quite busy. I hope to continue to put up posts of our travels to the places we have been.

Newfoundland is a great place if you love the outdoors. This island on the east coast of Canada has about half a million people and just about as many moose. The island is chocked full of areas waiting to be explored. One of the best ways to do this is to pack a lunch, water, and put on your hiking shoes. Which is exactly what I did yesterday.

I was invited by a friend to go on a young adult hike that was being organized between a few churches. The hike is a part of the East Coast Trail system which boasts hundreds of kilometers of trails to be trekked on. Our particular route would take us along the coast from Cape Spear to Maddox Cove. This is an easy to moderate hike of about 10 kms.

Even though most of the trail was flat and easy going, it went along the edge of the cliffs. If you decided to get too close to the side or slipped, you would definitely be in for a long drop with a painful thud to follow.

Newfoundland has often been nicknamed the “Rock” and though I sometimes don’t agree with this description, I can see how the name came to be. The rugged coastline that can be seen around the island is not full of sandy beaches, but rocky beauty.

These two rocks caught my eye. They seem to be posing as they sit there on the shoreline. There is actually a smaller rock tucked underneath the rock on the left.

This was near the end of our hike. Our destination in plain view. Our lunches had been consumed, water had been downed,shoes well worn in, and a good long hike was under our belts. If you want to explore Newfoundland, you need to get off the pavement and onto the beaten trails.

Visiting the Easternmost Point in North America (theplaceswevebeen.wordpress.com)

Stroll in Stanhope, Newfoundland

Posted on May 3, 2012 by theplaceswevebeen

We took a little stroll after dinner the other day. Just down past my inlaws’ place, along a small highway. They live in a small town called Stanhope, Newfoundland.

I must say, it’s nice to be so close to the ocean again after 6 years inland in Seoul.

Some people have the pleasure to wake up next to the ocean everyday. I’m a city guy myself, but I can see why people would like it.

This little gem of a stream was directly across the highway from the ocean. The white patches by the trees is in fact snow. Yes, it’s still somewhat cold here.

Not bad scenery for a little evening stroll. Especially when these beautiful views are just five minutes from where you’re staying.

Visiting the Easternmost Point in North America (theplaceswevebeen.wordpress.com)
Strolling Around Bukchon (theplaceswevebeen.wordpress.com)

Waterfall Wednesday

Posted on March 8, 2012 by theplaceswevebeen

The following waterfall photos were taken yesterday (Wednesday) of some of the waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon. All of these waterfalls can be reached by a short drive from Portland.