After having a suck or two from the growler, we drove a few kilometres down the coast to Puffin Viewing Site. Across the road from the puffin trail gate were some root cellars, with this one being an open house for viewing.

The provincial flower for Newfoundland and Labrador is the Purple pitcher plant. During our stay on the island I saw thousands of these pretty yellow flowers, and zero pitcher plants.

Another common sight throughout the island are garden plots such as these surrounded by deer-proof fences.

It's too hard to see from this height, but our car is parked at the bottom of this photo, on the grass, next to the lower building, and directly across from the path leading towards the viewing site. We walked beyond the Puffin Viewing Site path crossing over the land bridge, or isthmus, and sat at the pointy end of the shadow, directly across from the nesting grounds.

Two weeks earlier, I am told, and we would be walking amongst breeding puffins. After the fun and games are over with the breeding pair head over to the island and their nesting grounds. I hunkered down on an outcrop of rocks just out of view to the left, overlooking the ledge. This spot is the pointy end of the shadow mentioned in the previous photograph.

It would have been a benefit to have a big gun such as this on my tripod for puffin watching, but such was not the case. However my Nikon 18-200 zoom was my lens of choice for these thirty-five days, and it served me quite well I believe.

Every thirty seconds or so a puffin would pop out from the borrow to see what's happening outside.

Once the "all clear" has been sounded, everyone's out.

Time to Go Fishin'

There's a lot of gull poop down there.

Looking Back

North Bird Island is also a nesting ground for the puffins, but maybe due to a housing shortage some birds left that neighbourhood and moved over here.

Crossing Back Over the Land Bridge

There'll come a day when those two narrow strips of path will erode away, giving way to a couple more puffin housing developments.

Not too sure what was on my mind when I photographed this lonely house. But it made it through a number of photo short lists from the total 2,700 pictures taken while on holidays, and it joined the 1,360 images that made the final cut.

Heading out of Elliston we pass by a very typical piece of ocean-front property--quite a peaceful view isn't it?

So Sharon and I are on our way back north from Elliston, passing by our bed and breakfast on Windless Dr., and following Cape Shore Rd. out to Cape Bonavista Lighthouse. But before we visited the lighthouse, we stopped and viewed a very unusual rock formation referred to as The Dungeon, which is a kilometre south of the cape, on the north-east side of the peninsula.

The Dungeon

Some day this centre portion will become a sea stack similar to the one in the background.

"Built in 1843, the light at Cape Bonavista is one of the few in the world where you can still climb up the stone tower and see the same seal oil fueled catoptric light apparatus that was used in the 1800s."

It is interesting to note how simple the gear system is in order to rotate the lamps.

How did I know people were not supposed to turn the wheel, which manually rotates the lamps. There were no signs, no locks to hold things fast, or any supervision at the top. So I felt comfortable in turning the wheel. NOT A GOOD IDEA. The moment a staff member at the bottom of the spiral staircase noticed the shaft turning..., well I could hear inquisitive foot steps thumping up towards me. Oops!

"Sorry. I won't turn it again."