Day 12
Departing The Mists of Avalon

Departed St. Phillips at 09:00

Location	Odometer (km)	Time of Arrival	Rest Time	Gas Expenses
Placentia	4841	12:30	45 min	-
Cape St. Mary's	4903	14:15	1 hr 15 min	-
Argentia	4975	17:00	25 hrs	-

	Our last stop before leaving "The Rock" was the Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve at the most South Westerly most point of the Avalon region. Bird Rock as it's called is seen in this photo shrouded in mist and fog which doesn't seem to bother the hundreds of thousands of seabirds that nest here. I took this photo by crawling to the edge of the cliff where the sea has reclaimed part of the land leaving Bird Rock standing unattached and isolated from bird predators.
The mist on everything made the going tough and the staying tougher. The mist was carried by a cold breeze and the temperature was around 5° C. Sadly we snapped our photos and walked the 2 km back to the van. For more info on the reserve; click here for the Parks Canada site. Or here for a local site on the area.
	Through the mists the creatures came, sheep aplenty and an understanding of what that smell was finally. With the low visibility we were watching our steps to ensure we didn't step of a cliff, at one point we looked up to see a half dozen sheep grazing all around us.
With the mist as thick as they were the drive to Argentia from here could of taken hours. Céline mentioned something about "parting the mists of Avalon". After a few minutes her words were reality, the air was crisp and clear and we were on our way to our seagoing rendezvous.
	Tuckamore! A Newfoundland term for the stunted balsam fir and spruce trees that grow in alpine areas and along the coast. Frost and wind nip back the growing tips of the branches. On wind-exposed sites tuckamore forms impenetrable elfin forests. The swept-back, stark, weathered appearance of the trees is molded by the wind, and their stout stems indicate their age. Some being hundreds of years old and looking like a shrub.
The drive up the coast looking out at Placentia Bay was a quiet one. The both of us were thinking of the 14 hour sea voyage ahead of us. This being the second time either of us were at sea (the first being the 6 hour trip here) we were still a little nervous. I was a little more concerned for Shayna, alone in the van in the bowels of the ship for that long of a time.
	The weather turned quite nasty as expected, around 6 PM the gale force winds started then the driving rain a short while later. The worst weather we've seen on the whole trip and we were headed out to sea. The photo to the left is one of 3 on this site that we didn't take. The Smallwood arrived at 9:30 PM in the fog and howling rain so I found the same shot I would of taken of the MV Joseph and Clara Smallwood pulling into Argentia harbor.

We boarded the ship and parked the van around 10 PM. Comforted Shayna for bit before going
off to find our seats to settle in for sleep and the long trip back to North Sydney. The weather outside
was so bad the bridge asked all passengers to not go outside on deck. As a stupid smoker I wanted
a cigarette before sleep and you guessed it, went out on deck. I think it may of lasted as long as a minute,
maybe less, when a wave came from ABOVE me, dousing my smoke and pretty well soaking me.
I take hints rather well and hightailed it back inside.