#24 Cape Spear, NL: East

There once was a traveler from Winnipeg,

Who drove east through a land quite gigantic.

When he got to Cape Spear, he said "It seems clear,

That I'm further from home than from Limerick."

Cape Spear is as far east as you can get in North America.  We actually passed western France on the way.  Okay, just the French islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, but I'm sticking to my claim.  

We arrived on Canada Day Eve and when Patty and I sang O Canada at the tip of the continent, there was only one creature further east than us.  A seal pup lay listening about two feet from the Atlantic.  We serenaded it with the second verse as well:

O Canada! Where pines and maples grow.

Great prairies spread and lordly rivers flow.

How dear to us thy broad domain, from East to Western Sea,

Thou land of hope for all who seek!

Thou True North, strong and free!


We camped in our motorhome right there at the Cape and woke up on Canada Day to some classic Newfoundland fog and the mournful drone of a foghorn.  Patty and I retraced our steps to as close as we dared to eastern Canada.  This time I solicited another Winnipegger to do the honours with the Anthem.  Chantal Kreviazuk re-sang from YouTube her rendition from the final game of the Four Nations Face-Off tournament in Boston.  Both her National Anthem with some lyrics adapted to the political situation of the hour, and the game itself, with Connor McDavid's golden goal against the US team, seemed like pivotal moments for our country.  Chantal, the hockey players, and the Canadians in the stands all seemed to realize that now more than ever is the time to 'stand on guard for thee.'

And now we head west.

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