The east side of Newfoundland is quite different from the West side... at least as far as the major population areas go....   we bid Twillingate goodbye and headed down through Gander to TCH 1 to St. John's...   it was about a 250 mile trip with one side trip to Eastport which was described as the recreation center for Newfoundland...  we pulled in about noon and found our way to one of the sandy beaches described for our lunch....   After lunch we drove through Terra Nova National Park without stopping...  TCH 1 went right through it with only views of the forest....  the park is known for great hiking trails, and fishing opportunities along Bonavista Bay....   we pushed ahead hoping to get into St. John's Pippy Park and camped by mid afternoon...

The scenery along the way to St. John's was more like Colorado, or Northern Idaho, with the dense forests, many small lakes and streams....   up and down hills most of the way.... traffic really picked up as we left Terra Nova Park area and we encountered many vacationers heading home from the 3 day Labor Day weekend....  lots of RVs on the road coming from places like Eastport, and the gas stations and restaurants along the way were packed.... good thing we brought our lunch with us, and gassed up before going through the Park....  traffic was steady all the way into St. John's, but directions for getting to the Pippy Park Campground were good...   Pippy Park is very large city park right in St. John's... the camping area is very large and with the long weekend over, there was no problem getting a site...  I was surprised to find the campground so busy yet, with tourists like us I guess...   

This side of Newfoundland is quite different, busier and more metropolitan... people less friendly at first blush....  signs around indicating that radar is being used to check speed.... seatbelts required...  and keeping your valuables locked in the trunk when you stop to go in to eat....    the city streets are hilly, and go many directions, so offer a challenge at first...  With Suzanne navigating, we set out to find our way to Water Street on the harbor, the oldest section of town, in the oldest city in North America.. winding through town we found our way with little problem...  the harbor section (unlike Quebec City) is undeveloped, with a number of stores closed and empty...  we will go back tomorrow and walk the street to get a better flavor...  we then drove along the Harbor drive, watching the ships and viewing, in the distance,  the Cabot Tower where Marconi made his first transatlantic communication on Signal Hill....   we decided to drive up to the top of Signal Hill since it was so close by..

At the top of Signal Hill, there were spectacular views of the City of St. John's, the Cabot Tower, and the harbor below....    Off across the harbor we could see Cape Spear which is the most easterly location in North America..... we plan to drive out there tomorrow...    We found a Chinese Restaurant buffet on the way back, which was packed.. we figured that must mean it was good, so we stopped and stood in line for about 20 minutes to get in....  it was mediocre, with the food adapted to the tastes of the Newfoundlanders (deep fried) but we were hungry and it had been a long day... Also on the way back we found the Chrysler dealer, so I will go in tomorrow if I can and get my "check engine" light turned off again...  maybe sooner or later they will find what is causing it.....