Best Day Trip to Cape Spear A cautious journey to Canada's most-easterly point Story and photos by Melissa Wong St. John's, NL I did not think I would see Cape Spear during the global pandemic. However, when local tourism urged Newfoundlanders to look for adventure in their own backyards, I considered standing on the most-easterly point of Newfoundland just to be the first one to see the sunrise. But I didn't think it was a good idea to visit Cape Spear or Bell Island during such an unpredictable time, so I stewed in my uncertainly. I never made it to Bell Island, but I went to Cape Spear. One weekend in August 2020, it thrilled me when my boyfriend and his parents invited me on their trip to Cape Spear. We piled into the car and drove east. My boyfriend and I looked out the window as our view of the city was overtaken by trees, rocks, and the occasional dwelling. At last, we saw the old lighthouse as we drove over the plains of long, green grass and into a parking lot. The lighthouse is a National Historical Site. We wandered towards a lighthouse built in 1836. The lighthouse had been retired in 1955 with a new lighthouse tower nearby. The old lighthouse was restored because of its historical importance, and it also became a cool tourist attraction. The lighthouse was not the only highlight. During the Second World War, soldiers were stationed at Fort Cape Spear to protect the fleet of warships in St. John's harbour. The soldiers would use it as a lookout for enemy warships, planes, and submarines. We didn't see any submarines when we went there, but we did see a 10-gun emplacement. While we were there, we walked on a dirt path and a wooden path. We didn't stray too far because around many turns were signs that warned tourists the ocean was as dangerous as it was beautiful. Some people had died when they wandered too close to the cliffs. My boyfriend and I heard stories of such tragedies before coming here and were careful to stay on the path. At 6:18 p.m., we reached the coordinates 47.5167° N, 52.6333° W placed on a large boulder that marked the most-easterly point in Cape Spear. My boyfriend's parents took photographs of us with the giant boulder. We stood on the most-easterly point of North America, saw the old lighthouse, and looked around a World War II coastal defense battery that evening. As the sun sank in the sky, we decided to head home, but we stopped at a Tim Hortons for a quick Iced Mocha Latte because we had a coupon! I am glad I could find a little adventure in my backyard and that I got to stare out into the Atlantic Ocean that seemed to stretch out into the horizon.   Submitted By: Melissa Wong