Mistaken Point a mistake to miss
But you can’t walk over the fossils these days
No. 5 sat spinning a globe this morning on the floor of my mother’s living room. He found Newfoundland and then I helped him trace the Northwest Passage where our friend Roger is headed. He then spun the globe and pointed to Japan. I explained that was where his Mommy and Daddy kissed and got married and where his oldest brother grew inside my belly.
“Where was I in your belly?” he asked.
I then spun the globe to Western Canada to show him British Columbia and then traced the route we drove through the States as he quietly baked in my portable oven.
“You should have drived slower so I could see all the places, too,” he said.
“That would have been a great idea,” I lied. I didn’t want to burst his bubble by telling him that the very reason we travelled across the continent when we did was precisely because he was safely inside me swimming in a bubble of fluid.
Once we reached St. John’s and settled into our new-to-us house, we continued to sneak in whatever local outings we could while No. 5 was still inside cooking.
The last adventure we did before Surprise Baby made his grand entrance into the world was to Mistaken Point near Portugal Cove South on the Southern Shore.
Although I had been out the 19 km dirt road to Cape Race light station several times as a tour guide, I had never been to see the fossils at Mistaken Point. The four older children were then 8, 10, 12 and 14, perfect ages for a family outing — and what an outing it was.
It took us about two hours to drive from St. John’s to Portugal Cove South where our excursion really began. We then drove about 14 km down the dirt road towards Cape Race light station and then parked and walked 45 minutes over the hills to Mistaken Point. At that time, you could just go right up to the fossils, but today, especially with Mistaken Point on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, we are more diligent in preserving the fossils.
It was supposedly more than 500 million years ago that the Avalon Peninsula was part of the same land mass as northwest Africa. It was during this time that the multicelled organisms got squished between layers of sedimentary rock and preserved. It is these fossilized organisms that are exposed on the surface of the rocks at Mistaken Point
Here’s what UNESCO’s website says about the fossils:
“Located on the rugged coastline of the Avalon Peninsula, Mistaken Point and its Extension Ecological Reserves contain the oldest evidence known of early multi-cellular life on the planet. Here, Ediacaran fossils of an age estimated at 560-575 million years have been found in the rocks of two ecological reserves. Thirty species of soft-bodied animals have been preserved in situ by volcanic ash falls that covered the sea floor. Many thousands of complete specimens have been preserved on exposed bedding surfaces, providing the earliest and most complete record known of Ediacaran multi-cellular life. The fossils at Mistaken Point provide a window into the early colonization of the deep-sea floor.”
Because of world-wide recognition of the importance of these fossils, visiting Mistaken Point is a little different today than it was when we went six years ago. Hopefully, the following information will help make your adventure there as successful as ours.
First of all, it’s best to call ahead (709-438-1011) to ensure there’s enough space on a guided tour to the site, as you are no longer permitted to make the trip unaccompanied. Right now, there is one tour daily, seven days a week at 1 p.m.
To meet up with your guide, you pull in to the visitor centre in Portugal Cove South and the guide will lead you in your own vehicle to the trailhead — 14 km in the dirt road — to walk 30 minutes to Watern Cove and view the fossils from a low cliff. It doesn’t cost anything to take the guided tour, which accommodates about 15 people daily. The entire tour takes between three and four hours, so expect to spend the afternoon.
The day we went to Mistaken Point, we also visited the Myrick Wireless Interpretation Centre (709-438-2319) near Cape Race light station, which is a replica of the Marconi wireless station which stood on the site and was famous for receiving and relaying distress signals from Titanic in 1912. A new Titanic room was unveiled at the 100th anniversary commemoration of the sinking of the ship and is a must-see. As are the displays outlining the history of the Myricks who manned the Cape Race light for more than 125 years. Cape Race appeared on European maps as early as the 1500s.
“My Dad was a light keeper and my grandfather was a light keeper,” says Dave Myrick, who is a wealth of knowledge about the site. “The Myricks have been light keepers at Cape Race from 1872 to 2009 when my cousin Noel had to retire,” he says, marking the end of the Myrick legacy. Cape Race is still considered a dangerous area for ships, and there are currently two light keepers who work 28-day shifts there.
There is a fee for the Myrick Wireless Station: $9.05 adults, $6.78 for seniors and post-secondary students, children $5.65 and children under five are free. There’s a family rate of $22.60 and it’s not capped at two children. Finally, a group of 10 is $6.78 per person, with the 11th free.
We wrapped up our day around the bay with a stop at Chance Cove to show the children the seals. The first seal we saw had no head, but once we got past that, things were great. We then stopped at the Irish Loop Coffee House for supper. While we waited for our fish and chips, we tried to finalize a name for the surprise baby. All six of us put one letter into the pot which we then rearranged to spell – CLOVER. Luckily that was already the name given to our five-foot wooden grizzly bear, so No. 5 was spared a life of mockery.
Due to the timing of the 1 p.m. Mistaken Point tour, I would recommend visiting the Myrick Wireless Station and Cape Race light first and asking if you can meet the guides at the trail head on your way back.
If your Cape Race adventure sees you heading west after Mistaken Point, be sure to stop in to Trepassey for supper and then on to St. Shotts, where you might be lucky enough to glimpse a member of the world’s most southerly caribou herd or a whale feeding close to shore at St. Vincent’s.
Remember, hikes on the coast may be cooler than inland so pack a windproof jacket and proper hiking shoes. You should also bring water, a snack and binoculars.
And one last thing: no pets are allowed on tours to Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve.
Baking babies however are most welcome.