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The Cabot Tower appears as a sinister castle in the fog. Sitting on top of Signal Hill, it sometimes overlooks downtown St. Johns, Newfoundland. Cabot Tower is also well known as the location of the first trans-Atlantic radio transmission by Guglielmo Marconi's, in December of 1901.

However, upon my arrival to this historical place, it appeared to be very mysterious and spooky. Eventually the fog lifted and revealed an incredible sight and awesome view of St Johns. 

After arriving in Newfoundland from the ferry, just after dark, I had found myself in a very mysterious place. Not familiar with the terrain, I could barely make out peaks in the distance, surrounded by veils of fog. A very eerie sight to me, I wondered what I had now gotten myself into. I had no clue what type of wild animals there might be in this place or what kind of crazed psycho people inhabited this island. There seemed to be no place to stop and rest where I didn't feel nervous and uncomfortable. Not having seen this place in the daylight I was quite apprehensive about my surroundings. The further I rode, the darker it became until there was no civilization and no light other than that from my motorcycle. I was told not to ride at night because of the moose and other animals that wander the wilderness. I was afraid to keep riding but I was also afraid to stop anywhere. Unfortunately I had to make a stop. I did have to make a stop. As I had traveled so far north, and so late into the night, the temperature had dropped dramatically. I had to stop and add more clothing. But I would have to shed some of the clothing I had on, in order to put sweats on under my pants. I finally stopped when I found a nice clear area on the side of the highway. Unfortunately my fears had  created a dilemma in my endeavors. I didn't want to leave the bike running so I would be able to hear something or somebody approaching in the pitch black. I was afraid to leave the headlight on so that these unfamiliar entities could see me. So I changed my clothes out there in the darkness. After I had removed my jeans and was trying to locate my sweat pants I heard something moving in the brush. I stopped, froze for a moment. I couldn't tell what it was or how big it was but there was certainly something there. Could it be a moose? Could it be a bear? Could it be some psycho with an ax? Whatever it was, it kept moving back and forth along the tree line and seemed to come a little bit closer with every minute. I couldn't seem to get my sweats and jeans on fast enough. Here I was, out in the middle of nowhere, half naked and exposed to the monsters I couldn't even see. But I eventually managed and got all my things on and together and got back on my bike. But now the bike wouldn't start. I turned the key and IT WOULD NOT START!! I jiggled all the cables in the dark. I turned the key and jiggled it any way I could think of. I turned valves, I flipped switches, I did everything. I finally realized that the kill switch was on. I flipped it and the bike started. I was so excited! I dropped it into first gear and it died again.  It wouldn't start. I put the bike back into neutral and it started. I put it into gear and it died again. In a panic, I began to push the bike up closer to the highway. I stopped for a moment and listened. The creature was still there. Now closer than ever before, I could hear the brush as it walked along as I pushed the bike up and onto the highway. I was about to leave the bike sitting there and just run away down the highway when, as I was about to put the kick-stand down, noticed that it was already down. (My bike will not run, in gear, with the kick-stand down.) I could hear the large footsteps of the creature as it reached the gravel, coming even closer and heading towards the highway as I flipped the stand up, started the bike, and vanished off into the night as fast as I could.

 I continued to ride into the night until I found the small city of Corner Brook. My haven in the night, I found an empty gravel parking lot overlooking the city where I took a very short and restless nap. The next morning provided me with some of the most incredible scenery I have ever seen and liberated my fears of this incredible land. Newfoundland.

I imagine that the creature, by the sounds and movements, must have been a moose. The females can be quite dangerous if they have a calf anywhere near. In any case, it had my heart pounding.

You can read more about the Cabot Tower at this web site; http://www.education.gov.nf.ca/dis_hist_cabot.htm