Remember how I showed you around my hotel last week? You probably want to see what St. John’s and Newfoundland look like beyond the confines of a hotel room. Ford Canada arranged for a full day of adventuring in Canada’s easternmost province, including a bright and early wake-up call to catch the country’s first sunrise. And yes, I got a big yellow hat too.

Because of the time difference (4.5 hours) and how late I got in the night before, I barely snuck in 30 to 45 minutes of sleep before I had to wake up for the sunrise at Cape Spear. Some of my fellow travelers thought I was crazy, but I figured if I’m trekking all the way across Canada, I may as well take advantage of every opportunity.

So, I woke up at 4 a.m. and braved what felt like gale force winds to catch a glimpse of the sun breaking over the horizon. After some breakfast and a presentation on the new 2018 Ford EcoSport (which we first saw at last year’s Vancouver Auto Show), we hit the road. Our Newfoundland journey would take us all the way around the peninsula on which St. John’s is located.

We ventured all the way to the north to Pouch Cove, coming back down and passing Portugal Cove, Conception Bay, and Holyrood, before coming back around to Bay Bulls, Witless Bay, Ferryland and back to our home base in St. John’s. It was a lot of driving, providing opportunities for spectacular views and to gain a familiarity with the little fuel-sipping SUV.

Oh, and we got on a boat — that explains the remarkably fashionable yellow hat above — to visit Gull Island. Residing there are a variety of gulls, as well as a sizable puffin colony. Those little birds can fly… and the cliffs are coated in white. Be sure to watch the vlog all the way to the end for a screeching surprise involving a fish and some guy named Skipper Dickie.

Cape Spear sunrise, Newfoundland

2018 Ford EcoSport