Days 64-67 Gros Morne to Corner Brook to Ferry

Sunday August 26^th to Wednesday August 28^th

We drove over a very mountainous road to our next stop, Kinsmen Prince Edward Park Campground and RV Park in Corner Brook, Newfoundland.  I love saying “Newfoundland” because it feels so exotic, far away, and adventurous.!

These few days, however, were not that exciting.  Norman went to play golf while I tinkered around the “house” (it feels like home after all this time); we did a little shopping, and on Tuesday I went for a much needed massage. Wearing a heavy backpack for hours and looking down at the trail has definitely had its cervical repercussions. Unfortunately, it seems the fellow had not had very good training, and it hardly helped at all.   It is obvious that I have become spoiled with the fellow I go to in Clearwater!

Codroy Valley

Lobsters are messy, but really good

We stopped and finally bought a couple of lobsters and had the supermarket steam them, then we steamed mussels ourselves for a great dinner!

During the past few days, the weather has turned.  We are having more rain than not, and definitely feeling colder.  We have become rather “burnt out“ traveling.  We are finding that we are opting not to do a side road or hike that we would have jumped at earlier in the game.  Time to go home, we think.  We miss our families, home and all our friends back in The Villages.

A large part of our decision is due to the fact that Norm’s daughter, Jackie, is getting married next June in Vermont, so the opportunity to come back is there.  We could drive up and continue on to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, spend a month or more, and see it all then, when we are “fresh“.  There is so much to do and see in those provinces that we had flown by on the way to Newfoundland.  We knew this might be a possibility when we planned to stay so long, thoroughly enjoying Newfoundland.

During these few rainy days we made our plans and reservations for the next leg which was not an easy task.  We found that the extremely few campgrounds in and around the Boston area are pretty much booked up until the end of September!  What?  Aren’t the kids in school?  Don’t they have homework to do?  Wow!

We wasted a day and a half dealing with our Bank when we found our ATM card not working.  We had not used it until now, and since the last two campgrounds only accepted cash, we had become dangerously short.  After many calls, we finally were told they cancelled our existing card in order to “upgrade” us to another, and they sent us a new card at the end of June!  Wasn’t that nice of them?

You would have thought they might have become concerned when it wasn’t activated these last months, wouldn’t you?  Well, after going back and forth many times with the bank and Western Union, they finally called to say we were all set to pick up our Canadian funds. Well, not only did we have to leave the campground, we are only going to be here another couple of days. We are on the move, won’t be near a Western Union anymore, so at this point it won’t do us much good.  We will have to be very judicious on where we spend our cash.  No “Cows” ice cream for Norm, I guess (unless they take credit cards)

We finally left Corner Brook to stay at a campground close to the ferry, for our morning trip across the water back to Nova Scotia.  Wouldn’t you know it?  Grand Codroy RV Tent Campground was probably the nicest RV park we had been at.   Nice, flat sights, interesting trees and SPACE between sites! 

It rained most of the night, and then we headed out promptly at 8:45 to catch the ferry.

 Thursday August 30^th

As we headed toward the ferry, the sun was starting to shine. The scenery at this bottom corner of Newfoundland was much greener, and more fertile to support the agriculture here, where we hadn’t seen it anywhere else on the island.  The mountains still rose sharply, but were covered by grasses or trees.  It was so pretty. 

I had such mixed emotions!  I was ready to go home, yet not quite ready to leave Newfoundland.  I truly love the people, and the rough beauty of this place.  I really have very simple needs and those tiny homes seem so cozy …. All we would have to do is chop and carry about 10 cord of wood…….. ah… never mind.  My life in Florida is just perfect!



They surely must be following us!

As we were waiting in line for the ferry, we got a knock on our window.  It was Kate and her daughter Julia!  She was behind us in line!  That woman is STILL following us!  This is just so funny because it is not a small island, and they are able to stay at very different campgrounds due to the compact size of their trailer.

We drove onto the ferry and proceeded to spend the next six hours gabbing away with Kate and her daughter, people we met last night, and others.  It was a great time on board.  The waters were fairly calm and we had a nice lunch sitting by a window.

Kate and Julia



We arrived at our next campsite, after being delayed enroute for an hour due to an accident, set up camp, had dinner and published a couple of blog posts.  Internet has been a bit intermittent the last few days. 



They can really pack them tightly inside these ferries

Another Day of Scenic Golf ( by Norm )

Day 65 -  August 27th

Ah yes  - yet another day to contribute some golf balls to those golfers that play behind me. 

 Today’s venue is Humber Valley Golf Resort near Corner Brook, Newfoundland.  Alison was originally going to play but she hasn’t been feeling too well since the last hike so I’m going alone.  I got paired up with a retired couple from Seattle who have golfed in every state in the US and now are starting to golf every province in Canada.  Very nice couple to golf with, but I soon realized that the amount of golf you play does not necessarily translate into you being a better player.  No problem – this is resort golf on the road so we can’t expect much of our scores.
 



Add caption

 The goal for me is to have many good shots, lose only a few balls and have an overall good experience.  This course certainly provided all of that.  Course conditions were superb, although the greens were a bit slow.  The rough was a real challenge.  You went from 1” fairways right into 8+” deep rough.  Not a lot of water in play but plenty of bunkers.  The major obstacle was the constant distraction of the beauty around you – a wide river running near the course with a backdrop of a mountain range coupled with severe elevation changes.  The only drawback to this day is that there was a haze in the air all day.   Temperature was in the lower 80’s so once again the locals were complaining about the extreme heat.  If they only knew!

The 10^th hole tee box is elevated 420’ from the fairway below, forest on the right, sloping waste land on the left, with a strong head wind.  Landing area is about 40 yards wide.  First ball went into the forest, second into the left rough but playable.  The next hole had a similar drop from the tee box but not quite as severe.  I hit that one into the right rough and couldn’t find my ball.  Back 9 was off to a bad start.  There were several elevated greens and I had the misfortune of overshooting one of them.  Oh well – it’s only golf – not work.

Finally made it to the par 5 18^th which was a very picturesque “S” starting from an elevated tee box, so you could see the entire fairway right up to the green.  Water along most of the right, steep hill on the left.  Perfect tee shot, followed by a well-placed shot putting me 145’ from the green.  On the green in regulation and two putts in for par.  I love this game.

Alison spent the day fixing the refrigerator, cleaning and doing laundry and had some time to relax as well and enjoyed every minute of it.

Day 63 - Last day at Gros Morne

Saturday August 25^th

Oh, our last day here at Gros Morne!  I felt fine, and the forecast of 100% sunshine (although it was sprinkling) we headed off for what was touted “the biggest bang for your energy buck”, The Green Garden’s hike.

This was a six mile hike that would start out in the moonlike Tablelands terrain, then climb to a lush evergreen forest, then end up on the beach where there was lava rock, sea stacks and sea caves. The park rangers said “it’s a bit steep on the way back”.  Ok, a bit longer distance than I prefer, but certainly doable – we will pack a lunch!



We started in the Tablelands landscape

We trudged along enjoying the weather that turned sunny, and I was busy looking at all the fabulous rocks trying to remember what I had been learning (yeah,right). The trail rose up, then down into a valley, then up again.  There were a lot of stairs, but it didn’t seem so bad; after all, we were going down.

Enjoyed the alpine scenery

Then into the wooded area.......

The scenery was great and then we finally hit the beach! Wow! They had primitive tent sites right there on the ocean!  Oh, I wish I were up to carrying our tent! (what I really wish is to have someone ELSE carry my stuff in).
 

Ahh... the beach is in sight!

We went down about 80 stairs to the beach and marveled at the cliffs and noted the lava rock covered by seaweed. We timed the walk intentionally to arrive there at low tide so we could walk down the beach to the sea caves.  What we were not told is that you had to climb over these wet seaweed covered rocks!  Norm quickly headed for the caves at breakneck speed, and I almost broke my neck as I slipped and my hiking boot clad foot went knee deep in the water!  Yuck!  I hate wet socks!  I was horrified at the thought of the long hike back with a sopping wet boot.  Plus, the stupid thing weighs 2 pounds dry and I just added all that water weight.  Great.  I sat on the rocks and poured out the water, rung out my sock and hoped for the best, and no blisters.  That will teach me for not being a good Girl Scout and bringing an extra pair of socks!
 

Norm checked out the sea caves, which were disappointing, and I met up with him to pick our way over the rocks back to the stairs.  We had lunch, and when I could stall no longer, we headed back the way we came.  Oh my.  What a grueling climb! 535 stairs, plus a tremendous amount of very steep inclines on the trail without stairs, for a total of 740 feet of elevation change. (Think a 70 story building.) “Bit steep?”   Once we had completed  the stair climbing, I was fine; then happily, and surprisingly not that tired, we walked the rest of the way through the varying landscape.  Norm, of course, didn't have any trouble (that he would admit).  Not fair! Regardless, I was very proud of myself (and Norm was too) of my completing the very arduous hike!

 

Climbing over rocks at low tide to view sea caves

 

I must again make note, that when people ask if we climbed Gros Morne, they not only are very impressed that Norm actually made the climb, but that he did this 6-8 hour (some take 10) hour hike in just 5 ½ hours! And he chose to ascend the extremely steep side where others opt to go around and up the less severe backside.
 

I just had to show you this strange rock I found jammed
into the other rocks.  Boy, I struggled to get this out of there!
It was the only white rock around! Wierd

We returned home, packed up the outside items in order to be ready to leave in the morning, had dinner, watched a movie (that’s all the energy I could muster) and went to bed. 

Days 61 & 62

Thursday August 23rd

What a difference a day makes!  The sun is shining and it’s time to get out and see more of this incredible land.



The Tablelands portion of Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland

Today’s destination is one of Newfoundland’s prized geological tracts.  The Tablelands.  One of four areas in the park that contribute it to becoming a UNESCO site.

We went to the National Park’s Discovery center and watched a very informative film on the geological wonders of the park.  Then we borrowed a GPS walking tour device before we took the hike over The Tablelands, which was really pretty neat.  As you walked along, the GPS would know where you were along this path and beep at you to stop and listen to a fascinating narrative on what you were seeing at that given point.  It was like you had your own private tour guide!  You actually get a good value for the park passes here in Canada; more so than in the states, I believe.  There are shows, interpretive guides, really nicely maintained trails and look-outs, and plenty of park employees to answer any questions you have.

I may bore some of you, but let me try to repeat what we heard on the GPS device:

“Continents fit together like a jigsaw puzzle and that puzzle is constantly moving in a plate techtonics process that takes millions of years.  It is the molten magma deep inside the earth that rises up in convection currents that pushes on the tectonic plates above and causes them to either pull apart or come together.  Mantle rock, because it is more dense, usually sinks, but here is there a geological anomaly and the mantel was actually forced up and pushed onto the ocean floor and heaved up onto the continent to form a massive mountain range and part of the super continent Pangea.  When Pangea broke up 250 million years ago, huge sections of the ocean floor was forced up and since then erosion and movement has caused this to become exposed here in Gros Morne National Park.  Scientists for decades have come here to study the ancient ocean crust and the earth’s mantle.”

Really interesting rock but can't quite remember the
scientific explanation (thank God, eh? )

I am really into this, you can tell.  I wish I had studied geology.

Peridotite (the rock from the mantle) lacks the usual nutrients required to sustain most plant life, hence it barren appearance.  It is very low in calcium, very high in magnesium and toxic amounts of heavy metals.  It is also high in iron, so that gives it the red exterior.  If you crack open a rock, it is actually green inside. 

Have I bored you?  Sorry.

The day was perfect for this 3 mile hike. Sunny and about 70 degrees with a light breeze that was still making my eye water.  (I will have to have this looked at when I return).  We could have continued up an extremely tough slope to what I imagine was a stupendous view, but there was no trail – just boulders to scramble up.  Being the mature, sensible, middle-aged(?) adults that we are, we decided that the possibility of serious knee or ankle twisting (Norm already has a torn meniscus and other issues with his knees) it was just not worth the risk. Our hearts were in it though.



Taken from the back deck of Coffee Shop

About 3 o’clock we headed down to a very sleepy little fishing village, Woody Point.   I was told there were some “boutique” shops there, so I was hopeful to finally find that souvenir that has been eluding us.  It was indeed, “sleepy”.  Where those shops were, I have no idea, but there were abundant coffee shops with attached areas of misc. crafts.  None of which struck our fancy. 

We did happen upon one coffee shop on the water that had a sign out front of a free performance by a couple of groups that was to be held in about a half hour.  We found two of their six seats available and after Norm ordered a coffee and I water we settled in to wait.  What a treat!  It was a very casual performance first from two brothers and then one young woman that were here in the area for a local music fest but I guess they must have known the owners of this shop and agreed to do a couple of local Newfie folk songs for their patrons.

 

I was incredibly mellowed out as we headed back for the 1 hour’s drive to the campground. Sitting in this little car it feels as though Norm is still pretending he is in a racecar as he bombs around the twisting and turning curves up and down steep mountain passes.  He insists he is not “speeding”, (which I caught him doing a few times) but it sure is scary.  By the time we got back I wanted to kiss the ground.  I have to remember to jump in the driver’s seat before he does!
 



A collection of fascinating clouds

We had invited our neighbors over to dinner that night, so we stopped at a “farm stand“ across the street from the KOA campground.  Now I use the word “farm stand” but this was probably not like any you have ever seen.  It looked more like a junkyard, and the stand, was actually in their house!  We had driven into the yard earlier in the week, but left because it didn’t seem like any place we would like to buy food from. (I am still freaked out over the Boil Water notices). Today we were pretty desperate so we ventured in the door, and found the best looking vegetables, although limited in variety, we had seen since leaving Ottawa!  We had interrupted their dinner, but the woman was willing to get us some smaller zucchini from the garden while the husband sat (pants unzipped, dirty tee shirt, big overhanging stomach, and a baby lamb wondering around the kitchen -  you get the idea) and talked about the area with the thickest Newfie accent!  We could only understand about 1/3 of what he said! But he was really friendly, and talked with a big smile!
 

We left with some wonderful zucchini, and a huge bag of turnip greens, promising to return the next day for some cauliflower and beets after they picked them in the morning!  I guess it pays to overlook appearances sometimes.  (Probably most of the time).
 

The couple in the site next to us had just climbed Gros Morne  (the hike Norm took) and due to its extreme difficulty, the woman’s knee gave out, so they had an absolutely torturous trip back down.  She was not up to coming for dinner, but her husband did, and we had a very enjoyable evening exchanging our day’s adventures.
 

We later joined the folks (local Newfies) on the other side of us at their campfire, but turned down their generous offer of fire roasted salted capons (little fish) for a bedtime snack. Yuck!
 

Friday, August 24^th
 

Today I did not feel very well perhaps because yesterday I had not followed my diet all day, and the fact that I didn’t sleep very well, so when the rain threatened, we just hung out, I did laundry, and not much else.  I certainly made sure I ate nothing that might keep me from successfully completing the planned hike tomorrow.

Day's 57-60 Trip to St. Anthony and back

Sunday, August 19th

Larger fishing village Port Au Choix

The forecast for today was 30% chance of rain.  Well, we definitely are the 30% that will have a full day of torrential rain!  One of those days that is only nice for ducks.

All cozy with a " pretend " fireplace
on the TV

  We had previously planned, and were completely packed the night before, to head up to L’Anse aux Meadows, a 5 ½ hour drive and stay somewhere half way in between, but because of the weather thought it crazy and decided to wait and do the whole drive tomorrow when the weather is supposed to be great.

Still eating" Healthy"- turnip greens,
Forbidden Rice, carrots and organic grilled chicken

Now that we have done quite a bit of Gros Morne’s highlights, we have a better idea when we will need to make ferry reservations to cross back into Nova Scotia.  We spent the entire day, all snuggly and dry, (and with the modern convenience of high speed internet service) planning and making reservations for the next couple of weeks.  It is a really good thing it is raining and we are doing this, because it never occurred to either of us that we were coming upon Labor Day Weekend, and reservations at campgrounds were difficult to find!  Because of that, we need to stay in Gros Morne an extra day.  I am sure there is plenty to do, and it’s a perfect place to stay (although we really hate the campground itself).

Monday August 20th

We got up and out a little after 9AM which was pretty early for us, and started our drive to the northern tip of Newfoundland.  It was still pretty cloudy when we started out, so we didn’t stop to take photo’s at places we otherwise would have. 

  The road twisted and turned both along the shore where we saw little villages and the frequent lone house sitting atop the rocks with the waves sloshing against the shore, and slightly inland, where the road ran among miles of bogs or forest. In the distance were the Long Range Mountains, which as we travelled north, suddenly stopped.  Then further up the road, they reappeared.

Almost missed it!
Actually, it was good that we did!

 We saw a huge bull moose standing on the side of the road!  Danger!  Norm quickly hit the brakes while I frantically tried to get the iPad on the camera mode to get that fabulous picture (hopefully not of it coming through the windshield).  As the animal ran across the road, all I managed to get was his hind end, but perhaps with a little cropping, I will make it appear more spectacular than it was! I don’t want a “boring“ blog, now do I?

So this is what algae and bacteria look like after 650 million years

 We stopped for lunch at the Anchor Café in Port Aux Choix ( which I do not recommend ), then went on to see the Thrombolites of Flowers Cove.  These look like flower shaped boulders, but were actually remnants of algea and bacteria dated back 3.5 to 650 million years!  The earliest living organisms on earth. The only other place these are found is remote Western Australia.

Modern technology.
No one knows you are even out of the office! 

 While Norman was there he received a business call !  Now THAT I find amazing. We have come a long way.

After a long drive (I was occupied by writing the previous blog) we finally arrived in St Anthony about 4:30 at our first, after 58 days, overnight stay out of the motorhome.

We did not choose to stay in one of the quaint B & B’s because we thought a little more elbow room might be needed at this point of the trip.  Months ago I discovered the Grenfell Heritage house and suites.  It was a very roomy 1 bedroom with full kitchen and bath, and had a BBQ on a small adjoining deck. It was newly renovated, and was extremely clean.  After being in a 32 foot motorhome for months, it felt great to have more space.

Really?

Five minutes after stepping through the door, I was filling the bathtub for a very long awaited soak!  Oh, it felt really good!

I had made reservations at the Norseman restaurant, which was reported to be one of the best in St Anthony, and the menu on line looked really terrific.  Caribou, elk, moose and the usual variety of fish, prepared in unusual ways.  Unfortunately, it was about 40 minutes back the way of which we just came! I messed up on that one!  We got cleaned up and headed out again, being very wary of moose.  The menu was very different than on their website, but thankfully they had an elk special that Norm ordered, and I ordered the rabbit. As usual, I wish I ordered what Norm had, but he very generously shared his.   It was a lovely meal albeit very expensive ($45 for elk?) and the view of the cove at sunset was a bonus. 

Tuesday August 21^st

We feel like normal tourists today, staying in a motel and getting right up and out to see the sights!


First on the list of things to do was to procure some bottled water because the color of the water in the bathtub was very brown, not at all appealing to say the least, and I questioned the water's safety to drink.

Replica of 1000 Viking Settlement 1000 years ago

We then headed off to L’Anse Aux Meadows to visit another UNESCO Heitage site, the 1000 year old Viking Settlement site, discovered in the 1960’s.  The subsequent digs uncovered eight rudimentary buildings that included workshops and fireplaces.  We enjoyed a very well done film on the Vikings or Norsemen, that described their history and way of life, and gazed upon many artifacts discovered here. The day was glorious as we headed down the boardwalk to the reproduction of their settlement and to walk the actual area where the Viking structures stood 1000 years ago.

Taken inside the sod home

 I took many pictures, when the new camera seemed to fail.  I am having the worst luck with getting pictures for this blog!

The rest of the day we went on a great hike that to get to the trailhead you needed to actually walk through someone's driveway and yard!  

Norm enjoying the views

Oh, this is really Heaven

 I was really tired today, probably due to straying from the foods my body seems to demand, so when we reached the panoramic views I just laid down in the incredibly soft moss (which was softer than a feather bed) and basked in the warm sun.  I was so relaxed; I just didn’t want to leave.   Norm spotted what we think is another black fox, but surprisingly, that was the only animal we saw.  We were disappointed we didn’t see any moose or caribou, but after reading the sign at the beginning of the trail describing in detail how to defend yourselves again coyotes, I was pretty okay we didn’t run into any.  We have been told that they are breeding with wolves here, and are particularly dangerous.  Yikes!  (I still have my little knife).

We stopped and talked with the very friendly local “Newfies” and learned so much at each stop about their way of life and culture.  We have never found such a friendly people with absolutely everyone we have met.

After having walked, talked, and relaxed away the day, we got back to the hotel and after I took advantage of another brown water soaking, we decided to just get a take-out pizza (our first of the trip) where they offered gluten free crust.  It certainly wasn’t like the regular type, but was not bad. 

I worked online entering the last 3 posts, watched a little TV (caught up on the news – what? A hurricane heading toward Florida, and learning who Romney’s running mate is.  Also top in the news;  Casey Anthony’s parole is up this week)!  It has been weird, and I have to admit, nice, not having any access to newspapers or television for months.

Wednesday, August 22^nd

Today was spent merely driving back to Gros Morne.  The day was mostly sunny, and we hated wasting it in the car, but what can you do?  I got caught up on the blog and that is a good thing.  We have until Sunday morning at the park and hopefully we will make good use of the time enjoying a beautiful, nearly untouched part of our world.

A little wood, anyone? Newfie's are sure hard working!

One thing we found fascinating, is the amount of cut firewood on the side of the roads here, all cut, split and stacked.  There is very often a wooden sled there as well, and even a Skidoo left from the winter!  We inquired, and an old fellow confirmed it all is for personal use to heat their houses!  The other alternative is diesel fuel, which is just too expensive, so they use all this wood. It was just everywhere!

one of many gardens in the middle of nowhere

Another unusual sight was that of obviously tended garden beds, out on the main "highway", miles from anywhere! Where there is an area of naturally occurring fertile soil, you would find this very quaint gardens.

We met our neighbors on either side of us and they were extremely nice.  One group was from St Anthony and boy, their accent was so unusual and hard to understand.  Like listening to and Irishman talking in high speed.  So hard to understand.  Or should I say “ too ‘ard, eh?” 

Conquering Gros Morne Mountain: (by Norm)

August 18th - Day 56

Sign prominently displayed at beginning of trailhead 

When we had checked into the Visitors Center at Gros Morne National Park, we were informed of a popular hike up to the top of Gros Morne Mountain.  It is a 10 mile round trip adventure that takes 6-8 hours.  Alison was very encouraging of me taking the hike without her so I decided to take advantage of the opportunity.  It is strongly suggested that you bring lots of water as well as layers of clothing including raingear.

I started out around 9:30; it was around 70 so I was wearing a short sleeve hiking shirt.  After about an hour of hiking through the woods, I approached the base of the mountain.  Occasional rocks on the path gave way to endless boulders.  Soon I was at the base and the path took a major change.  There was no longer a worn dirt path going around boulders.  This became a trail of loose rock and shale with no vegetation in sight.  After a couple of hundred yards of this, the trail turned upwards.

Who stole the path?

Up to this point I had passed several small groups (my age or older of course).  Now the younger ones began to scramble past me.  I had been using hiking poles, but they were no longer helpful because the slope was becoming so severe I needed to grab onto any available large boulders to keep from sliding in the loose rubble.  The path was no longer discernible – only occasional glimpses of rock patches that seemed to be more worn than others.  Not that it really mattered; I could see some hikers further ahead of me, so I knew the general direction to head.  There was no benefit to staying on the trail (if you knew where it was) because the under footing was unstable no matter where you stepped. There was a very steep stretch several hundred yards long where I had to stop and catch my breath every hundred feet or so.  Because it was so steep, I thought I was approaching the summit.  Not so fast!  It just leveled off a bit, took a turn and kept on going.  It was still nice and sunny so I didn’t mind, except the wind started to pick up.

The view down the slope

I knew I was approaching the summit because there were now some brightly painted trail markers directing you to a specific area.  I could feel the temperature dropping and I noticed fog ahead.  Very quickly as I neared the summit the temperature had dropped to 55 and the wind had picked up to about 25-30 mph.  Time to put on another layer.  As I stood by the summit marker, I was in heavy fog and could not see the back side of the mountaintop.  So much for the breathtaking views and great photo ops!!!  There were several people huddled together in a couple of rock wind shelters, so I had one of them take my picture and continued on my way down the back side of the mountain for the return trip.  After about a quarter mile I began to descend and got back down below the fog.  I was treated to some great views and decided it was a good time to stop for lunch.  Once I stopped walking, I began to feel the cold winds so it was time for another layer.

The never ending staircase

After eating lunch and snacking on some wild berries that were around me, I returned to the trail.  I suddenly came upon the longest staircase I had ever seen.  It had to be almost a hundred steps with no stops or turns along the way.  I don’t have very good knees so this was not too appealing.  No turning back now so down I went – slow and steady.  After another half hour or so, the wind had died off and the temperature had risen.  Time to start taking off the layers.  The return trip is actually longer than the ascent so I just marched on.  This was a much more typical hiking trail with short shrubbery on the sides of a well-worn path.  For the most part I was hiking alone but every once in a while some younger couple would quickly pass me.  One couple was actually jogging along the path that was strewn with boulders.  Show offs!!!  My leg muscles started to cramp so I had to stop and rest a few times. 

 I wasn’t sure how much longer I had to go, so when Alison called to see how I was doing I told her that I thought I’d be done by around 2:00.  Wishful thinking.  A short while later I passed a sign saying I had 4 km to go.  Quick math suggested I would be done by around 2:45.  Wrong again.  Hiking over and around rocks and boulders isn’t the same as a walk around the block.  I eventually ended this journey at 3:30, glad to see Alison sitting by the trailside waiting for me.  Back to camp, stretch out on the lounge chair and have a well deserved beer.  All in all, glad I did it, but disappointed in the time at the summit.  That’s hiking.  You never know what you’re going to get for views once you venture up.

Notice the steepness of the ascent - 2650 feet to the top

3D model showing just how steep his climb was!  'way to go Norm!  He's stronger than he looks!

Days 54 and 55 Gros Morne National Park, Part 2

Thursday, August 16^th

One of Newfoundlands several fjiords

Gros Morne National park is famous for Fjords, carved by the last ice sheets, and shouldered by forests and cliffs.  The difference here is that they are actually “ landlocked” and called “ ponds”, which after being compressed by the huge glacier then melted, the coastline rebounded like a sponge, rising above sea level, cutting it off from the ocean. 

We were told my the guide that the water here is so devoid of minerals, that it actually will not conduct electricity! ( We had never heard of such a thing, but one tends to believe the guides ).

What is also unusual here, is that they managed to get a couple of good sized tour boats 2 miles from the road! ( which one had to walk to get to the boat tour ) One boat they brought in by rolling it over the frozen bogs, and the next ( because the bogs did not freeze hard enough ) was flown in by helicopter in pieces and assembled.  The result was the very successful, very enjoyable 2 hour cruise up the pond viewing the absolutely magnificent rock walls.  

The sight reminded us very much of Milford Sound in New Zealand, and unfortunately, the weather ( very overcast threatening rain ) was the same as well.

 Taking pictures in this lighting is very disappointing for those of us who do not have a clue how to adjust the cameral settings to offset the lack of light.  I will have to take some classes, for sure.   

We hiked back the two miles just as it started to rain and spent the night having dinner and watched one of our many borrowed DVD’s we brought with us.

Friday August 17^th

The Bike Ride from Hell

We inquired at the Visiting Center of any local mountain bike trails, and found one 10 miles in length, mostly around a pond.  The staff really knew nothing about the trail, just that it was one of only a few that bikes were allowed on. Norm was planning to tackle the biggest challenge of the area; hiking to the top of Gros Morne Mountain tomorrow, ( which not too many people, including me, attempt it ) so he thought I nice little bike ride to get a little exercise, would be great for today.

Our thoughts were that being around a body of water, it must be fairly flat, right?  We took the bikes out of the car, assembled them, gave them some more air, then headed off on a beautiful day.  It took about 40 minutes to get to the trailhead and by then the clouds had rolled in.  Not to worry, it was cloudy most days lately.

Now, this is is pretty cool

As we rode about 100 feet, it started to sprinkle.  Gee, I wished we had throught to bring our raincoats, but then carrying them would have been difficult ( but possible ).  The trail was really awesome.  It was about a foot wide, with lots of grasses and weeds about 2 feet tall on either side.  Very soon it turned into a ½ mile or so of boardwalk with about 6 inches to ride on that was free of debris.  This section was fun, but I worried that if we came across people walking, we would be in trouble.  We crossed a suspension bridge, and then headed into the deep woods.

We seemed to be all alone in the woods, when suddenly we saw some people heading our way.  You guessed it!  Kate, the woman we have been continuously running into!  Now this is getting too weird!  Mind you, there are over 100 miles of trails in Gros Morne, and this trail, 40 minutes away, in the boonies, around some obscure lake, we meet!  I just can’t believe it!  Her daughter proudly showed us the incredible pictures she had just taken of a huge caribou buck further back on the trail. They saw our bikes and were very impressed that we were actually riding on this trail!  We wondered why the surprise, after all, it seemed harmless enough…..

Dark, thick woods on either side of trail
I thought this was so cool

 We soon knew why. The trail went up, and up, and up. I was really struggling for some reason.  Anytime there was the slightest incline I had to get off and walk, pushing the bike.  Even that was hard.  There was so much moose and caribou poo on the trail, I thought perhaps all that crap on my tires was slowing me down.  The trail continued to go up, then have a little decent ( yeah, quick- get on and coast ) then up, and up, and still up!  By this time, we ( Norm had to get off on the steep climbs too ) had really worked up a sweat. Watching for the caribou, and trying to stay on the trail was definitely a challenge.  We tried to huff and puff quietly, all the while cursing under our breaths at how difficult this was.  I still could not understand my physical incapacity.

After enduring 5 miles of hardwork, my breaks started to squeal. I pried out all the poo and still noticed the front tire was not really moving much.  Wow!  Ta-dah!  My front brake had been stuck on, this whole time!  I had mixed emotions.  I was so glad I was not in as bad a physical shape as I thought I had become, then I was ashamed that I did not notice the symptoms of a stuck brake and then the horror of my wondering what to do about it way out here!

Just one more little hill.....I can do it! 

After we disconnected the brake, tied it up, I got back on with a little trepidation due to the lack of front brakes, and thankfully and with great relief, spend down the trail, and up the next incline! ( not too big ) Now THIS is mountain biking.  Then it started to rain a little harder.

What was really unfair for both of us was that after walking up all those hills, and looking forward to riding down, we found it necessary to walk. Norm walked down because he is not comfortable riding on loose rock ( he hasn’t got the hang of going faster so the bike just bounces over them yet ) and my walking because anytime I hit the back brake, the bike would fishtail out from under me.  How unfair! 

  The rain became more steady as we headed back, riding when we could ( my bike was much easier to push now )and finally came to the parking lot once again pushing the bikes up an incline.  I was pretty tired, and as soon as we loaded the bikes, the skies opened up!

What a ride from hell.  Anytime we see “ mountain biking”  now we are a bit skeptical whether it would be appropriate for us old folks from the flat lands of Florida.

Days 51-53 Gros Morne National Park

Monday August 13^th

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On this day we woke up to the roar of torrential rain, and again we were glad we were not in our past outdoor accommodations of the thin nylon and pole variety.   There is nothing worse than packing up in the pouring rain!   Our job was much easier, yet still wet.  We donned ourselves head to tails in rain gear, pulled up the jacks, moved in the slides (extending sides of motorhome) and drove to the dumping station where Norm did “his thing”.  I, in the meantime, hooked the car up, and off we went – in our comfy mobile home!

The forecast (we are now suddenly heeding their predictions) was rain for the next several days, so we decided to get ourselves as close to Gros Morne National Park (where we will spend up to 2 weeks exploring) so that when the weather clears, we will be ready for action!  We drove several hours to a lovely little park named Sargent Memorial RV Park in Grand Falls - Windsor. 

Grand Falls - Windsor was the only place where I could possibly replace my camera.  Because there are hardly any stores in Newfoundland, I am  now  reduced to Walmarts’  3 choices and a store called Source that had another couple. They also were chained to the stand, and would not able to be turned on so you can check them out!  If you know me, you know I am a HUGE researcher, and hate to buy an item like this (well, ANY item) without knowing as much or more than most of the salespeople! I hate to admit it, but it took me 3 months to choose my rice cooker!  (my Zojirushi - which I absolutely LOVE and use each and every day for many different foods).

 Norm patiently (he is, thank God, a patient man) waited while I checked out the models then sat with my iPad and read reviews.  I picked one up with a generous return policy, and hoped for the best.

Tuesday August 14^th

 In Walmart’s parking lot we ran into Kate (the lady dogging us for the whole trip) and her daughter, I was so surprised to see her trailer! This has become rather funny now. We exchanged phone numbers so perhaps we will actually have dinner together. 

We arrived at the campsite, the KOA Norris Point in Rocky Harbor.  The site assigned to us is the most sloped we have been on, so we had to figure out how to finally use the blocks we purchased to help us level out on very hilly sites. We went back to the office and arranged for a different, more level site on Friday when one becomes available.

By the time that was done and dinner was ready it was 8PM.  I sit here now typing this and at 9:45PM, am rather beat and will try going to bed early.  Maybe watch the TV Norm put back on the brackets today!

Wednesday August 15^th

Today we went on a great little 6 mile hike, that wound it’s way through miles of bogs where the Park had built large sections of boardwalk leading to a couple of tremendous waterfalls. 

1st of the waterfalls

 There were moose tracks everywhere, but no sightings.  We met up with a Ranger on the trail and he explained how the overpopulation of moose is damaging the forest by eating all the emerging evergreens and not allowing the forest to regenerate naturally. Canadian Forestry has been giving special licenses for the shooting of Moose the last couple of years to help keep their population under control, I guess it is helping a little, but you could see the evidence of their voracious appetites!

The ranger also pointed out the huge stands of dead trees that was caused by an insect a few years back.  Norman thought the sight was really depressing, but I loved the different shades of grey,( were there 50? ) and found their gnarly shapes really beautiful! 

Local band called Anchors Aweigh 

We talked with several couples along the way, and got back in time to rest and shower before we went into Rocky Harbor to a local pub for a comedy/music show by a local group called Anchors Aweigh.  Their repertoire included many Newfoundland folk songs  ( so cute with their Irish Brogue), telling amusing stories of old times, all the while their accordion player was donning many hilarious  old ladies’ outfits and hats, and finally playing an “ ugly stick” to a rock song.  Not only was it a nearly 3 hour  great show, it was great to “ get out of the house “ for an evening.