Monday 4 December 2023

Travels to Gros Morne & L' Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland

 

 

To Newfoundland June 1, 2023 – we boarded the ferry in North Sydney, Nova Scotia to Port Aux Basque, Nfld, cost of $194 for our 20 ft RV, overheight so in with the big trucks - & no cabin as we felt it was unnecessary. No access to vehicles for the 7 hour trip but comfortable reclining chairs, TV’s, restaurant & snack bar. Moved our clocks ½ hour ahead for Newfoundland time zone. Easy smooth crossing.







We stopped at JT Cheeseman Provincial Park for 3 nights, about 10 km after the ferry – we decided that we needed power as it’s cold & will need the furnace – 11C. Lovely spot on a river, 2 km hike to the ocean on a rocky, hilly trail. The ranger told us how the area, especially Port aux Basque was hit by hurricane Fiona – 85 homes lost. Still evidence of destroyed homes in the town.

 




We did some day trips to Cape Ray & Cape Anguille (the most westerly point of Nfld.) – lighthouses, lots of rock, green mountains, scrubby trees – like the high alpine in places. Newfoundland’s nickname “The Rock” is well deserved. We happened upon a local fish market in town where we filled our fridge & freezer with lobster tails $32/lb. & cod filets $8/lb. Fun to see ATV’s, snowmobiles, lobster traps & fishing nets in most yards. Spring is definitely later here, daffodils now blooming, trees just leafing out. Had lunch in Picadilly – shared a scrumptious seafood platter & seafood chowder.

 

ATV, quad, snowmobiles

this is how the power poles are held up, rocks within the frame





Port Aux Basque




whale bones


a common sight for garbage


On to Cornerbrook – 10C but the day before was only 2C! We took a scenic drive up, up & up to Captain James Cook lookout – overlooking Cornerbrook, the ocean & the huge pulp & paper plant. More side trips to Lark Harbor, found seaglass & some seashells, popped into The Roost in York harbor – a funky store with handicrafts & seaglass art.

 







Cornerbrook

Another Nfld “thing” but quite ingenious – garbage bags awaiting pickup are covered with thick fishing nets to keep the birds out.

 


Spent the night next to a river, just down from a power station, along with a couple other small RVs (another IOverlander gem).

 


we sampled lots of great beer

We spotted a sign for Meyers Minerals in Pasadena so of course had to check it out – very impressive! They only deal in Nfld & Labrador rocks & minerals – we bought a few pieces & then we were told about the “bucket outside” – their scraps from the lapidary shop – jackpot - several slabs made it into our possession for free!

 



Northward on the Viking Trail after gassing up at $1.74/l. & arrived at Gros Morne National Park. First stop the park’s Discovery Centre with the info & displays, then quickly to the Tablelands for a guided hike. Extremely windy, gusts over 70 km/hr & cold – winter jackets over hoody’s, hoods up & could have used mittens. Excellent guide - she explained how plate tectonics created Newfoundland & how Gros Morne is evidence of this. The Tablelands rock is actually from the earth’s inner mantle – the black rock that has oxidized & turned orange/yellow is Peridotite (found on Mars & very few places on Earth). This rock changes to Serpentinite by metamorphosis, leaving a crackly snakeskin look. Very few plants survive as the soil is toxic. We found the area & its story fascinating – not many chances to walk on what was once the earth’s mantle.

 



a pitcher plant, also on the Newfoundland license plate




There were “moose crossing” signs everywhere (over 120,000 of them, 1st introduced in1878) but we saw only a few plus a few caribou at a distance.  We toured the small towns scattered within the park boundary & enjoyed more seafood for lunch.

 



We camped near the ocean at Green Point Campground $34.50 for power & water, windy, cool & rain so great for sleeping. Another guided hike at Green Point where we learned about the lobster fishery, community “resettlement” & then on to the geology of Green Point. Here there are 60 million years of sedimentary rock layers (all intact, none missing), now tipped vertical.  The area is studied by scientists from all over the world. We started where the oldest layers are & progressed thru mudstone & sandstone layers to limestone, then sandstone with fossils near the wave break. The large boulders at the edge are glacial erratics forming a terminal moraine. Newfoundland saw 40 advances of ice during the Ice Age!

 






On to Western Brook Pond – a 3 km hike thru peat bog & scrubby trees to get to the boat launch for our 2 hour tour of this gorgeous “landlocked fiord”. Beautiful imposing cliffs, some over 700 m. tall, 20 + waterfalls – some spectacular, all impressive. Spotted a black bear with cubs & a bald eagle.

 







We overnighted at Arches Provincial Park overlooking the ocean, watching fishermen empty their lobster traps.

 



On to Post aux Choix National Park site to learn about the early Indigenous & French settlers & to have a taste of harp seal meat. The local grocery store sold picnic plated with 3 colored potato salads – beet, mustard & regular – very tasty!

 

a boat repair yard, big boats!



Port Aux Choix





Heading to the west coast of Newfoundland we spotted our first iceberg at Anchor Point!! Very exciting as this was a “must see” for us & the reason we made the trip out to Newfoundland fairly quickly. Robin of course had to chipe off chunks of 10,000 year old ice that had floated to shore – much enjoyed with our Newfoundland gingerbread Screech.

 




On June 9 we woke to only 6C inside the RV 7 3C outside! Doesn’t feel like spring!

We continued north to Lanse Aux Meadows, the remains of a site of an 11th century Viking settlement, evidence of the first European presence in North America, oohing & ahhing over all the icebergs that we passed. The interpretive centre has a very informative guide who knew the people who excavated the site in the 1960’s & could give us first hand knowledge of the area – he has seen polar bears, seals giving birth & pack ice extending out 15 km from shore. We toured the recreation of the site, complete with costumed interpreters – well worth the drive to the north tip of Newfoundland & especially important to me as I have Norwegian heritage.

 

at L'Anse aux Meadows









On to St Anthony, to a campground that still uses dial up internet! The annual Iceberg Festival was on & we took in 2 local events. First a Viking feast in a recreated sod hut – a meal of Newfie fare – fisherman’s bewis (salt cod & hard tack), Jiggs dinner (stew with root vegetables & pork/ham), roast beef, beans & more – all eaten with a spoon to be authentic.

 

Viking Feast


an "Ugly Stick", a Newfie musical instrument


We went to a hilarious “Old Fashioned Concert” in St Lunaire-Griquet, $10 admittance, mainly locals enjoying skits, music & songs – Newfie style. A highlight of the whole trip!

 



As we drove about we saw piles & piles of firewood, stacks of  lobster traps & dandelions, we smelled wood smoke & marvelled at the roadside garden plots (soil was turned over when the roads were built so now claimed for gardens).

 

saw these in all the campgrounds, for fire fighting


another common sight, wood sleds


roadside garden

We had supper at the Lightkeepers Café in St Anthony where we tried cod tongues & scrunchins (cod & pork fat), scallops & cod cakes. Really loving all the seafood.

 



cod tongues

On our way back south (you have to backtrack on the same hiway for quite a ways) we stopped to see a fellow selling live crab in black garbage bags for $4/lb – sad that we had no pot big enough to cook them.

 



Back thru Gros Morne & a hike to Southeast Brook Falls. On the road for 4 weeks now – we still love the Roadtrek van for the ability to go anywhere, park anywhere & everything is always with us. We have adapted to the lack of room & are still figuring out where things are as there is a crazy amount of storage in here. We haven’t tried the shower, we might never use it as we find campgrounds that will let you shower, do laundry, dump & fill with water all for $10, or we go to swimming pools to shower.

 



 

 

No comments:

Post a Comment