We are leaving Gros Morne National Park behind and heading to our next cottage in Herring Neck. Herring Neck is on the New World Island up near Twillingate. There will be a break in daily updates as we will be without internet service for a few days.
Day 7: Cruise Ship and Partridgeberry Hill
Today we headed into Woody Point to see the Holland America Line MS Veendam cruise ship which was making a port of call to the small community of 400 residents. The were 1242 passengers and approximately 600 staff. Here is the ship docked in Bonne Bay.
A Mountie at the dock to greet the visitors. The ship had embarked from Boston, MA.
There was a small market place setup for local merchants to sell their wares.
Claudia and Angela checking out a dead jellyfish.
Gillian was taking a picture of Claudia holding up the boat.
The weather was beautiful, quite the change from yesterday. A nice view of the Tablelands.
Some of the shops in Woody Point.
From there we headed to the Discovery Centre which was the trailhead for the Lookout Trail. The trail winds its way up through the lookout hills to the top of Partridgeberry Hill. The 2.5km trail climbs 300m through boreal forest and bog meadows. It is listed as moderate-strenuous in the Park guide.
Angela taking a break waiting for Mom.
The boardwalk leading to the summit.
Gillian was way ahead of the rest of us.
After the boardwalk, there was one final push to the summit via a long winding path or the stairs in the picture, we opted for the stairs.
Gillian at the top, she is the one waving her arms.
Here come Claudia and Susan.
The view from the lookout was well worth the hike up the hill. There were fabulous panoramic views of Bonne Bay, the Tablelands, the Lookout Hills, and the Long Range Mountains.
There were some red chairs at the top for a well deserved rest.
Angela soaking in the scenery.
We had the platform to ourselves for awhile. The trail was less busy than I thought it would be, there were quite a few people from the ship that were doing the hike.
A family shot using the GoPro.
Just amazing views.
We took the trail that winds around the back of Partridgeberry Hill to go back down.
Back at the Discovery Centre there was a gallery with some local art. There were wool mittens.
A wall of yarn.
It was back to Woody Point for some lunch. This is the Woody Point Heritage Theatre (formerly the Loyal Orange Lodge) built in 1908.
Still a lot of activity down at the dock with the ship.
Claudia blending in with the tourists.
We had lunch at the Merchant Warehouse Retro Cafe.
The girls ended the day with a dip in one of the Middle Brook pools.
The water was a little cool.
Day 6: Tablelands
Today we headed to the Parks Canada Discovery Centre and then the Tablelands trail. The Tablelands are a geologic wonder. It’s ultramafic rock (peridotite) that makes the Tablelands so barren. The Tablelands is one of the few places in the world where you can see exposed earth’s mantle. The rock was forced up to the surface millions of years ago during a plate collision, and peridotite lacks the nutrients which allow plants to grow.
The hike was an easy 2 km to the end of the trail.
The girls on the Tablelands.
Even though the skies were looking funky, the rain held off all day, it wasn’t until we were driving back to the cottage that it started to shower, which was odd since that is when the sun finally appeared.
The wind on this trail was amazing.
Parts of it are boardwalk.
There is still some runoff coming down.
Claudia with her walking stick. She has been carting it around Gros Morne.
After this photo, the girls and I decided to see how far we could climb up.
Up we go.
The little white patch in the lower centre of the photo is where we left Susan.
Angela and Claudia up ahead.
Angela and Claudia waiting for Gillian.
The views are amazing.
Waving to Mom.
Time to head down.
Me on the Tablelands.
Some of the rare flora growing on the Tablelands.
These bushes are growing on top of the rock.
Look close and you can see an ant on the right clump of flowers.
Some moss just growing on top.
Heading back to the parking lot.
Another waterfall, Angela and I walked up to the base of the falls.
Angela crossing the stream.
Angela touching the waterfalls.
This rock had a face on it.
Across the highway it is lush and green.
It was a great walk through the Tablelands.
We headed down to Trout River for a picnic lunch.
Trout River Pond.
The girls hanging around.
Trout River is a small rural fishing village originally settled in 1815.
We walked up to see the Old Man Lookout.
It overlooks the village.
We saw the beach and that was our next stop.
Another beach with sea glass.
Heading back to the cottage along Route 431, it shows the difference between the two sides of the highway.
We found some green chairs at the Tablelands lookout.
Just before the rain showers started on the South Arm.
After dinner we headed down to Middle Brook.
Further up brook was a larger set of waterfalls.
The evening view out our cottage window.
Our drive today. A. Glenburnie B. Tablelands C. Trout River
Day 4 & 5: Video
Some video from the past couple of days. The videos were shot using a GOPRO camera. The first is from our Western Brook Pond tour. This was attached to my gorilla pod and held up in the air.
I had the GOPRO on a head strap while I was kayaking.
Once we get back, I’ll try and take a few snippets from all the video and put something together.
Day 5: Sea Kayaking
Today we packed up from our first cottage and headed to Norris Point to do a sea kayaking tour with Gros Morne Adventures. The guided tour was 2 hours and goes out onto Bonne Bay.
The girls investigating a dead jellyfish, some things haven’t changed.
The girls getting instructions.
The kayaks were setup so the person in the back had to steer with their feet.
Angela was steering for her and Gillian.
I was in a single.
Susan and Claudia looking for sea life.
There were lots of jellyfish in the water.
Gillian and Angela working out their differences.
More jellyfish.
The weather was great, a little overcast when we started and then the sun came out.
An ugly fish.
Back on our way along the coast.
A juvenile bald eagle that we followed down the bay.
A freshwater waterfall flowing into the bay.
We saw a river otter down near the falls.
There was another bald eagle that we saw on our way back.
Overlooking Norris Point.
When we got back on the Viking Trail we saw our first moose. It was at the side of the road, and it started walking along the side before going down a side road and disappeared.
We headed back to Deer Lake to get some groceries before heading to our second cottage in the south end of the park.
Angela thought we were done with these types of photos.
After dinner we headed out for a drive to Woody Point.
The lighthouse, built in 1959, the original lighthouse was first built in 1919.
Looking down the South Arm.
We are staying at the Middle Brook Cottages in Glenburnie.
This is Middle Brook.
The brook is located next to the cottages. This is an old bridge, the newer bridge is in the distance.
Angela getting her feet wet.
Gillian taking pictures of the brook.
Todays drive. A. Rocky Harbour B. Norris Point C. Deer Lake D. Glenburnie
Day 4: Western Brook Pond Boat Tour
Today was the Western Brook Pond boat tour. The Western Brook Pond is a glacier carved land-locked fjord. From the parking lot it is a 3 km walk to the boat dock.
The trail is fairly easy.
A lot of wildflowers along the way.
It crosses bogs.
And small rivers.
A map at the dock. The highway is the line on the left and the dot on the left edge of the pond is the dock. The tour travels all the way to the narrow end.
A graphic for those tourists who are familiar with the CN Tower.
The tour was 2 hours in length.
Entering the fjord.
The weather was perfect, we did the 10:00 am tour.
It just rises out of the water.
All kinds of cameras on board.
The view heading into the fjord.
One of the many waterfalls.
I have been looking forward to this since we first decided to go to Gros Morne and it didn’t disappoint.
The remnants of a rock slide in 1994 that occurred while a boat tour was out on the water.
Another waterfall high up.
Looking back from where we came.
The boat was turning so everyone could see the waterfalls.
Claudia taking shelter from the sun.
Getting close to the tip.
A small dock, if you have a hiking permit, they will drop you off and you can start the long traverse hike from there.
Heading back.
The girls.
This tour was great, definitely a must do if you are ever in Gros Morne.
Claudia having a little nap.
The girls on the red chairs. Parks Canada has placed 18 sets of red muskoka chairs around Gros Morne to celebrate the 40th birthday of the park.
A nice view of the Western Brook Pond.
We stopped for lunch at the site of the S.S. Ethie shipwreck site.
The steamship went down December 11th, 1919. All 92 passengers on board survived.
The girls have been having a great time.
We played a game of knock the rocks off the log.
Found this sea sac stuck to one of the rocks.
On the way back to the cottage we found another set of red chairs that Susan had spotted the day before.
This will probably beome our new blog photo.
The end to another day in Gros Morne.
Day 3: Lobster Cove, Coastal Trail, and Shallow Bay
Day 3 started out as a dark cloudy day threatening rain, but by noon the skies had cleared and it turned into a great day. We headed for a couple of the trails. The first stop was Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse, just north of Rocky Harbour. There is a lighthouse that was built in 1897.
As you can see from the sky, it was a perfect day.
The views out to the Gulf of the St Lawrence are amazing.
Looking back towards Rocky Harbour.
These pine cones were growing straight up.
The girls up at the base of the lighthouse.
Angela on her way down.
Lots of wildflowers.
Walking down to another viewpoint.
The next stop was the Coastal Trail. The mouth of the Bakers Brook.
Along the Coastal Trail.
This is coastal Tuckamore. Tuckamore looks like thick bush or forest.
But once you get inside, it like going into Narnia.
The girls in the Tuckamore.
Angela with her stick.
The Coastal Trail was pretty empty, we passed a few people.
Angela holding up a lobster trap that had washed up on shore.
Heading back.
Windswept tree branches.
The next stop was Shallow Bay up near Cow Head. On the right you can see an old guy out swimming.
There were sand dunes at the left end of the beach. Most of the shoreline is rock, but this was a pretty long stretch of beach.
Looking toward the dunes area.
On the way back we stopped at Broom Point. It is a fishing exhibit.
The Mudge Family donated the fish store and cabin to the park. They fished here from spring to fall from the 1940’s to early 70’s. It was three brothers and their families that lived in the single cabin.
Inside the fish store they has old lobster traps, boats, and nets that were all handmade by the Mudge families. The park guy showed us how to prepare a cod for salting with a stuffed cod with velcro parts.
Gillian trying out a rocking chair made of an old barrel.
The fish store (like a barn for fishing).
The girls trying to find marshmallow sticks.
Some floats for marking the traps.
At the end of the day we had a fire back at the cottage.
We are staying at Bottom Brook Cottages, here is the brook right next to the cottage.
The end of another day in Newfoundland. Going…
…going….
…gone.
Our drive today was fairly short, spending more time out of the car than in. A. Rocky Harbour B. Lobster Cove Head C. Cow Head
Day 2: Gros Morne
We headed into Gros Morne National Park today. We have a cottage booked in Rocky Harbour.
This was our first stop at one of the lookouts.
Our ride, a Grand Caravan.
Angela catching a ride with Susan.
Our cottage wasn’t quite ready, so we dropped off our food in the fridge and headed to the Visitor Centre.
Gillian with a couple of her buddies.
Angela scratching the bears nose.
A short drive from there was Norris Point.
We’re hoping to do a sea kayak tour later in the week.
So far there hasn’t been a lot of people which has been nice.
Claudia on her post.
Girls on the beach.
Norris Point, it was cloudy most of the day, but the rain held out until later in the evening.
Some jellyfish in the water.
Claudia at the end of the pier.
We did the aquarium tour at the Bonne Bay Marine Station. The Marine Station is marine ecology research and teaching facility run by Memorial University of Newfoundland in St.John’s. The tour guides are students from the university. Our guide was studying marine biology who was originally from Whitby, ON. Here she is showing the girls a giant hermit crab.
Gillian holding the hermit crab.
Here she is showing us how to tell the difference between male and female snow crabs. This was a female, they have a bigger abdomen coverings.
A male snow crab.
Everyone touching a sea star.
These are the tanks they have at the aquarium.
They had a bunch of different lobsters. This was an orange lobster.
Including a rare blue lobster. The odds of catching a blue lobster is 1 in 2 million.
Another lobster, she said it was an albino, but it seems to have some colour.
There was also a touch tank that had different creatures in it.
A sea anemone caught a fish.
Gillian picking up a spider crab.
Claudia with a sea star.
This is the view across the road from the cottage.
Claudia picking up rocks.
Gillian checking out the view.
When Claudia was down at the water she discovered there was sea glass.
Next thing you knew, we were all down there looking.
Some of my early finds, lots of blue sea glass, but the others didn’t seem as polished. We left a lot behind as they needed more time.
The tide was going out while we were down there.
Angela showing something?
It was good start to our Gros Morne adventure.
Our drive today. A. Deer Lake B. Rocky Harbour C. Norris Point
Day 1: I’se the B’y…
We began our epic (?) vacation today heading for The Rock. It was an early start, heading to Pearson for our 6:30 am flight. Here are the girls in the Maple Leaf Lounge.
We flew to St John’s via a connection in Halifax.
Then it was a long drive to Deer Lake for the night. The girls in the back of the van after leaving Clarenville for a lunch break.
An interactive Google Map of our drive on Day 1. A. St John’s B. Deer Lake
Newfoundland Blog Posts
Our Newfoundland Epic-Adventure chronological blog posts can be found here. Scroll down for the latest post.