Newfoundland and Labrador in a 'B' - Log 3

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Len and Jo

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Thursday May 27, 2010

It was cold again today and windy.  It rained off and on all day, but not hard enough to stop us from seeing some of the area.  We went into Rocky Harbour for breakfast at the Fisherman?s Landing Restaurant, having the breakfast special which included reindeer sausage.  That was a first for us ? never tasted reindeer before.  (What would Santa say??)  I thought it was good, Len thought just ok. 
Before we went in to eat, we stopped at a parking lot in town right by the shore to look at the water and to see if we could see any birds.  Well, it was a good stop because we saw a juvenile Bald Eagle fly up from the shoreline as we approached. Then Len had his first good look at a Great Black-backed gull.  I got a better look at it too and could really see its size.  Another big bird.  I was about to get back into the car when I spotted a small duck landing on the water:  A Green-winged Teal!  Another first!  What a pretty little duck, too.
After breakfast I mailed some post cards to our little girls and checked out the gift shop next door.  It has some nice things, but nothing I wanted.  Then we went on to the Gros Morne National Park visitor center.  They have wifi so we both took our computers in to check and get rid of some of our email.  We bought an annual pass for the Canadian national parks and heritage sites because we?ll use it while we?re here on Newfoundland and also when we go to Tobermory in July. 
We signed up for the Western Brook Pond ride tomorrow.  You don?t pay until the day of the ride because they have to make sure the weather is going to be good enough to go.  It?s supposed to be cold and rainy all through the weekend so we?ll see what happens in the morning.  This ?pond? is more than just a pond; it is a 12 kilometer long fresh water fjord that thousands of years ago was blocked off from the sea by a glacier.  Its rock cliff walls are made of some of the oldest rock on earth.  I hope we get to see it.
The ranger at the office suggested an easy hike for us to Berry Head Pond.  The trail around the pond was boardwalk for the most part so it was definitely an easy walk.  It was very windy and raining when we started out so I was a little hesitant about going, but we had rain gear on and once we got into the woods it was ok.  We saw an Arctic Hare along the way.  Wow! What a big rabbit!  Later down the path we saw some very fresh looking moose tracks.  I?d like to see more of them, but not this close so was glad we didn?t come across the owner of those huge footprints.
We drove into Green Point Primitive campground which was empty, parked on a site overlooking the Gulf, and had lunch.  It was really windy and the rain came down in a fine hard spray.  But it was really neat to be sitting there snug in the van watching the waves crash on the rocks below.  We went on as far as Sally Cove before turning back to the same KOA that we stayed at last night. 

Friday May 28, 2010

As predicted yesterday, today was windy and rainy and cold, but we enjoyed our outing anyway.  We took the 2 ? hour boat ride on Western Brook Pond.  We got to the parking lot about 11:30 a.m. and dressed for the weather.  You?d think we were going cross country skiing the way I layered up: long underwear, fleece pants and tops, jacket.  I added my rain poncho because my jacket is losing its waterproofing and it was really raining when we set out.  Len even saw some snow coming down.  The walk was a little more than 2 ? kilometers one way (about 3 miles round trip).  I got a little warm on the way out, but appreciated all my layers on the boat.  Just sitting and standing around doesn?t keep you warm.  Len even brought his lap quilt which we covered up with as we sat in the cabin.  The doors were open most of the time and the wind and rain blustered in.  There were about 40 passengers on the ride, most of whom were dressed appropriately, but several were certainly not!  We met a delightful young couple from Ontario (He was originally from St. Augustine.) and they just had shirts, jeans, and sweatshirts on.  Len loaned the man some gloves.
It was well worth the effort of getting there though because it was a neat boat ride.  The sheer cliffs are right at the water edge and I guess they go down about 500 feet into the water.  The guide said this is not a true fjord anymore because it is cut off from the ocean and it has fresh water in it.  Because of the low clouds we couldn?t see the tops of the rocks, but we still had the feeling of being deep inside a very tall narrow channel.  In places it had eroded and there were some valleys where trees were growing and animals living.  In fact we saw a moose close to the shore wandering through the brush.  For most of the way, though, it was sheer wall straight up.  There were waterfalls all along the way and in places huge cracks in the otherwise smooth surface.  It was fascinating!
The walk back to the car was interesting too.  We took more time to notice our surroundings because we weren?t in a hurry to get to the boat on time.  We were on boardwalks quite a bit because we were walking over a bog.  It was huge!  It was desolate, but beautiful in a way.  The colors even now before the spring flowers were pretty.  When we were in woodland sections, the trees were scrubby looking like they struggled for every inch of growth.
We drove back to Rocky Harbour for one more night and a delicious dinner at the Ocean View Motel?s restaurant.  My fisherman?s platter was wonderful: cod, shrimp, scallops, and salmon.  I brought the salmon ?home? because it was just too much to eat.  Len had surf and turf: lobster, scallops, shrimp and a steak.  The carrots and turnips were yummy too!
We camped at the Rocky Harbour RV park right in town rather than backtracking to the KOA again.  We like the KOA better, but this was OK too.  It?s nice and clean with scrubby brush between most of the sites; although there are two areas that are just wide open to pack in as many as possible RVs. I guess the folks in the big rigs like those better ? easy in, easy out.

Saturday May 29, 2010

Today was a moose-y day because we saw 10 of them.  The people with all their warnings were right: Watch out and keep your speed down.  The first one we saw was on the road just as we left town and I mean it was literally on the road.  It ran away from us, but went back and forth on the road not quite sure which way to go while we sort of chased it SLOWLY.  Finally it took another road that went into Rocky Harbour and we were able to drive by.  Very shortly after that we saw two more together, but they stayed in the brush alongside the road.  The fourth moose was just standing at the edge of the brush on Len?s side of the road and turned to walk slowly back into the woods as we drove by.  The next one we caught a quick glimpse of was down a dirt road as we drove past it.  Numbers six and seven were two separate sightings of moose running a little distance off to our right, one along the side of a lake, the other just across the open country.
We stopped at several places on our drive north today, the first one being the Rocky Harbour Lighthouse just outside the town.  There was a short trail that led to some stairs down to the Gulf.  Very pretty and a good stop.  The lighthouse wasn?t open yet, but that?s ok ? we were more interested in walking around outside.
Next we stopped at the shipwreck, SS Ethie.  Again there were stairs down to the shore which we went down.  We were surprised to see so much wreckage all around the rocky beach.  The wreck occurred on December 11, 1919 in the worst storm they had ever had in this area.  The ship was a good one, but couldn?t withstand the huge waves and pounding seas.  Luckily all 92 passengers and crew were saved, even a baby that they put inside of a mail bag to bring him ashore.
Broom Point was a small fisherman?s settlement which was used from about 1944 to 1976 by a couple of brothers.  There was a house, a boat house, outhouse, and winch.  The house was tiny, about 400 square feet, but it had 3 bedrooms and a combined kitchen/dining/living room area.  The kitchen stove burned wood and doubled as a heating stove.  It was toasty warm in there as the Parks Canada interpreters had started a fire about an hour before we arrived.
The visitor center for the Port aux Choix National Historic site wasn?t open for the season, yet, so we?ll try to see that and the lighthouse nearby on our way back down.
We stopped for a very late lunch along the Gulf in the St. Barbe area and I had my leftover salmon.  Still good, even cold!  While there we watched some lobster fishermen taking in their cages and putting them back out again.  Len got some good pictures of them.  We also walked along the very rocky beach a little.
By then it was time to find a campsite for the night, but the ones we saw were not open yet.  We had to get a motel for the night in St. Barbe which is very expensive. It?s a small very basic room at luxury prices.  It?s the only place in the ferry dock town (to Labrador) and I guess they charge what they want.  I hope we can find a campground at the tip of the peninsula.

Sunday May 30, 2010

Our drive from St. Barbe to St. Andrews took about 2 hours and in that time we saw 13 moose.  And after we got to the area we saw 3 more!  Wow! They are all over the place!  It?s a good thing the speed limit is low. 
The sun was out today!  It was great for our day of sightseeing. One of the things we wanted to see in this area was an iceberg.  Well, we saw plenty.  They were all over the place too; and in the sunshine they show up so much better than on a gray drizzly day.  The sparkling white and blue are so pretty as they float along.  Some of them were quite close to shore, while others were better viewed through the binoculars.  We never expected to see so many.
Len was finally able to see something he?s wanted to see for many years:  the Viking settlement, Vinland, at what is now L?Anse aux Meadows.  The historic site doesn?t officially open until June 1, but there were people working to get things ready and were very welcoming to us.  A man dressed in period costume and very knowledgeable was fascinating.  We sat and talked with him for a half hour or so as he told us all about Leif Eriksson and his group.  Around the year 1000 and over a period of about 20 years, they came to explore and to get hardwood timber to take back to Greenland. 
There is a reconstructed settlement with long house, storage house, furnace hut, and another building all furnished as it would have been when Eriksson was here.  Next to this area is the actual location of the settlement except that only the foundation layer of sod remains.  We could still see the outline of each building and I stood inside of the longhouse where Eriksson lived a thousand years ago.  What was really neat was that a group had made special arrangements to come and have a tour with a Parks Canada person.  I asked her if we could join and she said yes.  We walked around and learned more about the original site.  What a stroke of luck ? and we were just about to leave.
When we finally did leave, it was 4:00 and time to camp.  We went back to a RV park on the way into St. Andrews called Three Falls RV Park.  It?s another very nice one, nice sites, privacy, and clean everywhere.  We have site 19 right next to a river ?very pretty view.  It?s rated with 2 ? stars, but I would certainly rate it higher than that.
As we were walking back to our campsite from the office, we saw 2 Gray Jays.  One flew right towards us and swerved just a couple feet away.  Later there was another one at our
 
We had SUN yesterday.  Saw lots of icebergs and many more moose.  Did see a Viking or two.

Last night at supper time it had dropped to 45F out, by bed time 40F,  this morning 39F and by the time we are pulling out it is 38F and drizzle.  Now heading south and then east to St. Johns
 

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Len and Jo,

I am  enjoying your trip so very much.  Your iceberg sightings are impressive.  I am reliving our trip again and again with your words.  The boat trip through the  fijord was breathtaking.  We saw moose along the boardwalk very up close and personal.  Keep the stories coming!
Betty
 
I'm so jealous of your bird sightings ! I do enjoy reading about places that I may never see. Keep it up.

Wendy
 
Jo and Len,

Like Betty, I'm reliving our trip through yours.  You are SO lucky to see icebergs!  There were zero during our trip, even if we were to take a boat ride farther out from St. Anthony's and elsewhere.

We were looking at your fox photo and think it might be a coyote.  We thought we were looking at foxes and the ranger told us no, coyotes.  Apparently in 1915(?) some coyotes got caught on a huge ice flow and offloaded themselves onto Newfoundland's shores.  They proliferated and are still there today - much to our amazement!  Whichever it is, you got a great picture and he's a beautiful creature.

ArdraF
 

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