Gros Morne Day 2

Another day of misty rain greeted us but the forecast was for it to gradually clear throughout the day. The highlands were still shrouded in fog so we decided to sightsee the park attractions along the coast. We drove north as far as Arches Provincial Park and then picked our way south back to Rocky Harbour.

Arches Provincial Park is a bit north of Gros Morne National Park and features some seaside rock arch formations that have been created by wave action eroding the shore.

Heading south, we stopped in Cow Head, a small photogenic fishing village.

Next stop was at Broom Point Fishing Premesis. It was staffed by a Park Ranger who provided lots of information on what it was like to be a coastal fisherman in the 1960's, the last time the property was seasonally occupied.

The next stop was the shipwreck site of the SS Ethie, a coastal supply ship that blew ashore 100 years ago. Surprisingly, no one perished.

From there we drove to Green Point Geological Site and some astounding sedimentary rock formations tipped up at a 70 degree angle. Apparently a very significant geological site.

Just adjacent to this site, was a little coastal fishing operation. I wandered over there and talked to one of the fishermen. They were just finishing up their lobster harvest. He had 1000 traps and had caught 25,000 lb of lobster this season!

The sun was finally trying to poke out through the clouds along the coast. We stopped at a short hiking trail and stretched our legs with a couple km walk around a pond and through some of the densest forest I have ever seen. There is no way a human could walk between the trees.

The last stop was at the Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse that marks the entrance to Rocky Harbour. There were a few walking trails around the bluffs.

Tonight we went to a Kitchen Party at the local pub. It was a lot of fun and I got to play an ugly stick.

A Cold Misty Day in Gros Morne National Park

Our cottage was very comfortable and we had a good night's sleep. I was up early and stuck my head outside and it was cold and damp. Not too eager to get a real early start, we took our time and cooked a nice breakfast and had our coffee as we planned out our few days here. Gros Morne is a huge park taking an hour or so to drive to either end of it from Rocky Harbour. We booked our boat trip on Western Brook Pond for Friday when its supposed to be sunny and warmer. Today's decision was head south along the shore and loop around the "Arms" to the Tablelands for a Hiking tour with a Park Ranger. It's more than an hour drive to get there and we figured we wouldn't make the 10:00 am tour so decided to wait until the 2:00 pm tour and explore on the way there.

We stopped at the park information centre to pick up some guides and maps.

It was interesting to learn that Gros Morne has had a moose infestation problem similar to what we heard of at Cape Breton. The moose, not an indigenous animal, have been mowing down on all of the young trees and converting the forests to grasslands. The Newfoundlanders however have come up with a solution. Mooseburgers, available at just about every restaurant and they now have the population under control!

We took a drive to Norris Point. A little village that has a ferry shuttle to take you to Woody Point if you don't want to spend an hour driving around the "Arms".

I met some lobster fishermen who was putting the rubber bands on the pincers of their catch.

Typical scenes from a small coastal town. This was also the best view we had of the Tablelands all day. Note the snow....

From here we drove around the "Arms" to another little fishing village of Trout River. Total fog/drizzle and 6C.

This place is at "the end of the road" and was a very authentic small fishing village.

There was a local restaurant and we stopped for lunch of fish chowder.

We wanted to do a guided hike of the Tablelands and learn of their geological background but the weather was brutal. Drizzle/fog/rain continued but we finally got up the courage to don our GoreTex and go for the two hour hike with the Park Ranger.

It was difficult to see any of the Tablelands due to the fog but she was able to improvise with a good interpretation of the plants and rocks.

We were pretty wet and cold by the time we finished the hike.

From there we stopped at the Discovery Centre with some good interpretive displays.

From here, it was about an hour back to Rocky Harbour and we stopped at the local Pub for a drink before returning to our cottage for another home cooked meal.