L'Anse Aux Meadows, Gros Morne and Fogo Island

ROBINSON ADVENTURE: PART THREE …. AND ON TO THE ROCK

TUESDAY, JUNE 26, 2018

Up early this morning to make our way to the ferry at Blanc Sablon which will transport us to the main island of Newfoundland, about a 90 minute ride across the Strait of Belle Isle. Although we are in Labrador and we are going to Newfoundland, we have to traverse a small section of Quebec to get the ferry because that is where the port is located. Out of Labrador, into Quebec and then into Newfoundland.

The last time we took this ferry was in the spring of 1973. Why do I recall this so vividly? Because on that voyage, both Jim and I were so seasick that we laid on the floor in the women’s washroom.  I am happy to report that today’s crossing was much smoother in a large and stable ferry. Once we landed, we were ready to travel.

We disembarked the ferry in St. Barbe and we turned our car toward the north. We enjoyed a leisurely drive with many planned and unplanned stops. We stopped to take photos of cute road signs (Nameless Cove), ironic names (Our Lady of Snow … the church in Flowers Cove), piles of lobster traps, waves on the vivid blue and aquamarine water, piles and piles and piles of wood, cut and stored for the winter, and finally, roadside gardens, carefully prepared for the growing season which has not yet begun because of the continuing cold weather. We also stopped to see some things we had heard about as we planned this trip. Thrombolites are significant fossil formations that have been found in Flowers Cove. They began as bacteria and managed to create oxygen as part of their life process. Thus, thrombolites and stromadolites are the reason that life exists on earth in its current form. They do not look like much (big flat white rocks) but they certainly had a huge impact on our planet.

We stopped for lunch on a beach along the roadside. Lobster traps were piled near a small fishing shed. Wood was piled for the winter along the roadside. The waves were breaking on flat shale-like rocks creating gentle spray and the sun was glistening on the very deep blue and green water. It was a perfect place for a picnic. As long as we stayed in the car. The wind was very strong and cold, making an outdoor picnic totally unappealing. So we enjoyed our chicken sandwiches within the shelter of our vehicle and enjoyed the brilliant views through the windows. Maybe tomorrow will be warmer.

After lunch we continued our drive toward St. Anthony. We were highly motivated by a sign that told us there was a Tim Horton’s awaiting us there. A warm coffee was just what the doctor ordered. And speaking of doctors, we visited the Grenfell Interpretation Centre in St. Anthony. Dr. Grenfell was the first doctor to provide service to the people in Labrador. His amazing vision and work grew to impact all of Newfoundland and Labrador and was especially felt in the outlying areas. The Grenfell Foundation continues its work today in memory of this generous and influential doctor.

One of our highlights today was the sighting of a female moose alongside the highway. We have seen moose a few times but this one was cooperative enough to allow us to take her photo before disappearing back into the forest. It is nice to have a record of our sighting. Another highlight was our lovely meal at the Lightkeeper’s Café at the northern tip of the Great Northern Peninsula. We enjoyed several tastes of Newfoundland (panfried cod with scrunchins (pork crackling), moosemeat springrolls, bacalao fishcakes, bakeapple parfait, and partridgeberry date crumble with ice cream). We enjoyed every morsel. We also had an amazing view from the windows of this café, high on a hill overlooking the water. We were right on Iceberg Alley and without moving from our table we could see at least 8 icebergs, some small, some large, some close to shore, some far away. It was a remarkable sight!! Apparently icebergs are slowmoving and are thought to have left Greenland at least 3 years ago. Amazing!!!

It was finally time to head to our B&B, Jenny’s Runestone House, just outside of L’Anse Aux Meadow, which is where we will spend much of the day tomorrow. What a gracious welcome we received. And a much enjoyed cup of tea and conversation with our hosts and other guests. And a view out their ‘million dollar window’ where we could see at least 15 more icebergs. What a great way to end a full and wonderful day!!

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2018

Our day began with a wonderful breakfast prepared by Jenny, our B&B hostess, and shared with a table of 8, all guests at the B&B.  Remarkably, we were all from Ontario – Oakville, Guelph and Waterloo. The conversation was lively; topics ranged from travel, to weather, to politics (both Ontario and USA – weren’t we all brave?). Breakfast began just after 8 am and the table was finally empty just after 10. I guess we were all having a good time. The menu included bacon and egg pie, two kinds of fresh bread, fresh fruit, oatmeal, blueberry loaf and local jams and jellies. What a feast!!

It was foggy and drippy outside as we headed for L’Anse aux Meadows, the original World Heritage Site, where the Vikings first made landfall on North American soil. We watched a short film about the culture and geography of the area and then spent some time looking at the displays in the Interpretation Centre. A great deal of information was shared in a very accessible manner using text and drawings or diagrams. It was interesting to note that the Vikings never intended this part of Newfoundland to be a permanent settlement. They left after only 10 years. There is also no physical evidence that the Vikings had any contact with local aborigines, although it stands to reason that they must have encountered one another as the area in which they both resided was very small.

The rain was really teaming down at this point so we decided to forgo the outdoor tour of the site and instead headed to an establishment called Dark Tickle. On the way we also came across a large statue of Leif Eriksson, donated to Newfoundland by the Leif Eriksson Foundation of Seattle in 2013. We also happened upon a full sized replica of a Viking village with sod houses and a Viking ship. We looked from outside the fence but preferred to move on to Dark Tickle where we would at least be indoor.  

Dark Tickle began as a local jam making operation, using local berries to create jams and jellies. That is still the mainstay of its operation but the business has added a wonderful gift shop and a delightful café to its repertoire. We took a short look at the jam making process but spent more time in the gift shop tasting the various products, making selections for purchase as well as several other items. We also had a lovely warm drink upstairs in the café and shared a bowl of exquisite roasted carrot soup.

It was still raining so we headed back to our B&B. I wanted to work on our photo book and Jim decided to brave the rain and return to L’Anse aux Meadows for the 2 pm tour. He arrived back at about 3:30, soaked through but happy he had gone on the tour. And I had made good progress on our photo book so I was happy too.

Here is Jim’s summary of his trail walk at L’Anse aux Meadows:

On a walking tour from the Visitor Centre at L’Anse aux Meadows to the Viking ruins and recreated buildings, I first encountered bakeapple (cloudberry) blossoms, and learned that each plant only produces one berry (like a large raspberry), and that is why they are expensive as it is more time-consuming gathering them.

At the Viking ruins, we were shown the locations of many Indian campfires on the site, but we were told that none were from the time the Vikings were there, so it is not clear whether ever the two groups met here, but they certainly met in New Brunswick.  There is a sculpture to symbolize the first meeting, which was completing the circle of migration of humans from Africa over many thousands of years with some going east to North America over the Bering Strait or land bridge, and others going west from Europe.

The ruins of the village built by Vikings from Greenland look much as they did when first discovered in the 1960’s, but the archeological excavation of the site has yielded proof that it was a Viking settlement and likely lasted only about 10 years, perhaps 20 at most. The Vikings were able to smelt enough iron from “bog iron” in local peat bogs to replace about 100 boat nails.

On an adjacent site, full-scale 90% replicas of some of the Norse sod buildings have been built, and costumed interpreters offer to demonstrate and teach skills from blacksmithing to weaving, and just to talk and answer questions about life there about 1000 years ago. The replicas are only 90% because they have been adapted to some modern human needs (doorways more than 4 feet high, fires are not wood to avoid smoke inhalation issues on damp days) and because they have used as models old sod buildings in Iceland as no buildings remained on the site. The fires inside these buildings were quite welcome on a very cool rainy day.

I found the notion of the historic migration circle provided more food for thought for me than the Viking ruins or recreated buildings.

A short time later, we headed into St. Anthony (about a 40 minute drive) for a Viking Feast. The meal was excellent (moose stew, fish mash, jigs dinner, fresh salad, stir fried rice with seafood) and we shared a table with people from all across Canada – Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg and a couple from Embro, Ontario. There were also people travelling on a bus trip at this feast. They were from Saskatchewan. It seems a lot of people are travelling within Canada this year. When we had finished our meal, there was a short song and dance presentation by the Vikings, followed by a very ‘hokey’ kangaroo court. Overall, the experience was pretty ordinary, not one that we would recommend to others. I would like the recipe for the moose stew though.

While at the feast, the sky had cleared and a glorious red/orange sunset filled the sky. What a beautiful end to the day. We did see one moose on our drive back to the B&B but she was content to stay on the side of the road.

Tomorrow we leave this area and head south to Gros Morne National Park for the next stage of our adventure.

THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 2018

Our day began just like yesterday ... with an amazing breakfast prepared by Jenny, our B&B hostess. Today, she and husband, David, also had time to sit with us at the table and an animated conversation ensued. It was so dynamic and eclectic and fun. It was hard to pull ourselves away from the table even though we had a long drive ahead of us. We were headed to Gros Morne National Park, following the Viking Trail south along the Great Northern Peninsula.

We enjoyed passing by fishing villages that peppered the shore of the ever visible Strait of Belle Isle. As we approached the village of St. Barbe, we were able to see the ferry from Labrador pull into port. Was it really only 3 days since we had ridden on that ferry?

We stopped at Anchor Point to see the shrimp processing plant. The shrimp had already been off-loaded from the fishing vessels and taken into the plant so all we were really able to see was the shells and other unused parts that were falling from a conveyor belt outside into large plastic boxes labelled ‘Offal’. Our next stop was at Green Cove where we stopped for a snack and a bathroom break. Always curious, we perused the few shelves of grocery items available there. Nothing of particular interest until we found the bags of pork scruntions in the refrigerator. It is a good thing that we did not toss our electric fry pan into the car for this trip. Otherwise we would have been buying a bag and eating them all – yummy crunchy pork rinds.

A little further along the road, we saw a moose quite close to the pavement. As beautiful and majestic as they are, moose are also very dangerous on the road. To collide with a moose generally totals your car and causes significant injury to the driver and passengers. The moose does not do too well either. There are frequent warning signs along the highway to beware of moose. Later in the day, we also saw a large flashing sign warning of the presence of caribou. We have seen moose along the roadside every day, often several in a day. Today was just a one moose day.

As we travelled south, there were more and more wildflowers growing along the side of the road. Not being botanists, we have no idea what they may be called, but the colours called our names and we frequently stopped to take photographs. Near Port aux Choix, we visited an interpretive centre (one of several in Gros Morne Park) which explained how four distinctly unique peoples had inhabited this region about 1,000 years apart, each leaving traces of their lifestyle through remnants of buildings, artifacts and human bones. The most recent group is the European group, the first arrivals being the Vikings. This interpretive centre was located on an area known as the Limestone Barrens. This landscape is extremely inhospitable to plant life and, at first glance, appears to be totally void of vegetation. Upon closer examination, it becomes clear that some very small and hardy plants are able to sustain life in the Barrens. Only 29 species are known to be able to live here. In the spring, many of them have small but brightly coloured flowers. A great source of more photos.

Speaking of spring, we have not felt any spring weather in the last few days, and certainly no summer weather either. The morning temperatures have all be just slightly above 0C and have rarely risen above 10C as the day has passed. Couple that with dense and damp fog or rain and it has truly been miserable. Fortunately, we followed the advice of those who have been here before and we brought our winter coats. We have worn them for the last three days and tomorrow does not look any more promising. Oh well … we just carry on.

In Port aux Choix, we also visited Ben’s Studio. Ben is an artist who has been in town for well over 25 years. He creates wooden murals and abstract paintings and he will spin a yarn for as long as you are willing to remain in his shop. He has participated in One of a Kind in Toronto several times but does not come anymore because his work did not sell well there. He felt he was competing with scented candles and wooden nutcrackers and could not attract a following. He is currently working on producing a coffee table book of his art. I think this is gong to be a slow process.

We also stopped at two harbours. One seemed to be more prosperous than the other. At the first stop, there were several fishing vessels in the water with various kinds of fishing equipment on the pier at the ready to take into action. The second stop was actually a larger harbour with more vessels but several of them were actually on the land with need of significant structural repair. It seemed evident that they had been sitting like that for a long period of time. The collapse of the cod industry has had devastating and longlasting impact on the economy of these small fishing villages.

Arches Park came next. We enjoyed getting out of the car and having a stretch while we admired the huge rocks that have been deposited along the shoreline. Water has eroded large holes right through them, large enough to walk through. The sun came out briefly just at this time so we were able to capture the strange rock formations and the sparkle of the sun on the water at the same time.

We finally arrived in the village of Cow Head where we attended a dinner theatre. We were a bit early so we found a place to have a drink and to watch the final minutes of 2 soccer games. We have not been keeping up with the current competition so it was fun to at least see a couple of game fragments. The dinner theatre was right next door. The play was called S.S. Ethie, a real life story of a passenger ship that ran aground close by about 100 years ago. The story was about the controversy of whether the ship should have set sail given that a violent storm was brewing. It was cleverly staged using only 6 actors and was written as a play within a play. Part way through the production, there was a break in the action while the audience was served a delicious fish dinner and partridgeberry cheesecake as dessert. We sat with a couple from Edmonton, a couple from North Bay and a couple from St. John’s. The conversation was lively. We thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience.

Following dinner we made two more very quick stops. The first was to see the beautiful garden at St. Mary’s Church in Cow Head. The garden has been designed so that there is always something in bloom throughout the spring and summer seasons. Our final stop for the day was at the location where the ruins of the S.S. Ethie remain on the beach. How fitting it was to see these ruins after having just heard the unfortunate tale of this ship’s final voyage.

About a half hour later, we finally reached Rocky Harbour where we checked into our hotel, very comfortable to be sure. We also picked up an enveloped that Karen had mailed to us on Monday. Inside …. My driver’s licence!! It is now safely tucked into my wallet, lest I have any more encounters with the police. That is my story and I am sticking to it!!!

FRIDAY, JUNE 29, 2018

What a great day we have had!!! It all started with a short drive through this lovely community, Rocky Harbour, in the heart of Gros Morne National Park. It is a seaside town and met all our expectations in terms of size, appearance and beauty. Rocky Harbour is nestled into the crags of the surrounding rocky cliffs, its colourful buildings standing strong aside the landscape of nature … water, trees, rocks, and, yes, snow! It may be the end of June but winter has not totally taken its leave. Dotting the water’s edge was a variety of docks and piers, some large, some small. There were invitations to tourists to engage with the water by kayak, boat tours, boat rentals or simply walking the pebbled shoreline. Predictably, souvenir and gift shops mingled with cafes and restaurants throughout the length of the town. And lots of cute cabins to rent. It was too early for any to be open and, in fact, we were the only car on the road. It was quite peaceful.

We returned to the one restaurant that we knew was open and easily got a window table where we could look out over the harbour. Only one other table was occupied … by five women wearing traditional Mennonite dresses and little white bonnets. I could not resist approaching their table and saying. “I am sorry to interrupt your breakfast. But I have to ask. We are from Waterloo, Ontario …” And, at that point, all five women broke into laughter. I laughed as well and simply said, “Elmira?” We all laughed again. Yes, Elmira, Yatton, and Wallenstein. Elsie actually manages the Wallenstein General Store which she calls ‘the Walmart of Wallenstein’. Perfect!! They were in Newfoundland for 2 weeks, driving a rented minivan and touring the countryside. This is indeed a small world.

After breakfast, we headed out of town to explore some of the landmarks and viewpoints which highlighted the beauty of the area. Climbing up steep slopes to be greeted at the top with an amazing view of a small lake, a vast bay or a frothing stream. So many photos! We stopped for a while at Jenniex House, built in a saltbox style and perched on the top of a hill with vistas in three directions. It was warmer today but very windy, especially in such an open space. The moose-laden weathervane was spinning, not sure which way the wind was coming from.

We continued along the road to Norris Point where we were embarking on a boat cruise. We were relieved to see that it was an enclosed craft as the wind had not abated and the rain was beginning to fall, first as a mist and drizzle but later on a full blown downpour. It was great to be on the water but the views were certainly impaired by the pounding rain.

While we waited for the cruise to begin, we sat outside on a sheltered patio at the water’s edge. It was lovely to look out over the bay, so calm in spite of the wind because it was sheltered on all sides by towering rock cliffs. The boat tour was designed to explore Bonne Bay, a body of water that had been uniquely carved by glaciers so that there Is a deep and long east branch and an equally deep and long west branch. These both met the geological criteria to be considered fiords – deep water and steep, towering cliffs. We learned a new term which described the short body of water that connected the two branches of the bay. It is called a ‘tickle’, a moving body of water which connects two or more enclosed bodies of water. The tickle was particularly unique because of its depth (thanks to the glaciers). The deepest water is especially cold and supports species of sea life that are only found in the Arctic. The surface water is much warmer and is impacted by currents which means it moves and changes as most water does. But the water in the deep has quite different patterns which is how it sustains life for so many unique species. Memorial University has established a specialized aquarium here and research programs to explore the Arctic species that live in this bay. In order for the sea specimens to survive they need to pump water from 250 meters below the surface to retain the necessary temperature.

Out on the boat, we were treated to a true Newfie commentary, complete with anecdotes, jokes and colloquial vocabulary that kept the whole experience lively and entertaining. The three gentlemen with the microphones also shared a great deal of historic, geographical and biological information. Uplifted cliff faces, recent landslides, ancient forests and wildlife peppered the scenery as well as the commentary. It was a treat to see not one, but two, bald eagles. The first was perched high on a dead tree branch and after enough time to get photos, he took flight soaring high above us with outstretched wings. What a magnificent sight! The second eagle was a female, much larger in stature and, no doubt, guarding her nest with her young.

But the true highlight of the cruise were the dolphins. They only come into this bay periodically and usually for short periods of time. At the peak of the rain, our vessel was flanked by 10 or more dolphins cavorting in the water, playing with one another and playing with the boat. They would fall back, catch up, roll and jump. They teased us by completely disappearing under water and then reappearing, at times on their fins showed above the waves, and diving out of sight again. They remained with the boat for at least half an hour. Our guides were equally beguiled by these beautiful creatures and repeatedly said they had never seen the dolphins stay with a boat for this long.

For the last half hour of the cruise, our guides revealed another side of themselves. They were all very accomplished musicians who regaled us with Newfoundland music – the toe tapping variety. Pretty soon, the passengers were all whooping and hollering and clapping along. What a treat. Needless to say we all had a very good time!

Back in port, we disembarked into the continuing rain and Jim and I went directly to the aquarium across the street. There was a touch pool with hermit crabs, starfish, several kinds of small fish and one large regular crab. We have a philosophical problem with touch pools … these creatures were never intended to be handled by human hands. But, even without touching, it was fun to observe them at such close range. We also roamed through the rest of the aquarium. Of course, the species in the tanks were unfamiliar to us because they were arctic life and the aquarium is designed for research. Nonetheless, it was an interesting place and it protected us from the relentless rain outdoors.

From the aquarium, we travelled to the Gros Morne headquarters and spent some time in the Visitor Centre there. As in most interpretation centres, there was a film providing an overview of the park. What a vast and spectacular place in all seasons. There were also several displays of this more localized area. We had already visited many of them so it was mostly retroactive for us. And there was another wonderful gift shop. We browsed but resisted. That was difficult because there are so many small and large items of beauty on display.

Suddenly, it was time to return to Rocky Harbour and go the the ‘other’ hotel for dinner. We had tickets for a musical performance there later in the evening and we had been told that we needed to arrive by 5:30 to get good seats. That was soooo true. Jim dropped me off at the door and I went in and got us a table. By the time he arrived in from the car, the room was at least half full.  We were in the front row at the right hand side. Although the tables were set for four people, someone came and took the other two chairs from our table so we ended up at a table by ourselves with a perfectly clear view of the stage.

We had a drink. Jim chose a Newfoundland beer and I had a shandy with beer made from iceberg ice. We nursed those for a while and then ordered dinner – fish and chips for both of us. We slowly ate them and then ordered another drink, the same as before. The clock seemed to be moving slowly and the show did not begin until 8 pm. That’s a long time to hover over fish and chips and a beer.

And, finally the show began! Anchors Aweigh, it was called and featured 5 very talented and dynamic musicians. Bass guitar, banjo, lead guitar, accordion and mouth organ and, of course, drums. Two of the men on stage were the same men who had been guides on our cruise this afternoon. So we knew were going to be in for a great evening. It was lively, funny, poignant and, at times, ribald. They have been performing in the same restaurant/theatre for 22 years. Their music told the story of Newfoundland, from the first European settlers (the Vikings) to the closing of the cod fisheries, the hard times that followed and the development of oil and the tourist industries as part of the road to recovery. The audience fell under their spell and there was singing and dancing and cat calling and laughter and toe tapping and hand clapping all through the evening. It was so so much fun!! We could go again and again. What a total treat!!! A great way to end what has been an amazing day!!

SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2018

I spent the morning working on this blog and our photobook. My time was productive while, at the same time, it felt a bit like taking a day off. Jim had a much more ambitious agenda. He was going to take the Western Brook boat cruise into yet another fiord in this amazing park. The trip began with a 3 kilometre trek from the parking lot. Jim had a ticket for the 10 am cruise. When he arrived at the pier, the captain was waffling about whether the cruise could safely go out. There was substantial rain and fog and visibility was uncertain. At the last minute, the captain decided to cancel the cruise.  There was another cruise scheduled at 12:30 and a third one at 3:30. It was dubious whether any of them would launch today due to the weather.  So Jim commenced his 3 kilometer walk back to the parking lot, having decided not to risk spending the next several hours wondering and waiting. Needless to say, Jim was tired and disappointed when he returned to our hotel.

We left soon after that to return to Cow Head where St. Margaret’s Church was sponsoring a Lobster Fest. Many outdoor activities were planned,  but given the weather, outdoor events did not appeal to us even as onlookers. What did appeal was the $25.00 lobster dinner in the church hall. Salads galore, dessert too but the main feature was a 1.5 pound lobster, fresh from the sea and freshly cooked in sea water. That’s what made it taste so good, they said. It truly was an amazing feast!!

A very old man emerged from the kitchen as we were finishing our lobsters. He came over and asked us if we had enjoyed them. Yes!!! Well, it turned out that he was the main cook in the kitchen and has been responsible for cooking the lobsters for about 20 years. Last year was their best year yet when they served 763 dinners over 3 days.  This lovely man was ready for a break so he sat down and joined us and began to talk about the village of Cow Head. He had lived there his entire life and remembered when almost no one in the village had a car but everyone had a boat. Now, he says, that almost no one owns a boat because they cannot fish. He remembered when the decision was made in 1949 for Newfoundland to join Canada. He is still not sure that was a good plan. Other provinces seem to have more lenient fishing regulations than Newfoundland and the federal government has not taken care of the Newfoundland fishermen very well. Of course, the conversation turned to the economic blow in July,1992 when the cod fishery was closed in Newfoundland. His reflection was that that event was a turning point for Cow Head and other small fishing villages because their entire economies were devastated in a single blow. People could not find other employment and began to leave the villages. The population of such villages has decreased substantially since then and the young people all leave because there is nothing to keep them there. He was speaking from his heart and his story was a sad one to hear. And yet, he loves his community and works hard to support it as he can.

After we licked our plates, licked our fingers and said farewell to our new friend, we headed upstairs to check out the bake sale that had been well stocked when we arrived. Not so well stocked now though. Others had clearly been there before us. We settled for a tray of molasses buns (a Newfoundland favourite) and carried on with the rest of our day.

After leaving Cow Head, we stopped in briefly at a tiny old fishing village (3 homes). The owners of these homes donated them to Gros Morne Park when the cod fishery was halted in Newfoundland in 1992. The occupants of the homes left everything just as it was when they locked the doors for the very last time and moved from the village permanently. These tiny homes have become part of a Gros Morne exhibit and accuratety reflect the history of that time period in design, contents, lifestyle and poverty. Quite an interesting donation to make by one extended family.

Next we drove to Woody Point at the far eastern boundary of Gros Morne. An interesting point about the towns and villages that lie with the park boundaries. They have all been excluded from the park due to the challenges of purchasing and transforming all the privately held land into public land. So, while the villages appear to be within the park boundaries, they are actually all independent which enables the residents to freely buy and sell property and to set up businesses as they wish. In truth, these villages provide a great service to the park as well as the tourists by offering accommodation, restaurants, fuel, craft shops and general stored.

As we drove, we spotted another moose at the side of the road. Happily, we have not yet seen a moose on the road. The highway in this area was in particularly good repair with passing lanes and several pull-offs for beautiful look-outs. We thoroughly enjoyed the lovely highway and the incredible views as we climbed and descended mountainsides overlooking lakes and forest and sea. I should also mention that the sun had come out which makes any day brighter.

In Woody Point we visited another Gros Morne Interpretation Centre. This one featured the geological history of the area over 50,000,000 years. The land and sea formations fell into four different categories over all those years. Sadly, the centre closed soon after we arrived so we were not fully able to see and absorb all the displays. But we did have a gorgeous drive back to Rocky Harbour in full sunshine. It was splendid!!!

We munched on molasses buns and cheese for dinner. We were still too full from lunch to consider anything more. Laundry and packing filled the evening along with more work on the photo book. We have our red shirts laid out for morning. We leave Gros Morne behind in the morning and move on to the third stage of our adventure.

SUNDAY, JULY 1, 2018

Happy Canada Day, everyone! At home in Waterloo, it is one of the hottest Canada Days ever and where we are between Rocky Harbour and Gander, it is quite chilly, damp and foggy. Either way, it is a great day to be living in Canada!!

We said farewell to Rocky Harbour this morning and headed east on our way to Gander. We ate our breakfast in the car (more molasses buns from yesterday’s bake sale) and enjoyed our final drive through Gros Morne National Park. What a wonderful piece of nature it is! We drove along for quite a while, enjoying the natural beauty, the absolute lack of traffic, and the music on the radio. We were so relaxed that we actually missed the corner that would have taken us into Deer Lake. We were already on the Trans Canada Highway and several kilometres beyond the junction when we realized our error. It was too late to turn back so we simply continued along our way.

Before too long, we came to a turn in the road that would lead us off our path for a short while but take us to see the beautiful Green Bay. The road led us to Springdale, a very quiet community with a bustling Tim Horton’s. We could not believe the crowd in the store as well as in the drive through line. Soon enough, we got our beverages and continued down the street to the pier. The bay is surrounded by mountains and extends far inland from the sea. Thus, it is well protected and a clearly a great fishing/boating destination. A nice diversion from an otherwise pretty straightforward drive.

Our next stop was Grand Falls where the highlight of the Canada Day celebrations included activities in all the senior complexes from 10 am until 2 pm. Overlapped with that was a service at the cenotaph at 11 am. In Newfoundland, Canada Day is also Memorial Day. There were also some activities in a park but the rain would have impeded them, I think. If we remained in Grand Falls until 10 pm, there were fireworks scheduled.

We paid no attention to the Canada Day celebrations, but we did go to the Salmonid Interpretation Centre at the foot of Grand Falls on the Exploits River. We have been to many salmon spawning ladders before so I was a bit reluctant to take the time to see yet another one. But, it truly was worthwhile. A brief video introduced us to what we would see in the Interpretation Centre. The displays were very well done and we learned quite a lot about Atlantic Salmon and their spawning and feeding practices. We were also able to speak with one of the people who works there. First of all, the manually count the salmon that make it back upstream to spawn. On their way up the river, the salmon travel through a tank (visible through windows inside the research station. Once an hour the tank is opened and the salmon are released one at a time and counted. At the peak of the season, mid July, up to 600 salmon are counted each hour. The number of salmon travelling through this tank has increased dramatically over the past 10 years as improvements have been made to the quality of the water (significant industrial waste management changes and improvements to the municipal waste water treatment system) and to the structural supports to assist the salmon climbing the falls. It is a mighty river. Along with counting, there is research on the spawning behavior of salmon: how old they are when they come back to spawn; how frequently they return; their eating habits during that time. Did you know that the dorsal fin of a salmon can identify their age? It has rings that are reminiscent of the rings in a tree trunk. In the case of a salmon, three rings, each looking quite distinct, generally represent one year of life. Over time, salmon change in appearance and structure and gain strength to make the challenging trip back up the river to fertilize and lay their eggs. One fish can lay as many as 6000 eggs of which fewer than 10 survive to spawn themselves. Young fish remain in the river for up to four years before heading to the sea. Adults Atlantic salmon return to spawn each year for 4 or 5 years. Who knew??

We also had a grand view of the Grand Falls. What a majestic and powerful tower of water, dropping over ledge after ledge on its way down. No wonder a fish elevator has been installed to enable the fish to make it back upstream. In earlier times before the elevator, the fish could not get up the falls and could only spawn in the lower river with a much smaller survival rate. Now, the Exploits River has become a model regarding the successful spawning of salmon.

The final leg of our journey today took us from Grand Falls to Gander. Although it was not a long drive, it had been tiring driving through drizzle and fog and generally grey conditions today. We checked into our hotel room, got some take out food for dinner and settled in for a quiet and relaxing evening.

MONDAY, JULY 2, 2018

We had a slow start this morning and barely made it to the hotel breakfast that ended at 10. We were glad we got there on time since it was a pretty decent breakfast prepared by a very friendly and chatty woman from Gander. We engaged in a conversation with her that covered many topics – geography, politics, the news, the role Gander played in 9-11. It was fun.

We finally got ourselves organized and into the car to go first to Timmie’s and then to the North Atlantic Aviation Museum. Gander has always played a major role in trans-Atlantic flights. During World War II, Gander was home to military bases from three countries – USA, Canada and Newfoundland (it was still a few years before Newfoundland joined the Canadian Confederation). Following the war, all flights from Europe had to land in Gander to refuel. Planes simply did not have the capacity to carry enough fuel to go further. Since the jet engine was developed, planes no longer land in Gander. They went from 200 flights per day down to about 12. However, Gander is still significant in trans-Atlantic flight as it provides all the air traffic control that sets the course for each plane. Gander’s Air Traffic Control Centre handles about 1000 flights per day and, in peak season, that number can swell to two thousand. It is the biggest industry in town, employing about 250 air traffic controllers.

So it is fitting that the North Atlantic Museum is located here. The first section of the museum focusses on the history of flight in Newfoundland. It is interesting to note that the first flight that ever landed at the Gander Airport landed in the winter on skis. It was a small plane and the skis are on display at the museum. The next section of the museum features displays related to WWII. Newfoundland’s air force lost a lot of pilots during the war. Memorial Day is July 1 along with Canada Day and there were ceremonies in many places commemorating the losses. The third section features commercial travel with several airlines flying into Gander on a regular basis. Many celebrities ended up drinking at the bar in the Gander airport while they waited for refueling to occur. There were many, many photos. They all looked a lot younger than they do now. The final section commemorates the events of September 11, 2001. There is a poignant video of the role the town played in welcoming 38 unexpected planes and the 7000 people who were on them. A traffic control recording can be heard guiding the planes to a safe landing. There are photographs, of course, and hundreds, perhaps even thousands of thank you notes from ‘The Plane People’ and other friends, relatives, politicians, bureaucrats and even school children from all across Canada and the USA. It was a very moving display.

We spent longer than we had anticipated exploring this museum. And then it was time to go on our tour, a 9-11 tour, offered by the museum. Our guide, Abby, and driver, Lloyd, took us on a tour of Gander that focused on the elements of the events of 9-11 and the days that followed. We visited the town hall, the fire station that housed a plane full of people. We passed by three schools that collectively accommodated over 2000 people. We drove past the arena that became known as the biggest refrigerator in the world because it was where all the perishable food to feed the ‘plane people’ was stored. We had an extensive tour of the airport where we could visualize the planes landing one after the other on the long Runway 22. We could see where and how the support services were organized so that as the passengers disembarked they felt welcome and safe and cared for. Red Cross took care of registration of each person; Salvation Army handled all the food; Border Security was also there, of course, and a myriad of RCMP officers. Service Clubs and community volunteers handed out bedding and towels to each visitor and the school bus drivers took them to their designated locations for accommodation. Each plane of people was treated as a unit and kept together due to the uncertainty of when the air space would reopen. Churches, club houses, schools and civic buildings opened their doors to provide places to sleep. The military provided as many cots as they could and in churches, people were able to stretch out on the pews. School bus drivers were on strike at the time but came back to work for the days of the crisis.

But the highlight of the afternoon was meeting Constable Oz Fudge whose character features prominently in the play Come From Away. He was quite a character and regaled us with memories and personal stories of his role and his observations during the crisis. Some stories were poignant; others were sobering; some were just downright funny. It was such a treat and an honour to meet him in person. His character in the play is close to his personality in real life. I had forgotten that Come From Away had begun as a high school play written by high school students and has evolved to the success that it is enjoying now. Before it was ever presented in a professional theatre though, it came to Gander so that the people here could see the story and laugh and cry with the characters based on themselves on stage.

All too soon the tour was over. And we were hungry, not having eaten since breakfast. It was suggested that we might enjoy Rosie’s Restaurant and Bakery. What a great suggestion. Jim had ‘hamburger mess’, a plated piled with French fries, dressing, fried onions, ground beef and smothered with gravy! And the portion was enormous. It looked like a mess but Jim must have enjoyed it because it all vanished. I had a chef’s salad and a smothered baked potato. Garlic bread accompanied the order. The portions were also enormous, far too much for me to manage so we have a box in the cooler for lunch tomorrow. Oh, and we could not resist buying a dozen cookies called Moose Farts!! They are actually pretty good!

We then said farewell to Gander and headed along the Trans Canada Highway to the road to Boyd’s Cove. The day was warm, the sun was strong, the landscape was beautiful and the drive was just over an hour. We are comfortably installed at Muggee’s Place in a cabin on a lake where we watched a wonderful sunset. Tomorrow morning we head to the ferry to go to Fogo Island for the day. We are really looking forward to that.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2018

We left Muggee’s Place early this morning and headed toward the ferry to Fogo Island which left at 8:30 am. There was a long line up of cars waiting for the ferry so we were happy that we were travelling as pedestrians. We simply parked the car and walked onto the ferry. The trip across the water was smooth and scenic. We stopped at Change Islands on the way to Fogo. The ferry pulled into the pier at Fogo at about 9:30 and our guide from Fogo Island Tours was waiting for us.

We headed off along the roads and enjoyed the views of the sea and the land as someone else did the driving. Lettie, our guide, had a specific itinerary in mind although she was very good at deviating from the plan to stop for photos or for shopping. She has lived on Fogo Island all her life and seemed to know everyone we encountered. She was also able to provide substantial information and stories as we travelled along. Some of the highlights of the day included several fishing villages, the Brett House Museum (over 100 years old, all original construction and furniture), several craft shops with handmade items by Fogo Islanders, the Marconi Museum (site of the first Marconi telegraph tower that relayed messages from Labrador to St. John’s) and Sandy Cove Beach, the only sand beach on the island. Children actually swim in the cold water when the summer temperatures get warm enough. We also paid a visit to Brimstone Head, one of the four corners of the earth as espoused by the Flat Earth Society. Ironically, the Museum of the Flat Earth Society on Fogo Island is closed and a for sale sign is posted on the building. It seems to have lost some momentum in spite of the fact that one of the corners is right here on Fogo Island.

The landscape of the island was varied, ranging from rich agricultural land, to forests, to barren rock covered with lichens, to towering hills. An innumerable number of fresh water lakes, both large and small, dot the landscape. There is no lack of cool, fresh water on Fogo. The villages nestled onto the shores of protected coves. There was evidence that the fishing industry was a significant component of the economy of the island at one time. Now, the population of Fogo has decreased and those who remain are working hard to revitalize the economy through various aspects of the tourist trade – shops, restaurants, B&Bs, and tours such as the one we took today.

A very major component of the tourist trade on Fogo Island is the Fogo Island Inn. This inn caters to very wealthy people and offers Cadillac service at every turn. We were fortunate to be able to tour the Inn today and see its beauty and begin to understand its place in the island economy. Our guide, Charlene, was only able to take us to parts of the Inn where there were no guests present. The exclusivity of the Inn extends to protecting the identities of those people who are guests. Rooms range from $1875 to $2875 per night with a minimum of a 2 night stay. To be fair, that price includes all meals, the use of a car during the stay, access to all Inn facilities including the library, art, gallery, movie theatre, tea room, quiet room, health spa and hottubs and saunas. And there is an ocean view from every room through an enormous picture window. When we were visiting a room as part of our tour, an iceberg floated into view through the window. How cool is that!!!

A woman named Zita Cobb has envisioned the entire undertaking. She was born on Fogo Island, went away to make her fortune, and returned to Fogo with her multimillions and an idea about how to support Fogo’s economy. She put her life savings into the project and appealed to government sources for loans and grants to support her vision. Materials for the inn were locally sourced as much as possible (no plastic was use at all) and local tradespeople were employed to do the building. Every detail was thoroughly thought out and the result is magnificent. Now that the Inn is open, all employees come from Fogo, except those positions that require very specialized skills and no one is available in the Fogo community. Zita Cobb continues to live on the island in a modest saltbox home and is the operational manager of the Inn. She has created a foundation to support the community and all profits from the Inn (after operating costs) are turned over to the foundation. Their task is to determine how those finds will be used to enhance the local communities.

Zita is also very committed to the world of art and has established two centres for working artists on Fogo Island. Once again, architecturally, they are very unique and do not blend well with the landscape of the island. Nonetheless, this initiative is supported by the local communities as the artists are also a part of the larger vision to attract tourists to the island. Other businesses have also been developed such as the Fogo Island Tour Company whose tour we took to see the island.

The community has high regard for the work that Zita Cobb has done on behalf of Fogo Island and are appreciative of her vision for economic growth. They also love the fact that she is a Fogo Island native and has returned home to live there once again. One thing that Zita did when the Inn was about to open was to offer every islander a chance to spend a night at the inn and take advantage of all the services, totally free of charge. A brilliant idea as it enabled every Fogo resident to speak of their own experience at the Inn and it endeared Zita to the local residents.

We had lunch at a very modest restaurant and completed our tour, arriving at the ferry dock to board the 4:30 ferry. What a long line of cars … and here is why. There was a medical emergency on the island and an ambulance needed to board the 2 pm ferry to take the person to a hospital. When this occurs, the ambulance gets priority treatment, is loaded onto the ferry and the ferry leaves immediately without any other vehicles. That means that by 4:30, the 2 pm ferry traffic were still waiting and the 4:30 traffic was lined up behind them. Needless to say, not all vehicles were able to board the ferry and had to wait another 2 hours or thereabouts and hope there would be space then (no guarantees). There is no reservation system for this ferry. We were happy to be pedestrian passengers and know that our car was waiting on the other side.

When we arrived in Farewell, the large metal platform that connects the ferry to the mainland became lodged in its upright position and could not be budged. So people waited again. After many efforts to repair this equipment, the captain made a decision to turn the ferry around and offload the vehicles from the other end. Turning the ferry around was a relatively quick undertaking. Fortunately the platform at the other end was working and was lowered into place. Pedestrian traffic (us) disembarked first and then the vehicular traffic was to follow. There was only one hitch to the plan. All vehicles would have to back out as they had been loaded to disembark at the other end. Transport trucks, mobile homes, construction equipment, cars pulling trailers, regular cars and a myriad of pickup trucks all waited to be guided off the ferry and onto dry land … backwards. It also meant that the vehicles that had been loaded first would now be getting off last. They were also the vehicles that had missed the 2 pm ferry because of the ambulance. Ouch!!!

Once we could leave the ship, we walked directly to our car and drove away. We were about the third vehicle leaving the dock and we were happy to be ahead of the crowd. We had a drive of about an hour or so to reach Twillingate, our home for the next two days. Happily, this drive was done within daylight hours so we could enjoy the scenery and not worry too much about moose. We actually have not seen a moose since we left the national parks.

We arrived at our B&B and settled in. It was good to be ‘home’.