"Where we love is home - home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts." Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

This post will wrap up our last 2 days in Newfoundland as most of our time will be spent in a vehicle making our way back to St. John's and our flight back to the homeland. Today dawned clear and would have been a good day for Andrew to try and conquer Gros Morne again, but we had to get on the road to head east. Andrew took one last picture of the formidable mountain and unlike yesterday when the top was clouded in, today would have been a clear view from the top.

September 28

Yesterday .........

Today!!

September 29

We left Gander early and headed east to our final destination of St. John's. We ended up having lots of time so decided to take a side trip to Cupids (a short hike here was recommended). We arrived in the  sweet little community of Brigus for our lunch. The restaurant had musical instruments (2 guitars and a banjo) available for anyone to give an impromptu song or two. It's also where I found my dream home - see pic. There was also a tunnel which was blasted out with gunpowder to allow the captain quick access to a deep water harbour. It took 4 months to complete as the holes where the blasting charges were put were drilled by hand. 

We then headed over to Cupids, the oldest continuously settled British colony in Canada. It was established by Englishman, John Guy in 1610. Andrew decided to make the steep climb up Spectacle Head Trail to have a 360 degree view of Conception Bay. From there we made our way to the airport and had a listen to a 'traveller's choir', a random gathering of folks being taught a musical number by a choir director and pianist. If you want to have a listen head over to my Facebook account. A great way to end our trip to this beautiful province of Newfoundland.

Restaurant in Brigus where the mic was all set up for anyone to grab an instrument and entertain.

The tunnel in Brigus - explained above.

Quaint little town of Brigus.

A stone barn.

And my dream home - it's actually for sale.

Andrew's view of Conception Bay from the top of Spectacle Head.

So much fun to explore another province of Canada - Newfoundland does not disappoint. Some of the views would certainly rival our own pretty province of Nova Scotia. Getting away and discovering new territory and hiking with my guy does the heart good.

"When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around." Willie Nelson

It was an extremely rainy night last night and we woke up to high winds (again!) and rain. Another morning of switching up plans a bit. Andrew had planned to hike Gros Morne today and I thought I might accompany him into the base. We set forth after breakfast (still raining) but with the promise of a blue sky in the distance. We arrived at the trailhead around 11 and Andrew was determined, so I sent him off, telling him that we had many more adventures to do together, so he better not do anything too risky. I'll let him write the captions for his photos. I then headed toward Cow Head where the annual Gros Morne Fall Fest was happening. The local motel was offering soup (I think it had moose meat in it......) and a sandwich, a bake apple and partridgeberry tart with entertainment provided by local Newfoundland musical talent. It was delicious and a great way to spend lunch meeting other tourists. It turned out to be a beautiful afternoon and evening and we squeezed in a waterfall hike after an early supper. We have finally figured out that wifi is a lot quicker on the main floor of our B&B so this post won't have to happen tomorrow morning. It's off to Gander tomorrow and back to St. John's on Saturday and home to NS.

 Daniel Payne playing some great Newfoundland music.



This may look like a fish ladder but it is the Gros Morne mountain trail after a night of rain.

A very fresh moose hoof print.

A huge rack of antlers visible above the stunted spruce.

He emerges to view his kingdom. Thankfully the bull wasn't much interested in me.


After hiking for about 90 minutes I came to the gully, a very steep slope of scree (loose rock). Rather than attempt an ascent into the clouds, I heeded the warnings and turned back which made the outing a hardy 3 hour hike rather than a brutal 7-8 hour hike.  Maybe next time!


Back at the trailhead, the summit was nearly free of cloud.


Southeast Brook Falls thundering down.


Later, the clouds had returned.


Bonne Bay behind bonnie rose hips. They were so large and bright red, I would have liked to pick a bunch to take home and dry but I'm pretty sure national park rules don't allow that!

A view of the Tablelands.

Our final night in Trout River and we were blessed with this beautiful sunset a few steps from our front door.

"Lighthouses don't fire cannons to call attention to their shining - they just shine." Dwight L. Moody

The day began with indecision. The weather forecast for the next two days (while we are in Gros Morne National Park) looked rather wet and windy, so Andrew had to decide whether we would do a boat tour at Western Brook Pond or he would do the 16 km hike of "big lone mountain". We opted for the boat tour and even though it was windy causing quite choppy water before entering the calmer waters of the freshwater fjord; it was an incredible trip. Again the pictures will speak for themselves, but the scenery is unlike anything I've ever seen - majestic mountains rising on both sides of us, 2000 foot waterfalls tumbling through crevices, the feeling of being so small in this setting of grandeur.

Walking the path to catch our boat. It's a pretty barren, boggy landscape.

Trees really don't stand a chance here. 

This unique body of water is where we set off for our 2 hour tour. The wide opening was very choppy and rough but as we entered the narrow inlet, it completely calmed down.


This is the little boat we travelled on - capacity 99 people - I'm glad there were only 50 of us!


Heading into calmer waters - thankfully! The sheer height of these mountains!!


Amazing to be tucked away at the base of these mountains.


Breathtaking!

A very special trip - one I won't soon forget!

Spectacular waterfalls.

The end of the fjord and heading back after we dropped off 5 hikers who would be spending 4-5 days wilderness trekking. They had all their gear with them - pretty impressive but certainly not my idea of fun!!

And a rainbow to finish up our trip.

We were rather tuckered after our trip, so just did a couple of smaller hikes on the way 'home'. This little spot is called Green Point. 

The significance of Green Point is this cliff which is an important geological site. Almost 500 million years ago, these rocks formed on the bottom of an ancient ocean. Geologists discovered fossils that define the boundary between the Cambrian and Ordovician periods and makes this point of land a world geological benchmark.

A moose shack? Located on the beach at Green Point.

You may have to click on this pic to read the text.

The beach is littered with fossils.

 Final short hike for today - the Lobster Cove Head lighthouse. A very family friendly spot, where children can fly a kite, spot whales, listen to local residents share their stories and songs in the parlour or venture to the beach for a tide pool walk

"Home is where the light is" - this lifestyle really appeals to me for some reason. Not permanently but certainly for a 3-6 month stretch.

And you know you're in Newfoundland when - moose dishes seem to dominant the supper menu!

"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience." Ralph Waldo Emerson

Early start to our day - on the road by 7:30 am - we had a lot of driving to accomplish today. There was a pottery place in King's Point that was recommended to us, so our first stop was there. Nothing was purchased but this community was a jewel to be found on our journey. Such a pretty spot and we even took in a short hike to Rattling Brook Falls - short but lots of steps. The falls is 800 feet high. Very picturesque as you can see in the pic.
Travelling westward through central Newfoundland we were on the close lookout for moose as there are signs posted all along the highway and even one that said there had been 660 moose collisions with vehicles this year. The only one we saw was recently hit and laying on the side of the road. Really makes you slow down after seeing that!!
We arrived in Deer Lake around noon, had some lunch and made our way into Gros Morne National Park, and I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. So many stunning vistas and lots of photo opportunities. Our first hike was the Tablelands trail which was an easy hike consisting of a landscape of serpentine rocks of the earth's mantle. We have a fellow from Switzerland to thank for pointing out three caribou on our way back. First time for both of us seeing them in their habitat.
We then meandered west to our Airbnb in Trout River where we'll spend 3 nights, our basecamp for exploring Gros Morne.

The pretty coastal village of Kings Point.

 Rattling Brook Falls.

Roots growing around a large rock.

 Tablelands hike mid afternoon.

Let's see how cold this water is (-very!).

 The earth's mantle - kind of moonscapey.

Our first ever caribou sighting.

 Our last hike of the day was to take a walk along the boardwalk of Trout River and climb up to get a bird's eye view of this little town.

Supper at the Retro Cafe in Woody Point. Fun!

And ending our day with the sun setting over the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Fogo, Twillingate, Moreton's Harbour - all around the circle.

We are tucked away in the little village of Lewisporte and spent our day exploring Boyd's Cove and visiting the Beothuk interpretation centre and archaeological dig site that uncovered a Beothuk village dating to the period about 1650-1720. It was pretty incredible to actually see the indentations in the earth where 11 of their buildings once stood. We walked through thick forest, by a pretty brook and ended up on the coast. Very intelligent place to settle and set up this settlement. To read more of the history of the Beothuk, just click here.
Then we set off to catch the ferry to Fogo Island, a much anticipated venture. The sun stayed with us, although the high winds did not want to let up! We started by hiking/climbing up Brimstone Head (also touted as one of the 4 corners of the earth, if you think the world is flat). It was very gusty and there was a point on our ascent that I felt rather unsafe. I told Andrew he could head to the summit while I held on to the railing and waited for him, praying he would not be swept off the top along with the car keys!! From there we drove around some of the island discovering little communities and harbours along the way. We did stop at the Marconi Wireless Interpretation Centre learning more about the important role that wireless communication played in Newfoundland and Labrador's history. The original Marconi station was built in 1911.
It was the perfect day with perfect company.

A sweet little harbour we drove by in Seldom! 

The interpretive centre in Boyd's Cove documenting the life of the Beothuk in Newfoundland was very well done. This picture shows the clothing made from caribou hide. Clothes and skin were covered in red ochre earning them the name "Red Indians". They certainly lived from the land and used everything around them.

In the distance you can see the clearing where they found the site of the village of the Beothuk.

On our way to Fogo Island - the flags are in good shape here!


Brimstone Head - a very steep climb!

 Find Andrew - you may have to click on the picture to enlarge. This is where I stopped.

At the top of Brimstone Head.


Quite a view of Fogo from the top.

 Very cold and windy, but fun!!

The size of the waves were a definite indication of the wind force.


A pretty view of Fogo with Brimstone Head in the distance.


If you haven't heard of the Fogo Island Inn, you can read more about it here. I wonder if the locals were very disappointed when this rather modern inn planted itself amongst the little homes on this pretty coast. And no, we didn't stay here - at $1,700. a night, it was a little too expensive!

Have peanut butter, will travel.