Travels with haRVy

Today we kayaked nearby Trout Pond. Launched in lower pond and paddled through the narrows into the upper pond amidst spectacular scenery. This turned out to be more arduous than anticipated with the round trip taking nearly five hours, including several rest breaks. We were glad that I had packed plenty of snacks and lunch because we needed the fortification.

We went to the Discovery Center to make phone calls and reservations for the legendary boat cruise on Western Brook Pond fjord. Tomorrow we leave this campground to go to the north side of Gros Morne National Park. The park is divided into two separate sections by Bonne Bay so we have a bit of driving to do to get over there. I’m sure there will be plenty of sight-seeing to do along the way before we find a new camp spot for the next few nights.

Cloudy morning, sunny and warm afternoon. 26 miles

It rained hard last night and the forecast was for more of the same all day today, so we slept in late and kicked back all morning. Around noon we decide to venture forth and headed over to Trout pond to check out the kayaking possibilities there. The guy renting kayaks was very helpful and informative and we decided to go out there tomorrow.

We went out to lunch (!) at the very nice (even by US standards) Seaside Restaurant in the town of Trout River, which leaves a lot to be desired as it is quite depressed even though it is in a lovely setting where a flowing river meets the sea at a crescent beach with a boardwalk from end to end. Several of the women in Trout River proudly display and sell their knitted goods from lines in front of their house and Al decided to buy a pair as he needed thick ones to wear inside his Bean boots.

Later we drove over to Woody Point where we found several interesting shops and galleries featuring locally created arts and crafts.

Since the rain never developed we decided to take a late afternoon hike through Tablelands, a geologic wonder of the world where ancient rock from the upper mantle of the earth’s core was pushed to the surface. From the brochure: “This 500 million year old body of rock formed tens of kilometers beneath the floor of an ancient ocean. It is part of a package of oceanic crust that was thrust up on to North America when two ancient continents collided.”

Most of the rock is ochre colored peridotite that gets its surface color when the iron in it oxidizes. Serpantonite is the same rock after it has been metamorphosed by water being forced through the cracks and calcium being expelled through them. The mineral composition in these rocks is not conducive to plant growth so just a few unusual and rare plants are evident. One of my all-time favorites is the carnivorous pitcher plant, which I have never seen in such abundance. It was a fascinating place to hike and we had it pretty much all to ourselves since we did it so late in the day.

You’d need to be Ansel Adams to capture Gros Morne in photographs, but I’m doing what I can to provide a glimpse.

Back to camp for dinner and blog posting.

Cloudy and cool. 44 miles

This morning our view was across the fresh waters of massive Deer Lake. Last night after the crescent moon set over the lake the sky lit up with stars, which we enjoyed from our pillows through the large skylight. I can’t imagine owning an RV without such a skylight, and this is the only one I’ve seen with one.

We arrived at Gros Morne around noon time. Ran into some folks from Colorado that we met in New Brunswick at the Discovery Center, which was fun. When we last saw them they were not sure they were coming to Newfoundland and here they are! They have been on the road since February and may not get back home for several more months…and we thought we were adventurous!

The drive into and through this park is amazing. Even if you are not able to hike it’s definitely worth coming here. We’ve only gotten a taste of it so far and I’m quite sure these photos are just the beginning.

We checked into the Trout River campground for three nights and took a short hike from here down to Trout Pond. We took a few hours to kick back and take in the beauty too.

Sunny, breezy and warm. 48 miles

View from Blackhead

Lots of logistics kept us busy most of today. We did our laundry, took showers, pumped out our waste, filled up our water tanks, bought veggies at one stand, berries at another, general provisions at the grocery store and wine at the liquor store. Then we went to Tim Horton’s to check our email. I mention these because this all takes what feels like an inordinate amount of time that we would rather spend enjoying this beautiful land. Now I know why rich yacht owners hire crew. We could certainly use a cook and first mate…if we had room to carry them!

We did find time to take a nice hike from our campground before departing. It took us through the woods next to Dildo Run (really) up to an overlook called Blackhead where the expansive view included innumerable islands. This is one of the things that surprised us most about Newfoundland. The main island (Newfoundland) is flanked by literally thousands of small islands, practically everywhere you look. This particular area would be a sea kayaker’s dream – better than Maine as the waters are more protected from the open ocean. Surprisingly, we have seen very little kayak activity.

We are camped tonight at a private campground near Botwood with the catchy name of Shanawdithit. We are the only campers in the non-serviced (no electricity) area tonight, so we chose the best spot near a melodious flowing river.

Cloudy, occasional drizzles, warm. 106 miles