Roger already enjoyed a fish soup! At the airport, he is looking for the biggest lobster. you can actually have it shipped home.

Morning fog does not look good but luckily, it dissipates just before we are ready to take off for Deer Lake, NL.

From Deer Lake to Rocky Harbour, Roger is happy he is not driving the motorhome. The road is windy and the pot holes numerous. Just like northern Ontario…As a matter of fact, before reaching the sea, it is like driving from Sudbury to Timmins, with more deciduous trees.

Once we get to Gros Morne National Park, the fog prevents us from seeing its true grandeur but we know we are in for a treat. There are still patches of snow.

The Ocean View hotel is very centrally located on the only main street.

You either drive north or south on …Main St. of course. No street lights needed lol. But what peace and quiet!

For dinner, we have steak and lobster and partridge berry pudding. Yum!

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoyed the local bakeapple berry jam and homemade bread for breakfast.

After stopping at the Visitor Centre, we head for the small fishing village of Norris Point. What a beautiful setting! I even get Roger to backtrack to take some more pictures 🙂

Sad it is too early to visit the Old Store Café.

We drive to the impressive Discovery Centre near Woody Point.

We pick up a tablet for a self guided 4km walk on the Tablelands. (This most striking geological feature in Gros Morne, is the result of the earth’s mantle being thrust up by two ancient continents colliding). Unfortunately, the wind has picked up and it is raining cats and dogs. Determined as we are, we put on a poncho over our coats and start the walk. 5 minutes later, our pants are soaked and we are returning to the car. Oh well! We did manage to take a few pictures.

Gros Morne is certainly a hiker’s delight. We envy the young people who can walk all the trails, even the most difficult. No one is allowed on Gros Morne mountain however because it is nesting season.

In Woody Point, we stop at a café for lunch and at a few art and crafts stores Molly Made’s Homespun and Hunky Dory. Joan Payne, one of the artists sells beautiful quilts and artwork at Hunky Dory. Joan must be a distant relative of our talented Linda…  Roger reminds me we are flying home lol.

We do not make it to Trout River or to its famous seaside restaurant. Looks like the next time we will have to extend our stay.

If Mel and Curtis were with us, (we do miss them since they were originally travelling with us) they would have most certainly taken the Bonne Bay tour. Hopefully they will have better weather when they come.

Tonight, Tuesday, we are screeched at the Kitchen Party at the Ocean View Hotel where we are staying. We kiss the cod, dance a jig and drink the screech which the waiter informs us is really Jamaican rum. This rum used to be exchanged for fish.

Guests are invited to sing and tell jokes. A lot of fun

We have not seen a moose yet!!

Because of the fog, the boat tours have been cancelled for 2 days now. We pray for better weather even though Dan has told us that in Newfoundland, it is like praying for a miracle. We are lucky. It is Wednesday and they added a 3 p.m. tour.
The walk in takes 45 minutes.

The mountains surrounding the 16 mile lake contain numerous glacially-carved fjords. Technically, these are no longer fjords because the lake is now filled with fresh water. But what a scenic delight!

The sun comes out as we are leaving the pond.

Tonight the Anchors Aweigh band entertains us. Great music. A little Newfoundland history and a lot of great songs from the island.

We have not seen a moose yet!

We leave Rocky Harbour and drive to Hwy 1. We see a very different aspect of Rocky Harbour and Gros Morne… The sun is shining!

The drive to Twillingate is quite long. Lots of construction and…pot holes like at home. The only difference is that in Newfoundland, they warn you ha!

In Grand Forks, we stop at a Walmart to pick up a few items. What a shock. The place is so busy, loud and stressful compared to our quiet stay in Rocky Harbour. Thank God we are headed for Twillingate.. Again, one main street and a peaceful setting. As soon as we arrive, we see icebergs and a lot of ice in the harbour. Apparently, 2 days before, the boats could not even leave the harbour because of it. This had not been seen in over 100 years at this time of year. Everyone is relieved and happy to start the tours and to be able to fish.

For supper, what else: a 2 lb lobster. The dip for the bread is balsamic vinegar, olive oil and molasses. Yum! Desert? Sticky Caramel Pudding! (Anchor Inn Hotel)
The entertainment at the hotel’s pub is excellent. The guitarist,plays well into the night.

Weather is great …but we have not seen a moose yet!

 

We are so happy to have come to Twilllingate. After all, it is the iceberg capital of the world. But it is most special because of the colorful homes, the small town atmosphere, the museum and the lighthouse in the village of Crow Head just a few kilometers away.

The trails are again numerous. We spend the day walking, visiting and of course eating…cod tongues and moose soup for lunch.

Tonight we attend a dinner theatre. Like La cuisine a Meme on PEI, or Oh Canada Eh in Niagara Falls, the performers are the servers. Not professional theatre but a lot of laughs and fun. The couples we are sitting with are Diane and Raymond from St Boniface Manitoba and Suzanne and Carl from Perth, ON. Like us they are touring Newfoundland. Diane and Raymond went to Fogo Island without reservations. Braver than we are. They loved it and ended up staying in a small trailer for the night. Apparently the boat to Fogo Island is not very dependable. You have to be prepared.
They had also booked the ferry to St-Pierre et Miquelon but that ferry is being repaired and so, they had to change their itinerary.
(We are told the ferry was built in Romania two years ago and has not been reliable…)

Auk Island Winery is unique because its wines are made from Newfoundland berries. Very good!

We have not seen a moose yet!

 

We chose Port Rexton as our next destination because of its proximity to Bonavista, Elliston and Trinity. The drive there is quite interesting.
We stop at the airport in Gander to see the murals and to get some insight on the setting for the play Come from Away. Unfortunately, they do not permit us to go on the international side of the airport. Joe is away and apparently he is the only tour guide. We do learn that 36 gates are not being used at this airport!

We had no idea what to expect but Fisher’s Loft is very cozy and the view is spectacular.

Good thing we reserved the restaurant for tonight. We are told they are sold out. The fog is setting in. It would not be fun to have to drive.
The dinner is fantastic: Cod with mashed potatoes and vegetables ++

We have not seen a REAL moose yet! ha!

 

 

Today, we wake up to beautiful sunshine.

We decide to walk the Sherwink 5.5 km coastal trail. This trail was selected by travel and Leisure Magazine as one of the top 35 walks in North America and Europe. What views of Port Rexton and Trinity.

We do see moose droppings, but still no moose!

How lucky are we? Another beautiful sunny day.

In Elliston, we visit the Puffin Viewing Site. With binoculars, we see them in and out of their burrows. So cute.

Elliston is also the capital of root cellars in the world.

The Home From The Sea Interpretation Centre in Elliston is a must to understand the incredibly difficult life of Seal hunters at the beginning of the century.

The Café in Bonavista next to Walham’s Gate Pub is the best and so inexpensive!

In Bonavista, we also tour the Mathew, a full scale replica of Jean Cabot’s vessel when he discovered America in 1497.

And then Trinity!

In Cape Bonavista the lighthouse is one of the few remaining in the world where you can climb the stone tower and see the same seal oil-fueled lights used in the 19th century. The guides are super informative. Great experience.

Notes :

Vamps : Wool socks
Trigger : Mittens with extra finger

Bonavista social club : Recommended place to eat although we did not get the opportunity to do so.

We have not seen a moose yet!

 

 

This is our last day in Port Rexton and area. We decide to go back to Bonavista in the morning for an eco-tour with Tuckamore discoveries. Jon and his student Catherine are fun and energetic. So very knowledgeable! Jon covers a lot of interesting subject matter (from plants to bogs to wildlife). Imagine picking the bakeapple berry. Each plant produces one and only berry. With Jon’s powerful binoculars, we get to observe several colonies of puffins up close. These small seabirds have coloured beaks during the breeding season. They are so clumsy when they come to land but they do spend most of their life at sea. Like the Canada geese, we learn they mate for life.

Thanks Jon for this wonderful picture 🙂

Then off we go to the Port Rexton brewery.  Take your pick : Baycation blonde, Robust porter, Sweater weather, Chasing sun, Horse chops, Nar’ bitter, Garderner’s gose, etc. Which ones did we try again??

What perfect weather! We decide to walk the 5km Fox trail. Breathtaking views!

We have not seen a moose yet!