Cross Canada and Back Part 16

Twillingate - Icebergs, Whales, and Festivals

It's June 13th 2011 and day 30 of our trip. Today we will drive from Gros Morne National Park to Badger on Trans Canada Highway, close to Grand Falls Windsor.

Gros Morne

Another glorious day. Gros Morne and Bonne Bay look just stunning. We drive out of the park along the East Arm. In Deer Lake we stop for food, especially fresh fruits and vegetables. Silvia and Jörg fill up propane in their motor home. Deer Lake is one of the few places where you can fill stationary or fixed tanks.



View Gros Morne National Park to Twillingate, NL. Canada in a larger map


We stop in at several campgrounds along the way but no cell phone reception (needed for internet) or Wi-Fi. It's game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals. We find a great campsite Catamaran Park just west of Badger right on a lake. There are a lot of seasonal campers in this park and the pull through sites are really just an open field. Our stay was very pleasant.


We watched the hockey game, no need to comment any more.

Not sure where they get the names from. This is almost as good as the water fall in Gros Morne National Park called "Pissing Mare Falls"

June 14th 2011 and day 31 of our trip. We say good bye to Silvia and Jörg as they head back to Nova Scotia and we set our GPS in direction to the town of Twillingate.

Beach below our campground in Twillingate.

Twillingate is a vibrant small town known as Iceberg Alley and Iceberg Capital of the World. But this year there are very few icebergs in the Twillingate area. As I am writing this blog (11th of July) there are lots of icebergs up in St. Anthony, way more then when we were there, but still only a few further south toward Twillingate. See the iceberg finder.

Anders found another boat

Twillingate is located on South Twillingate Island on Notre Dame Bay at the mouth of Exploits River. Notre Dame Bay provides a natural shelter for the harbour. The island is connected with the rest of Newfoundland via a causeway.


We checked in for two nights at Peyton's Woods RV Park and Campground. It is an OK campground with some ocean view sites. Cash only.





Fishing used to be the main income in Twillingate, now Eco tourism has changed all that. The community is very pro-active with lots of things going on.


There are some fantastic hikes you can do, a word of advise, if the weather is nice, go for a hike or take a boat tour, don't delay, you do not know what kind of weather tomorrow holds. 

They have a way with words

Anders and Liz

Liz

Anders always has to push the limits

We did some fantastic hikes along the coast line, some a bit more challenging then others. Weather and nature at its best behavior showing off the beauty of the island.

Liz

Friendly little fellow

On June 15th we slept in and had a slow start. We took in the local museum with a lot of interesting history from the area. We found it worth while, also one of the best craft shops with locally made items. 


We walk and drive around town and meet up with an old fisherman that has his own museum with all kinds of gadgets. Really nice fellow to get some local flare from. 

 Retired Fisherman Melvin Horwood and his little museum

Anders and Melvin shooting the breeze

Just can't leave it, got to talk fishing and boating. This is a throw net Melvin made.

Time for lunch! Moose soup and Moose wrap are on the menu. We ventured and ordered the soup and wrap from the beast.  It is tasting  pretty good, but more dry than beef.

Moose Soup anyone?

Got some Moose meat stuck in your tooth Anders? The Chowder looks good

We also stop for a Latte at the local coffee shop..... interesting!


For the evening we had made reservations for the "All Around The Circle Dinner Theater" in the town of Cow Head. Cow Head is just over the hill from Twillingate. Reservations are a must and you have a choice of three dishes you also pre-order. Everything is homemade .

The Cast

Elvis..... sort of

You get seated with some other people. We sat with two couples from Ontario. The people that serve and cook the food are the same people on stage later on. The food and service is excellent. There is a cash bar with a few different wines and spirits.

Buck Owens?

Dolly Parton for sure!!! I think.

The show is a hoot, really funny and entertaining, a must if you visit Twillingate.  If visiting Newfoundland and Labrador, Twillingate should be on your list.


For more pictures of our trip to Twillingate, check out our Picasa Web Album. Click image below.

Twillingate NL

Cheers, 


Liz and Anders

Here are some shortcuts to all the blogs from our Cross Canada Trip. Just hover over the number to see where it will take you

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Cross Canada and Back Part 15

Rocky Harbour, Norris Point, Western Brook Pond, Tablelands and Trout River

The morning of the 11th June greeted us with wonderful rain and fog in abundance. The air is so thick I can almost cut it with my Victorinox. I'm sure we will OD on oxygen today. Gros Morne National Park a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is truly spectacular even in rain and fog. Let's discover more of the park.

Our quest for the day is to find some live crustacean for dinner. More specifically we were looking for an arthropod called "Lester the Lobster"



View Rocky Harbour, Norris Point, Western Brook Pond, Tablelands and Trout River in a larger map

Rocky Harbour

With rain gear in hand, we head down to the closest little town, Rocky Harbour. We find the local seafood outlet.... what a selection. We pick up four live lobsters, smoked salmon and some fresh cod. I could have bought the whole store. By this time the the fog is so thick, I wish I had a fog horn on my truck, maybe for Christmas?

Rocky Harbour

We head back to camp and drop our dinner off. We have a quick lunch before heading out in a different direction, Norris Point.

Norris Point

With the windshield wipers now in second gear, and every foghorn in the area blowing, we work our way down towards Norris Point. It is really beautiful, at least what we can see. We decide this is worth another trip when the sun is out.

Norris Point in the rain and fog

Town of Norris Point

We head back to camp, it must be 4 pm some place.... Happy Hour! Jörg and I get the lobster pot ready while Silvia and Liz prepare a scrumptious salad. By now the smell of the garlic butter is so strong all the mosquitoes in Gros Morne National Park have left for a less hostile environment.

The water is boiling

Catch of the day

What a day, time to celebrate

Cheers!

With a bottle of Rosé, candle light, salad and lobster it can rain as much as it wants.  With enough wine you can't even hear the fog horns. Life is good!


Norris Point - Encore


The 12th of June, not a cloud in the sky (did you know, one can actually get a headache from Rosé wine). This morning looks good, and we have a busy day planned. First of, back to Norris Point. It is a spectacular vista as we approach the town of Norris Point. The town is situated in a "fjord" like setting, wow!

Liz and Anders at Norris Point Look Out

Half way down the hill is the Norris Point Lookout with breathtaking views of the town, the inlet and the Tablelands in the background, very dramatic scenery.

Wow!

The Tablelands from this side of the inlet

Get ready to launch your kayak.

The town gets it name from the first white settler Neddie Norris. The town is now a wonderful place to visit and a great place to enjoy the outdoors. Kayaking anyone?




Western Brook Pond


Next on the agenda is Western Brook Pond. If there is only one thing you have time for when visiting Gros Morne National Park, this is the one place you have to visit. The scenic grandeur of the lake and the mountains is simply breathtaking.





Western Brook Pond is a lake that was carved into the most northerly tip of the Appalachian mountains by a masive glacier. Eventually the inlet or fjord became land-locked and the salt water was replaced by fresh water. The water level is 30 meters above sea level, however 60% of the lake's water is below sea level.

A wonderful 3 km hike to the lake

Liz

The lake is 16 km long and is home to several species of fish, like: salmon, brook trout and arctic char. The surrounding cliffs rise over 2000 feet.

Lunch before we go on the sightseeing cruise

Jörg and Silvia

To get to Western Brook Pond you drive 27 km north of Rocky Harbour, then you hike 3 km to the lake. It is an easy and scenic hike on boardwalks and trails over bogs and through forests, just wonderful.

Western Brook Pond

Just wonderful

Anders taking it all in

Once you arrive at the lake you can take a boat tour, we suggest you make a reservation. The tour costs $56.00 per person and since it it in a National Park, you will of course have your annual parks pass with you, otherwise you will have to add 9.80 per person. NOTE, they only take cash.

Tablelands

Gros Morne National Park is also home to the Tablelands. The Tablelands is not your typical Newfoundland landscape, it's like you landed on the moon. This high plateau or mountain is located on Hwy 431, between the towns of Woody Point and Trout River.

There is still snow up there

Jörg, Silvia, Anders and Liz

Just so you can see how wast this area is, click on the map ( top of page) where "Tablelands" is marked in, and then use the satellite view, ( click icon in top right area of the map screen ).


Why are the Tablelands such desert where nothing grows? It is more then likely due to the so called ultramafic rock; peridotite, that makes up the Tablelands. Peridotite is an igneous rock that comes from the earths mantle about 30 km below the earth's surface. This rock is pretty well toxic to plants. It is very high in magnesium and full of heavy metals. 

The Tablelands

It is believed that this part "The Tablelands" was at one time pushed up to the surface where it is now  for us to visit and study. This pushing and shoving more then likely took place several hundred million years ago.

The Tablelands

The Tablelands

The weather was a bit on the cool side when we visited, so we decided only on a short hike and then head off for the town of Trout River. It would have been wonderful to hike to the top of the ridge, if we would have had more time.

Trout River

Trout River is a very picturesque old fishing village or town. The town's first settler was named George Crocker. George and his family were the only people living here for many years. Once the lobster fishery started the town grew.

Trout River

Lobster traps

In 1973 when Gros Morne National Park came about, tourism became an industry in Trout River. Many job opportunities became available in the park wich was welcomed by the town's local people.

See the air-spout

One more

There it goes

We had a walk about in the little town and even saw whales from shore.... awsome!


For more pictures of all these places check out our on line Picasa Web Album. Just click the picture below.

Rocky Harbour,Norris PT.West Brooke Pond, Tablelands, Trout River

Here are some shortcuts to all the blogs from our Cross Canada Trip. Just hover over the number to see where it will take you

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11,   12,  13,  14,  15,  16,  17,  18,  19,  20

21,   22,  23,  24,  25,  26,  27,  28,  29,  29b

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50,   51,  52,  53,  54,  55,  56,  57,  58,  59,

60,   61,  62,  63,  64,  65.


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