We were able to get some extra time off in the summer and decided to head North (east) to the 
great Canadian Province of Newfoundland. Our destination was to Gros Morne National Park which is the second largest national park in Canada. We were there from August 23-29, 2016 and had an amazing time. When our plane arrived to Deer Lake it was dusk and we had to drive through the mountains in the evening which is very scary when you’re used to driving in flat Midland. Lots of ups, downs, turns and you have to watch for moose. That’s all I heard, watch for moose. There were signs saying there had been three moose-vehicle collisions this year and we definitely didn’t want to be the fourth. We stayed at Mountain Range Cottages in Rocky Harbour. The cottage was very nice and was built three years ago but still smelled like new. There was a nice leather couch that we would sit on and play Yahtzee and a gas fire place that we’d turn on every night. We really liked the place we picked.
Kayaking Bonne Bay
Our first day we booked a kayaking experience on Bonne Bay in Norris Point. This was our first time sea kayaking so we got a double. Sea kayaking was a bit challenging. At one point the winds were very strong. We kind of had a hard time making the kayak go straight but we managed. We went into a cove where you could see down to the bottom of the water and watch the fish. We saw two lobsters. We also saw a bunch of eagles on the mountain side. Some were flying around and one was just perched watching us. The guide introduced us to sea pickles which is seaweed that we ate. It actually wasn’t bad but I’ll survive if I don’t eat it again. In the evening we took a hike to Bakers Brook Falls which is a decent trek into the woods. You walk through forests and meadows and then alongside the river. The falls were pretty impressive. By the falls we spotted a porta john in the woods randomly. Being the adventurer I am I made sure to take advantage of the facility complete with searching for leaves.
Our next day we were supposed to take a float plane ride but the weather was windy and hazy so 
we ended up rescheduling for later. Instead we decided to continue to drive on the Viking Trail north stopping at various points along the way. We first stopped at the SS Ethie which is a shipwreck from 1919 and a lot of the ships pieces can still be found scattered all along the beach. There were 92 passengers on board and all of them survived the crash. Next we stopped at Western Brook where we hiked through sand dunes to get to the sea. The sand is a grey color which was neat and it was very windy so there were lots of neat designs that had formed in the sand.
The Arches
After that we stopped in Cows Head to eat lunch at one of the few places that are there. It was a nice lunch though. We saw a neat photo hanging in the café and we asked what it was. There are many different Newfie accents and some people like to add an “h” in front of words that start with “a”. So we learned that the photos were of the (h)Arches. So we went to the (h)Arches next which is where we met a couple from Niagara Falls, Ont that were drinking their “pops” and driving along. The Arches were really big and you could climb on them but we decided not to. Our next stop was to Port Au Choix where we visited a historical site and were walking through a field when we came upon a herd of eight caribou. They didn’t mind that we were there and actually started moving closer to us. We thought this was awesome and stood there smiling and taking photos. That feeling quickly turned into a feeling of bad decision when a big male decided to walk towards us, stop and stare. So Kyle said slowly back away and
Caribou
the buck kept walking towards us still. I took off running. They still continued to follow us but we made sure to climb onto the rocks and head towards the sea. The rocks that we climbed and walked on where huge rocks. Maybe basalt because they reminded us a lot like the Giants Causeway in Ireland. We snapped some photos of the lighthouse and left, caribou still nearing us. That was our last stop north and we headed back south. On our way back we stopped at a River of Ponds walking trail. While on the trail we came to a log across the trail with a sign that said “DANGER” on it. That’s always a nice thing to see on a leisurely walk. We realized it was because part of the path had given way to a steep cliff. We crossed it anyway. The path came out to a cemetery – very odd, and the sea. We didn’t stick around long because there were shot gun shells on the ground and an old house. Shot gun shells + cemetery = Kyle and Nicole to get the heck out of there. While we were driving back we saw a red fox on the side of the road. He was so cute and squirmish that he didn’t stick around long. I was really glad we got to see him though.
Lookout Point
Our next day we were supposed to go on the Western Brook Pond boat tour. The weather wasn’t great. It was rainy and very hazy. We did the hike to the boat and then they ended up cancelling the boat. We rescheduled that one too. The black flies on this hike were absolutely terrible. I’d take mosquitos over them any day. They bit us all over our head, face and neck and leave you bleeding with big red welts that swell and itch like crazy. It was miserable. Besides this unfortunate scenario, that evening we decided to do another hike that I had picked out called Lookout Point. We had no idea what we were signing up for. The path was all wet and muddy and you were basically climbing up to the lookout the whole time. We climbed about 1200ft and it took us about an hour. I had to stop a couple of times to catch my breath and thought I was going to die. Once we got up there it was well worth it. There were no people and it was a beautiful
Moose
scene. On a clear day you would be able to see the whole bay and mountains. Then as we were just about to pack up to leave Kyle started to freak out. “Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!” “What, What?” it was a moose!! Finally, right there 1400ft in the air we finally see a moose and it had horns. It knew we were there and didn’t care. We stayed for a while just watching him and admiring. It defiantly made the sweat soaked hike worth it.
Tablelands
The next day we headed to the Tablelands which is the earth’s mantle that has been pushed up over millions of years. Walking in the Tablelands was like walking on another planet. No Martians were seen during our visit. The rocks are all a tan-yellowish-red color and there was actually a small river with rapids and waterfalls that flowed through it. Some of the plants were different looking and there wasn’t much vegetation to be found and no animal life. It was one of the more exciting places we’ve been. There was a path that led you along and then after that you were free to walk around on your own. We spent a while there just walking around and there were hardly any people. It was worth a visit for sure. On our way back we stopped alongside of the mountain where there was a hose that people could come and get mountain water from. We filled up our water bottle.
Float Plane Ride
The next day was our last day in Gros Morne and was the day that we had rescheduled the float plane and boat tour for. We did the float plane in the morning and it was our first time on one of these. It was quite cool to see all of the sights we’d visited in the days before from the sky. We took lots of pictures and videos. The plane was very loud. Landing was so soft if you weren’t watching the skis you’d never know you landed. The boat tour was neat as well. Being
Western Brook Pond
able to take the boat in the pond and see the majestic cliffs all around you was something else. The Western Brook Pond is Gros Morne’s iconic feature and is what most people will see if they Google it. There was a moose on the side of the cliffs but it was very far away and hard to see. I’m still not sure if I even saw it or not. There were also some waterfalls in the fjord. We learned that it would take 15 years for the entire pond to renew itself which is very slow and that the ponds water is so clean it doesn’t support much life.
The flight and boat were a good way to end our trip and we had a very good time in Newfoundland. We would like to go back again this time to the other side which offers completely different sights and things to do. There were hardly any people around since it isn’t a very widely known tourist spot. Overall we hiked about 30km and are tired of hiking for now. We definitely recommend people to go and visit and hopefully they get to see a moose like we did.
