GROS MORNE NATIONAL PARK

A Huge  Park

To get to Gros Morne Nnational Park we traveled through dense pine and spruce forest for miles and miles with lots of water, lakes, streams and rivers along the way. I had wanted to visit this park for a long time but it is nor easy to get there, so I was happy to finally have found a way without having to rent a car and make the long drive to the west part of the province.

Originally the forest came to the road edge, but because moose were such a problem, the forest was cut back ten meters on each side of the highway. Driving at night is not recommended as roads are winding, do not have shoulders, are unlighted, and most often do not have outside lines and faint middle lane lines. Plentiful moose add to the driving hazard.

Gros Morne National Park, Canada’s largest National Park, was established in 1973 and given a UNESCO designation in 1987. The terrain is varied and extensive. Geologists from all over the world visit to study different geological forces. It is an area of great beauty with a rich variety of scenery, wildlife and recreational areas. The vast park encompasses western highlands, coastal lowlands, mountains, fjords, valleys, deep glacial lakes, coastal bogs, towering wave carved cliffs, waterfalls, marine inlets, sea stacks, sandy beaches, tundra-like plateaus, grasslands and the spectacular Tablelands and the wondrous Arches. Natural forces of glaciers and shifting continental plates have shaped and formed a landscape creating mountains ten times older than the Canadian Rockies. Colorful fishing villages dot the landscape. There are spectacular views from all over the park.

During our 2-3 day stay in the park area I had a chance to hike several paths along the water’s edge to view the rocky coastline. We visited Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse. The 115 ft high white, conical cast iron tower was automated in 1969. The lighthouse marking the approach to Rocky Harbor and the entrance to Bonne Bay since 1897 is maintained by the Canadian Coast Guard.

The lighthouse houses a small but nice museum. The seasonal fishing for salmon and cod by Europeans in the 1800s led to the growth of communities. The rapid changes of the 20th century have shifted lifestyles away from the sea and lessened dependence on its resources.

Broom Point juts raggedly into the Gulf of St. Lawrence like a worn version of its namesake. The marine mammals, birds and fish of the cold Gulf waters have attracted people to the area for 2300 years.

Joining us a Parks Canada guide told us, “The three Mudge brothers and their families fished from this site from 1941-1975. The family sold the property to the park and have helped to restore the buildings and return the inside of the home with its original furnishings.”

In the shed close to the water’s edge he explained the dory and demonstrated how a lobster trap works. There were no roads into this area until the 1940s, so everything had to be brought in by boat. The brothers fished for cod, lobster and salmon. The cod was cut, salted, and dried on the rocks. Every night, and when rain threatened, the cod had to be stacked in piles and then sheltered. If cod was dried on racks then the racks can be picked up and stacked, but there is no sand so the Mudge brothers just used the clean rocks for drying.

It was hard to imagine moving hundreds of pounds of fish frequently. The whole family was involved in the process. The salmon was canned on the premises and the guide demonstrated how that was done including the hand crimping of the can lids after three hours of boiling. It was another labor intensive job!

After the road arrived in 1959 people could come and pick up the fish so it could be processed elsewhere.

The wind was rather chilly so it was nice to get out of the cold wind into the small warm house when the guide invited us to enter. A fire was burning in the cast iron wood stove. The guide continued, “Ten people lived in this house every year from April to September.” The old iron beds didn’t look very comfortable but I bet they wee so tired they slept well anyway! The guide continued saying, “In the winter the brothers worked as lumberjacks.”

On a clear sunny one we took the BonTour ferry from Norris Point across Bonne Bay to Woody Point. Spots of snow were visible on the Tablelands. As we drove to the ferry I noted the small town had a hospital and three doctors.

The ferry captain said over the loud speaker, “The mountains in Gros Morne are only 7000-7500 feet tall. Gros Morne itself is only 830 meters (932 feet). Note that the mountains do not have peaks but are rounded. Only young mountains have pointed peaks.

“Bonne Bay is 750-800 feet deep and nearly that much more glacier silt sits on the bottom. Many war ships came into the bay During WW II. Ten-mile Pond is only seven miles long but is so named because it was ten miles from the trapper’s home. Pretty logical a long time ago, if you think about it. The mountains here average 40 feet of snow a year and the lower land half that much.”

Bald eagles were flying overhead. Snow crab buoys bobbed in the harbor. Apparently kayaking is a popular sport and several kayakers were paddling around in the water enjoying the nice day.

At the new Discovery Center our Park Canada guide was waiting us. The street level of the center has a museum with informative displays. The upper deck had a wonderful terrace for whale watching. The guide took us on a loop trail where we started out on what was an old partially paved narrow road. The six foot wide road soon narrowed and then turned into a Parks Canada foot path. Stopping often she pointed out and identified some small plant. The last plant was the pitcher plant that eats bugs. It was a pretty plant and one I’d love to try to grow. At the barren Tablelands she explained how they came to be, adding, “The Tablelands plateau has some of the oldest rocks in the world, a real geological rarity.” It was a most enjoyable visit with delightful sunny weather.

MORE ON NEWFOUNDLAND

One  National Park

Terra Nova National Park is located at Bonavista Bay where native Archaic and Paleo-Eskimo peoples stood more than 5000 years ago. Established in 1957, it is the Province’s first National Park. Located on the eastern edge of Newfoundland and also Canada’s most easterly national park, the park's beautiful rugged coastal area has a variety of habitats. Fingers of the Sea protect remnants of the ancient Appalachian Mountains. Rocky headlands provide shelter from the awesome power of the open ocean.

    Its 154 square miles of pristine wilderness includes thick marsh land, rugged cliffs and sheltered inlets of the coastal region to the rolling forested hills, bogs, marshes, coves, ponds and boreal forests and inland sheltered bays. The natural and untouched ponds and bogs provide a safe haven for moose, black bear and lynx. Fourteen native species live in the park, but that is a small number compared to the 40 species in Labrador and 50 in Nova Scotia. It is home to the largest bald eagle population in North America.

    Cultural history abounds in the remnants of sawmills and past human cultures. It is an excellent area for nature viewing. Whales can be seen from the shoreline and birds soar above the trees. Kayaking is a popular activity, and there are 60 miles of hiking paths.

    At the Discovery Center there is a touch and feel aquatic tank which was a fascination to many who had not experienced such a thing. A short movie runs almost continually.

   Not far from the park is the Joey Overlook giving a view of the village of Gambo located down by the river. Joey Smallwood is considered the father of federation. A man of passion and vision he fought hard for Newfoundland and Labrador to join the federation. Joey’s grandfather established a saw mill in Gambo in 1862. Fire a hundred years later burned the forest and brought that industry to an end. Joey, born in 1900, was the first of 13 children.

    Restaurants in the province were almost always connected to a motel and of course there was no fast food or cafés. We had wonderful food the whole trip---some of the best cod I’ve ever eaten. One memorable lunch included moose pie that I ordered and decided to top off the meal with wonderful piece of flaky rhubarb pie and ice cream! My mouth waters now as I recall the friendly staff, ambiance and great meal.

 

   One a Sunday a visit at the Salmonid Interpretative Center in Grand Falls was most interesting. Paul Parsons came in on his day off to tell us all about the center and tour us around the facility. The first thing Paul said was, “We operate under ERMA which stands for Environmental Resources Management Association, which is not a government agency, even though it sounds like one. We are the largest watershed enhancement center of Atlantic salmon. The Exploits River, largest river in the province, divides the province and has been industrialized for a long time, primarily by the paper mill.

    “The center came into being in the late 1970s. Fish ladders and a fish elevator at Red Indian Lake help the salmon get to their spawning grounds. After spawning followed by three years in fresh water then two years in salt water, the salmon return to spawn. These salmon are repeat spawners and do not die after spawning like other salmon do. In the beginning we had to seed the river. We removed eggs, incubated them and had a 95% success rate compared to only 10% in the wild. The salmon could not be removed to a new area because the new fish would still be imprinted to return to mom’s spawning area.”

    While viewing the salmon in the counting window Paul said, “The salmon are just beginning to return. We’ll probably open the gate in a couple of days and start this year’s count. The numbers have been steadily increasing and we expect that to be true this year.”

    Paul was a very passionate environmentalist. From the center it was only a short walk up to a viewing area to see the falls that the city was named for. The water was clear and clean. Purple and pink lupines bloomed in many patches.

NEWFOUNDLAND TRIVIA

Fun  Bits and  Pieces

The trans-Canada highway opened in 1962

Cape Spear is the most easterly point in North America. I had thought I’d like to get there for sunrise since it is the first place to see the sun. However, the sun was up a bit before 5 AM and it would mean trying to get a cab very early in the morning for the 15-20 minute ride to the area. However, on our visit, another gal walked with me to the point for a photo op. The rugged coastline is spectacular.

The Newfoundlander dog we ran into was very friendly and behaved well on his leash. These dogs have a thick curly black coat and big webbed feet. The breed was brought to Newfoundland from England over 200 years ago. They are known for their loyalty and their many historic rescues. This Newfoundlander was very agreeable to being petted and actually was the only one we saw.

Mug up is the expression for when friends and family get together to drink, talk, tell stories and sing. One evening we enjoyed the young brother and sister who entertained us. She had a lovely voice and her brother, a junior at Memorial U accompanied her on the piano. It was a fun evening.

The caribou is native to the area, but moose were introduced in 1878. It was hoped the one pair would provide a food source, but the introduction was unsuccessful. In 1902 two females and two bulls were imported from New Brunswick, and now with over 200,000 animals in the province, as they say, the rest is history. Moose are shy animals, graceful in the water, but sort of lumbering on land. They are the largest of the deer family. A male bull can stand seven foot and weigh 1200 pounds. The female cow is smaller. Males grow a rack of antlers and a flap of skin around the neck that is known as a bell. After an eight month gestation period the calf spends a full year with its mother.

St Johns, largest city in the province, is known as the foggiest city in Canada.

At a large grocery store in Gander, instead of a handicap parking spot, expectant moms have a special stork parking space which is painted pink with a stork holding a baby in a diaper in its bill.

Gander is an alternate landing site for the Space Shuttle.

The last public hanging in St. Johns was in 1835 when John Flood was hanged for robbing 


the stagecoach.

During WW II 100,000 American servicemen were stationed at five Newfoundland bases.

Screech is a local rum---which many say is pretty terrible.

A Screech In is an affair that makes a person from away an honorary Newfoundlander. The ceremony varies in various parts of the province. But includes drinking screech, kissing a fish and usually eating dry bread and pickled baloney. Entertainment is also included and may include most anything,

Legend says that during WW II when many Americans were stationed on bases in Newfoundland one evening a US sailor wanted to try the local drink. Once he caught his breath he let out a blood curdling noise someone called a screech. And after that the word screech just stuck to the local rum.

THE BEOTHUKS

                                               Native Peoples

At the time of European expansion and settlement in Newfoundland, the Beothuks were the native inhabitants of the island. The traditional lifestyle of these aboriginal peoples disintegrated with the influx of Europeans and the Micmacs from Nova Scotia. Initial contacts with these people are recorded as friendly, but misunderstanding and suspicion increased to the point where actual killings occurred on both sides for real or imaginary injustices. Finally starvation was added when the Europeans unknowingly blocked the Beothuks access to the coast and of their traditional livelihood. By the early 1800s the Boathooks had disappeared as a distinct cultural group. Research during the past decade has enabled a partial reconstruction of their culture, language and traditional pattern of life that this tragic historic period closed so quickly and forever.

            As hunters they took full advantage of the abundant food resources on the island seasonally either on the seacoast or the interior forests and barrens. Two major migrations were made each year to hunt and gather resources. Summer and spring meant hunting seals, whales and other sea mammals that were numerous during those times. Thousands of shore and sea birds with their eggs were no doubt another food source. In the fall the family groups moved inland to hunt caribou as the animals herded together to migrate.

            It is likely that family groups coalesced for the caribou hunt and to maintain the ‘deer fences’ that are reported to have stretched for miles. These fences funneled the migrating herds into one area so they could be easily speared. These animals provided skins for clothing and shelter and meat for the winter. Small game such as beaver, fox and ptarmigan supplemented the winter food supply. Winter shelter was provided by mamateeks. Soil was banked against the outside of the teepee to shut out the elements. The external bankings have outlined old mamateeks at several archaeological sites, including the Red Indian Lake and Exploits River sites.

            Because of poor preservability of wood and bone tools in the soil for centuries most artifacts found have been of stone, predominately spear and arrowheads reflecting their hunting activities. Beothuk burial sites have produced leather clothing with frills; birch bark vessels, sometimes with decorative stitching and notched edges, elaborately carved pendants and incised bone and ivory pieces as well as an occasional woodcarving. Metal knives, nails, sword and clay pipes indicate that the Beothuks were in contact with early French and English sailors. Beothuk burials have been found in caves and rock shelters along the numerous bays around the island. Red ochre, symbolic to many cultures as a life-giving force, was used lavishly on the body and articles buried with them. John Cabot described the Beothuks as average height with light brown skin and dark eyes and hair. Lt. Buchan of the Royal Navy added that they painted their bodies with red ochre and grease and this may be the origin of Red Indian. The last known Beothuk died in 1829.

WITLESS BAY ECOLOGICAL PRESERVE

                                  Puffins on a Cold Day

It was a cold windy day in Newfoundland when we set sail for the Reserve. I was grateful my jacket had an attached hood!

Three islands make up the reserve where the largest sanctuary of Atlantic puffins is located. Approaching Green Island the good natured fellow on the mike warned, “If you look up, keep your mouth shut as the birds fly overhead. There are thousands of birds here and they do not discriminate when it comes to expelling that little white stuff!”

            He continued to describe, “Puffins are small birds, only about eight inches long, and most people are surprised by their size. They have orange feet and  beak that has   gray .triangle  that is bordered with  a white stripe.  Their white breast is topped with a black coat. They are good swimmers and divers. Some people think they are penguins, but they are in no way related. They can hold a dozen fish in their beak when feeding their young.”

            Puffins live in burrows and that tends to kill tree and other roots. All the guano doesn’t help either. They mate for life and both parents sit on the egg and take care of the chick. The chicks are taught to toilet close to the burrow entrance, keeping their living quarters clean. The parents abandon the chick after 40 days. A week later the chick wanders out of the burrow and fledges in the moonlight under the cover of night. Their wings beat 300 times a minute to keep them in the air. An adult puffin returns to the same burrow year after year to lay one egg.

            The island is barren several meters above the water, but green after that with a few straggly trees on the top that provide nesting areas for storm petrels.

            The narrator continued, “Murrens nest on the ledges of Green Island and all over barren Gull Island. Murrens have no nest; they just lay their eggs on the edge. The eggs are sort of triangular shaped so they don’t roll around like oval ones do. The birds also cement the egg to the rock with guano. They live in huge tight-packed colonies on coastal cliffs and on other off-shore islands.”  The sky was covered with these little birds as we approached Gull Island.

            A large colony of kittiwakes also lives in the reserve. The smallest of the gull family, they appear to ski on the water. They are often referred to as ticklers as a pair of them fly so close together it seems as if they are tickling each other.

            Three kinds of whales migrate through the area. The captain was determined to find whales for us. We saw several blows. He said, “Whale watching is 90 percent patience and 10 percent luck. This morning the whales are diving very deep and blowing only about every half hour or so. They can stay submerged 35-40 minutes.”

            Toward the end of our cruise a momma and her calf played near the bow of the boat. The narrator commented, “Humpback whales are very social. Their average length is 35-40 feet, and the rule of thumb is they weigh 1000 pounds for each foot of length, so these whales weigh 35,000-40,000 pounds. They make quite a splash!

            “Fin whales, the second largest whale, are also found in the area. Their head is the size of a VW bug! We haven’t seen any yet this year. Grey whales migrate through these waters. They move fast and straight and care nothing about socializing.”

It was worth the breezy, rather rough ride to see all the birds in their natural habitat and it was a thrill to watch momma whale and her calf play off our bow!

CAPE SPEAR

North America's Eastern Point

Cape Spear, Newfoundland is the most easterly point in North America, and I had thought I’d like to get over there to see a sunrise one morning since it is the first place to see the sun. However, the sun was up a bit before 5 AM and it would mean trying to get a cab very early in the morning for the 15-20 minute ride from St. Johns to the area, so I gave up on a sunrise.

  However, we did visit Cape Spear and a friend and I did walk to the point for a photo op. The rugged coastline is spectacular. It was clear and sunny by the time we arrived late in the afternoon.

I walked the 156 steps up to the 1836 lighthouse . It is the oldest surviving lighthouse in Canada’s Eastern Provinces. A modern concrete lighthouse was built in the 1950s just a few meters from the original one.

            The old lighthouse has been restored to its 1840s décor and shows how the light keeper and his family lived.  Because the lighthouse was built while the province was still a British protectorate it is six sided and has the required 23 windows. However, half of the windows are false and painted black behind them. Sitting high on the very windy hill if all the windows were real it would be impossible to keep the house warm with the one fireplace in the kitchen, which also was used for cooking.

            During WW II a gun battery was built into the stone cliff. Barracks housed 300 men, 50 of whom were Americans. There were underground passages from the gun battery. Viewing it I thought That must have been a challenge to build. All evidence of the barracks was gone.

            Several whales were playing just off the coast. They were blowing every few minutes compared to the 30 minute spans at Witless Bay. We stood and watched them for some time and what a fitting way to end out visit in Newfoundland! 

SOME UNUSUAL SIGHTINGS

UNIQUE TO NEWFOUNDLAND

Along the Viking trail it is very rural. The earth is shallow and so telephone cribs are built to hold the poles upright. After being dug into the ground as much as possible a wooden cage, approximately 40-inch square, is built around the pole. Then moderate size rocks are piled into the 24-30-inch high crib. It seems to be a perfect solution to the problem.

           

All along the road we saw large piles of stacked cut wood. It is illegal to cut down trees. But every spring the whole community gathers and drags all the fallen trees and dead wood out of the forest. A dead tree still standing can not be cut, it must fall down. When all the wood is hauled out to the clearings along the road, it is cut into what looked like about 12-inch long logs and stacked. Sometimes the logs are piled teepee- style to dry. The woodpiles are for anyone who needs it. It is a community project and is used by the entire community. Keep in mind that most of the villages are small, often with a population of only a couple hundred people. No one would cheat and try to stockpile the wood. It is there for anyone who needs it. In such rural areas one must depend on friends and neighbors.

            Another odd thing we noticed was patches that looked like a garden. We learned that they were indeed just that and are  called roadside gardens. A long time ago it was discovered that for some reason deeper soil gathered in certain areas along the road. Again communities plant these patches, which vary in size, with root crops of  potatoes, carrots, turnips, and onions. The growing season is very short, so seedlings are planted, not seeds. These plots date back to the 1800s! People take what they need when they need it. There is a real sense of community in this area.

NEWFOUNDLAND ODDITIES

Some Intersting Things I Learned
        Cloudberry also called bake apple is a popular berry to make jam and syrup. The berry is similar to a raspberry except the apricot-orange bumps are much larger and fewer in number. Cloudberries are found other places, but I first ran on to them in Newfoundland. The partridge berry tastes a lot like a cranberry.
       The trans-Canada highway starts in St John’s, Newfoundland with marker zero and extends 4660 miles across the country to Victoria, British Columbia.
        Ten mile pond is only seven miles long,----but ten miles from a long ago trapper’s home.
        A mug up is the expression for when friends and family get together to drink, talk, tell stories and sing. Screech is rum. Wedgies are fried potato chunks.
       Scuff means to dance, scoff means to eat so one can partake of a scuff
       In Newfoundland the word fish refers to cod, if any other fish is talked about it is identified by name.
      If you are not a Newfoundlander, you are from away. Tickle refers to a small stream of water. A deck on a house is called a bridge. In rural areas front doors frequently do not have any steps because the house is considered not finished and the taxes are lower. It is referred to as the mother-in-law door.
       Shed is a store and a store is a shop. That’s as confusing as a bar and gate in York, England.
       The Newfoundland pony was imported from Ireland and England. They weigh about 700 pounds and have strong forequarters.

        The Newfoundlander dog has a thick curly black coat and big webbed feet. The breed was brought to Newfoundland from England over 200 years ago. They are known for their loyalty and their many heroic rescues. We did not see many of them.
         Newfoundland has some funny place names. Many were influenced by the French and Portuguese and often have been anglicized. There are Heart’s Desire (1612), Heart’s Content (1700s) and Heart’s Delight (1800s), all close together. Originally the heart was hart, but was changed to the more common spelling. Then there is Joe Batt’s Arm, Jerry’s Nose and Herring Neck as well as Brigus and Cupids.

ST JOHNS, NEWFOUNDLAND

A Charming Historic City

Known as the City of Legends or as stated on our bus as the City of Opportunity, St John’s is Newfoundland’s capital. With a population of 100,000, it is the largest city in the province and also is one of Canada’s windiest cities. Damp  and rainy, fog is frequent and can last for days. No one can believe that we had clear sunny days for our entire visit---the Gods were shining down on us!

The picturesque historic port town has provided shelter for explorers, merchants, soldiers, mariners, and pirates for over 500 years. The waterfront, located in historic downtown, is an easy stroll. Steep hills surround the harbor, but the down town area is relatively level and very walkable. Historic buildings, plaques, and parks depict the city’s history since John Cabot dropped anchor at Bonavista Bay in 1497.

My flight was delayed so when I finally arrived very late afternoon I left my luggage in my hotel room and walked the main streets of Water and Duckworth.

I photographed the 1901 stone Victorian Courthouse between Duckworth and Water Streets. Made of local granite and sandstone, the building was cleaned in 1988. I walked up the many courthouse steps, the pedestrian connection between the two major streets, stopping to observe the site of a 19th century produce market and public gallows. I tried to envision the last public hanging in 1835 when John Flood was hanged for robbing the stagecoach.

The War Memorial was erected in 1924, eight years after a Newfoundland Regiment was decimated at Beaumont Hamel, France during the battle of Somme. It is located at Queen’s Beach where Sir Humphrey Gilbert took possession of the island in 1583. The bronze figures represent Liberty, the Merchant Marine, the Army, Navy and Forestry Corps.

There are always funny stories to be found when traveling. One in Newfoundland concerns the Government House, 1824. It is one of the few buildings in North America to have a moat surrounding it. The governor was also the governor of the Bahamas, and he was building two residences at the same time. The moat was to keep out alligators! Needless to say it was soon filled in. Now the building is the private residence of the Lt. Governor and guest house for members of the Royal Family when they visit the province.

I found St. John’s a charming city and have lots more to share on another day.

GANDER, NEWFOUNDLAND

Crossroads of the World
Because of Gander’s aviation history I had always wanted to visit the city. The nicely done museum appears to have a plane running through it. Its tail is over the entrance and the nose of the plane protrudes out the back of the building.

The pretty much fog-free area was isolated until the 1930s when the British Air Ministry chose it for an air base. In 1936 its 6000-foot runway was the longest in the world. However shortly, the base was filled with wartime air traffic. It was a strategic refueling base as well as a major service and air traffic control center.

After WW II Gander became the hub for trans-Atlantic commercial airline routes. Today it is an alternate landing site for the space shuttle.

I was in South America on 9/11, when on that terrible day 39 international planes carrying 6500 people were diverted to Gander. After all hotel and B&B rooms were filled, churches and schools were opened, and finally the friendly people of Gander opened their homes to house and feed stranded airline passengers. All of the 6500 people, who suddenly found themselves in Gander, had a bed to sleep in. No one had to sleep in a chair at the airport! Emergency phone lines were set up and cell phones were lent to people so calls could be made to worried family members. I met some of the musicians who hastily put together shows to entertain the city’s unexpected visitors. As the book title says it was a day the world came to visit Gander.It was nice to hear about the kindness of strangers to strangers and this heartwarming 9/11 story