Day 03 – Gros Morne National Park to Plum Point

Today we have a long way to go and much to see.  We begin our day leaving Corner Brook and head towards Deer Lake.  We get a good high overlook of Corner Brook as we leave looking down the lake towards the sea.  Yes we landed in Deer Lake to start this journey, but to get to our next destination we have to go through Deer Lake. 

 

On the road we see how the mountains around Corner Brook are dramatic going from the Humber River almost straight up creating some excellent hiking trails and views when you get to the top. 

We have passed by several rivers and stream inlets with people fishing for salmon.  Here four people have waded out into the stream coming into the river looking to hook that illusive salmon. 

There are quite a few lakes and streams in the area and some, like this one have small beaches that look inviting.  Well, more like the water looks cold, especially since the temperature is about 66° F. 

Having passed Deer Lake and on our way to Gros Morne National Park of Canada, we pass a small pond and I noticed a small beaver or muskrat hut.  No beaver, but still seeing a beaver hut brings us closer to the wild-life. 

On route 430 we follow along the East Arm of the Baie Bonne Bay.  The sun has finally peaked out as we get a good glimpse of the East Arm.  On the far side we can see the Tablelands where the tops of the mountains are mostly flat.   

Before reaching the visitor center we get a great view looking down the remainder of the East Arm.  Looking at the end of the point is the town of Norris Point.  You can catch a ferry there to take you across the Bay to the South Arm and the road on the opposite side and access to the Tablelands. 

After stopping at the Visitor Center we walked around and got to see some great views of the surrounding countryside.  Here you can see small pastures, some scrub bushes, and fir tree groves leading up to the mountain in the background. 

There are many varieties of flowers around the center and this Sheep Laurel was up front and ready for me to take its picture.   

There are many flowers around the visitor center this small but unusual flower was all by itself.  I have not seen many of these and hope to see many different flowers on this trip which I will show later in a separate blog page. 

Back on the road, our next stop is at the Lobster Cove Head lighthouse.  The sapling fence separates the field from the parking area and lighthouse. 

The lighthouse sits atop a rise in the rocks from the water and looks out over the Gulf of St Lawrence.  The flags below the Canadian flag read L-O-O-?-R-D; don’t ask me what it means I am just reading the flags according to the International Code of Signals translator. 

Moving around the lighthouse I find myself along the cliff edge overlooking the Gulf of St Lawrence and the entrance to Bonne Bay (on the left). 

We get a different view on the other side of the lighthouse.  Here the grass is filled with small wild flowers.  You can easily imagine living here with the nice lawns and large house, unlike some other lighthouses I’ve visited. 

From the lighthouse looking south across the Bay you can see quite a distance.  You could imagine being on a ship and seeing this lighthouse noting the entrance of the Bay. 

We are leaving the lighthouse and I get a picture of Carmen.   

With daisies in the foreground we get one last look at the lighthouse and out buildings from the other side of the field.   

Next to the bus was a rose bush and as I waited to get on I decided to get a picture of one of them which has water on it from the sprinkling of rain from earlier. 

Leaving the Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse, we were on the road and I saw this unusual cloud formation.  What a great cloud formation, it looks like a wave. 

Continuing on the “Viking Trail” road, we soon pass through Sally’s Cove and find this fishing vessel at dock.  It has a good name Robert’s Quest, that’s me Robert.   

Several houses which could easily be summer or fishing houses situated along the sea, ready for an inhabitant.   

Later we pass where the trail is to hike (about a 3-6 hour round trip hike) to the Western Brook Pond trail.  We find out that when pictures of people on a ledge overlooking a fiord, in Newfoundland, it is on this pond and trail that the picture is taken.  The fiord is now land locked and a boat ride from one end of the lake to the other along with a hike up the mountain will give you The view.  Maybe next time we’ll do the hike. 

Our next stop is Broom Point, a fishing exhibit, displaying cod fishing and lobster trapping and processing.  The building is an original building and contains some of the original equipment.  As a note of the location, the rocky outcroppings leading out to the sea is dramatic and great to just look at. 

Also at Broom Point is the house that the brothers who owned and ran the cannery lived in.  Of course the lobster trap was probably not there when they lived here and ran the place. 

Out in the waters of Broom Point were these ducks (If think they are ducks) some of which look to be chicks from this year’s hatch. 

Speaking of lobster traps, during our pass through the town of St Pauls we see this stack of lobster traps, taken out of the water, and drying while the season is over.   

Driving along the Viking Trail we pass through many small coves and towns like St. Paul, Cow Head, and Daniel’s Harbour.  Many have fishing vessels like these either waiting because the season is ended or that the day is done. 

There have also been a number of rivers and streams where people have been fishing, I assume for Atlantic salmon.  Here are some at this stream.  The two together would be a person that is not a resident and the Guide that must accompany him or her. 

We stop at Port Au Choix which is a UNESCO site.  We learned about the inhabitants from thousands of years ago found when a man was digging a cellar for a new house and found human remains.  After sitting through the film I walked a path that contains some rare plants for the Newfoundland area; one of those is these yellow ladyslippers. 

I also see these rare Harebells, which might only be found here. 

Shortly after leaving Port Au Choix we are at our hotel in Plum Point.  We also find out at dinner that our wakeup call is at 5:00am since we are taking the first ferry to labrador and must be in line by 7:00am.