Day 66
I actually made an effort to get
up early to give myself lots of time to complete the Gros Morne ascent. I
did a fairly good job and left the parking lot at 10:20am. The trail
starts off with a nice stroll through the forest before opening up on a valley
with the ascent ahead. This ascent is the characteristic that sets
this trail apart from most others since it is composed of broken rock, or
scree, and isn't really marked. I headed up eagerly enough, having
had a similar ascent with the Tablelands. I soon arrived at spot where
the few trees narrow in. I wrongly thought that the trail veered left
from these trees instead of squeezing through them. I realized this
after I was well separated from the recommended route but I decided to continue
up and try not to trigger any major rockslides on the hikers below. After
a while, it became evident that I would have to cross back over to the main
trail or else 
spend considerable time
walking around near the summit. I cut back to the right and was able
to scramble back to the trail with mimimum rock being dislodged. I
was near the summit, so I pushed on and took a break to survey things when
I got there. I came through with a bit of a scrape on the hand and
a good scratch below one knee - not bad for my little detour. Rested
up, I continued along the summit and enjoyed the view. Soon, however,
I started the descent and made my way past the campers to the parking lot
- a five hour tour, including my detour.
I took some time to cool down and then drove back to the campground
to take a nap. It was a short one and I was soon at the nearby hotel
to make reservations for the Western Brook Pond boat tour. I had decided
to take the boat instead of hiking the 27km out to the end of the fiord.
I made up some pasta for dinner and then headed back to the Lobster
Head Light to catch enjoy the sunset. I managed a few good pics from
the various locations I could find while scrambling on the rocks before returning
to the campsite and getting in a well deserved sleep.
Day 67
Another clear, sunny day greeted me as I had some breakfast and again
packed up my gear. I stopped in at the hotel to pick up my boat ticket
and headed off to catch the tour at the dock. I stopped at a site
commemorating the grounding of the S.S.Ethie off the coast and then made
the hike to the boat dock. I had a snack as I waited and took in the
geological information posted about the creation of this natural wonder.
We were soon underway and I was quick to start taking pictures of the scenery as it passed. We stopped by a waterfall, passed a moose and got the full story about a rock slide that occured while the tour boat was just a bit further up the shore. We passed a few more waterfalls and soon reached the end of the Pond where backcountry hikers often disembark for an enjoyable hike through the mountains (maybe next time). I took a few shots of the view down the fiord (as close as I could to the one on the Visitor's Guide) as we headed straight back to the dock.
Once back at the car, I took the opportunity to grab some chips at a chip truck and then returned to Rocky Harbour to bid farewell to Glen at his shop. From there, I decided to only go as far as Deer Lake and treat myself to a night in a bed. I found a B&B to suit my needs and then stopped for dinner at Pizza Delight for some chicken and ribs. I chatted at bit with the other guests and took some time to sort out my web site problems (by moving my site to a different host) and then headed to bed.
Day 68
I had another early morning as I wanted to get up in time for breakfast.
After an enjoyable meal, I packed up and headed off to parts unknown.
I hadn't really planned anything for this part of the trip so I just
started driving.
The first peninsula I came across
was Baie Verte so I turned off the Trans-Canada and headed north. When
the land ended, I was in Fleur-de-Lys and decided to stop and take in the
Soapstone Quarry archaeological site. In addition to the quarry, they
have a few hiking trails so I packed up a snack, put on my boots and headed
off. When I returned, I checked my email at the CAP site and then headed
off. I decided to drive out to the town of La Scie to complete the
peninsula and enjoyed the view for a bit before heading back. I had
passed the Flatwater Pond provincial park on the way up the peninsula so
I headed back there to pitch my tent for the night. There was nobody
taking money so I picked site 11 and set things up. I made some more
pasta and enjoyed a quite evening before heading to bed.
Day 69
As I awoke to a sweltering tent,
I knew it would be a warm day. Undeterred, I packed up and set off
for the Alexander Murray hiking trail in nearby King's Point. It's
a 10km trail that climbs a ridge and has some nice lookouts and views of
a few waterfalls. Much of the trail is boardwalked and there are a
good number of stairs. The main stairway climbs Corner Brook Gorge
and right in the middle, you can descend about 250 steps to see the picturesque
Corner Brook Falls. That of course means that you have to climb back
up those steps but at least the view of the falls is worth it. Back
at the car, I cooled down then looked to see where to head to next.
The town of Triton is nearby and offers some sea kayaking so I headed
there. I stopped at another boat tour operator and discovered that
there haven't been many whale sightings recently so, although I stopped in
for a quick look, I decided to wait on the kayaking.
The next major centre on the Trans Canada is Grand Falls-Windsor.
They had a few cheap campsites so I decided to head there for the night.
After setting up my tent, I decided to tour the town and found a Canadian
Tire to browse through and KFC to eat at. Content with my brush with
civilization, I returned to my campsite and caught up on some contacts and
sorted some pictures. After listening to the radio for a bit, I headed
to bed.
Day 70: As luck would have it.
I set my alarm to get me up and going in time to hit the local paper
mill for the 10am tour so as 9:15 rolled around, I tried calling for a spot
but had no luck. I headed over to the Tourist Chalet and inquired there
but learned that the mill was shut down due to overproduction. Minimally
disappointed, I picked up some bulk food and groceries and headed off towards
Twillingate Isle. I had been bombarded by advertisements for a U-Pick
near Campbellton so as I passed I had to pick up some strawberries.
Unfortunately, the raspberries are still a week or two away!
I soon found myself crossing the causeways to New World Island and
decided to stop and get a campsite at Dildo Run Provincial Park, named after
the stretch of islands in the nearby bay. I settled on lucky site 13
and set up my tent. The site has a great view of the corner of the
bay and a few of the nearby islands.
Next stop was the Tourist Chalet to find out what's available. I
picked up some info on the local boat tours and then stopped in at the local
CAP site to check email. I stopped in at one of the boat tours and,
although they hadn't had many humpback sightings lately, I decided to go.
I had a couple of hours to kill so I hit the local restaurant for a
late lunch and some ice cream.
As 4pm drew closer, I headed back
to the dock and boarded the MV Daybreak for a scenic tour of the area. As
we got underway, the skipper mentioned that the capelin had "rolled" last
week and had now headed out to deeper water taking their predators, including
the humpback, along with them. Dissapointed, I
resigned myself
to enjoying the view of the lighthouse and nearby islands. Suddenly
the call went up that there were whales ahead so I pulled out my binoculars
and confirmed that there were some killer whales passing along in front of
us. As the skipper headed to them, the cameras and camcorders appeared.
We were able to get fairly close before they would dive deep to avoid
us although one inquisitive whale passed underneath the boat for a closer
look. I snapped as many pictures as I could and even had to change
the batteries to keep up. We followed a pair for a bit and then moved
over to another group of 4 while another tour boat came up to watch the initial
pair. Our time was running out so we left our marine friends and headed
back to the dock with many happy faces, including mine.
Once back on land, I returned
to my site to continue enjoying my experience with the setting sun providing
a nice environment. I made some steak and rice but was too full to
have any of my strawberries for dessert. As the sun continued its descent
behind the trees, some kayakers headed out for a tour of the area. It
was tempting, but I had a full enough day already. The surface of the
bay became calmer and calmer as the moon took over the sky and I stayed out
as long as I could until the bugs made their presence known. I listened
to the radio for a bit and then turned in for the night.
Day 71
I took a bit of time getting up and had some strawberries for
breakfast before heading off. I stopped in again at the Tourist Chalet
and then headed on the scenic route towards Terra Nova National Park. I
travelled around the north coast of Bonavista Bay and was soon in the midst
of a series of thunderstorms. I weathered them well and got the car
washed at the same time and soon found myself at the Park. I drove
to the main Visitor's Centre for some info and discovered that they had been
dry all day. I picked up some trail maps and then decided to find a warm
bed from which to review them. I made a few unsuccessful calls and
then decided to drive around and see what I could find. I started with
Traytown and then drove through Glovertown before finding a B&B with
a free room. I brought in my stuff and then decided to head off for
some pizza. I headed to a local pizzeria and got a deluxe. Seems
their deluxe includes almost all of their toppings - they were almost thicker
than the crust and it was a sizeable crust. I returned to the B&B
and looked over the trail maps (not too much to choose from) and then connected
to the internet for a bit. I didn't have a huge list of trails but
I dozed off with some plans set for the day ahead.
Day 72
I got
up (not too early this time) and filled up on muffins and cereal before heading
off. I started at one of the campgrounds for a trail that went up to
a nice lookout - or so I hoped. As I approached the trailhead, I found
a large sign indicating that the trail was closed. Next up was a trail
that lead to a hill with a nice lookout. I found the lookout fine but
started getting swarmed by mosquitoes on the way back. After donating
my day's supply of blood, I wasn't too quick to head off again but I drove
to the Visitor's Centre for the next outing. As I was preparing, a
downpour started so I took some time to look through the exhibits and watch
a quick movie. With the shower over and the air feeling very thick,
I headed off on another lookout trail. I followed it for a while until
it 
came to the
shore of a small lake. I followed the beach for a while but when I
tried to find the trail back it was overgrown with ferns - wet ferns at that.
I decided to turn back and instead continued along a coastal trail
for a while before heading back to the car. Not being too impressed
with the trails so far, I decided to drive to the next lookout - a fire tower.
I opted not to climb the tower but instead enjoyed the view from terra
firma.
The campsites in the park didn't appeal too much so I decided to travel
on to the Bonavista Peninsula for the next campsite. I found a nice
inexpensive one (that had great showers) and registered for a few nights.
I set up at a picnic table beside a swinging bench overlooking a nice
lake. The neighbours provided a bit of diversion as the boys started
collecting fish from the lake. Their catch ranged up to 3 inches so
dinner wasn't in jeopardy but they were having fun. I enjoyed the warm
evening for a while before heading to the car to escape the mosquitoes.
After reading for a bit, I headed to bed.
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