Day 52
I took my time getting up since I didn't have much on the schedule
for the day. I packed up my gear and said goodbye to the coast and
headed back toward Cornerbrook. I stopped at the Blow Me Down Brook
trail and set off. I had thought that the trail might climb to a nice
waterfall but instead it veered off the other way and followed
(surprisingly) the Blow Me Down Brook.
I continued for a while and then came across a couple who informed
me that the trail is 7km to the end with an optional bit off to the side
and then 7km return. I continued on for a bit but the trail became
quite marshy so at the 2km mark I decided to head back. I stopped for
a bit at a side trail down to the brook's edge where it has a few waterfalls
and then returned to the car.
My brakes were making some interesting noises, so I tried to go easy
on them as I ascended and descended the hills in and around Cornerbrook.
I stopped at the Margaret Bowater park to have some lunch and then
headed to Bide-a-Nite B&B for a comfy bed. I decided to leave the
car behind and walked downtown to the CIBC and to pick up some stuff at Shoppers.
I didn't bother the pharmacy staff since I could connect at the B&B
that night. I noticed a DQ along the way so I stopped for a sundae and then
headed back. I vegged in the room for a while and then headed off to
find some dinner. My first stop was a seafood place around the corner
but it was closed so I found a Subway on the next block - they have
3 choices for cheese now.
Back at the B&B, I watched some TV (Anne of Green Gables and X-Files)
and enjoyed a few impromptu fireworks outside my window. I headed down
and was able to connect to the internet for a while. I discovered that
I had won $10 and a free ticket from the wad of lottery tickets that had
accumulated in my wallet since my departure. With email again caught
up and a few bills paid, I headed to bed.
Day 53: Car, Round 2
I awoke to the sound of the paper mill whistle and soon got up for
breakfast. I enjoyed the company of the other 4 guests as I treated
my body to some bacon, eggs and toast (I'm sure it was quite shocked).
I took my time packing up and called the garage to see if the parts
were in. They were on their way so I would head there for 11:30. To
pass the time I headed to the Cornerbrook Plaza and picked up some shorts
for $20 a pair and then headed over for 11:30.
They soon had my car up on the lift and discovered that the garage
they had ordered the parts from had ordered the wrong set of brake pads from
their supplier. With a slightly larger (but still miniscule) chance
of someone in town having the pads, a second round of calls were made with
no success. With the next day being the best they could do, they patched
the car back together and I headed off to tour Cornerbrook.
There's a short hike nearby
that has a scenic view of a gorge and the city so I headed off. The
trail was quite wide and leveled so rather boring to walk but I soon arrived
at the viewing platforms and enjoyed the view. It was still fairly
overcast but you could see most of the city. I kept going on the trail
and arrived upstream at the point before which the stream enters the gorge.
I wandered over the rocks for a bit the rain soon started so I made
my way back to the car.
I headed down to the theatres to see if they had any weekday matinees
but they didn't so I stopped at another mall nearby. I picked up some
lunch and some pants at Zellers and then hit the grocery store for a few
things. After a quick stop for ice, I headed off to the nearby Prince
Edward campground for the night. The tent area was nearly deserted
but I picked site 16 and set things up. My tent pole didn't get any
less cracked by staying at the B&B, so I decided to call the company.
They gave me the option of two repair shops: St.John's and Goose Bay,
Labrador. With neither option very feasible in the near future, I set
up the tent as best as I could. I took a nap and then went for a quick
tour of the rest of the campground. They have a bit of a beach and
a nice lookout that would be great for sunsets (if it wasn't so cloudy).
I made a bit of a snack with triscuits and sausage and then left the
triscuit crumbs in a metal bowl for the squirrels to nibble on. It
was quite fun watching them tip over the bowl enough to grab a few crumbs
and then let go and watch the bowl roll around a bit. They were quite
good and didn't tip the bowl over at all. I couldn't decide what to
do for dinner so I didn't really do anything and made a sandwich. I
listened to the radio (found CBC on AM!) and then just as I was ready to
head for bed, the rain started. I dashed to the tent between drops
and fell asleep to the sound of raindrops on the tent.
Day 54
I heard some more rain on and off throughout the night but it had
mostly stopped by the time I got up around 10. I packed up my gear
and arrived at the garage around 11:15. There was no sign of the parts
but one of the guys from the other garage was there so he called to get the
scoop. I decided to head out for some breakfast at Tim's and when I
returned they still didn't know where it was. Shortly after they got
a call that the order had been placed as ground instead of air and that the
brake pads were in transit - arriving sometime after today. With no
parts for another day, I headed off to see if there was anything else in
Cornerbrook to see or do.
I headed up to a monument commemorating the work by James Cook in
surveying the area. The spot also provides a good view of the city
so I stayed for a while and watched the mill and the other activities going
on below me. From there I headed back to Tim's for a light lunch (OK,
a bagel) and then on to Canadian Tire. Since I wasn't able to get any
tent repairs done professionally, I decided to get some electrical tape and
do some repairs myself.
I heard the forcast and there was more rain on the way as well as
a low of 9 so I decided to head back to the B&B for another night. I
got a different room but soon had most of my stuff inside for the evening.
I did some more vegging in the room listening to mp3s and then did
a bit of computer stuff.
I headed out for dinner and a movie. Salmon for dinner and Scary
Movie 2 for the movie. The dinner was good and the movie quite funny
- although a little short. Once I returned to the B&B, I watched
a bit of TV then headed down to surf for a bit before hitting the sack.
Day 55: Back on the Road
I once again got up early to partake in the supplied breakfast and
talked a bit with a cyclist who was also making his way up to Gros Morne.
Since I had to wait a bit for the part to arrive, I watched
a bit more TV before packing up the car and heading off. I was
relieved to hear that the part was in and they had me fixed up and ready
to go shortly after noon.
I headed north and pulled off
at Deer Lake for some groceries and a bite to eat. I picked up some
strawberries as well, since they were in season. Back on the road,
I soon found myself at the park entrance and decided to get an Atlantic Pass
to give me access to all National Parks in Atlantic Canada. From there
I entered the park and head to the new Discovery Centre where they have some
exhibits about the park. I browsed a bit and then headed off on the
adjacent Lookout Trail heading up to the summit of Partridgeberry Hill. It
gives a nice introductory view of the park including Gros Morne and the
Tablelands. On the way back down, I noticed a moose
off about 30 feet from the trail. I
tried a picture but I couldn't zoom in enough. The trio behind me probably
got a better shot. I got back to the car and decided to pick up a trail
guide that included more in depth descriptions and a map before heading on.
I soon arrived at the Trout River Campground just after 5 others so
I had to wait in line as the sites were all being taken. I decided
to take a walk-in site to allow others with RV/Campers to use the regular
sites. The attendant said it was a 2 minute walk but it turned out to be
about 50 steps (so unless you walk really sloow..). I set up my tent
on site 25 back in the woods and brought my cooking gear down to the kitchen
shelter. I spent a bit of time relaxing and then decided to head back
to the Discovery Centre for a talk about the ecology of the park. It
was quite interesting and highlighted most of the activities that are taking
place in the park including salmon counts, moose exclusion zones and bird
banding.
I was able to catch a bit of the sunset on the drive back to the campground so I pulled off at a spot with a view of the ocean and enjoyed. I drove through Trout River on the way back and also looked in at the Day Use area. Back at my site, I wrote up a bit of my travelogue and then retreated to my tent.
Day 56: Snow in July
I had plans to get up early, have
a nice breakfast and arrive in time to partake in an interpretive hike at
the Tablelands for 10 but instead I slept in, rushed and arrived with breakfast
in had at 10. The hike was easy but the guide talked about what the
Tablelands are, why they're here, why they're important and why they're quite
barren. We ended our hike at the lower end of Winterhouse Brook Canyon
with a nice view of the stream heading into the hills beyond. We were
invited to keep hiking if we wanted to but I was low on water so I decided
to head back to the car before heading up. I quickly walked back to
the car, made some lunch and then packed up some drinks and snacks for the
hike ahead. Instead of walking the 2km back to the canyon, I followed
the trail for a bit as it skirted the mountains and then headed up somewhat
along a small stream. It was about 750 feet to the top
although I did stop to check out the snow
along the way. It was slowly melting but still had a few weeks left,
if 
not longer.
Most of the Tablelands are stones and boulders and I hoped that there
would be a flat expanse on top but instead the rocks and boulders continued.
I found a large rock cairn on the top and took a few pictures with
Gros Morne in the background. I kinda followed the ridge, paralleling the
trail below, until I reached the edge of the Winterhouse Brook Canyon. It
was quite a neat view looking down on this small squiggly green line in the
midst of yellow rocks. The drop was quite abrupt at times (yes, cliffs)
so I continued along going deeper into the canyon to reach one of the feeder
streams. It cut deeply across the path ahead of me so I decided to
drop down and cross it instead of staying on the ridge and travelling around
it. I was glad I did since it had a few nice waterfalls and some snow
of its own that was melting in more interesting patterns. I followed
this side stream down until it met up with the actual Winterhouse Brook and
then started the slow scramble back to the end of the original trail. The
guide had said that things appear half as long as they are since there is
nothing but rocks and he was quite right. It took a good hour just
to get back to the original trail and then I still had the 2km to go back
to the car. I had pretty much finished my 2 bottles of liquid so I'm
glad I stopped. I took some time to cool down at the car and then headed
off.
I stopped in Trout River for some gas and ice and then refreshed myself with a shower at the campground. Next up was dinner so I made up some pasta and finished off my spaghetti sauce. I finally got around to cleaning my strawberries but I was too full and too tired to eat them. Instead I headed off to watch another sunset and then returned to the site to download my pictures and head to bed.
Day 57
I got
up and took some time to make a good breakfast of cream of wheat with
strawberries for added flavour. After such a nice start to the day,
I packed up my knapsack for another long hike, Green Gardens. It
was another case of two trailheads - this time with 3 km between them.
With everything packed, I headed to the trailhead at the bottom of
the hill and dropped off my stick and knapsack. I then drove back up
to the upper trailhead, parked the car and then biked/coasted down to start
the trail. As the name implies, this trail is a bit more lush than
the barren Tablelands. It started off in a nice forest before meeting
a brook and following it down to the ocean. Once at the shore,
you need to cross the brook to get to one of the backcountry campsites. I
took a bit of a break before setting off on the next part: a 500ft climb
up a hill, just to descend the other side! It wasn't fun but the view
was pretty nice. Once on the other side of the hill, you reach the
Green Gardens, once used as pastureland. That is still
evident as a number of sheep still wander
the area. I chased a few away from the next campsite and had a
snack of strawberries and cream. I continued along the coast for a
while until I came to the more heavily used part of the trail. Here
there is a staircase down a cliff to the beach and some natural features.
There's pillow lava which was mostly underwater and a cave into the
cliff face. It was a bit challenging to get there since the wind was
pretty strong at some points along the shore. A few people turned back before
reaching it but it was worth the trip. A hole had been punched through
the hard outer cliff face and the interior, softer rocks were being eroded
away by waves. The other feature that the shore offered was called
sea stacks and involved some interesting towers of lava left over from a
long past eruption. I climbed back up the cliff to the trail and took
another break before starting back towards the car. The trail climbs
and descends a few good size hills before opening out on a sloping hill
overlooking the parking lot and the Tablelands beyond. The last 1.5km
takes a while, especially since you can see your destination the whole way
there. Once I reached the car, I drove down and picked up my bike and
then headed back to the campsite.
After freshening up, I headed into Trout River for some groceries
and decided to stop at the Tablelands Restaurant for a bite. I had
the halibut dinner with salad and finished things off with raspberry cheesecake.
Back at the site, I finished off the day with some hot chocolate and
a radio program on Newfoundland's Screech rum.
Day 58
My body was a little less eager to get up since I had some more
hiking in store for the day. But first I had some breakfast and packed
up my gear to move on to the next campground. I had left the nearby
Trout River Pond trail for last in this area since it was fairly easy although
almost 15km. It started off with a nicely wooded section rolling along
beside the Pond (9 mile lake). Soon the influence of the everpresent
Tablelands was felt and the vegetation slowly dwindled to near nothing. I
continued on to the end where there is a nice view of the Pond with the
Tablelands on one side and the Gregory Plateau. I'd post a few pictures but
I forgot my memory card in the Libretto in the car so you have to take my
word for it. After taking a snack break, I headed back along the same
trail. There's a boat tour that travels to the end of the lake that
passed me on my way back. I was tempted to take it to get some pictures
but it would leave me a little late getting to the next campground so I headed
off once I returned to the car.
I travelled back through the southern section of the park to a private
campground just outside the border called Lomond River Campground. I
registered for two nights and set up on site 8. The campground is set
on a wooded hill above the river so you can hear it but not see it. I
was tempted to wander down for a peek but my legs were quite vehement in
their opposition. I took a shower to appease them and then a nap for
good measure. Next up was dinner and then some laundry before sitting
down to listen to some music and do some computer stuff. My allergies
were really acting up (aggravated by doing laundry, I'll bet) so I took some
drugs and soon headed to bed.
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