Monday, September 23, 2013

10: Port-aux-Basques to Gros Morne (9/22)


We woke to this view of the North Atlantic from our hotel window in Port-aux-Basques, an amazing way to begin the day.  The day also began amazingly because we had TV, great wi-fi, and two real beds the night before!!  Cabin camping is all right, but it does make one appreciate the missing comforts we normally take for granted.

First stop was a nearby park with a wooden walkway going around a good-sized lake.  Lots of other walkers were out, as it was Sunday and a surprisingly warm (75) day for this time of year.  Newfoundland is beginning to show autumn colors.  The strongest yellows and oranges in the photo below come from ferns, surprising to me.


I was so happy to see pitcher plants all along the walk, an insectivore plant I'd read about but have never seen in the wild before.  Turns our they're the provincial plant of Newfoundland and Labrador...who knew?  I certainly never thought of them in that light.


Another lovely bog plant is the one below with the stunning blue berries.  I haven't yet learned what it's called.


And so our Sunday drive was to head north towards Gros Morne National Park along the Trans Canadian Highway.


One of our favorite jokes this year is that Allen really wants to see a moose.  He was disappointed when we didn't see one during our jaunt along Lake Superior this summer, so his cousin Joan and I got him a moose cap as a consolation prize.  He has spoken to people all along our way yesterday and today about moose sightings, has heard many good stories, but so far no luck.  We even headed out at dusk this evening to drive along slowing, hoping to see one.  It about killed him that the gal who runs the office at our campground here saw one nearby last night.  I'm also excited to see one, except I'm also terrified that we actually will.



A stop for groceries in Corner Brook included the surprise of seeing another Norwegian cruise ship in port.  Again, who knew Corner Brook was a destination port?  


Entering Gros Morne National Park In 1987, the park was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for both its geological history and its exceptional scenery. The geology of the Park in particular illustrates the concept of plate tectonics, and has shed important light on geological evolution and its processes.



We staying in a kabin at the only KOA campground in all of Newfoundland, located amid the national park.  We are one of five sites occupied in the entire place, and these are the views from our little nest.



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