Day 10 & 11- Newfoundland

July 1st - Oh Canada Day! We began this day driving back across Newfoundland heading to

Cow Head, Newfoundland. It was rainy, foggy and cold when we first started out. It is a days drive back across so we started out early. After you get to the west side you go through Gros Morne National Park. WOW! And WOW again!! The hiking scenery is FANTASTIC. The mountains are huge and rocky. On one side you drive RIGHT on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean and then the other side is the mountains. Before we reached Cow Head, guess what we saw on the side of the road? His picture is up above! He was right on the edie of the road...about 15 feet from us. He began to run along with us and continued with us for about 1/4 mile. He then turned into the woods and looked back at us.

We stayed at The Shallow Bay Motel in their cabins. They were very nice and very comfortable. They were located across the street from the ocean and it was a great little village. The local Anglican church was having a FRESH lobster dinner but they had just finished up. Fireworks went off at 10:30 pm for Oh Canada day(the sun sets VERY late here) and then we all turned in.

Day 11 -

The next day we did a FANTASTIC 2 hour tour at Gros Morne of the fjords. They aren't actually fjords at this point according to our guide b/c they no longer contain salt water. The high cliffs rise ~ 2000-2500 feet up and were formed by glaciers. The pictures above can't describe enough the beautiful views. It was the most gorgeous scenery we have even seen. They played Newfie music on the ride back in and we all tapped and enjoyed the sights. I sat beside a nice couple from Germany. We are amazed at the people who have traveled so far to visit here.

We drove on to St. Lunair Griget located right before St. Anthony. Along the way we saw several houses with seal skins lined up in the yards drying. The people here are mostly fishermen from what we have been told. You come to an area with 10-40 houses, one tiny store, maybe a post office and that is it. You see TONS of wood cut and stacked all along the road. You also see gardens along the road EVERYWHERE. We asked and were told that people pick a spot and make their garden. We aren't sure why unless it is b/c the land is not boggy and already cleared.

In St. Lunair Griget we stayed at St. Brendan's Motel. These towns are so small and the little houses are just perched right up on the side of the rocky hills and out by the ocean. We love the scenery and the surroundings. We pass moose along the road and they just stare at you. There isn't a Walmart for at least 6-8 hours!!!!!! All they have are small convenience stores that have a variety of high-priced items. :) The people are friendly and welcome us. In fact, we arrived there rather late around 8:45pm. After checking in we went down to 1 of the 2 restaurants in town and they were closing. It was a mother and 2 daughters. They allowed us to come in and they fixed supper for us anyway. It was fantastic food!

The next day we got up and toured L'anse aux Meadows, the Viking settlement. This was really fascinating. They have artifacts dating to the year 1000 where Leif Ericson came here and founded Vineland. We visited the actual site and the site where they have replicated the buildings the Vikings would have had. The actual site was unearthed and then natural erosion began to occur and they covered the actual site back up. All you can see of the actual site is dirt mounds forming buildings, etc. The replicated area was really cool. Men were there in full garb and talked just like they were the real vikings. They informed us that Viking is a VERB. They were really Norsemen who went viking. Therefore, they were replicating Norsemen. All the boys enjoyed this and got to experience hands on activities. They tried on Norseman helmets, held swords and spears that are used today for working on site, etc. We have some great pictures with the Norsemen there.

After getting a quick bite to eat, we went on an Iceberg tour. Our guide was a local man named Tobias. He was really nice and we toured out of the bay for 2 hours. We saw a rather large iceberg and some smaller ones, moose on the mountains overlooking the ocean, houses that have been abandoned, 2 eagle nests and whales!!!! WHAT A TOUR! The boys enjoyed this tour. This boat was rather small - holding only 13 of us with 2 guides. We had a great time, no one got sea sick and we arrived back safely - whew!

Our day wasn't over yet! We went to the Viking Theatre at Fishing Point in St. Anthony for a dinner theatre/mock trial. The waiters and waitresses were all dressed as Norsemen and a traditional Newfoundland Jigg's Dinner was prepared, stuffed salmon, cod casserole and salad were provided. We had to eat with our fingers, spoons and knives like the Norsemen did. Everyone had a fantastic time. M's youngest charged his oldest brother with scaring him too much. Our youngest charged his brothers with not sharing their Legos enough. C was punished for his crime after the audience voted he was guilty. Our little guy was told that his brothers had to buy him something. We all had a fun time and enjoyed ourselves.

One the way home we saw several moose. It was late and we fell into bed - exhausted!!