Pictures from Day 10 & 11

Boat Tour in Gros Morne National Park

MOOSE!!!!!

Shallow Bay Motel - Cow Head, Newfoundland

Fire wood cut and stacked for the winter. These stacks are EVERYWHERE along the road. The locals told us everyone pays for a permit to cut a certain amt. They then cut it in the wilderness, bring it out using ski-dos and stack it for their winter heat. Look at how much it is!

Gardens like this are all along the road. There is ONE main road all the way up the northern peninsula. These gardens are all along it.

Walking in to the boat tour for the fjords in Gros Morne = AWESOME!

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!!

Day 9 - Newfoundland

Ahhh...day 9. Today was a nice day outdoors. We started off by visiting Ferryland. Ferryland was settled in the 1600's. It is AMAZING what the archeologists have uncovered. They have basically found a whole city underneath the ground. They think 100-150 people lived in a 4 acre area in the 1600's. They had a 2 acre garden and fished. There is an area there called The Pool that creates a protective harbor for the boats. They chose the area b/c of this protection and built their town into the hillside. They have found tons of artifacts from that time period. The boys really enjoyed this tour and rank it very high on the things they have seen. One pic I am attaching even shows them looking into the very well they used in the 1600's for their reflection. There is 2 feet of water in the well today so they could actually see their reflection!!! I saw mine too! Really fascinating. The local fishermen were there going out on their small boats for the day. The town there now is still friendly and small. We even talked to the archeologists as they were digging. It was a really cool site and we really enjoyed it!

After Ferryland we visited Cape Spear. Cape Spear is the most easterly point in North America to England!! Can you believe that? We stood at the most easterly point and took our pics! We then toured the cliffs and the lighthouse that was built in the 1830's. This was a very isolated area. The children were of course homeschooled. Lighthouse keepers, according to our guide, were thought to be rather educated. We were impressed that when a ship approached, the lighthouse keeper would look to see what flag the ship was flying. The keeper would then raise the flag for a particular merchant. The lookout person on Signal Hill at Cabot Tower would see the flag raised by the keeper and raised the same one and fire a gun. The merchants in the harbor would look up after the gun fired and then they would see which merchant was getting a ship in. Isn't that great? I guess today it would be automatic or a cell phone away.

After Cape Spear we visted Dad's oldest sister that lived in the states 40+ years and moved back several yrs ago. She looked great and has a nice new place she calls home.

We also dropped by the horse races to watch our cousin qualify. We missed 2 of our cousins winning and placing on Sunday but it was good to see Aubrey ride Wednesday night. I think they boys thought that was cool too.

There had been some sort of wreck on the ONE road we needed to travel back to our cabins. We had to detour and the ONLY way took us like 25 miles out of our way. No kidding. We had to drive out to the big interstate to get back. It was VERY, VERY foggy and misting rain. In fact, the fog was so bad at one point around 9:30pm that I could barely drive. SOme of the rural roads in Newfoundland apparently are not marked with white and yellow lines. It had to be some of the thickest fog I have ever driven through. As we turned on our last road for our cabins, we saw a power truck. Uh-oh. Sure enough...we began to notice most homes had no lights on. Our cabin's power had been out for ~7 hours. It was freezing, dark and misting rain and we had no power. As we drove up the caretaker saw us and brought us some extra blankets and candles. However, she didn't drop off any matches!! We were so lucky b/c after getting into our dark cabins, the lights flickered several times and came on. Thank goodness. I was really power happy at that point.

The day was good. It went fast and we had a blast!! We saw some beautiful sights and got to visit with family.

Thanks for stopping by!

Newfoundland - Day 8

I'm actually sitting here in Cow Head, Newfoundland writing this post. It is so pretty here. The ocean is right across the street, there is a nice breeze blowing and it is very quiet! It is 10 degrees Celcius outside...so it is a little chilly. Our cabin was very warm when I woke up so I actually have the windows up and a nice, cool, brisk breeze is blowing in. I'm backtracking my days since I did not have internet access...

Day 8 - Barn, Petty Harbor, Aunt Clarice's to eat a traditional Newfoundland Jigg's Dinner

Day 8 started out a little rainy and cold! The locals seem fine for the most part but we are wearing hats, some gloves and warm clothes. M's middle is in shorts occasionally...but he's nuts. I'm freezing and sometimes I'm wearing 4 or 5 layers. I must not be cut out for the cold. :)

We rested in some today since we had been up the night before very late visiting family. We first ate at Don Cherry's and then drove in to show the boys the barn where Dad grew up. Terry and Adam were there and Terry's Dad, our Dad's brother. We first talked to Uncle Hector and visited with him outside. He told us to come back during milking so we drove in to Petty Harbor to show the boys some of Dad's family there.

Petty Harbor is just like a postcard. The houses are literally perched high on rockly cliffs overlooking the harbor. We have family there but our great aunts and uncles that we remember living there have passed. Aunt Mid's house has been restored and looks fabulous. The construction guy there let us go in and look around. He said they had told the buyer that she would sit upstairs by the window and could tell how much fish the fisherman had by the sound of their motors coming in the harbor. Uncle Frank's (great aunt and uncle) lived down the street from her. His house was literally on a tiny, tiny island accessed by a bridge. Our boys thought this was really cool. When the tide goes in and out the water is either around the house or not when the tide is out. Totally amaing that someone built that way! I'm attaching a picture. I think you can see the bridge you walk over. At some points during the day, his house is surrounded by water. His daughter still lives there and we enjoyed talking to her. She was having her tea and toast around 4:00pm when we first got there.

After visiting Petty Harbor, we drove back to the Goulds and let the boys see the cows getting milked. Adam, Tony's son, gave us a great tour. The boys saw the cows, calves, tractors, etc.

We then dropped in for supper at Aunt Clarice's, Dad's sister. She and her daughter Lorna prepared a Jigg's Dinner for us. We had potatoes, carrots, turnips, turnip tops, roast and salt meat! Oh my goodness was it delicious! Our plates were filled and the boys ate and ate. They also had homemade biscuits and homemade (as everything was) blueberry pudding with a brown sugar and butter heated sauce to pour over it. OH GREAT DAY! I cannot describe. I ate like a man. :) The salt meat is always a favorite!!!! So yummy!

We headed in for the night. The day was great and I think the boys saw some really interesting things that they will remember from Newfoundland.

Day 9 soon....

Newfoundland - Day 7-better late than never...

Well, we lost wi-fi except in the cabin's main check in area. We only had access to that 9-5. That just didn't work out. We leave early and return late visting family and sight seeing.

I'll try to catch you up...

Day 7

After spending the night in our cabins on the edge of the beautiful ocean, we got up on Monday and started our day at Signal Hill/Cabot Tower. This is the spot were Marconi sent the first wireless message across the Atlantic. Is that impressive or what? Truly amazing. Hats off to that idea. Who knew? We have always visited there as children but it was still just as breath taking. The Narrows are the 2 pieces of land that come almost together where the ships enter the harbor. Cabot Tower sits way up on a high hill, as you can tell. It is located in the large city of St. John's, Newfoundland.

We left there and then toured St. Paul's Anglican Cathedral in the same city. Now that was totally awesome and truly breath taking!! We had the nicest, little, older choir lady that toured us all around. She was wonderful. The boys learned quite a bit about St. John's, how the cathedral was designed and tons of significance in everything inside. They even have a Gargoyle inside! The architecture was fascinating.

We then left the city and went in to see family. We visited until late and enjoyed seeing and introducing our boys to their extended cousins. It was so great to see everyone and The Goulds. Things have changed quite a bit since I have been there ~14 yrs ago. M has been there 3 times since then but everytime she says she sees more changes. We visited with our cousin Terry who works the dairy farm. Terry also races horses and won last Sunday. We missed it...but we still got to meet his horses and pet them. He also showed us some cows! We then visited next door with his sister Stephanie and her family. Her oldest girl is starting to show her calf so we got to brush down the calf. Our boys loved that. C is STILL talking about it! I also included a pic of the traditional fish and chips mean with dressing and gravy poured over the fries. I might need to diet soon. I had 3 of these in 3 days. Yikes...

The house pic is where Dad grew up. They have painted it a nice yellow and it looks bright and cheery!

Our boys LOVED the big rocks down below our cabin. They got ready early some mornings and enjoyed time on them before we headed into town.

This day was really fun. We enjoyed touring around with our cousins. The sights are so memorable and just beautiful. Enjoy the pics!

See you...day 8 soon to come...