2013 Newfoundland Road Trip! by Travel Gals

AUTHOR: Lois Olive Gray PHOTOS: Kay Ellen Gilmour, MD Website: www.kaygilmour.smugmug.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS ST. JOHN'S: NEWFOUNDLAND-LABRADOR CAPITAL CITY ............................................ 2 Signal Hill ........................................................................................................................ 3 SALMONIER NATURE PARK ............................................................................................ 5 THE CAPE ST. MARY’S ECOLOGICAL RESERVE ................................................................ 7 SMALL TOWN OF TRINITY .............................................................................................. 9 UPPER COVE - HAPPY ADVENTURE .............................................................................. 12 TERRA NOVA NATIONAL PARK ..................................................................................... 14 TWILLINGATE AND LONG POINT ................................................................................. 17 GROS MORNE NATIONAL PARK .................................................................................. 19 The Tablelands ............................................................................................................. 19 Western Brook Pond .................................................................................................... 21 Pissing Mare Falls ......................................................................................................... 22 ARCHES PROVINCIAL PARK .......................................................................................... 23 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................... 24

Newfoundland Never-Never Land Date: July 2013

Brief Introduction to Newfoundland For Canadians, Newfoundland really is a new part of their country! For tourists, this province is truly a Neverland of beauty, surprises, and wonderful experiences with nature, wildlife and history! Newfoundland itself has been inhabited since 9000 B.C. The most recent indigenous peoples were the Beothuks who became extinct in the 19th century. 1000 years ago Leif Erikson sailed from Greenland and landed on the northern part of today’s Newfoundland at L'Anse Aux Meadows. This is a rich archeological site today. Some 500 years later, Europeans discovered the territory and created small but transient settlements to carry on cod fishing, seal hunting, and exporting to the Old Country during the summer months. There were Dutch, Portuguese, Basques, Englishmen, and Frenchmen exploiting the riches of the sea. In 1583, a British sea captain entered a bay on the Atlantic and claimed the whole territory for Britain. In 1600 the current capital city of the province was settled and named St. John's because John Cabot had sighted the territory in 1497 on the birthday of St. John the Baptist. The huge territory remained a British Colony from 1630 to the early 20th century when it became an independent dominion under British rule. in 1933, it gave up its independent status and became a British colony once again. It then was joined to the country of Canada in 1949. Finally, in 2001, Newfoundland was joined with Labrador as one province of Canada. 1

Today the territory of Newfoundland, without Labrador, is 43,010 square miles and supports a population of 478,139 people at the last census. Compare that with our state of Louisiana which comprises 43,561 square miles of territory but supports 4,533,372 people. That should demonstrate graphically how low the population density in Newfoundland is. You can travel for miles in the province and see very few villages, towns, or people. The Capital city St. John's contains 219,000 of those Canadians. A few interesting factoids about Newfoundland can't be skipped. Newfoundland in general and St. John's particularly have some of the worst weather conditions in North America. Together they are the foggiest (only 124 days of sunshine annually), the windiest (average wind speeds are 15.1 knots), and the cloudiest (only 1497 hours of sunshine annually). The highest temperature ever recorded was 93 degrees F on August 14, 1879 and lowest was –21 degrees F on February 16, 1875. Normal swings recently have not been that extreme though it does get pretty cold still.

Our Explorations of Newfoundland ST. JOHN'S: NEWFOUNDLAND-LABRADOR CAPITAL CITY We started our journey with an airplane flight into St. John's from JFK. Because we rented a car to drive around the province, we decided that we should explore the capital city first and then only return to it for the flight home. The port of St. John's is entered through a very tricky passage. Kay and I had seen that from a ship several years ago when we first touched the shores of Newfoundland. The city makes an attractive semi-circle around the harbor and port. Fine old vintage buildings climb the hill up from the water's edge with church towers pointing skyward into the misty gray clouds.

SIGNAL HILL

Signal Hill is a main attraction in the city as it towers over the buildings and the port. It was our first destination. The citadel and barracks as well as Cabot Tower are open to the public. Re-enactors wear uniforms of different regiments from 1795, 1812 and l917. The "soldiers" march and demonstrate drills and tactics, all 3

punctuated by live cannon firings. Very colorful and camera-ready

Cabot Tower construction was begun in 1897 to celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee that year and to commemorate John Cabot's first landing here in 1497. The Citadel was the site of last battle in North America during the 7 Years War and was won by the British who accepted the surrender of the French thus regaining full control of the Newfoundland territory. The fortress was manned during the Napoleonic Wars as well as the American Civil War. The US placed anti-aircraft guns on Signal Hill during World War II as well. The tower remained important in history as Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless Morse Code communication there on December 12, 1901 from his laboratory in Cornwall, England. the Tower is open to visitors as well and contains examples of Marconi's equipment, notes, and photographs from the time. The views from this height are spectacular and well worth the walk to the top. There are also two hiking trails on the property, one leading along the Atlantic Coast and the other heading away from the coastal views. We were lucky on our visit here because the sun managed to find a way through the clouds and shine warmly

down

and

the

activities

being

presented. 4

We spent the rest of day walking around the city, exploring the streets of the old city and its churches, appreciating the more colorful old homes on streets away from the port views, and enjoying the colorful flowers everywhere, blooming in spite of the many gray days.

SALMONIER NATURE PARK

This is a fairly new (established in 1978) ) conservation area on the Avalon Peninsula southwest of St. John's. It was our first destination once we left the capital.

The

Park's

mission

concentrated

education,

conservation,

environmentalism, wildlife rehab, and research. The more pointed purpose is teaching young people the importance of their environment and its creatures. The majority of its visitors during the year are school groups. A guide at the visitor's center told us that at present their biggest rehab and restoration program is centered on the Newfoundland Marten which is considered a threatened species. So far, they can report good results with population growth among the local Martens.

The Park comprises 99 acres which can be explored using two different trails through the area. The longest is a nearly 2 mile long boardwalk which traverses several different habitats: wetlands, swampy places, patches of boreal forest, and some open prairie. The signage along the boardwalk is informative and well situated as the walk moves through the various habitats.

While on the walk, we were happy to be joined by a female moose who was not much wary of the people passing through her grazing spot. While we stopped to take pictures and observe her behaviors, she crisscrossed the boardwalk between clots of folks with no hesitation. That betokened a positive aspect of the Park: the animals are respected and kept safe. We saw many other moose and several other species. See Kay’s Smugmug link at the end of this journal.

THE CAPE ST. MARY’S ECOLOGICAL RESERVE The reserve is situated on the southwestern coast of the Avalon Peninsula, just a few miles from our first stop. It is considered the most easily accessible seabird bird habitat in North America. Only a few minutes walks from the visitor's center is a marvelous cliff-side overview. There are estimated to be 24,000 northern gannets, 20,000 black-legged kittiwakes (the seabirds with the sweetest faces imaginable), 20,000 common murres, 2000 thick-billed murres, and many hundreds of razorbills and black guillemots nesting along the cliff faces.

Though the area is also noted for heavy fogs, we were lucky and got some pretty clear views of the always noisy and smelly goings on among all these birds. The majority of the land in the reserve is sub-Arctic tundra which is virtually treeless terrain with low growing bushes and grasses. This terrain sweeps down to the cliff faces.

There is a lighthouse preserved in the park, and while it is picturesque, it is neither operational nor open to visitors. However, it does provide an interesting focal point for pictures. We knew that we were not visiting during the season of the humpback migration which occurs when the capelin are running, but it was good to know that this part of the ocean water is transited by those big critters. Different seabirds winter in the offshore waters too: harlequin ducks, common eiders, scoters, and long-tailed ducks. All this makes the Cape St. Mary’s Biological Reserve a draw all year round for nature lovers and especially for eager birdwatchers.

SMALL TOWN OF TRINITY After leaving the Cape St. Mary’s area, we started north to Terra Nova National Park. On the way, we stopped for lunch at a quaint and historic tiny town called Trinity. Lunch was delicious and everyone in the restaurant was friendly and welcoming.

St. Paul's Anglican Church Though small, Trinity has a rich history dating back to the 16th century. The early settlers there numbered 169 and they made their living through cod fishing. At the last census, the town had swelled to 1600 souls. 9

But it is a vibrant community with festivals, a healthy tourist presence, and many historic homes and other buildings, including the beautiful St. Paul's Anglican Church with its active congregation.

After we explored the church and took pictures, we started on the road to the national park. A short time later, we stopped for viewing s of a large puffin colony. Beautiful day, glorious scenery, and charming birds.

UPPER COVE - HAPPY ADVENTURE Before reaching the park, we encountered yet another wonderful but small village—this one called Happy Adventure in the area of Upper Cove. This is another coastal fishing village with magnificent views of the Atlantic coast with all its amazing indentations and coves.

TERRA NOVA NATIONAL PARK The park is the most easterly of the parks in Newfoundland/Labrador and has the honor of being the first national park in the province being established in 1957. The huge park encompasses 155 square miles of the province. Besides boasting spectacular scenery both coastal and more inland, the park is home to many of Newfie's fauna: coyote, black bear, moose, caribou, red fox, lynx, beaver, otters, snowshoe hares, mink and Marten. Osprey and eagles glide overhead and there are the adorable Atlantic puffins along the many shore lines and inlets.

Black Otter

It may be, however, that the park's amazing geological variety is equal in attracting visitor to the wildlife. Northern spurs of the Appalachian Mountains can be seen in the westerly part of the park and Precambrian rock formations are exposed on the surface of the land due to the late glaciation era. Many types of rocks are easily visible for the delight

the

geologically fascinated: quartzite, slate,

greywacke, reddish sandstone, conglomerates and argillite.

The coast exhibits many "fingers" outstretched into the sea with secret coves and inlets hiding in the curves. To say that the scenery is rocky, precipitous and dramatic probably does it little justice. Pictures will reveal just how spectacular the coast presents itself. And at various seasons of the year, marine mammals abound offshore: orca, dolphin, and several whale types: humpback, pilot, fin, and minke. Harp seals abound in the waters as well! And there are so many ways to experience all this grandeur from whale watching , car-sightseeing, to kayaking, biking and our favorite hiking. The terrain offers every type of hiking imaginable because of the variability of the land: mountainous, to hilly, to fairly flat lands, easy to strenuous, through forests of black spruce and along dramatic rocky coasts.

TWILLINGATE AND LONG POINT This next stop was even farther north. Again, we found ourselves in a very small town with a rich history and lots of tradition. Twillingate boasts 2269 inhabitants and proudly calls itself "The Iceberg Capital of the World." It merits that nickname because icebergs can be seen offshore in the Atlantic even in summertime! I think we actually saw one while there, very far out from shore, but binoculars revealed its presence, An amusing tradition still carried on today is Screech ceremony wherein nonnatives can become honorary Newfoundlanders by participating and performing the following rituals: kiss a fish, drink a glass of Screech whiskey, and repeat the words of the master of ceremonies when he so instructs. Alas, the ceremony was not being celebrated during our visit. A yearly tradition is the Fish, Fun & Folk Festival which honors Newfie musical traditions, dances, the cod fish industry, and good food. People apparently come from around the world to this small town to enjoy the festivities. And a good thing it is too! Why? Because Twillingate is pretty much totally dependent on tourism since the cod-fishing ban was put in place in 1992. The Canadian government had determined that the codfish were being dangerously overfished and banned the industry until the stocks could be restored to normal levels. Apparently in this area, that level of restoration has not yet happened. There are service businesses in the town too, but they are pretty much dependent on tourism as well. Restaurants, gas stations, small construction companies, plumbers and electricians, teachers, clerks, grocery stores and the like can hang on even when tourist are scarce since they provide service to the local community. Long Point Light House is a tourist attraction in the Twillingate vicinity. It is a still active light with a venerable history having been in service since 1876. It is quite picturesque and definitely attracts its own audience of many tourists eager to photograph it and its spectacular setting!

GROS MORNE NATIONAL PARK The next location was well-known to Kay and Lois from a previous visit. We were eager to share this stunningly remarkable place with our fellow travelers. Established as a reserve in 1973 and raised to a national park in 2005, the park is was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1967. The park covers 697 square miles and contains the 2nd highest peak in Newfoundland (Mt. Gros Morne) at 2644 ft. It is a part of the the Long Range Mountains, an extension of the Appalachians The most important thing about the park, however, is its rare example of continental drift. On, or near, the surface of the landscape lie examples of deep ocean crust and earth's mantle layer pushed up by tectonic plate action, demonstrating the truth of the hypothesis regarding how the continents have moved and reconfigured themselves through the millennia. On the surface of the land are rocks from the Ordovician age and Precambrian granite and Paleozoic gneiss. There scientists can easily analyze and study them to learn the secrets of continental formation. It is truly an uncanny, almost spiritual, feeling to be walking on these rocks and soils.

THE TABLELANDS Tablelands park was most impressive to me because of the presence of these different rocks and soils. But also of interest was the terrain.

There is a geological explanation for this "look." The soil here is composed of peridotite which is believed to be the part of Earth's mantle forced up by the collision of continental plates several hundred million years ago. This material is devoid of the nutrients needed to foster and sustain most plant life. But there is a pitcher plant that thrives here getting its nourishment from its insect prey. We used eye droppers to suck up some juice from the plant to examine and then replaced it.

WESTERN BROOK POND Another amazing phenomenon at Gros Morne is the presence of Western Brook Pond in this landscape. The "pond" is a freshwater fjord carved out by glaciers during a recent Ice Age from 25,000 to 10,000 years ago. When the glaciers melted, the land beneath them rebounded and rose several feet from its previous level. That rebound cut the fjord off from the sea water and it gradually filled with rainwater and other freshwater sources such as underground springs. Today the pond is 19 miles long and rather narrow. The water creating the pond is among the purest freshwater collections in the world. In a world survey of freshwater bodies, it is ranked 3rd purest of all.

There are several different ways of exploring the pond, but probably the best is achieved by taking one of the authorized boat trips on the water. No pollutants are allowed on the pond, so the boats are powered by batteries. Private vessels are not allowed, but kayaks can be rented. We opted for the motorized boat we figured we would see more of the entire pond than by puttering along on our own power. The ride was spectacular because of the water's magical clarity and because of the sheer granite walls rising 1,969 ft. all around us—very impressive in their heights.

PISSING MARE FALLS Another quite dramatic sight on the pond is Pissing Mare Falls (and yes, I have spelled that correctly). Check out the link to learn the origin of this amusing name. This cataract is the 3rd highest in eastern North America and also considered to be the 199th highest in the world. Its total fall is 1,125 ft. And the 1st leap of 820 ft. is so steep and exposed that a heavy wind will cause it to blow upwards rather than falling down. Quite spectacular!

ARCHES PROVINCIAL PARK On this western coast north of Gros Morne we found Arches Provincial Park. The rock formations are composed of Ordovician aged dolomitic conglomerates which has been eroded by sea wave action. We spent an hour or so awaiting the sunset. A beautiful spot for a picnic.

The most notable animals protected in the park are the moose (the totem animal here), caribou, black bears, lynx, red fox, Arctic fox, snowshoe hares, as well as river otters and beavers!

Going was slow as there were so many beautiful sites to savor and one last small park to hike.

CONCLUSION Canada is a marvelous country with as much variety of scenery and history as our own USA. From rugged Atlantic Coast to the Pacific with mountains and prairies and big cities and huge farming areas in the middle, there is considerable similarity between the two neighbors. So many people visit Vancouver and Banff, tour the big cities like Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa, and even venture to Nova Scotia. But few realize the magical Neverland that lies farther north in Newfoundland. That's a real loss to the adventurous, the history loving, the geologically inclined, the photography enthusiastic and wildlife worshiping travelers who miss out on something truly awesome when they fail to include Newfoundland in their travel experiences. It is easy to plan a trip on your own, finding hotels convenient to your own interests. Driving yourself is perfectly doable and the roads and signage are excellent. Choose your favorite time of year to pursue your personal interests and book your flight from wherever you start to St. John's the capital of this marvelous province. But whatever you do, do not miss a chance to experience the wonder and excitement of this true "Neverland."