Aug 5

I'm sitting in the most beautiful campsite in the world, looking over the ocean towards Labrador, watching the sunset.  I have a beer in my hand, 2 lobsters on the table cooling, and computer connnected to wifi.  Who could ask for more?  We can't leave this lovely spot in Gros Morne Park - too much hiking to do, a great fish store down the road, nice neighbours to meet by the campfire as the sun sets.  How will we see the rest of Newfoundland?  Today N did the arduous 15 km Gros Morne mountain hike, and I took a boat ride to see the geology and scenery of the coastline.  Wed. we hiked to a fabulous waterfall, and saw 2 moose, at last!   It would take a month to hike all the trails, and sample all the local fish and beer. 

We want to continue up the Northern Penninsula to L'anse aux meadows, but we know it will be cooler and foggier, and couldn't be so lovely.  Tomorrow we may pry ourselves off this cliff to drive another 400 km north to see.  For history buffs, the east coast has the west coast beat by a few centuries.  John Cabot arrived on these shores in 1497.  Samuel de Champlain expored and exploited through the 1700's.  And of course, the Vikings came to fish and tell tall tales 1000 years ago.  There are first nation's grave sites and archeological remains dating back to the Cape Dorset people 4000 years ago.  We walked with the Park Naturalist along the shale and limestone shoreline that dates back 450 million years, and in the background are the ridges and rocks of the Long Range mountains, the northern end of the Appalachian chain, which are the oldest rocks on earth - 1.2 billion years old. 

Also in Gros Morne is one of the few sites on earth where the iron rich rocks of the earth's mantle is exposed above the surrounding crust, in the Tablelands plateau.  On the way back through the park we'll take a guided walk there.  We have a date to meet some friends here in 2 weeks and join them for a writers' festival, so we'll have more time to explore. 

Meanwhile off to the north, and Labrador too.  Icebergs are on the agenda, whales, and more lobster!