So Good To Be Back
We wake to the onboard announcement that we will be docking in Port aux Basques in 45 minutes, so after a comfortable sleep, we shower and have a bite of breakfast before it is announced that it is our turn to head to the car deck and our vehicle. The offloading is extremely smooth and it’s only minutes before we are on the secure footing of The Rock.
The “Newfoundland Labrador Welcome” sign is truly a welcome sight even on this cloudy day.
Following shortly after is the moose warning sign, larger than the ones in New Brunswick, advising that slowing down can save a life. I drive and we both keep an eye out for any movement on the side of the road. (This becomes our practice on every drive - rather unsettling. Three moose/car collisions in all of 2021 and three already in 2022 - must be a “covid thing”, with tourists now returning)
Less than an hour into our 2 1/2 hour drive to Corner Brook, a female and very young calf run across in front of us. They don’t even stop and look both ways! Welcome to Newfoundland, for sure!
The other warning signs are for potholes and they are aplenty!
After a quick oil change and some lunch, we are still too early to check in at the Airbnb so we find the Glynmill Pond and stretch our legs on the scenic walking trail around the pond, ending behind the Glynmill Inn and my mother’s childhood home on Park Street.
We find our accommodation to be the best Airbnb we have ever stayed in. As soon as we open the door, we smell the “clean” and have a sense of “welcome to Newfoundland” again. The space is cozy, well-stocked, quiet and there are even clothes pins so I can hang out the laundry! Having laundry in the space is a real benefit and I make good use of it, while it is available and gratis.
We have a quiet evening after pasta and the homemade sauce I have carried from Kitchener, a green salad and a bottle of Smoky Bay. Feeling very comfortable in our little space where we will spend two nights while we visit with friends and shop at the larger grocery store before heading north.
The following day, Carolyn takes us to a favourite but short trail with a marvellous view of the river, the mill and the town below. Cheryl, and Carolyn’s father join us for a marvellous late lunch at Bishop’s Tavern at the site of Marble Mountain Ski Resort. Cheryl’s nephew greets us, shows us the very large smoker and gives us some insight as the resort’s food and beverage manager.
After tea and photos and “goodbyes” we return to our suite to pack and prepare for tomorrow’s departure.
It’s another cloudy, but warm day, as we begin our journey up the Northern Peninsula. Deer Lake is the last large centre so we stop for Mary Brown’s Chicken before driving the short hour to Norris Point, snug in Gros Morne National Park.
Along the way we stop for a short visit at friends’ “cabin”, enjoying the view, the deck and fighting the urge to swim in the warm water of Bonne Bay Big Pond. We meet the very large, slobbery neighbour: our first encounter with a true Newfoundland Dog.
Our accommodation at Norris Point is a bit disappointing but it’s only for one night and being so close to where my Grandma (Laing)Chevalier grew up at Birchy Head makes it all ok.
Before the rain, we walk the short distance to the shore and beach comb as far as we can until Bonne Bay opens and the rain and wind force us back for our dinner. The rocks along the shore are multi-coloured and the driftwood is large enough to sit on while we look with wonder at the spectacle of the pink rock of the Tableland Mountains rising behind the green rolling hills of the shore. There is still snow lacing through the crevices. Such happy memories of our visit and trail walk on the mountains five years ago.
When we leave for points north the following morning, we stop first at the cemetery behind our cabin. I grab shots of several Laing headstones, hoping to connect through the family tree when we get home.
A couple of fisherman are happy to chat at the Neddy Harbour wharf and to show us their catch of cod. One has lived here all his life, doesn’t travel far but enjoys the visits from his 42 great grandchildren. Tourists are gathering at the Bonne Bay Marine Station for guided hikes and boat tours.
The cloud is very heavy when we pass through Rocky Harbour and stop for a short walk around the Head at Lobster Cove. Further, we stop to share a seafood platter at a small newly opened restaurant along the way.
I never tire of the splendid scenery of Gros Morne and the Long Range Mountains. The drive up the peninsula is breathtaking at every turn. We drive so close to the ocean, we can hear the surf to the left. To the right is the low scrubby growth of the tuckamore forest, flat terrain and a myriad of ponds between us and the 600-800 metre high rocky and green mountains. We cross several rivers where fishermen stand in the water casting for the local salmon and trout.
Before heading to our accommodation, we make the drive around the South Arm of Bonne Bay, passing through Glenburnie, Birchy Head, Shoal Brook and Woody Point - I marvel at the beauty of my grandmother’s birth place and wonder why anyone would want to leave.
The roadsides are covered in large hogweed, poisonous but the large white flowers are almost as stunning as the lupins in places south.
The clouds hang heavy and low but we can make out the entrance to Western Brook Pond, glad the day we visited it was a beautiful blue sky and flat water.
Our last stop is at Arches Provincial Park where we walk the short distance to the shore where a couple from South Carolina are happy to take our photo, and appreciate our offer of the same. (Some places just aren’t suited to selfies.)
Three natural arches have been formed from thousands of years of waves lashing against the porous rock. The open Gulf of St. Lawrence rages beyond.
At 3:30pm we arrive at the Port Saunders Marine Centre and Northern Boat Repair, where we find Seabiscuit as we left her. The yard is closed on Saturday, so it is quiet. We climb the ladder Ambrose has kindly left for us and open the boat to find mildew has grown since the weather started to warm and a couple of windows have sprung leaks. We will have our work cut out for us when we return in coming days, but for now we head to the Sea Echo Motel at Port au Choix, our home for the next four nights.
It’s good to be “home” and we believe Seabiscuit is happy to have us back.
