GTT Days 27-29

Regarding the critter in my last post, we since discovered she (or he) is a snowshoe hare. They look and act very like wild rabbits but are a lot bigger and have very large feet. Apparently they were introduced to the island and have since become the favoured food of the local lynx population. And of course people. We are learning a lot about this very different place!

August 27 - L'Anse aux Meadows, NL.

 

Since we didn't have very far to go today we had a more leisurely morning than usual. Plus the weather was lovely for once! Up at the tippity-top of Newfoundland the remains of a Viking village was discovered in 1960. It was a temporary camp, only used for about 10 years, but the discovery proved that the Norse had beaten the other Europeans to North America by some 500 years. The land is quite barren - of trees at least - but is really beautiful:

 

Nearby the original site they have built a reproduction group of sod houses:

 

 

Inside there are re-enactors doing demonstrations and answering questions for the visitors:

 

I watched two women wind part of the warp for the warp-weighted loom:

 

The room was tiny and dark and full of people so the photos I took are not great. I was also pretty sure the laborious and awkward technique they were attempting was not the best way to warp either but I kept my (loud) mouth shut! Not my place and I've never woven on this type of loom anyway. I did like the sod houses though they were a bit damp with the dirt floor. Makes sense in the circumstances.

 

This is the pole roof in a smaller sod building.

 

Afterwards we walked the trail around the headland back to the van:

 

We learned more about the plants that live in this Arctic environment and got some lovely views of the area. We went into the town of St. Anthony's for ice and groceries and then we headed back to Pistolet Bay for a second night.    

August 28 - Gros Morne National Park, NL, Shallow Bay campground.   Now we had to make the long drive back down to Gros Morne. This time we saw more than we did earlier because the weather was a lot nicer. We got to see the Arches up close this time:

 

I love the cobble beach stones, big and small:

 

Each one has its own colour and pattern. I'd love to take them all home!   Shallow Bay in contrast is a sandy beach:

 

The water was pretty warm but there was a bite in the wind even though the sun was out. Didn't stop quite a few people from playing in the water though.

August 29 - Gros Morne National Park, NL, Trout River campground.

 

Originally we had planned to stay at Shallow Bay two days but decided to skip the second day and travel down to the south side of Bonne Bay to see the Tablelands. This is a huge chunk of the earth's mantle that is exposed, a unique geologic formation:

 

 

The weather was spitting rain and we unfortunately got caught with the guided tour for awhile until they stopped for another talk and we could squeeze past them. Good thing we hustled because visibility was decreasing as it rained harder. The waterfall at the end of the trail was lovely:

 

But we got rather wet on the way back to the van, despite raincoats, one umbrella and my waxed hat (which was great BTW, keeping the rain off my head and especially my glasses).

 

Now we're stuck in the van in our campsite which we chose deliberately because we can access the wifi! Weather will be whatever it is despite our wishes otherwise. We're warm and (relatively) dry and not bored anyway.