Shelter for the Soul

WESTERN NEWFOUNDLAND: A PLACE THAT RUSH HOUR FORGOT

by Karen Temple

Stepping out of the airport in Deer Lake is like getting off one of those amusement park rides when your head is spinning faster than the ground is moving. Things just are calmer and gentler in Western Newfoundland. Our trip began with a drive south to visit the town of Stephenville. The location of a U.S. WWII base Stephenville is a proud little town that has been plagued by recent plant closures. We enjoyed visiting the music shop on main street. Never have I seen so many accordions of all sizes and colours. Danny’s Bake Shop was a hit with us too. We picked up a couple of sandwiches and headed out to Port au Port Peninsula to do some hiking. One thing about Newfoundland is that if you don’t like the weather, wait ten minutes. We drove the loop around the Peninsula hoping the rain would pass. We marveled at the well-kept houses of this French speaking community and the lack of commercialized businesses. Not one Tim’s to be found. We passed a cube van with the back open selling fresh produce. The scenery was spectacular. Arriving back at the isthmus, connecting the peninsula to the main land, we gave in, donned our rain suits and hit the hiking trail. It was absolutely pouring but the trail was fantastic.

Next was Corner Brook. This small farming village set in a beautiful valley exploded into a town when Bowater opened a sawmill. The plant now operated by Kruger Incorporated is enormous. At first glance it appears to be an eyesore but a visit to the local museum puts everything in perspective and one realizes how the mill management created a “town” for their workers that includes a green space that cuts across town with a trail system and even a swimming spot. Think of Ottawa with the canal and Moonies Bay but here the water is so clean you can see the bottom — you get the idea.

We continued our visit of Corner Brook by pedal power. Cycle Solutions is a local outfit offering cycle tours, trips and other adventures (www.cyclesolutions.ca). Our bike tour of Corner Brook started at the top of James Cooke National Historic Site high on the south side of town. Thankfully, we were driven there — it’s quite a steep hill. We had thrilling ride down through the neighborhood streets. I marveled at the number of homes with doors well above ground level that were, humm, just there. The boys from Cycle Solutions described these as mother-in-law doors. We pedaled across town, passing the giant Bowater plant. Interestingly, there is no smell from the plant. Any offending scents are blown out to sea. We headed toward the mouth of the Humber River on the north end of town stopping for a tour of the Railway Society of Newfoundland’s museum. No longer working today, the train was known as the Newfie Bullet — tongue in cheek. The museum and train tour give a glimpse into the history of the province. Our ride up the hill and back to Cycle Solutions was a little more challenging but well worth the work. Back at the bike shop I thanked the boys and visited Brewed Awakenings next door for a well earned smoothie.

We stocked up on trail mix and beef jerky and headed for Gros Morne National Park. Just up the highway we passed Marble Mountain, the local ski area, that gets an average of 16 feet of snow every year and the temperature rarely dips below -5˚C. Wow! Imagine having a compact Mont Tremblant 10 minutes from home. Corner Brook just might be an outdoor adventure paradise. Further up the highway we turned onto Route 430 — the Viking Trail and the entrance to Gros Morne National Park. A UNESCO world heritage site, this National Park is unlike most as it has pocket communities peppered throughout the park. We had been warned about Newfie speed bumps and it didn’t take long to find one — a moose that is. The park is full of them. We leisurely made our way up the highway stopping to observe a lookout here or walk down to a beach there. Gros Morne is the antithesis of the ready-made destination — it’s about slowing down, exploring new things and finding yourself. We stopped for the night at the Shallow Bay Motel in Cow Head. This family owned business makes you feel like you have come home again. Newfoundlanders are quiet, private people but get them talking and you are there for hours. This was the case at the Shallow Bay Motel www.shallowbaymotel.com. Proprietor, Darryl House introduced me to literally a bus load of patrons. Darryl teamed up with the Corner Brook based Theatre Newfoundland Labrador (TNL) to bring the Gros Morne Theatre Festival to town. Now working on it’s 14 season, this summer theatre festival is top shelf a href="http://www.theatrenewfoundland.com">www.theatrenewfoundland.com. The TNL has toured it’s plays in 6 Canadian provinces, the UK and Australia. Offering two shows a night the company’s productions offer a glimpse of rural life in Newfoundland. We were lucky enough to see two shows. Keep an eye on the GCTC schedule as the TNL do bring their productions to Ottawa.

Western Brooke Pond is nothing like the name suggests but well worth the 3 km hike in. We bought tickets dockside and boarded a boat for a guided tour of the fjords. These billion year-old cliffs are spectacular. It was great to chat with other tourist and swap stories. On the trip back to dock our captain kept us entertained with local music.
On to Norris Point to visit the Bonne Bay Marine Station. This world-class research and teaching facility offers courses through Memorial University but is open to the public for Interactive Aquarium Tours www.bonnebay. ca. The biologist gave us a wealth of information about the unparalleled marine ecosystem of this bay. Aside from meeting Pierre the two-toned American lobster, we learned a whole bunch of nifty facts including the scallop myth. According to our biologist/guide if you’re eating a scallop anywhere west of Nova Scotia — you’re likely not. A ray with a shellfish smell called Skate is fished and cut with cookie cutters and sold to us “westerners” as scallops. Full of local bay knowledge, we set off for an afternoon paddle on the Bonne Bay. Gros Morne Adventures offer daily guided tours that leave from their beach front shop in Norris Point. With the view of the Tablelands on one side and Gros Morne Mountain looming large on the other side, we paddled out onto the bay. It didn’t take long to get the hang of a sea kayak. We saw a mink scurry by on the rocky shore and a Humpback whale surface about 40 feet in front of us. An eagle flew overhead. Spectacular! Pleased with our day’s adventure we headed to Neddies Harbour Inn for the night www.theinn.ca. A beautiful spot looking out over Bonne Bay Neddies has an almost spa like atmosphere. We enjoyed a superb meal and hit the hay early as we wanted to hike the Tablelands early the next morning. We joined a scheduled Parks Canada hike on the Tablelands Trail. The interpreter shared with us his knowledge of plate tectonics and why this site is the world’s best example. Some 500 million years ago these rocks were the underside of the ocean’s floor. The Tableland have a red glow to them and can be seen from most vantage points in Gros Morne. Atop this rocky terrain you can find an odd little plant call the Pitcher plant; an example of nature’s uncanny ability to adapt to its surroundings. Our packs full of rain suits and trail mix, true to the 10 minute rule, the weather turned and it became unbearably hot. Our conversation turned to swimming and the interpreter shared with us one of his favorite swimming holes. “Just past Birchie Head take a right just before the bridge. Park and hike in.” We didn’t need much convincing, with a brief stop for sandwiches, it didn’t take us long to find the spot either. The swimming was glorious. A few local boys came to jump off the rocks further upstream. Another lady arrived with her puppy who she was trying to teach how to swim. We stayed all afternoon.

Our last day in Newfoundland was coming to an end. We drove out to Trout River on the Gulf of St. Lawrence to eat dinner at the Seaside Restaurant and watch the sun set. Western Newfoundland is like a big piece of heaven here on earth with it’s ancient mountains, fjords, hundreds of kilometers of hiking trails and beautiful sandy beaches. My soul had found peace.

For more information on Western Newfoundland visit, www.westernnl.com. To plan a trip to Gros Morne National Park visit,www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ nl/grosmorne/index_E.asp