The Nomads

Flatwater Pond Campground
Near Ming’s Bight, Nfld.

Today was a long run from the Baie Vertr peninsula all the way to Trout River in Gros Morne, and then on to Rocky Harbour.
Again, we were pelted with biting rain and high winds but had a few clear moments off and on; the weather seems to be on permanent “rain, cloud, sun, rain” cycle! What we’ve seen so far of Gros Morne Park is impressive to say the least! Lots of moose, no caribou so far….
But a first for this trip….snow on the high ground!!
If you look carefully at one of the pictures of Trout River you will see up in the upper right that there is a snow field laying in what is called “The Tablelands” way up beyond the town!

I suspect there is very little to sustain the folks of Trout River; Not exactly what I would call a tourist destination, picturesque, but poor, for sure!
The road in and out is sure to thrill any motorcyclist!

Gander
Rain


We were off early from the hotel to try and make it to La Scie, an old Basque fishing village tucked away at the very tip of the Baie Verte peninsula(an area known between 1500 and 1900 as the French shore, Le Petit Nord). The name of the town is french for “saw” because the hills around the harbour look like saw teeth.
We drove all day in rain and mist to get there and the last fifteen miles of road were a nightmare but the trip was worth it for the view from the top of Island Cove.
It would have been nice to drop in to Nipper Harbour but I really wasn’t up to seventeen kilometres of dirt road on a rainy day.
We pulled up for the night in Flatwater Pond where we shared our campfire with a local young couple, Joel from Ming’s Bight and Meagan from Nipper harbour on the opposite side of the peninsula. How did they ever hook up? Well they ‘was to a “cabin party” where we first seen each other.’
Joel had just returned from nine weeks off Greenland, his first time away working on a Turbot boat and Meagan was some happy to have him back!

Clarenville
Rainy

Slept in and sinfully lazy and slow all morning! Sue used the opportunity to post to the blog and Facebook.
We were anticipating 60% rain so this time I “double bagged it”!
Two sets of rain pants and I was reasonable sure that I would be pulling in to wherever tonight with dry skivvies! (Worked like a charm, but oh so hot when hiking around!)
The trip up Trinity Bay was a return engagement with bad road surface and alternating rain, fog, and sun on about a ten minute cycle. The coast really only started to show above Lethbridge. Very nice coastline, and the village of Trinity East was well worth the sidetrack.
Stopped in to the Corner Pub and Grill in Bonavista for some “fish and brewis”, a concoction of fried “hard-bread”, onions, and fish bits….interesting, but definitely won’t be my next meal…. Great desserts though, and the coffee was good.
Made the acquaintance of Harko and Amanda, displaced Aussies from “Onterrible” who have committed themselves to a three month moto tour of all of the Atlantic Provinces.
The town of Bonavista itself was less than spectacular, but the view from Bonavista Cape was pretty; and the puffins beyond the lighthouse were a treat! (thanks for the tip Harko and Amanda)
The lighthouse is a stone’s throw from where John Cabot, sailing The Matthew, first made landfall back on June 24 1497. Desolate spot for sure, must have been really hard up to get to solid ground……!

We came back towards Gander on the west coast of the Bonavista peninsula by way of Summerville and King’s Cove, through Port Blandford and on up towards Terra Nova Park. Our intention was to camp but by the time we got to the park we were in a driving rain which increased in intensity as we approached Gander so we decided to hotel it for the night in Gander.