July 7th - Gros Morne National Park

Gros Morne National Park of Canada

I didn't take this photo - it came off of a Canada Park site.  Just looking at the picture means little - other than some rust colored dirt and rocks.  But - what is significant is the patch of ground was a part of the earth's mantel and was pushed up when the two continental shelves collided.  Also - nothing grows on it.  On one side of the road was lush vegetation and on the other side was this - with hardly any plant life. 

Gros Morne National Park of Canada was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. It is an area of great natural beauty with a rich variety of scenery, wildlife, and recreational activities. Visitors can hike through wild, uninhabited mountains and camp by the sea. Boat tours bring visitors under the towering cliffs of a freshwater fjord carved out by glaciers. Waterfalls, marine inlets, sea stacks, sandy beaches, and colourful nearby fishing villages complete the phenomenal natural and cultural surroundings of Gros Morne National Park of Canada.

The above italicized paragraph came from the park's website also. The park is by far one of the most interesting that I've seen on this trip.  The mountains of Glacier National Park and Banff were amazing but the variation of the topography in this park makes you want to spend days here. 


Newfoundland is a richly diverse island that is so different than any other of the provinces that I've visited.  There are some population centers with all of the conveniences but it is also very sparsely populated. 

I'm dealing with the same issues of rain that I have been plagued with on this trip but I have seen so many incredible sites and met some great people that the rain is just a minor annoyance.  Bill - the 78 year old riding partner that I met on the ferry put it all in perspective when we made a stop, stating - "it's great to be alive."

 Bonne Bay - Gros Morne

  The little town on the right is Trout River, on the edge of the park.  It's home for 600 people with most of their income coming from fishing.  There is no doctor or nurse in town.  The closest hospital is 2 hours away.

Right now I'm in Cow Head, a town on the north end of the park. Bill and I have rooms in a small motel and stopped a little late in the day.








If you are not sure where Newfoundland is - on this map, it's the furthest part of Canada to the right - an island and I will be at the very northern tip on Friday.