When we left L’Anse aux Meadows it was pouring rain. We had had some intermittent rain and wind for the three days we were there, but our travel day was miserable. Well, that timing was great. We were able to literally ride out the bad weather. We were going to Rocky Harbour, in Gros Morne National Park. We drove back down the Viking Trail. Our first side trip was to Port au Choix. There was another lighthouse there, and it was ghostly in the fog. Dale saw some caribou off in the distance so he started walking towards them to get a photo. It was cold so I went back to the car. I was keeping a watchful eye on Dale and I was amused to see that the caribou were also walking, towards the parking lot. I rolled down the window and got my picture. Dale got back in the car, excited that he had been so close to the caribou, but I teased him that my pictures were just as good, and I was warm and dry. We drove to the Port au Choix National Historical Site Interpretation Centre. It details the history of the indigenous peoples of the area by showcasing the artifacts found in the area. It was a fascinating and informative visit.
Our next stop was the site of the shipwreck of the S.S. Ethie. There isn’t much to mark the spot, a small wooden sign and stairs to the beach. We learned most of the information about it online. There were still pieces of the boat in the water and on the beach. Thankfully everyone survived.
After a shipwreck site it was appropriate that we stopped at a lighthouse. The weather had cleared a little and at the lighthouse at Lobster Cove we took a short but pleasant walk. It was a quick visit as we planned to come back. We walked back to the car and drove to Rocky Harbour. We had booked into a yellow chalet up on the hillside. The GPS took us up from the highway on several paved roads, then back down a very narrow, steep, unpaved road. There were several signs “Primitive Road, Use at Your Own Risk”. We slowly bounced down to the chalets, only to find a perfectly paved road coming up to them that we could have taken. Why the GPS took us up and then down instead of just up was beyond us. The chalet was beautiful and had a kitchen so we went on a grocery run. Now, Rocky Harbour is a small town, with no real grocery stores, just convenience stores. Several hours later after visiting the convenience stores in several communities we bought a Kraft pizza kit and a package of assorted pizza meats, but no mozzarella, we couldn’t find mozzarella. I remember making Kraft pizza as a teenager. Making and then eating the pizza was like taking a trip in the wayback machine, that’s for all you Professor Peabody and Sherman fans out there.
We did go back to the Lobster Cove lighthouse the next day and we took a walk around the grounds. We went down to the lighthouse keeper’s garden. It was in an exposed but sunny location. We walked along the paths that wound through thick vegetation and then opened up to incredible ocean views. We came back to find a notice on our vehicle. As we were in Gros Morne National Park we were supposed to buy a pass to visit any of the sites. It was a confusing situation. There is no indication at the park entrance that you are supposed to stop and buy a pass if you are going to visit any of the sites. The park administration buildings are well off the highway. We felt bad, but every car in the lot had the notice. Perhaps Parks Canada should reconsider the park entrance and appropriate signage.
We hadn’t made any plans for our Thursday night accommodation. But Dale did some quick research and we took off east, on the road we had travelled before and then turned north, Bonavista bound!