Adventure Caravans by RV to the Gaspe Peninsula and the Canadian Maritimes

Day 42 - Rocky Harbour, NL
Today many of us opted to take the Western Brook Pond Boat Tour in Gros Morne Park. In Newfoundland, all their lakes are referred to as Ponds.	We parked our cars in a large parking lot and then began a 2.5 KM hike to the dock at the end of Western Brook Pond. The trail crossed many peat bogs where we walked on long boardwalks.
We passed Jacks Pond where the distant hills surrounding Western Brook Pond were reflected its glassy surface.	As we walked over the hills leading to the pond, the path turned to a fine gravel with small pine trees and wildflowers lining both sides.
Arriving at the ticket office/gift shop/snack bar, we found the other members of our group waiting for the launch to depart.	At 10:00 AM we boarded the two boats for the trip. You can see the opening to the "inland fjord" straight ahead in the picture above.
Of the two boats, we chose the smaller one which had the narration in English only.	A look back at the dock and buildings.
Western Brook Pond fjord in Gros Morne National Park provides a dramatic setting for a boat tour. The Long Range Mountains, the northernmost extent of the Appalachians, contain numerous glacially-carved fjords.	One of the most spectacular fjords is the Park's largest lake, Western Brook Pond.
This 19 mile long lake, with a depth of 541 feet, is home to Atlantic Salmon, Brook Trout and Arctic Char.	The rocky cliffs tower above the water as the boat tour travels along to show us some of the more spectacular sections of the Western Brook Pond.
There were a number of small waterfalls cascading down the almost 2000 foot tall cliffs. This one, called Blue Denim, was one of the prettiest, as it splashed into the crystal clear water of Western Brook Pond.	If you look carefully at the picture above you will see what appears to be a face on the cliff. They call it the "Tin Man". The massive cliffs of the pond are rimmed by this 1.2 billion-year-old granite and gneiss that were thrust up as the continents collided, providing some of the world's best illustrations of plate tectonics.
There is a great deal of vegetation covering the cliffs around the pond, and many places where the cliffs have broken free and tumbled down the slopes into the water.	This bear was sitting on the rubble in the picture shown on the left. Can you see him? ... I couldn't! This picture was taken by Carl Bender, who has much better vision than I.
Fringed by the majestic scenery of sheer cliff faces which tower to around 2000 feet, it is easy to see that Western Brook Pond had it's beginnings as a glacier carved fjord. The cliffs, which belong to the Long Range Mountains (and therefore the Appalachian Mountains), were created after glaciers carved the fjord out of the plateau. Eventually, once the glaciers melted, the land formed over the entrance to the fjord and cut it off from the sea. After many years the trapped salt water was replaced by fresh water.	This was the last waterfall at the end of the pond called "Pissing Mare Falls". The name? Your guess is as good as mine.
Looking back from the end of the pond, we see the larger boat approaching us.	At the end of the pond, a group of boy scouts and their leaders left the boat to begin a five day trek across the table lands of Gros Morne Park. We all were happy to be going back to our RV's tonight. Good luck gentlemen!
The cloud cover was getting lower and lower as is evidenced by these clouds touching the tops of cliffs surrounding the pond.	On our walk back we had more time to enjoy the trail. The bees were very much in evidence as they gathered pollen from the many wildflowers along the path. Surprisingly, there were very few mosquitoes.
Our next stop was Broom Point. The site consists of a cabin and a fish store restored to the way they were when the family lived and worked there. Boats built by the Mudge family are exhibited in the fish store alongside nets, traps, and other home-made gear.	The cabin is filled with many original artifacts including handiwork and furniture the family donated for the restoration. In a small cove just south of the point, there is a cemetery where some of the earlier residents of Broom Point are buried.
We then went to the Green Point Campground and hiked South along the coastal trail. This photo looks North toward Green Point.	The trail features cobble beaches and tuckamore forests.
As you can see, the vegetation changed dramatically as we walked along the trail. ..	from the stark darkness of the trail picture to the left to the brightly lit meadows covered with wildflowers.

Bob and Pat Breitler took these great pictures of two bull moose next to the road going to Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse.
This evening we were treated to a fabulous Hamburger Feast. Here the staff is preparing the burgers.	We had a lovely shelter available for our use where the staff setup the food for us to partake.
Bob and Sue Schmidt went to a little town called Norris Point today and viewed the tall ship Caledonia. She is a square-rigged barquentine, and is the largest sailing ship built in Canada in the last 100 years. She is the only sailing Expedition Cruise Vessel of its size offering shipboard coastal adventures in North America. She belongs to an organization called Sailing Ship Adventures.	View of the East Arm from Norris Point. The dark clouds and dark calm water give this photo a somewhat sinister look.
We are all enjoying yet another staff provided meal.	As if the meal wasn't enough, Terry came out with a wonderful chocolate/white cake with chocolate frosting. All those with a birthday or anniversary in July or August were invited to be the first served.
After dinner, six of us took a walk along Brooks Falls trail. The trail started about 100 yards away from our campground.	And it ended at Brooks Falls as it cascaded over the rocks and continued its journey downstream.
Click here for a Google map of above pictures. Day 41 - Day 43

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