June 18th - Gros Morne National Park - Day 1

I wanted to mention some information we learned earlier in the northern peninsula but forgot. We were surprised that there are no windmills because the wind is strong and constant. We asked a docent at Norstead about that and he said it is just too windy. He said in the winter they always loose power because the wind blows down poles and lines. He said often it is too windy for them to be repaired for weeks on end. He said every house has two sources of heat, one of which is a wood stove. Making wood for heat is really big up here. There are stacks of wood everywhere along the highway. Here is a picture of one of hundreds of wood piles we've driven by. They are stacked along the highway to make them easy to get to.

We drove south down the peninsula all day in the rain to get back to Gros Morne National Park. We drove through it on our way up north but didn't stop. We stopped in the Visitors Center and learned that we had to call or get online to make reservations for the boat trip through the park fiords. We called and were able to get on the 3:00 p.m. boat tomorrow. We then headed to the KOA nearby. We were given a site in the woods which ended up being too tight for our rig to fit into. In fact I scraped the back of Marge trying to get parked. The backend was totally blind from the driver's seat and I couldn't see Kelly telling me to stop. Here is a picture. I'm pretty sure it will rub out with a little effort when we get home.

I walked back to the office and told them I couldn't get into the spot. They gave me a new pull through spot at no extra charge, which was really nice of them. We got set up on the new site and headed to out to explore the area. The sun finally came out and our first stop was at Norris Point. The view from the overlook was breathtaking. Here are a couple of pics. 

We then drove down onto Norris Point and to the wharf area. Here are a couple of pictures from the wharf.

Kelly wanted to have a beer overlooking the view so we sat outside on the pub's dock. Here is a picture of Kelly and Kellen enjoying their beverages. The pub put up plastic sheets along the rails to block the wind. Fortunately for us it was sunny and not windy.

By the time we drove a mile back up the hill to the overlook, it was completely foggy, that is how fast the weather changes with fog moving around all the time.

From Norris Point we headed about five miles away to the lighthouse at Lobster Head. It is a small lighthouse compared to the one in L'Anse Amour. What is fascinating to me about the lighthouses is how long the lightkeepers lived and worked here. At this one a man was here for forty-five years and then his son took over for another twenty-nine years. They both raised their families there. By the time we got to the lighthouse the fog had moved in. Here is a picture. It is interesting how they connected the house to the lighthouse with a stairwell so the keeper didn't have to go outside.

Tomorrow we will have a lazy morning, do laundry, fuel up, and then head to Western Brook Pond to catch the boat for a tour of the fiords. It is an hour walk from the parking lot to the boat, never had that situation before. The weather is supposed to be partly cloudy so we are excited and hoping to have exceptional views.