Monday, July 13 - Rocky Harbour

G and J and I headed north from Port aux Basques on Highway 1 (shades of Iceland).  At first it looked rather desolate.  The few trees along the road were stunted or dead.  It did't look promising.  But that soon changed.  There were lush forests, lakes, sea views, mountains -- even a ski resort.  We drove for three hours to Deer Lake and then turned off on highway 430 which is called The Viking Trail.  After another hour we arrived at Rocky Harbour.

Rocky Harbour is at the edge of Gros Marne National Park which is one of the most picturesque parts of Newfoundland, we are told.  Plus it has lots and lots of moose.  They tell us there are 110,000 moose in Newfoundland-- with about 6,000 in Gros Marne.  I see a lot of them on the restaurant menus but so far we haven't seen any in person.

We went on two hikes in the afternoon - one in the woods (looking for moose) and one along the shore. Then we visited a wildlife museum where we saw a dead moose and finished up with a wonderful supper.  Meals in NS and NL haven't been too exciting (except for the lobster).  But here in Rocky Harbour (population 900) we have found a gem--Java Jack's Cafe. G and I had the bouillabaisse something something.  We call it fish soup.  Outstanding!  J had a vegetarian tart--kale, quinoa, and lots of veggies on a crust.  He really liked it.

I'm attaching all the photos at the end here because they make my margins go nuts.  But sometimes the pictures go nuts, too.  Here's what I'm hoping to attach:  (Mind, they may not show up in this order, if they show up at all.)

G and J hiking in woods
Lupines- these lined the roads for miles!
L and G standing with a tacky moose because they can't find a real one.
Moose poop. - this may be the closest we'll come to a moose.

Nope, it's not going to happen.  Can't get the pictures to load.  I'll try tomorrow.  Maybe the Vikings will have a faster wifi.