Day 5 & 6 - July 17-18

DAY 5


We had been hearing about Fish and Brewis with scrunchins and it turned up on the breakfast buffet in Labrador. I tasted it and it wasn't bad. Not quite as good as the French Toast with home made Bake apple /Cloud berry jam that I developed a taste for though.

Fish and Brewis with scrunchin's.
Split cakes of PURITY HARD BREAD; allow one cake per person. In a large saucepan place Hard Bread; well covered with water. Soak overnight. Next day, using the same water, salt to taste and bring Hard Bread to near boil. DO NOT BOIL. DRAIN IMMEDIATELY. Keep hot.

To prepare SALT FISH - Skin dried salt fish. Cut fish into serving pieces; cover with cold water and soak overnight. Next day, change water and bring to a boil for 20 minutes, or until fish flakes with a fork. Drain; remove fish bones. Combine fish and prepared hard bread (Brewis). Serve with "Scrunchions" (small cubes of fat back pork fried to golden brown); use as a gravy over Fish and Brewis.




We caught the ferry back to St Barbe, getting a foggy look at our iceberg and retraced our way back down the highway. We stopped at Plum Point for lunch (restaurant in the hotel we had stayed in on our way north) then continued on, with a convenience stop or two, all the while watching for moose. As we travel south our chances of seeing them decreases and Margaret expects each tour she takes to spot more than the last. Our final count was 13.

We stopped at THE ARCHES PROVINCIAL PARK, a chance to stretch our legs, wander the pebble beach and to take photos.

Misty fog but no rain.
The Arches showcase a geological formation formed over millions of years as a result of glacial action, wind and water erosion ...

Nothing to hear but the water of the Gulf of St Lawrence breaking against the rocks.

Paul's pictures look a bit foggier than mine, we must have been using different camera setting.

Our hotel for the next two nights is in Cow Head, back within the borders of Gros Morne Park on the banks of Shallow Bay. It is home to a very good amateur theatre group. Our tour included a performance for tomorrow night but we picked up on the offer to pay the difference and add a play to our dinner tonight. The cast stopped half way through, fed us our dinner and then finished the play, S.S. Ethie, about a ship wreck in the area.

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DAY 6

When we got up this morning we weren't sure we would be taking the boat ride on Western Brook Pond ( a fresh water lake/fjord - link ) one of the spots high on my list of 'really want to see' along with an iceberg and a whale.
Weather conditions started to improved when we left the hotel after breakfast and we watched and cheered as the fog burn away. We took along rain coats in case the ride was wet and because late afternoon rain showers were predicted.

The 3 km walk to get to Western Brook Pond has flat marsh areas and hilly woodlands. It was hard not to linger, I tended to trail behind, but we had a boat to catch.

Arriving at the dock.

Low clouds on the horizon as we started the trip. The guides on board provide an amazing amount of information in their commentary and can answer any questions.

Truly beautiful, no photo can do it justice.

Waterfall

Tucked in there is another waterfall,

and yet another, thanks to the rain so far in the area over the past weeks. I lost count of how many we saw and if memory serves this one is called Pissing Mare Falls.

Clear blue sky.

The storm clouds rolling in.

It was a case of moving quickly in the hopes of missing the rain once we docked but the sky opened up 5 minutes into our walk. It poured. There were great claps of thundered and vertical strikes of lightning .. Paul was concerned about our walk through the flat open areas .. and we got soaked. Tucking our cameras under our coats and keeping our heads down we squished our way back to the bus. Not a prayer of keeping dry. The rain stopped just as quickly as it had started, done by the time we reached the parking lot.

It took 3 days for our shoes to dry. Thankfully we had both packed a second pair of good walking/hikers.

Late lunch, quiet afternoon, wine and beer party that Margaret hosted with everyone having an opportunity to say a little about themselves then dinner and our short walk next door to the theatre to see The Oracle put on by the Gros Morne Theatre Festival. Total enjoyment.