Wednesday and Thursday were devoted to the remainder of Gros Morne National Park…while Western Brook Pond is in the park that was a longish day so we ignored all the other stuff we passed on the park road both coming and going. Wednesday we did the southern and central portion of the park on basically a drive around tour with a couple of short hikes…while Thursday we did the northern section and went to the visitor center.

Both days the weather by the time we got out was really windy…and cold in addition on Wednesday…50s and 25+ knots of wind. Thursday dawned calm and with a forecast high of about 70…that remained true for the morning when Neil was airing up truck tires but by the time we headed out it was still warm but blowing hard again…which made for a difficult drive as most of the park road is right along the shore of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and with that much wind coming directly in from your side poor old Little Red was gettin’ blown all over the road…especially as it wasn’t steady but a really gusty wind instead.

We had chicken and rice for dinner Wednesday night…but Thursday headed out to the Gros Morne Theater Festival to see a dinner theater performance of The SS Ethie…a shipwreck just south of here. The Ethie was a coastal steamer that was wrecked in December 1919. It wasn’t the storm that caused her downfall but rather the build up of ice on the hull in combination with the storm pushing her toward the lee shore…with the ice she was unable to turn into the seas and hence get farther offshore for safety. At the last minute…the captain decided that instead of foundering on the rocks he would go full steam ahead onto Point Martin…by doing that she would still wreck but would be close enough to shore for passengers and crew to be rescued via high line to the clifftop instead of being too far offshore to reach. The plot was basically a comedy about the passengers and crew on the ship for it’s last voyage. 

Before I get into the photos from our drive…here are a series of shots taken from just in front of the rig on the bay shore at both low and high tide…they’re in pairs with the view at low tide followed by one at high tide. Don’t know what the tidal range is…but as you can see it’s a pretty significant difference between the two.

On to photos from our drive.

Looking west across the East Arm of a large fjord in the southern part of the park…Bonne Bay is the seaward portion and it splits into the East and South Arms. 

South East Brook Falls.

The Tablelands…you can see why they get their name as they’re flat on the top. According to the explanation signs…they’re actually part of the magma of the earth instead of the crust but were thrust upwards through the crust. Really moonscape-like…almost no vegetation on them as the soil is too acidic for anything to grow.

The wreckage of the SS Ethie…a little of it is still in the water but most of the remaining bits you can see are on the rocky beach.

Lobster Cove Head lighthouse…the light tower is steel instead of masonry and is attached horizontally to the keeper’s quarters in the foreground.

Steps and hatch leading to the tower…they wouldn’t let me in.

We headed out to the Gros Morne Theater Festival for dinner and a play…dinner was pan fried cod, mashed taters, veggies, and cheesecake with Partridge Berries (what Newfies call Lingonberries) for dessert. The play was a historical comedy-drama based on the actual wreck of the SS Ethie I discussed above…including the saving of baby Hilda who went ashore in mail sack. The play was essentially about a play about the shipwreck…with the director keeping interrupting the action for various cast instructions and plot changes. Not the best play we’ve ever seen…but certainly entertaining with a cast of 6 playing about15 different parts…they started the play before dinner and announced no intermission but they did take a half hour break or so to serve the meal…and the actors were the waiters and waitresses.

After dinner we came home…and the house is really rocking and rolling…according to the weather app it’s only 17 knots but it’s really at lest 30 and more than that in the gusts. 17 knots my ass sez Neil…sitting in our recliners it feels like you’re sitting in Big Red towing the rig down one of the highways here.

Tomorrow we’re just lazing ‘round…nothing planned although we may go back to Neddy’s Pub for some more brewskis and dinner since it is Lobster Festival Weekend, eh…here in Cow head. Then Saturday morning we’re off to our next stop in Quirpon at the northern tip of the island…where the Vikings established the first European settlement in North America about 1000AD…or 1000CE if you’re not into the religious suffix for the date.

Interesting things found on the net.

Not really what I expected.

Beautifully put.

Nuttin’s getting past this woman.

Another headline somebody waited his whole life to write.

And finally…wait for it…wait…

Cyas.