Green Point, Gros Morne National Park

EASTERN CANADA ROAD TRIP 2019

Another stop in Gros Morne National Park was Green Point. After just a short walk from the parking lot and down some stairs, we came to what is a very geologically significant area, adjacent to the ocean.

As you can see, the layers of rock stand vertically, but originally they formed flat as sediment settled to the ocean floor. Later, tectonic forces pushed them upright, so now, the oldest layers appear to the right and the younger layers to the left.

After her talk, the park ranger encouraged us to clamber up on the rocks and look for fossils of ocean creatures. Even Lyle was allowed, and he scrambled right up like a mountain goat, much to my surprise.

And we even found some remains of organisms that lived in the ocean hundreds of millions of years ago! We of course left our finds at the park and enjoyed showing them to other visitors who were on the hunt as well. I loved the sort of communal spirit that we all shared in our common quest after the lecture. That seems pretty far off as we enter year two of Covid-19 and socially distancing, but perhaps that is why I remember it so fondly.

Gros Morne National Park, Broom Point

EASTERN CANADA ROAD TRIP 2019

I’ll never forget our trip to Broom Point in Gros Morne National Park, because it is where we first saw minke whales. There were a couple of them surfacing right off the point and we watched them for a while. Trying to guess where they will surface next and watching the top of the water for motion just never gets old. The interpretive staff identified them for us, but the whales were not close enough to get a good photo.

But why were we at Broom Point in the first place? Every summer for about 34 years, the Mudge family - three brothers and their families - would set up in the cabin (the white building) and use the area as a base for fishing lobster, cod and salmon. Today you can see all the equipment they used and learn about the process from knowledgeable local staff. Our guide was raised in a fishing family nearby and was able to answer all our questions. This exhibit really helped us understand what a labor-intensive activity this was, and just how important it was to not only the Mudge family, but many like them up and down Newfoundland’s coast.

The surrounding landscape was just gorgeous, and we had fun looking in the tide pools at the site.

Gros Morne National Park - Trout River Pond

EASTERN CANADA ROAD TRIP 2019

Our next hike at Gros Morne National Park was Trout River Pond. We only did about the first half, which was quite muddy and very closed in by the forest. We did take a quick breather by the pond, where W thought she would see just how fast Lyle would run (answer, so fast she could hardly keep up.) I can’t remember if we even saw any other hikers on this trail, which made it a good spot to let W take over walking the dog, except when the mud was too slippery going up or downhill.

One good thing about the mud is that it is great for spotting tracks. Here she and Bri pulled out the activity booklet provided by the park and tried to figure out if we had found moose tracks.

Old Fort Niagara, NY

Not far from Niagara Falls is Old Fort Niagara, one of the prettiest forts you will ever see. The French built it in 1726, but wanted it to look like a ‘House of Peace’ instead of a fort, so as not to arouse the suspicions of the Iroquois. It was later taken by the British, then the Americans, and once again by the British. It was returned to the Americans at the end of the War of 1812. That was the fort’s last armed conflict, and since then has served as a barracks and training station.

Jesus Saves

Back in South Carolina

Mom and I have instituted a new tradition - going somewhere new on a mini-adventure every time I am in town. On this day, we were on our way to Bishopville, S.C., when we passed this sign. Don’t you just love classic backcountry roads?

Olympic National Park - Ruby Beach

Seven Weeks Across America

Driving up the Washington coast proved to be a much quieter experience than driving up the Oregon coast.  There were quite simply fewer places to stop and less people, which was really nice.  We had heard Ruby Beach was a must-see, and we were eager to park the RV and stretch our legs.  The parking lot is above the beach, and looking down we assumed it was a strenuous hike, but really it was easy and we were down in no time.  

Brian and W got right to wading along the shore.  They eventually made it down to the large rocks and even found an arch.

My favorite part, however, was the huge collection of driftwood piled against the shore.

Though I did eventually look down and was entranced by the beautiful variety of stones that make up the beach.  

Patrick's Point State Park

Seven Weeks Across America

Our first night camping along the California Coast was spent at Patrick's Point State Park.  It's a beautiful, misty forest with paths through the woods to the ocean cliffs.  We set up camp and headed out to see where the trail went, and found a rocky spot where we saw some seals.  On our way back through the Jurassic-looking foliage, we spotted this bunny on the trail.  

The next morning I got up early to take photos.  It was cool, but not cold, and it was so refreshing after spending weeks in the hot and dry southwest.  Patrick's Point was like a dream.