Gander, Gros Morne and Woody Point

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We woke up in Gander and had breakfast with Shayna. She offered to show us a few highlights before we left, and we happily agreed as we really didn't want to say goodbye.

First, she took us to "Silent Witness", a peaceful park dedicated to the memory of the 256 people who lost their lives there on December 12, 1985 in an Arrow Air Crash. It was carrying US troops from Cairo to Kentucky via Gander. Among the trees and hills of the crash site stands a statue of a soldier holding the hands of a boy and girl. A 22 foot high cross made from the remains of the emergency exit door marks the spot as well. It is a somber and thought provoking place, and one can almost feel the presence of the souls still lingering there.

Next we visited a memorial which honoured a sergeant of The Royal Rifles of Canada who helped fight Japanese invaders on three occasions. What made him unusual was the fact that he was a Newfoundland dog. Gander, as he was called, picked up a thrown Japanese hand grenade and rushed with it toward the enemy, dying in the ensuing explosion, but saving the lives of several wounded Canadian soldiers. He was posthumously awarded the Dickin Medal in 2000.

We finished Gander with a visit to Cobb's Pond before saying goodbye to Shayna. We loved spending five days with her and hope that it won't be another two years before we see her again.

We left Gander for Gros Morne National Park in northwestern Newfoundland, six hours away. As we neared the park, the landscape changed dramatically. We started to see the land rise into forested mountains. The highway wound among them, rising and falling in steep hills and valleys. The ocean appeared around twists and turns, sparkling in the sun. It was mystical, breathtaking and big enough to lose yourself in. This is an amazing national park that has stunning vistas, hiking trails of every level of difficulty, colourful seaside towns and great food.

In Woody Point, a small town tucked into a pretty cove, we checked into our B&B which was over 100 years old. It was cute and quaint and had a great set of creaky old wooden stairs leading up to our bedroom.

We got our hiking clothes on and headed to The Tablelands, a mountain of flat-topped rusty coloured rock of a kind usually found only deep in the earth’s mantle. It looks like a barren desert and stands out among the verdant green mountains surrounding it. This is due to the peridotite rock which makes up the Tablelands. Peridotite lacks the usual nutrients required to sustain most plant life, hence its barren appearance. It is also high in iron, which accounts for its rusty colour. The hike was an easy one and we were able to go off the path to view a small waterfall and the resilient plant life that was able to survive in that area because of the moisture. The mountain was stunning in its starkness.

We returned to Woody Point for a delicious dinner at one of the two restaurants there and tucked into some incredibly tasty fresh scallops and cod before heading to bed.

Tomorrow we get to explore even more of this stunning place.

(Scroll to bottom of page for more photos. )

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