A little Newfie Heaven

It had been seven years since we last set foot on the Rock and it was time for a return to Canada's eastern Isle and a visit to see our friend Aare's new house! While we were apprehensive based on the forecast before we left (it being that the best day would be one of sun and nineteen degrees while the rest were overcast and/or rainy), we were truly blessed while we were there. All four days were filled with sunshine and perfect weather until the end when it rained as we left.

We landed at the Deer Lake Airport late on Wednesday night, or was it Thursday morning?, with the flight touching down at 2AM and our bags being available around 2:30AM! Then it was an hour and twenty minute drive through the darkness past Deer Lake, Pasadena, Humber Village (where Aare once lived), Corner Brook and Mount Moriah until we arrived at Aare's house in Benoit's Cove where Aare's new house is located.

It's a two-bedroom, one floor bungalow with a newly done basement and an amazing view out over the Bay of Islands, although we had no idea when we first arrived as it was 4AM!  So after a few pints and stories we finally got to bed as the sun was coming up and we slept late ...

The next day the forecast had called for sixteen degrees and partly cloudy but it was twenty degrees and a few scattered clouds!

We had much needed coffee around the firepit leading to the escarpment which leads to the water's edge.

Even though the weather was gorgeous, after a late start and our slow speed after the previous night's festivities, we opted to stay close to Aare's place and ended up playtesting Game of Thorns that afternoon and night! The playtest was long at seven hours but we finally managed to get the first game completed!

The next day (Friday) we had a hearty breakfast before setting off for Gros Morne in the afternoon. Of course, Aare's cat ("CC") decided to toy with us a bit and hide outside when we were ready to go resulting in a short wait while we tried to hunt her down, gave up, turned to beer and finally Aare found her on a second sweep.

Then it was off for the just over two hour drive to Rocky Harbour within Gros Morne National Park.

For those not in the know, Gros Morne is an amazing National Park on the west coast of Newfoundland. The park hosts a variety of trails from the arduous 16km "Gros Morne Mountain" to the very short 250m "Mattie Mitchell".

We first visited the park in 2007 but did not hike as it was May 24 weekend and there was still snow on the ground up to our knees!

In 2008, we returned and did the namesake "Gros Morne Mountain" hike which was amazing but exhausting. The views from the top of Gros Morne are beyond compare and highly recommended to those who can make the hike with its 800m ascent (and descent!).

On our trip in 2009, we hiked "Green Gardens" with its descent to the coast, wonderful views over the water and ascent back to the start.

We arrived with enough time to check in at our B&B and then head out to do the two hour, six kilometre loop, called the "Coastal Trail" hike out along the beach.

It was a great start to our time in Gros Morne; an easy hike with amazing views out over the water and then a short hike through a wooded area before coming out at the far point of the loop, overlooking the water once more.


As we went, Aare told us the names of various flora and we added said flowers to Lisa's hat until it was overflowing with colour. Aare works for the government and spends much of his summer in the wilds recording the presence of flora and is thus quite knowledgeable in these things!

We arrived back at the B&B in high spirits and went off in search of dinner. We first tried "Jackie's", a local unlicensed fish and chips joint but they were closing up and not happy to seat us so we went to the chic tourist spot "Java Jack's". While the meal was good, it was overpriced for what we got; I must admit that the cod was quite good and not fried, a change from the norm in Newfoundland.

After dinner we hung out at the local bar for a bit before heading back to the B&B for a good night's sleep.

The next day we had a good breakfast at the B&B and then headed off with only vague plans.

We first stopped off at a scenic spot on the outskirts of Rocky Harbour for some silly jumping photos (a new habit that started in Sicily during 2014) much to the mirth of some contractors working nearby.

Then it was off to Southeast Brook Falls for the short (350m) hike in to enjoy the amazing view out over the waterfall.


Of course we also had to pose for some more silly group photos (although no jumping at the Falls' edge!).






We considered heading back to Aare's early for a late lunch and then a local hike (The Coppermine Trail) but decided to stick with Gros Morne and instead settled on the 10km loop around Stuckless Pond as our next hike.


The Stuckless Pond loop was a great hike and perhaps a little tougher than we had expected.

Perhaps Lisa and Christos' choice of Birkenstocks was not ideal; not that the trail was tough but being by a pond's edge there were sections that were quite muddy!

We saw more flowers on this hike including lovely orchids such as the "Showy Lady's-Slipper", which owing to its rarity was not added to Lisa's hat.

While much of the trail was beside the pond, and not at its edge, there were strips of the hike by the pond as well as little paths off the main one down to the pond's edge.

We checked some of them out but the hike was also very buggy and the mosquitos and "stouts", as Aare called them, provided us with a great incentive to keep moving!

We bumped into Aare's parents on the way back and Aare's father decided that Christos should carry out the backpack he had lugged in (Aare already had a pack on) as he did not want to take it around the pond. It just made the exercise a little better!

After Stuckless Pond, we were tired but happy. Cold drinks and snacks were enjoyed before we hopped in the car for the two and a half hour drive back to Aare's place. We enjoyed steak dinner, beer and "Archer" before hitting the sack for a good night's sleep.



Sunday morning was breakfast at Aare's parents' house with Aare's mom, dad and brother.

In addition to the fine pancakes baked (?) up by Dr. Voitk, the espresso latte's were a boon after days of plebeian drip coffee.

We hung out for chit-chat fort a bit before heading over to Aare's old house (now his brother's place) for some disc gold on Aare's home made course as well as beers down by the water.

We made it back to Aare's after a brief stop for takeout at "C&E", the (quite good) local fish and chips joint,  and relaxing ... as well as another playtest of Game of Thorns. This playtest took a mere 3.5 hours and resulted once more in a complete game!

We also lounged quite a bit, looking out over the water, spotting Jays and the Red Squirrels (which are about half the size of Ontario squirrels and quite cute!) as well as just soaking in the tranquility.




On Monday it was more relaxing until it was time to head out to the airport around 5pm. It started to rain just as we left, a sure sign Newfoundland was crying at our departure!

On the way to the airport, Aare's car blew a flat but although it spiced things up we unfortunately still made it with plenty of time to catch our 3 hour flight back to Toronto. All in all it was an amazing trip and we hope to be able to return next summer.