08/22/2026
It was sad to say goodbye to Newfoundland, but we did get a beautiful day to cross from Port aux Basques to N. Sydney, Nova Scotia. 🌞
Our last full day in Newfoundland was spectacular! We started our day with a boat tour of Bonne Bay - our guide, Bill, was informative and very funny! We viewed rocky shores, a series of quaint fishing villages and saw two bald eagles! We enjoyed the local music played by some of the crew as we docked in Woody Point. Our group had free time for lunch and to walk the tiny town - we discovered a great little walk to the lighthouse (and blueberries), some fascinating stories behind some of the historic homes, good coffee and three (count them, 3) places we could get ice cream - Terrapin Heaven! 🍦😁
After lunch we made a quick stop at the Discovery Center for Gros Morne National Park. Here we enjoyed brightening views of the bay and the nearby geological wonder: the Tablelands, which was our next stop.
Our walk in the Tablelands was led by park ranger Avery...who was wonderfully knowledgeable about the various types of rock (primarily Peridotite and Serpentinite) that appear here from plate tectonic activity that exposed a section of the Earth's oceanic crust and mantle...as demonstrated with two of our group. This almost Mars- like landscape is one of only a few places in the world you can experience this and is a Unesco World Heritage Site.
We also learned that the minerals in these rocks are toxic to most plant life, though some have adapted to the environment. One of these is the Newfoundland Labrador official provincial flower, the pitcher plant. This carnivorous plant actually does quite well in parts of the tablelands, and Avery gave a great explanation (complete with model "pitcher" and a pocket full of fake insects). It was a great finish to our last full day on "The Rock".
As always, memories were made and we can't wait to return to this magical island!
