Continued Updates

The ferry was scheduled to leave at 11 p.m. and we were supposed to arrive 2 hours early. Not liking to be late, we were there much before that and there were already lines for boarding. After checking in, we left Sol to  walk around the area. First stop was the ticket counter to inquire about sleeping berths for our return trip August 10th. Unfortunately, there was a waiting list for the waiting list. We will check again closer to our sailing date. Loading began about 9:30 and Bob expertly drove Sol into the very tight space with guidance from the load master.

 The load masters filled the belly of the ferry with ease and we continued upstairs to our sleeping 'chairs'

It was a long night, but when time came to unload in the morning, we were quickly on our way! Our first stop was the Newfoundland Visitor Centre. We talked with the hostess and got many tips for the first leg of our Newfoundland adventure.

Our second stop was Wreckhouse Rest Area. We thought Larry and Connie would be there as they arrived two days before us and spent 2 nights in the rest area. But, alas, they got an early start and we just missed them. We had no idea where they were headed. We, however, had reservations at Water's Edge in Woody Point near Gros Morne National Park. Our site was on the waterfront and we enjoyed watching the fish, birds, and boaters.

We spent three days exploring the western portion of Gros Morne. At the Discovery Centre I enjoyed artists renditions of jobs necessary to learn about animal behavior

 and a botanist identifying new species of plants.

 Then we hiked The Lookouts which was a steep trail,

 but well worth the view.

 Next we hiked The Tablelands. It reminded us of hiking in the desert with the rocks and little vegetation.

But, it wasn't the desert and there were waterfalls

 and marshy areas with plants trying to make a go of it in this strange environment which was an ocean floor millions of years ago.

We took the water taxi to Bonne Bay and hiked Burnt Hill and Neddy Head Loop. It was another steep trail,

with great views of the surrounding area.

We explored the Trout River area and had some great seafood during our short stay. It was time to move on and explore more of Newfoundland.