JUNK BOAT TRAVELS: Day 11 Newfoundland Labrador Viking Trail 2022

Friday, September 16, 2022

Day 11 Newfoundland Labrador Viking Trail 2022 - Day 5

Sep 14 Day 5: St. Anthony to Cow Head, NL

WEATHER TEMP

Enjoy a morning whale watching boat tour (weather permitting) in St. Anthony before traveling to Cow Head in Gros Morne National Park for a two-night stay. (Breakfast, Dinner) *June and early July are the best time to see Titanic-size icebergs!

Day 5 & 6 Shallow Bay Motel - Cow Head, Newfoundland & Labrador

As usual we are on the road by 8:30. We were told to wear everything we owned for a 2 – 2.5 hour award winning Northlands Discovery Tour. We will explore the scenic St. Anthony coast; an area that typically has ~~more icebergs, humpbacks~~ and dolphins then any other region in NL. Visit nesting colonies of eider ducks, kittewakes and black guillemots. Relax in the comforts of a 50 foot vessel while being entertained by traditional music, stories and interpretation on our unique heritage. It’s a refreshing blend of nature, fun education and NL hospitality that you will never forget.

It didn't look hopeful as we boarded but soon cleared up with occasional patches of fog. We are heading out into the North Atlantic!

John chose to go upstairs and I remained downstairs. We were bundled up so we were comfortable.

Even Karen wore pants today rather than her usual kilt.

A pod of about a hundred Atlantic white-beaked dolphins came along for the ride.

White-beaked dolphins are found throughout the cold waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. They are active swimmers and often “surf” the waves created by vessels. They are usually found in groups of five to 30 individuals but sometimes travel in groups of up to 1,500.

White-beaked dolphins hunt for food both near the water’s surface and along the ocean bottom. Some fishermen in Canada call these dolphins “squidhounds” because they eat squid and octopi.

We also spotted a supposedly rare fish.

The ocean sunfish or common mola (Mola mola) is one of the two heaviest known bony fish in the world, the other being the southern sunfish (Mola alexandrini) of the same genus. They typically weigh between 247 and 2,000 kg (545 and 4,409 lb). The species is native to tropical and temperate waters around the world. It resembles a fish head with a tail, and its main body is flattened laterally. Sunfish can be as tall as they are long when their dorsal and ventral fins are extended.

Internet photo

Our photo LOL!

Tucked into Burnt Cape’s north west side is the ‘Big Oven’, perhaps the biggest sea cave in Eastern North America. It is so big that local fishermen set their lobster traps within the cave itself!!

We were told the tale of Billy Earl who was stranded for six days in the cave, he slept on a ledge until he was rescued by passing fishermen.

April 2022 A Canadian woman has said she was surprised when a polar bear climbed onto her roof, and almost fell through it. Bobbi Stevens, of St Anthony, Newfoundland, said she was indoors on Sunday evening when a polar bear climbed onto her roof from a snow bank adjacent to her home.
A full-grown male polar bear can weigh nearly a ton (2,000 pounds) and an adult female about half that size, according to the National Wildlife Federation.

This is the house.

And here is the video.

From here we drove 5 seconds to the front door of the Grenfell Experience. Why? Karen knew if we went into the back entrance gift shop we would never look at the exhibits.

Sir Winifred Grenfell built the area's first hospital in the town of St. Anthony, bringing the earliest permanent medical services to Northern Newfoundland and Labrador. Dr. Grenfell was sent on behalf of the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen to investigate the conditions in the Labrador Fishery.
We had two doctors on the tour so they loved this exhibit. Click here to read more about him.

We then had a "scatter" lunch. We went to a mall with multiple food options and we chose what we wanted.

We then had a long drive to Cow Head.