From Leading Tickles, we retraced our route south and picked up the Trans Canada Highway 1 again.  On this leg, we were to stay on the TCH until we reached Gros Morne Park, but the distance was to be about 240 miles.  We normally like to travel only 3-4 hours a day and at the safe speed for the RV at 55-60 mph (even with the posted speed limit of 62 mph (100 kph)), the distance was a little more than we wanted. 

So, I picked an easy on/off the TCH location about halfway, in Springdale.  We went into Springdale for groceries last year while at Little Bay but this time was an overnight at a city park.  What we didn’t realize was the importance of Springdale as a Salmon fishing center and that June 1 was the opening of the season.

We pulled into the park and had a pad overlooking the Indian River and a small waterfall where the salmon will come back to and make their way upstream.  The city has also installed a “salmon ladder” that allows the fish to work their way up stream and avoid the actual waterfall.   We found this to be interesting even though the salmon had not yet arrived.  There was one ambitious fisherman in the river trying to beat the others on the second day but to no avail!

We also hopped back in the Jeep for a quick drive to Glassy Beach and then back to King’s Point. 

Glassy Beach is a small, rocky “beach” near Springdale that used to be a dump site.  It was eventually closed and cleaned up, but all the broken glass was left behind.  People kept bringing more bottles to the site to add to the shards!  Hence the name. 

And the trip back to King’s Point was to see the whale museum again.   It was closed on our last visit.  And it was closed again.  But there was a nice iceberg right in the harbor which was a pleasant surprise. 

After a quiet night, we headed out again for Gros Morne and the KOA RV Park in Rocky Harbor.  I had planned this stop for three reasons.  1) to have a RV park with full hookups including laundry after almost a week with only limited services.  2) to return to Tableland Park where the mantle of the earth had pushed and formed spectacular hills that we saw last year and wanted to retrace the walk.  And 3) to do at least the approach hike to Gros Morne Mountain that we did not get to do last year. 

First the KOA was great.  We got the first pad close to the office and laundry.  And it was close to Rocky Harbor itself for some groceries and fuel.  We took the opportunity to drive out to the Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse and do a nice walk around the point. And we took a quick drive down to Norris Point. And we also did a nice walk around the lake at the KOA. Gail named it Frog pond.

The next morning, we were off to Tableland again and redo the same walk as last year.  On the way, we were treated with 2 moose sightings.  The mountain trail is such an interesting and imposing area!  And even though it was the second time, it was just as fun.

And being close to Trout River, we decided to visit the town and go to the SeaSide Restaurant for lunch.   It was raved about by our friends last year and we decided to try it too.  Gail had the mussels (a lot of them) and I had a great seafood chowder and fish burger! 

On the way back to the KOA, we were passing the Tablelands area and Gail spotted something moving up on the hillside.  It was white and seemed very small.  Even with binoculars, we assumed it was a goat-ish animal.  But after stopping at the Visitor Center again, the staff reassured us there were no goats in the park and it was likely a caribou.  Our first sighting?  Kind of.

And finally, the weather was agreeable, and we headed over to the parking lot for the hike on Gros Morne.  The hike is broken into two sections: the Approach and the Summit.  We were planning only the approach section which is classified on the high side of Moderate.  The summit is very difficult, long and somewhat dangerous.  And until June 27, it is closed for wildlife safety.  So, we were not even tempted to try it.

The approach was hard enough.  It is about 6 miles round trip with an elevation change of about 1500 ft.  It had a lot of very steep sections, and we would stop often.  Mostly the trail was gravel-ish with sections of larger rocks covering the lower “dips” for water flow.  Later toward the end, the trail became narrow, rocky and more difficult.  The views were fantastic.  A dramatic waterfall at about the 1/2 mark was quite photographic.  And the views, including across the valley to Tableland where the snow was still on the mountain, were fantastic.

But we made it.  It took about 2 ½ hours to reach the turnaround.  There were several people also taking a break and we took time to have a snack and sit on the bench at the base of the summit trail start.  Before heading back we took another short, rocky path, down to a very lovely meadow area.

After about 30 minutes, we headed back.  The trail down was maybe more difficult as it was steep, slick and tricky.  My feet hurt more because my toes were constantly being forced into the front of my shoes!   But we made it back in about 2 hours.  It was quite an achievement, and we were proud of the effort! 

All-in-all, we felt that we had done Gros Morne well.

We were back at the park for hot showers and a quiet dinner.  The next day we were off to the northern peninsula and L’Anse aux Meadow and the Viking Trail.