August 2022 – Kline Road Trips

L’Anse aux Meadows

August 16, 2022August 17, 2022 Amy Kline

One of the main reasons we wanted to go to Newfoundland was the Viking settlement. This is the place where east and west human settlement first circumnavigated the globe. It was so interesting. We saw the actual artifacts that were found and talked to university students who were working on an actual archeological dig at the site. We listened to how the people lived and learned that the encampment was only occupied for 5-10 years and was more of a ship building and resource gathering place (wood for their ships and fruit to bring back to Greenland) then a place to expand and settle. There is no proof why they left the area, but the theory is that relations with the First Nation peoples in that area deteriorated. Jeff will be using much of what we saw and learned in his AP World History class this year.

It was also the most north we would get on the trip and by far the most east any of us have ever been. We were two time zones east of New York. We didn’t have time to go any farther around the top end of Newfoundland, if we did, we could have seen a colony of puffins from land. Next time!

On our way back, I took some pictures of mysterious things we saw along the road. It’s a thing to have huge piles of cut firewood stacked along the side of the road. Thanks to google, I learned that it was common to get a permit to cut wood on the Queen’s land and then get it delivered to the house when needed for winter heating.

Another interesting thing we saw was fenced food gardens along the side of the highways. Apparently along the coast, there is not a lot of soil that can grow things, but the dirt that was brought in when they made the highways was decent. So people can just pick a spot on the side of the road and make their garden, even if it was not on their property! I love learning this kind of stuff!

One more amazing sunset at the campground and then we will begin the long trek back to Green Bay. I was hoping to see the Northern Lights and the Perseid Metoer Shower, but the moon was too bright. I could have read a book outside by moonlight though, it was that bright!

During the 4 hour drive, we were very close to the coast much of the time.

Rocky Harbor and Tablelands

August 15, 2022August 14, 2022 Amy Kline

Our first full day in the park was much cooler than it has been so far. Cloudy too and it felt like it was going to rain. We had a relaxing morning where I went down to the beach to do some exploring and photography, and then we went to Rocky Harbor for lunch and to pick up some ice and food. Plus there was a small quilt shop next to the grocery store. All of the towns are pretty small and there aren’t many chain stores, so grocery stores are tiny. One that we went to used 2 regular chest freezers for their freezer section and the store had 3 aisles.

We had heard about the overpopulation of moose and how they were hurting the forests because they were eating all the young trees. Moose were introduced to Newfoundland and so did not have any natural predators on the island. Sothe government has a moose hunting season, plus restaurants can serve moose. Of course, once we saw the sign for moose burgers, we had to stop and have some. The burgers were delicious! It tasted like very lean beef.

After lunch we drove for an hour to get to the Tablelands, where the upper mantle of the Earth’s crust is exposed. This area is a very worn down part of the Appalachian Mountains back when Pangea was the only continent on Earth. It started raining just as we got there so we just did the shortened hike.

The rocks are toxic to most plants so the mountains are just rusty looking rocks. compared to the rest of the mountains around them being covered by trees.

After another hour of driving to get back to our campsite for dinner, we relaxed and watched another gorgeous sunset.

Some king of sparrow. Lots of them fluttering around the campsites.

Arriving at Gros Morne National Park

August 14, 2022August 13, 2022 Amy Kline

It was only a 4 hour drive north to our campsite in Gros Morne National Park, so we took our time getting packed up in the morning. It was still really hot out, which the ranger told us was highly unusual until recent years. He said that has made the mosquitos worse too, which we can attest to!

The road to Gros Morne was breathtaking! The mountains have kind of flat tops, but they are all covered in trees with rock peeking out in spots. The Gulf of St. Lawrence was on the left, all blue and sparkly. As we got closer, we turned off the Trans-Canada Highway and the road became twisty and a lot more bumpy, but the scenery was even more beautiful.

We arrived at Green Point Campground and got set up. The view from the campsite overlooked the ocean and we could hear the waves crashing on shore. Jeff and I went down to the beach to watch the sunset.