Newfoundland - Rocky Harbour

Channel-Port aux Basque to Rocky Harbour: Travel Distance: 350 km
Bayside Cottages: $ 218.50 CAD for 2 nights

Today we have a pretty easy travel day ahead of us, so we decided to take our time in heading up to Rocky Harbour. We left Channel-port and travelled up highway 1, with our first stop at Stephanville.

The town of Stephenville, located on the north shore of St. George’s Bay in southwestern Newfoundland. This area was once known as the Acadian Village. From 1848 until 1870, Stephenville was called Indian Head. The name Stephenville was first introduced in 1874. The Acadian Village was a settlement which stretched along the coast from Kippens in the far west to Seal Cove in the far east. Today, it is the second largest community on Newfoundland’s west coast. It's previous military post left behind an airstrip, which now operates as an international airport.

We rolled into town in search of their famous Winterhouse sweaters that the area is known for. We found a great little shop in town that sold the sweaters and many other items for the tourist and local alike. The sweaters are made from a heavy wool and are very lovely, just a bit to itchy for my liking. So next stop.. lunch at Tim Hortons.

We sat indoors to escape the rain for a bit and it must have been "the" place in town. It was busting at the seams with locals of all ages having coffee and such. What I noticed the most was the thick accents among the locals, it honestly sounded like they were speaking a foreign language.

We headed down the road again after lunch, continuing our journey to Rocky Harbour. Newfoundland is an outdoor enthusiast dream. With its spruce trees, windy roads, rolling hills and small mountains creates an oasis for hiking, camping, fishing and hunting; it reminds me a lot like central-northern B.C.

With all the cool and rainy weather that we were encountering, our next stop was at Cornerbrook at the Marc's in town, buying more warm shirts to layer with. Hopefully that will keep the cold weather

from sinking into our bones.

Our final destination for the day is Rocky Harbour, one of many small towns located in and around Gros Morne National Park. It took 485 million years for Mother Nature to create Gros Morne National Park, a place unlike any other on earth. A UNESCO World Heritage Site covering 1,805 square kilometres, the park is a never-ending series of wonders and delights, and a demonstration of the spectacularly raw and enigmatic beauty of the physical world.

You can hike the amazing landscape along the earth’s mantle, or climb to life-changing summits. Travel along the water through fjords carved by glaciers millennia ago, leaving behind towering cliffs and thunderous waterfalls. We are at Rocky Harbour for only 2 nights and we look forward to exploring more of what the area has to offer. Our cottage at Bayview Cottages is a perfect place to hang our hat; 1 bedroom, fully equipped cottage. Lots of space to call our own.

Tomorrow we will explore a bit more of Gross Morne National Park and all that it has to offer.