Yesterday we kicked the day off by going to an area of Gros Morne park called The Tablelands which sits on the western edge of the park, very close to where we're staying. Every morning during the busy season Parks Canada puts on guided tours of the area, so we headed out to join the tour. If you find yourself out here I'd highly recommend the tour; our guide was engaging and very knowledgeable, and we walked away with an understanding of the area that we wouldn't have got by just walking the short, easy trail on our own. The Tablelands were formed as part of the cycle of plate tectonics that forced a section of the Earth's mantle upwards. After millennia of erosion wore down the mountains that piece of mantle was exposed. The rarity of exposed mantle in our world, and the fact that The Tablelands were fundamental in establishing scientific theories around tectonics was instrumental in getting the park a UNESCO World Heritage designation.
As previously noted, the selfie cam still works. Here are The Tablelands.
As you can see, the area is covered in distinctively ochre coloured rocks, punctuated by sparse patches of vegetation. The rock is rich in iron which oxidises to give it that colour, and it's also rich in heavy metals, creating a toxicity that prevents the vegetation from getting more established. Another interesting thing here is that unlike most parks you can just wander freely off the path; the flora is sparse and the fauna are virtually nonexistent, so there's not a lot you can hurt by walking around.
The tour lasted about 1.5 hours and even if you aren't a geology nerd I'd recommend it as a great way of learning something new. It's a fascinating area and the tour was really illuminating.
After our hike we headed in to Trout River for lunch. There's a terrific seafood restaurant there called the Seaside Restaurant and we had a great meal. True to the name, the restaurant is right on the beach, and we got a seat on the second story which offered a great view of the ocean. After lunch we headed over to the Eastern Point trail, which is directly across the wide Trout River Bay from the Lighthouse Trail we hiked at the beginning of our trip. It's a stunning walk along the top of the cliffs, but it's very exposed so the wind absolutely screams up there. Jay did his best to fly his kite on an open grassy area up there, but I think the wind was a bit too much and it became nearly impossible to keep the lines from getting tangled. We'll have to give that another go somewhere more calm.
We capped off the day back at the house. There's a small charcoal BBQ here and Dad grilled up some halibut that we bought the previous day. This area is famous for its seafood, but it's still remarkable how well we've been eating on this trip. Halibut cooked over charcoal is a triumph, and it made for a great dinner.
We haven't established any plans for today, and the weather report is looking grim, so this might be a nice, quiet one. We'll see what the day brings!
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