The Peculiarities of Newfie Place Names

We kicked the day off early today because we had a long drive and a schedule to keep.  We were heading up to Western Brook Pond for a boat tour, and it's over an hour's drive to get to the parking lot, and a good 45 minute hike to get to the boat dock.  Now, before I go any further in my description of the day I'll need to explain something about the place names we've encountered in Newfoundland, specifically what constitutes a "pond" around these parts.  Most people would be confused by the notion of taking a boat tour in a pond, as the word usually suggests a small body of water, ranking below the status of a lake.  However, there seems to be sense of humour woven through Newfie place names, and ponds here can be mighty lakes, carved by glaciers millennia ago.  As evidence of this I give you Western Brook Pond.

Exhibit A

At 16 km long and with a maximum depth of 165 metres Western Brook Pond slightly exceeds what I would normally classify as a pond.  The beauty of this place really cannot be overstated, and the roughly two hour cruise is well worth a spot on anyone's itinerary.  Bon Tours runs the cruise regularly throughout the day, and each boat can accommodate a lot of people, but they still recommend reservations.  The boat is equipped with a PA system and the guides chime in regularly with interesting information about the area.  This should be part of any trip out to Gros Morne.

We had a rough hike back to the car since Finn fell asleep just before we reached the dock, and carrying a kid of his size is even more challenging when they're a limp noodle in your arms.  Euphy and I took turns, but it was still quite the slog, and it didn't get any better when he woke up and would only accept Euphy as his mode of transportation.  I get the impression that the hike out usually isn't that bad for most travellers though.

We got back to the parking lot and availed ourselves of the picnic tables to have lunch before getting back out on the road.  It's only about another half an hour drive north of Western Brook Pond to get out of Gros Morne park and reach The Arches Provincial Park.  Since we were already so far north it just made sense to continue up to see The Arches.  It's a small park, but the distinctive titular feature is immediately off the parking lot, so it's a cool sight to see without any physical strain.

The rock formation for which the park is named.

We actually spent a lot of time just hanging around the park.  I poked around the arches and shot a few photos of the surf.

One heck of a beach.

Once we'd taken the photos we were after we just enjoyed lounging around the grassy lawn above the beach.  Finn had a blast running around and throwing little scraps of wood that were laying around.  I'm feeling a bit wind burned since the typical Newfoundland gusts were in full effect, but it was a great chance to just relax and enjoy some sunshine.

We headed back and decided on a restaurant near Woody Point.  The Blue Room is attached to the Bonne Bay Inn, and we hadn't checked it out yet.  It was a spectacular restaurant with huge windows looking out over the bay.  If nothing else it would have been a beautiful place to eat, but they were also bringing their A game when it came to the food.  Honestly it was probably a bit fancy of a place to be bringing a three year old, but it wasn't too busy in there, and Finn behaved himself, so the meal managed to pass without embarrassment.  The food was stunning, the drinks were great (Newfie Caesar, the classic drink but made with Screech rum,) and the desserts were decadent.  Just based off the beauty of the bar and dinning room I have to feel like the inn is probably a pretty nice place to stay, and I'll definitely consider it if I find my way back here.

I'm off to bed now, it's been a long day, and we've got another early start tomorrow.  Be well my friends, and we'll talk again soon.