Wandering Retirees

A long day on the road, 265 miles from Twillingate in the east to near Gros Morne Nat’l Park on Newfoundland’s west coast. Quite a change! This is a mountainous region that is part of the great Appalachian Chain that starts in central Alabama, runs through Georgia, West Virginia, New England and finally Canada’s east coast.

The Appalachian Chain was formed over the course of 900 million years, from 1.2 billion to around 250 million years ago from collisions by immense tectonic plates. The last big push upward finished about 240 million years ago when parts of the Appalachians were about as high and rugged as the Rockies. Erosion over such a long time and glacial grinding have reduced the mountains to what we see today. It blows my mind the think that where Connie and I are sitting right now, the ice was more than a mile thick at one time.

Gross Morne Park is named for Newfoundlands second highest peak at about 2,600 feet. Not very impressive compared to Pikes Peak or Dinali or the Himalayas, yet substantial for this area. This is a UNESCO Heritage site because former ocean floor and portions of the earth’s hot mantle that were thrust upward when the mountains were formed are now visible on the surface. (This is exceedingly rare, hence the UNESCO designation.) we are excited to have a chance to walk on this ground in the next day or so.

Some passing thoughts.

Newfoundland has approximately 510,000 residents in 2024. The Caribou is the national animal. There are far more moose than caribou, nearly 200,000 according to local warnings. That’s a moose for every 2.5 persons. And they’re really big, tall, and ugly and mean. There ain’t no Bullwinkle in it. They are not afraid of people or cars or much of anything, but come out mostly from dusk to dawn. During the rut they will likely attack as not. Canada has posted many warning about the need to slow down and be alert on the roads. Riding a motorcycle makes us particularly sensitive to the warnings.

That being said, the provincial department of transportation takes it upon itself to clear road sides back at least 100 feet on each side in order to give motorists a chance to see and avoid moose as they cross. Remember, moose don’t care about cars. We noticed some crews who are going further, by digging very deep and wide trenches along side roads to slow the critters down. It’s fascinating. Sure hope it works.

Have a great night!