Icebergs and Vikings on the Northern Peninsula

 by Keith and Heather Nicol   

 We recently took my brother and his wife on a tour of the Northern Peninsula and their goals were seeing moose, whales and icebergs and we scored 100% on all counts. Bruce and Mary Ellen had been here over 20 years ago and at that time they had their 3 young children in tow which meant that most of our activities were close to our home in Corner Brook. We headed north on highway 430 (the Viking Trail) on Saturday, July 13 and made a stop at the scenic Arches before having a picnic lunch at Flowers Cove.  As we headed into the St. Lunaire-Griquet area we started looking for icebergs and no sooner had we rounded the bend than we saw our first bergs in St. Lunaire harbour. We decided to head to higher ground and were rewarded with the view of a couple of large icebergs that were grounded just at the entrance to the harbour. After taking a number of pictures we headed on toward the Parks Canada Viking site at L’anse aux  Meadows. 

There were several icebergs in St. Lunaire harbour

     We arrived at L’anse aux Meadows around 4:00 pm and had a great tour with guide Clayton Colbourne. He told us when he was a child that he used to play in the area where the reconstructed sod huts are located today and his low key humorous presentation is well worth attending. L’anse aux Meadows National Historic Site (http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/nl/meadows/index.aspx) is also an UNESCO World Heritage site and is the only documented site of Viking settlement in North America.  It also brings together the full circle of human migration which spread in many directions from Africa over 100,000 years ago. Little did the Viking know when they arrived in L’anse aux Meadows 1000 years ago and came face to face with native peoples (that had arrived in the other direction from Asia) that they had closed the migration loop. The Parks Canada has interpreters in period costume in the recreated sod huts that help explain what life might have been like for those early Norse settlers.

Clayton Colboune gives a great tour at the Viking site at L'anse aux Meadows

     For supper we had booked a table at one of our favorite restaurants in the province, appropriately named the Norseman Restaurant (http://www.valhalla-lodge.com/restaurant.htm) located just a few kilometers from the “Viking” sod huts. This restaurant does a great job of food presentation and the food tastes as good as it looks. We had an absolutely delicious lobster gnocci and curried mussels for an appetizer and then we had all sorts of amazing fish dishes for our main course. A real treat was salmon with a bakeapple sauce and the halibut with pesto and sundried tomatoes was also very flavourful. Most of us were too full for dessert but we couldn’t leave without trying the Figgy Duff so we ordered one with 4 spoons! Yum, Yum. It is no wonder that the Norseman consistently is ranked as one of the province’s top restaurants. 

The bakeapple salmon was one of many dishes we enjoyed at the Norseman Restaurant

    That night we stayed at the comfortable Southwest Brook Cabins (http://southwestpondcabins.ca/) in nearby Griquet. We discovered these cabins a few years ago and we like their country setting with a small pond just below the cabins. They are large and come fully equipped.   A real bonus was the personal attention we got from the attendant, Frances Hedderson when we arrived. We happened to mention that we wondered if there were any moose hanging around and 20 minutes later there was a knock at the door and Frances mentioned that her husband had seen one just off the main road a short distance away. “It is laying in the grass by the stream so it abit hard to see” she told us but we headed off anyway and sure enough we could see it nestled in the grass 100 meters away. 

We like the country setting of the Southwest Pond Cabins

      

  

TNL’s “Sinking of the S.S. Ethie” is great dinner theatre in Cow Head, Newfoundland

by Keith and Heather Nicol

       “My goal is to create memorable performances about this place –Cow Head and Newfoundland in general -that will appeal to both local residents and visitors alike” Theatre Newfoundland Labrador’s  artistic director Jeff Pitcher told us as we chatted in the bright June sunshine overlooking  beautiful Cow Head Bay. And the dinner theatre performance of “Sinking of the S.S. Ethie” by Shane Ellis Coates fits this philosophy to a tee. This is the show that started it all for Theatre Newfoundland Labrador (TNL) in Cow Head and it has been running to full houses since 1996. The play deals with the plight of the steamship “S.S. Ethie” which runs into a particularly savage storm in December, 1919 while traveling off the coast near Cow Head. This performance gives the backstory to the reasons why the Ethie sailed that night as well as what life was like along this coast over 90 years ago.  The “S.S. Ethie” faced hurricane force winds that night and the spray froze to the deck! When it was clear that they were running out of fuel the Captain decided to run the ship aground in one of the only places where they could possibly make it ashore. Amazingly, none of the 60 passengers and 32 crew were lost despite the very stormy conditions, thanks in part to the people on shore who helped with the rescue. A baby was even rescued by being transferred to shore in a mail bag! If you like dinner theatre, the “Sinking of the S.S. Ethie” is sure to please. For more information on TNL’s Gros Morne Theatre Festival schedule or to book tickets to a show see- www.theatrenewfoundland.com or call 1-877-243-2899. 

Amelia Manual and Colin Furlong in "S.S. Ethie"

       Either before or after you see the show “Sinking of the S.S. Ethie” be sure to visit the actual site of what remains of the “S.S. Ethie”. The marked turnoff is located just north of Sally’s Cove and just south of the Western Brook Pond parking.  For those equipped with a GPS here are the UTM coordinates of the parking lot- 21 0435237 E 5513719 N. You can see the rusted remains of the “S.S. Ethie” along the beach and Martin’s Point which figures prominently in the play can be easily seen to the south of the wreckage.  To learn more about the human history of this coast we also suggest a visit to Broom Point (just south of Cow Head) and we recommend attending  the Parks Canada presentation about the Mudge family that used to fish these waters from 1941-1975. As well the museum in Cow Head is very well done and shouldn’t be missed. The Dr. Henry H. Payne Museum is the oldest museum in Western Newfoundland and it is a great place to learn about some of the people who settled Cow Head and how they lived in summer and winter along this rugged coast. The video below shows a variety of other activities to check out in the Cow Head area while you are attending a Theatre Newfoundland Labrador show in the evening. 

Heather looking out over the remains of the "Ethie" with Martin's Point in the distance

     If you happen to be staying in Rocky Harbour or Norris Point or at Berry Hill or Green Point campgrounds and would like to access public transport to get yourself to a Gros Morne Theatre Festival production at Cow Head, contact the Festival Box Office 1-877-243-2899 no later than 2 pm on performance day to arrange transportation via the Shuttle Bus. 

 

Don't miss the Stage West Theatre Festival in Corner Brook this summer

by Keith and Heather Nicol

    Stage West Theatre Festival (SWTF) is celebrating its 5^th year and offers residents and visitors to Corner Brook lots of great entertainment for an evening out. One of their 5 shows runs almost every night from July 4 to August 2 at either the Corner Brook Arts and Culture Centre or the Royal Canadian Legion. All shows start at 8:00 pm and you can pay $17 per show or buy a season pass for just $65 which must be one of the best deals around. So far we have seen 3 of the shows and the Artistic Directors  Mike Payne, Stephen Perchard and Jordan Stringer must be very happy with the great turnouts for these events. First up was “A Fine Tyme”, which is SWTF’s heart felt tribute to Newfoundland and its music. We thought this performance was amazing and the songs seem to suit each singer very well. Some songs were sung with all 9 performers and some allowed each vocalist to perform individually. There is minimal instrumental accompaniment which allows the performers voices really shine through. Don’t miss this one. 

Hear great Newfoundland music at "A Fine Tyme"

      On Saturday, July 6 we saw “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown”. This musical is suited to all ages and there were quite a few families with young children in the audience who especially seemed to like “Snoopy”. Like the comic strip, the play is a series of short vignettes. We thought all the actors suited their parts and our favourites vignettes included the Linus blanket sketch, the book report piece with the oversized pencils and the Beethoven sketch. 

A scene from "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown"

        Next we saw “West Moon” on Monday, July 8. The play was written by one of Newfoundland’s best known writers- Al Pittman and it deals with life in a Newfoundland outport from the standpoint of a group of people of once lived in St. Kevins . The setting is a graveyard and the play magically brings these people to life for one evening (November 2, 1965) as they reminisce about times gone by.  This is a powerful play which is very well presented by SWTF. Stage West is also performing “The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine” and “Marion Bridge” later in July and we are looking forward to those shows.  For more information and for a complete schedule check out: http://www.stagewesttheatrefestival.com/

See Neddy Norris Night in Cow Head for toe tapping Newfoundland music

by Keith and Heather Nicol   

      Neddy Norris Night is Gros Morne Theatre Festival’s dedicated musical performance and although the show has been running for many years under that name, each year is definitely different. Artistic director Jeff Pitcher told us before the show that some people think that it is going to be the identical  show as in past years and hence don’t come to it. But as we found out even though Stephanie Payne has been the musical director for the show over the past two years, this show is very different than last years. For one thing, the show is “in the round” this year which has the advantage that everyone is abit closer to the singers than in the traditional stage forward setting of last year. Stephanie Payne is an accomplished musician in her own right but also delves into the vast storehouse of Newfoundland songs and tends to present those which are not so well known. On the night we were there (June 23) the house was packed and the crowd was appreciative of the various songs and stories that Brad LeRiche, Miranda Power, Stephanie Payne and Marquita Walsh performed. The audience has the opportunity to hear traditional songs, some performed a cappella and others accompanied by the tin whistle, guitar, bodhran and mandolin. Over the course of the show they sang close to 20 songs as well a comedic story of young man trying to seek his “fortune”. We recommend Neddy Norris Night for its toe tapping look at traditional Newfoundland music performed by an accomplished and energetic cast.  For more information on TNL’s Gros Morne Theatre Festival schedule or to book tickets to a show see- www.theatrenewfoundland.com or call 1-877-243-2899. See the video below for a sampling of this year's music. 

A scene from Neddy Norris Night  (photo by Johnny Cann)

     There are lots of fine activities to do in the Gros Morne National Park area while attending plays in the evening in Cow Head. One of our favourite trips is aboard the Emm Cat which operates out of Norris Point and explores various parts of Bonne Bay. On past trips we have seen minke whales right beside the boat as well as eagles and dolphins. On our most recent trip in late June 2013 we saw several eagles and a huge eagle’s nest.  The tour guides give a lively commentary on the natural and human history of Bonne Bay and they hand out lots of binoculars for people to use throughout the trip. The crew are also accomplished musicians and as the cruise ends they play a mini concert in the main cabin area. You can’t go wrong with this tour and we are looking forward to trying the evening tour later this summer. On four Thursday nights (July 25, Aug. 15, 22, 29) this summer you can catch the Gros Morne Theatre Festival’s Neddy Norris Night aboard the Emm cat. For more information see: http://www.bontours.ca/

Spotting eagles in the trees from the Emm Cat

      If you happen to be staying in Rocky Harbour or Norris Point or at Berry Hill or Green Point campgrounds and would like to access public transport to get yourself to a Gros Morne Theatre Festival production at Cow Head, contact the Festival Box Office 1-877-243-2899 no later than 2 pm on performance day to arrange transportation via the Shuttle Bus. 

Video from this year's Neddy Norris Night 

"With Cruel Times in Between" celebrates Al Pittman's words at the Gros Morne Theatre Festival

by Keith and Heather Nicol

      Al Pittman is one of Newfoundland’s best known playwrights and poets and the play “With Cruel Times in Between” celebrates a sampling of his work. The minimalist set of 6 chairs stacked precariously as the play opens are imaginatively used by the 6 actors to create a boat, a cradle, a classroom, and a creek as well as many other sets throughout the play. As the scenes unfold we are given glimpses of a Newfoundland childhood from spearing flatfish along the ocean to trying to understand poetry in the classroom while being distracted by the hair twirling girl in the desk ahead. Other scenes explore the shifting tide of resettlement as communities deal with the reality of having to leave their homes behind for the “growth centres” on the mainland. We also enjoyed many of the songs that the cast sang throughout the show and we hadn’t realized that his words had been turned into so much music.  The cast of Adam Brake, Colin Furlong, Jennifer Furlong, Craig Haley, Claire Hewlett and Amelia Manual are enjoyable to watch as they move smoothly from scene to scene lifting Al Pittman’s lyrical writings off the page. See this play, adapted by SaraH McDonald,  to appreciate the words of one of Newfoundland’s best writers. For more information on TNL’s Gros Morne Theatre Festival schedule or to book tickets to a show see- www.theatrenewfoundland.com or call 1-877-243-2899. 

Adam Brake, Claire Hewlett & Jenn Furlong.  (Photo by Johnny Cann)

 Gros Morne National Park (GMNP) is known for its hiking trails but there is a fabulous walk in Cow Head that we think more people should know about. Since the trail is not officially in GMNP it doesn’t get much mention through the typical park brochures and booklets. But we think it is an ideal walk since it is relatively flat and covers a variety of terrain from limestone cliffs to grassy meadows and it even includes a lighthouse built in 1909. To access the trail drive to the “Head” which is connected to the community of Cow Head by a short road. Look for signs to the Amphitheatre and park in the large parking area. Signs will lead you to the trailhead and the trail is very well marked with 2 lookout platforms and several side trails. The basic trail is a 1.5 km loop but we suggest taking the 500 meter side trail to southern tip of the peninsula since it ends in a large meadow and has a fascinating wave washed shore to explore.The video below shows show other activities to enjoy while in the Cow Head area.

Heather enjoys the view from the "Head"

       If you happen to be staying in Rocky Harbour or Norris Point or at Berry Hill or Green Point campgrounds and would like to access public transport to get yourself to a Gros Morne Theatre Festival production at Cow Head, contact the Festival Box Office 1-877-243-2899 no later than 2 pm on performance day to arrange transportation via the Shuttle Bus. 

 

This video shows many other activities to part in while visiting Cow Head, NL