GROS MORNE NATIONAL PARK – IN SEARCH OF FRESH FISH & VEGETABLES.
Day 142 – It rained a little last night and that was all it took to get rid of the humidity. It was a gorgeous day today with a high of 79 degrees and a nice breeze. With the windows open again, we were happy, and so were the cats.
At 10 a.m. we went to the Farmer’s Market. We wanted to be the first in line to have our pick of the veggies. We made friends with the resident Goats immediately. They greeted us at the door to the Farm Store. It turned out that it wasn’t our friendship they were after. They wanted to sneak into the Store where they could grab some freshly-picked vegetables. We didn’t have the cameras with us – the pictures would have been great – but we’re going back for more vegetables next Friday and we’ll get some pictures then.
We left with big bags of mixed lettuce leaves, so fresh that she went out and picked them while we were there. We got a bunch of spring onions and green onions, really big ones, and a container of cherry tomatoes. We couldn’t resist them and ate a few right away – SO sweet.
Back at the RV, we put up the veggies and then headed out to go back to Cow Head to the Fish Market. We didn’t know what they had on hand, but we were hoping for some Cod, Shrimp, and Scallops.
On the way to Cow Head, we drove through three Gros Morne National Park Campgrounds to make a list of the campsites that would work for us if we needed to make reservations in advance for another visit. We also stopped at Western Brook Pond. This is where one of the most popular hikes within the Park begins, and the parking lot is almost always full. From the Newfoundland/Labrador Traveller’s Guide 2023: “A 3-kilometer (one way) trail leads you to Western Brook Pond, the spectacular cliffs of the Long Range Mountains, and gives you access for a boat tour. When you take the boat tour into Western Brook Pond and float through the majestic glacier-carved fjord, you’ll feel like you’ve entered another world. A 2,000-foot-high waterfall cascades down the Long Range Mountains – part of the Appalachian chain.”
By the time we got closer to Cow Head, they were closed for lunch and reopening at 1:00, so we decided to stop for lunch, too. We went to a Cafe on Route 430 in Sally’s Cove. Whale’s Back Grub Hub, popular with the locals, didn’t look like much from the outside, but lunch was very good. We both got the Shrimp Platter which came with fries, onion rings, and six shrimp.
While I was in the Gift Shop looking for a Gros Morne T-shirt, a regular customer struck up a conversation with Rob. (If it hadn’t been this guy, someone else would’ve certainly wanted to talk our ears off!) When I returned with my T-shirt, the man was still talking. He had a strong Newfie accent and was at times hard to understand, so when he told one his many stories and laughed, we just laughed along with him.
He told stories about when he was in the Army and was a sharp-shooter, about his current job as a truck driver, driving a big-rig up and down the northwestern Newfoundland coast, about all the things he sees on the road – particularly experiences with the tourists. For example, he was driving the huge truck (which was currently parked outside the cafe while he was on his lunch break) and some tourists in front of him saw a Moose and they suddenly stopped their vehicle in the middle of the road to gawk, and about how you NEVER suddenly stop your vehicle when you have a big truck behind you, etc. We learned all about his health issues and the recent death of a close friend. He stopped talking when his food came, but about halfway through when our food came, he was ready to talk some more. We were mostly just nodding our heads and saying, “Uh-huh”. Everybody knew everyone else in the restaurant including the staff. Even the cook came out to mingle.
After finishing our lunch, we drove in to Cow Head and went to the Town Wharf. We were in luck. They had Cod, Shrimp, and Scallops, in addition to Cod Tongues. We passed on the Cod Tongues. When we eventually got back to the RV, the freezer was once again full.
We relaxed in the RV, then headed out for dinner at the Black Spruce Restaurant at Neddie’s Harbour Inn. We love this restaurant and hoped it was still as good as it was in 2019. The Inn is situated overlooking Bonne Bay; the restaurant has large windows and the views are spectacular. There are beautiful oil paintings by a local artist on the walls. The service was perfect. When we were there in 2019, we had the Moose Berry Cocktail. The waitress was kind enough to give us the recipe for this wonderful drink which has become a favorite. We even have the Partridgeberry Syrup shipped to us in New York, so we can make our special-occasion cocktail. We had the same waitress tonight. The cocktail wasn’t on the drink menu anymore; it had been replaced with a Partridgeberry Mojito. She knew how to make the drink, though, and was happy to make us the original cocktail. We relaxed and enjoyed the view.
The restaurant filled up fairly quickly – reservations are a necessity – and The Black Spruce is not very large. For appetizers, Rob ordered the Smoked Mackerel Turrine, served with house-made crackers. I ordered the Gnocchi Parisienne (“basil butter, roasted tomato, and confit garlic”). Homemade Dinner Rolls were served with a Sea Salt & Maple Butter. For the main course, Rob ordered the Newfoundland Cod (“buerre blanc, saffron risotto, and garden greens”), and I ordered the Crispy Tofu (“sticky rice, green curry, warm sesame greens, and citrus chutney”). Everything was excellent and bursting with flavor. For dessert, we split the Salted Caramel & Almond Praline Baked Cheesecake. Possibly the best cheesecake we’ve ever had. We still have more than a week before we leave here. Needless to say, we will return to The Black Spruce!
