GROS MORNE NATIONAL PARK – NORTH TO COW HEAD & BACK.
Day 141 – It was 66 degrees this morning and quite humid. The high today was 84 degrees during our drive north through Gros Morne. Actually, it was supposed to rain just after lunch time, so we went out in the morning to explore and came back to the RV in time to make lunch.
We headed north from the campground on Route 430, driving as far as the town of Cow Head which is near the north border of the National Park. Along the way, we took a couple of dirt roads to see where they’d lead, and stopped at the Broom Point Restored Fishing Premises. The Fishing Museum was closed – after Labor Day, I guess. We hiked around anyway; the scenery was awesome. There were some great old rock formations. Then we drove through the charming village of Sally’s Cove and the larger village of St. Pauls before reaching Cow Head.
Cow Head appears to be a thriving fishing village with a gas station, grocery store, B&Bs and Inns. Shallow Bay National Park Campground is located in Cow Head, and Shallow Bay Beach is a very popular beach with more than 5 kilometers of sandy beach. It is also a popular tourist destination because the village hosts the well-known, annual Gros Morne Theatre Festival of professional theater productions.
In addition, the third weekend in September is the “Gros Morne Fall Fest, a celebration of crafts, music, food, and culture taking place in the picturesque town of Cow Head, nestled in the northern coastal region of Gros Morne National Park. Since its first iteration back in 2013, the Fall Fest has grown to become one of the Park’s most popular yardstick events, drawing folks from near and far at the tail end of the annual tourist season. Built upon the foundations of the Craft Fair that began in 2007, and which still takes place on Fall Fest Sunday, Gros Morne Fall Fest brings to life the lively traditions of the region.” from the Cow Head online travel brochure
At home in the RV later, it remained hot and humid, but unfortunately it didn’t rain to break the humidity. When we were heading back from Cow Head, we stopped at a small grocery store to pick up a few items. We asked the clerk if she knew where we could get some fresh fish. She said that Rocky Harbour should have it for sure. We told her that we’d already tried them and that they were closed for the season. She said we could try the fish plant in Cow Head. After lunch we called the Cow Head harbor and were told that we could buy fish there daily. So tomorrow we’ll be making a trip back up to Cow Head for some fish. Also, there’s a farmer’s market near our campground and we are going there in the morning tomorrow.
We had dinner reservations at a restaurant called Chanterelles. It had good reviews online and it wasn’t far from the campground. The ambiance was nice, they weren’t busy yet, and the dining room chairs were so comfortable we could’ve slept in them. LOL. We relaxed with drinks first; we tried specialty cocktails. The best was the Burnt Orange Cosmopolitan. We had an excellent dinner, the service was very good, and we’ll be going back again before we leave Gros Morne. We split the appetizers of the Green Salad and the Fish Cakes. The Fish Cakes were the best we’d ever had, loaded with Salmon, Halibut, Shrimp, and Lobster. Rob ordered the Chanterelles Cod; he thought it was excellent. I ordered the Seafood Pasta special – fresh Shrimp, Scallops, Salmon & Halibut (it also came with Mussels, but I opted out), and the sauce was a Rose Tomato Cream; both Rob and I thought it was incredible. For dessert we split the Cheesecake with Blueberries – it was just okay. It was still quite warm & humid back at the RV. Another storm is predicted for Saturday. We’re hoping it does happen.
