Should We Stay or Should We Go - Our Travel Journal

Located on Newfoundland's west coast, Gros Morne National Park covers nearly 1,800 square kilometres, making it the second-largest national park in Atlantic Canada. The name Gros Morne comes from French and means "large, solitary mountain," a fitting description of one of the park's most recognizable peaks. The park was established in 1973 and, in 1987, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While the scenery alone is enough to leave a lasting impression, it was the park's remarkable geology that earned it international recognition. Millions of years ago, massive tectonic forces pushed part of the Earth's mantle to the surface here, creating one of the few places in the world where scientists can study rocks that normally lie deep beneath the Earth's crust. Photo by Timothy Holmes on Unsplash You don't need to understand geology to appreciate Gros Morne, though. Everywhere you look the landscape is changing. Rugged mountains, dense forests, q...

I'd been to L'Anse aux Meadows once before, but I was just as excited to go back as I was the first time.   I remembered bits and pieces, but it had been long enough that it almost felt like seeing it for the first time again. L'Anse aux Meadows is the only confirmed Viking settlement in North America and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Archaeologists believe Norse explorers arrived here around the year 1000, making it the earliest known European settlement in North America - nearly 500 years before Columbus. It's believed the Vikings used this as a temporary base while exploring farther south. They built a small settlement where they repaired their ships, gathered timber, and prepared for future voyages. Although they only stayed for a relatively short time, 10 years,  their visit forever changed what we know about the history of North America. This boggy, barren land is what the Vikings would have seen when they landed Our first stop was the visitor centre. We spen...

  St. Anthony sits near the northern tip of Newfoundland’s Northern Peninsula. To get there we knew that it would be a long drive day, but we were motivated. The plan was to just take our time, and enjoy the journey. During the first part of the drive, we slowed to enjoy each small fishing village we passed through. But the farther north we drove up the peninsula, the quieter things became. The villages became farther apart, stretches of wilderness seemed to go on forever, and there were times when it felt like we had the road entirely to ourselves. We began to realize just how remote this part of Newfoundland is. . St. Anthony is the largest community in the Northern Peninsula but "largest" is definitely relative. It's still a quiet fishing town, surrounded by rugged coastline and endless ocean. It also serves as the gateway to L'Anse aux Meadows, the only confirmed Viking settlement in North America. And as it was the reason for making the trip that far north, I...

  Photo by Sergey Tarasov on Unsplash There's something special about a road trip. Unlike flying, the journey becomes part of the vacation. You discover places you never planned to visit, stop for unexpected photo opportunities, and create memories that would never happen if you were simply trying to get from Point A to Point B. After many road trips over the years I've learned that a little planning goes a long way. You don't need to schedule every minute, but a few good habits can make the difference between an exhausting drive and an enjoyable adventure. Here are some of the things that have worked well for us. Have a Plan...But Don't Overplan I like having an outline of where we'll be each night and the major things we want to see. Beyond that, I prefer to leave plenty of room for spontaneity. Some of our favourite stops have been the ones we never planned. A scenic lookout, a roadside bakery, a walking trail we spotted on a sign, or a conversation with a ...