So the planes are getting smaller as we head West..

Although after 17 years on and off working for the Royal Flying Doctor Service I’m used to much smaller. In a week’s time we’ll be on an even smaller float plane so can’t wait for that.

Straight from Deer Lake we headed off to Corner brook where I had some very productive and helpful interviews with doctors there who manage the region and one who has worked in Port. Saunders a long time.

Not everyone reading this blog will be interested in the details of my fellowship looking at the retention of remote doctors so I won’t bore you with details- those who are interested will have to wait until the report is published at the end of our trip.

As we head into Canada everyone jokes about not getting eaten by a bear. We laugh- figuring it’s pretty rare ( although the scene from The Revenant plays in my head). But driving along today we hear on the news about a fatal Polar bear attack up north and a grizzly bear attack on a kayaker in his tent! Apparently the polar bear was stalking the guys kids and he jumped into protect them..

As we drive through hundreds of kilometres of small pine forests that look like acres of Christmas trees I am bemused to see a Christmas tree farm advertised???

On recommendation from one of the doctors and with limited time we head up the 5km Lookout trail at Gros Morne park. The sign says it’s a very steep trail but that the track is a nice gravel track with steps and ramps. Well I think they’re working on it but if you go there be warned it is completely washed away and is pretty wild except for a small section of boardwalk near the top.

Magic walk though through forests and across marshes full of wildflowers with a fantastic view of ponds and mountains across the park. And a great view of the Tablelands which is a UNESCO listed site that is the only place in the world where you can see a piece of the earth’s mantle. And being full of heavy metals nothing grows so it stands out as this barren red wasteland that is often used for Mars analogue training!

Stopped in at Trout river which is a picturesque little fishing village with some very character filled historic looking buildings – turns out this area is full of these villages with many people still living a pretty tough basic life of a fisherman just with roads and power now.

Don’t know they did it back in the day- tough people! The Labrador current means almost arctic type weather – cold and harsh. But it meets the gulf stream and produces nutrient rich water that results in what was once one of the world’s biggest fisheries.

In budget travel style we stopped for a picnic dinner at a lookout which also meant dinner with a view.

Noone warned us about the midges and blackflies though which were particularly bad this night!

So there was hesitation about sleeping in the car tonight. But accommodation options are limited as everything books up in the short summer season. So with not much choice we took a room at the ocean view hotel in rocky harbour which was grossly overpriced for what it was. And again we got caught out by the tax which is a new experience for us- you ask for a price over the phone and then when you go to pay you get slugged up to another 20% in taxes which is always a shock. It’s with meals and everything. Not sure why they can’t just list the final price as we do in Australia?

6 July

Self catering was definitely the way to go. Not only saves money but also leaves you more flexible to travel around the national park. And is healthier too- not a lot of healthy options in this neck of the woods.

We did a short walk at Bery Hill and Berry Hill pond where we spotted our first beaver’s nest. No beaver but we saw where they’d gnawed the small trees down and it was quite amazing.

Ron was busting for a ‘no.2’ on the trail and really couldn’t hold on. He disappeared away from the track with the water bottle and came back to announce he’s discovered ‘backcountry bidet’ is a great technique but I pointed out that might not be so good on a trail where you needed the water and might die of dehydration- although at least with a clean butt!

Also saw the first of many arctic hares. They are grey in summer and snow white in winter. Clever!

Sealskin production was once a big industry here and you can still buy sealskin jackets and boots in a couple of stores.

Had a long meeting and great discussion with Dr Bowen who has been the doctor at Norris Point for 32 years!

Decided to brave the midges that were not so bad now and sleep in the car at Berry Hill campground. It’s a Parks Canada campground and is really beautiful with great facilities.