Day 12, Sunday

We spent the whole day touring the Tablelands peninsula.  As the crow flies the Tablelands are very close to Rocky Harbour where our campsite is located.  But, driving there is a different matter; you have to drive all the way around Bonne Bay, so we actually put 132 miles on our car.

Alex had given us the exact GPS coordinates where his UVM group started their expedition, so we wanted to find that spot, and we did.  But first we stopped at the village of Woody Point, which is an artsy village on the bay.  We did some laundry there and had lunch.  Joni had seafood chowder and I ordered cod at gratin...oh yeah and two Icebergs!  Our meals were delicious.

This photo really shows how flat the Tablelands really are.

The cars in the center of the lower part of this shot are parked at the trailhead.

We then headed to Alex's launch point, which is actually well marked and is the beginning of a 4 km hike along the base of the Tablelands.  The Tablelands is unique, somewhat reminiscent of the rocks around Mont Ventoux in France.  Nothing grows on these rocks, which originated from the Earths's middle layer, and is considered one of the best examples of the Earth's mantle. They are an orange/brown in color, not like any other rock formations in Newfoundland.

Unfortunately it was a cloudy day, and the brilliant colors were washed out by the gray clouds, so our photos don't capture how much these rocks stand out.

After our short hike we drove to the tiny fishing village of Trout River.

This village has a real "end of the line" feel to it.  There's only one road to it and that road is regularly closed in winter as a result of the snows piling up as they get funneled through the Tablelands gulch.  We visited a small museum which was staffed by a local girl who told us there are only 3 students in her grade at the Trout River school.  They had a vacancy for the principal's position; I almost applied.

Almost every home in Trout River is surrounded by stacks of lobster and crab traps.  No doubt this is a fishing village.

Returning to our campsite in Rocky Harbour, we purchased some sandwiches for dinner, made a fire, and played Scrabble 'til bedtime.

Alex must return to the Tablelands; he would love it in the summer.