Today it is raining. I'm in Canada, in the winter - and it is raining. What's going on? I could have stayed in Scotland! I arrived in Newfoundland at ten to one on a Monday morning after being up since 6:30am on Sunday and skiing nearly 50km. Then my credit card was refused - entirely due to my own mismanagement of bank transfers - so instead of hiring a car I ended up being a passenger and driven first to a B&B and then the following morning to Norris Point, in the heart of Newfoundland's Gros Morne National Park. The photo below is of Norris Point, while the one at the top of this post is a view of Gros Morne mountain itself.
To be perfectly honest I was quite happy not to be driving after seeing the condition of the roads! Especially as I was only offered all season rather than proper winter tyres. On my first afternoon I met up with Shane Fleming who is the marketing manager for Gros Morne Gatherings - an organisation that is trying to extend the tourism season for Western Newfoundland businesses by promoting corporate functions. He is also involved with the Gros Morne Institute for Sustainable Tourism who run courses in innovation and sustainability for tourism employees. Over the last few days I've met up with other people involved in tourism here. Sue and Bob started Gros Morne Adventures (www.grosmorneadventures.com/ )in 1990 and are very well respected guides. Their names had been mentioned by other people I've met on this trip so it was wonderful to finally meet them in person. Peter Ollerhead of CycleSolutions (www.cyclesolutions.ca/) in Corner Brook only started his business 6 years ago but it has grown exponentially so it was great for him and Colin to take time to share their experiences with me over a coffee. The coffee was from the very nice coffee shop that Peter opened last year next door to his bike shop... there's an interconnecting door so he and his customers can take advantage of freshly brewed coffee at any time of day. What a great idea! Yesterday was an absolutely glorious day. I was out of the house at 7am, just as the sky was lightening, to take advantage of a lift down to Corner Brook. We drove past Gros Morne mountain as it was bathed in early morning sun. The hills here with their rounded tops and craggy sides remind me of the Cairngorms. In the afternoon I was taken for a snowmachine ride out to the back of Gros Morne. This is a truly beautiful place and well deserving of being a National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
To be perfectly honest I was quite happy not to be driving after seeing the condition of the roads! Especially as I was only offered all season rather than proper winter tyres. On my first afternoon I met up with Shane Fleming who is the marketing manager for Gros Morne Gatherings - an organisation that is trying to extend the tourism season for Western Newfoundland businesses by promoting corporate functions. He is also involved with the Gros Morne Institute for Sustainable Tourism who run courses in innovation and sustainability for tourism employees. Over the last few days I've met up with other people involved in tourism here. Sue and Bob started Gros Morne Adventures (www.grosmorneadventures.com/ )in 1990 and are very well respected guides. Their names had been mentioned by other people I've met on this trip so it was wonderful to finally meet them in person. Peter Ollerhead of CycleSolutions (www.cyclesolutions.ca/) in Corner Brook only started his business 6 years ago but it has grown exponentially so it was great for him and Colin to take time to share their experiences with me over a coffee. The coffee was from the very nice coffee shop that Peter opened last year next door to his bike shop... there's an interconnecting door so he and his customers can take advantage of freshly brewed coffee at any time of day. What a great idea! Yesterday was an absolutely glorious day. I was out of the house at 7am, just as the sky was lightening, to take advantage of a lift down to Corner Brook. We drove past Gros Morne mountain as it was bathed in early morning sun. The hills here with their rounded tops and craggy sides remind me of the Cairngorms. In the afternoon I was taken for a snowmachine ride out to the back of Gros Morne. This is a truly beautiful place and well deserving of being a National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
No comments:
Post a Comment