Newfoundland & Labrador - Travel Blog

Terrain above the treeline unique in Eastern Canada

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:47:00 -0330

By Keith Nicol and Heather Nicol
Times & Transcript Staff

Western Newfoundland is a winter wonderland and offers fine cross-country skiing at several Nordic ski clubs and alpine skiing at Marble Mountain.

But what makes this area different from almost anywhere in Eastern Canada is its back country skiing.

Most of Eastern Canada, including almost all areas of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, have virtually no areas that are above treeline. You need to head to British Columbia and the Rockies of Alberta to have extensive areas of alpine terrain. But Western Newfoundland also has many areas above treeline and this creates a unique opportunity for those people who want to go ski touring in an alpine setting without travelling all the way across the country.

Let's look at what kind of equipment you need to get into ski touring and where you can get some great back country skiing in Western Newfoundland.

Many people opt for metal-edged telemark skis with plastic boots. The skins area is used for traction up hill and then these are removed when you decide to ski downhill. The advantage of this sort of gear is that it is perfect for making telemark turns in a wide range of conditions, from winter powder to spring corn snow.

Telemark boots are designed to flex at the toe so travelling uphill is easy and climbing skins which attach to the bottom of the ski allow you to climb up steep slopes with ease.

If you don't have this sort of gear, then you can still enjoy many back country areas in Western Newfoundland as long as you don't try to descend any of the steeper areas.

Also, basic ski wax doesn't allow you to climb as steeply so often skiers with basic ski touring equipment search out tamer back country terrain. Generally, the ski equipment that you use at a Nordic ski area where trails are groomed by machine will not be suited to Western Newfoundland's back country due to the snow conditions and steep terrain you will likely encounter.

Now, let's have a look at some easily accessible back country ski destinations.

One of the most popular areas is the Tablelands in Gros Morne National Park. This area sees skiers, snowshoers and snowboarders throughout the winter but sees the most people in April and May.

The main feature is a huge glacial bowl that has many steep slopes associated with it. It also has a stellar view of Bonne Bay and you can even see Gros Morne Mountain in the distance.

You can access this area from the Tablelands parking lot near the community of Woody Point.

From here it takes around an hour to reach the top of the bowl and many people will yo-yo ski the steep slopes which only get better as the sun softens the spring snow.

Less experienced skiers can stick to the more gentle slopes but this area has numerous steep slopes to appeal to experts.

There are many places to enjoy lunch on the exposed rocks, either at the top of the bowl or along the flanks of the bowl. Some skiers head off across the flattish slopes above the Tablelands bowl and this is an ideal place for basic ski touring gear.
Terrain above the treeline unique in Eastern Canada

Western Newfoundland is a winter wonderland and offers fine cross-country skiing at several Nordic ski clubs and alpine skiing at Marble Mountain.

The top of the Tablelands is well named and you can kick and glide for many kilometres across the snowy expanse of this area.

But be warned: the Tablelands is also an area that is prone to avalanches and some huge snow slides have occurred in the past. Also, the prevailing west winds build out a huge cornice which overhangs the bowl and we have seen chunks of cornice the size of minivans which have broken off in the bowl. Getting smacked by a piece of cornice the size of a washing machine or hit by a wet snow avalanche is not the way most people expect to greeted when skiing the Tablelands but it has happened several times over the past few years.

Fortunately there have been no fatalities but watch the snow and weather and carrying an avalanche transceiver, probe and shovel won't go astray.

Another area that offers great views and fine skiing is the slopes in the Blow Me Down Mountains near Corner Brook. One place to access these mountains is the Blow Me Down Nature Trail parking lot, just past the community of Frenchman's Cove.

The steep slope rises up and the views just keep getting better as you gain altitude. You can see out to the island-studded Bay of Islands and, once you gain the ridge, you can head off in many different directions.

On our last trip into this area we headed south along the ridge and dropped into a steep bowl where we could carve turns on perfect corn. Again, you have to eye the snow stability because, in this area, we saw evidence of avalanches in several places.

Our return route saw us skimming along the base of the Blow Me Down Mountains back to the parking lot.

Source article with photos: here

The Rock on a plate

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 09:31:00 -0330

Source: www.ottawacitizen.com
By Ron Eade , The Ottawa Citizen
March 3rd, 2010

Those who think the cuisine of Newfoundland and Labrador is limited to cod cakes and pan-fried fillet o' fish will be pleasantly surprised by new victuals from The Rock to be served at the annual two-day Ottawa Travel and Vacation Show, which opens Saturday at Lansdowne Park.

In fact, its East Coast cuisine has evolved considerably since the Canadian government declared a moratorium on the cod fishery in 1992. It had to.

"With the closure of the cod fishery, chefs here have put more emphasis on other species like shrimp, crab, halibut, swordfish, tuna and scallops," says Mark McCarthy, of McCarthy's Party Tours based in St. John's.

In some cases, cod is even being farmed.

"That means we have a greater variety of seafood to showcase, which is exactly what we want to do in Ottawa," McCarthy says.

"Yes, you can still go out and have a lobster supper, but you can also expect to find local shrimp, scallops, caribou and moose on the menu that people may not readily expect."

Among visitors to the show this weekend is Steve Watson, genial co-host of the Rogers TV show One Critic, One Chef in St. John's, now executive chef at the Newfoundland's Central Dairies.

Watson, who is lined up to present cooking demonstrations Saturday and Sunday, says it's all about giving the Ottawa audience a taste of The Rock. His recipes use many of the local fresh ingredients, much of it available from an ambitious aquaculture industry.

"Travellers frequently return home with snapshots of picturesque scenery, but the food is equally memorable," Watson says.

"People always remember what they ate, so the whole food experience has to be fun. Newfoundland cuisine has changed since the cod fishery closed — it has broadened and become more sophisticated.

"In 10 years we've added 8,000 restaurant seats in St. John's alone — and it's not just about fish. We're serving local game, rabbit, moose. Seafood has broadened to include local salmon, steelhead trout and mussels provided by Newfoundland aquaculture. We're even growing corn here now, which was unheard of five years ago," Watson says.

Training the spotlight on Newfoundland cuisine is part of an increasing emphasis on food as an integral part of the travel experience, says organizer Halina Player of Player Expositions.

But beyond Newfoundland, some booths representing other Canadian provinces and nations of the world will bring along samples of their own culinary wares to tease the palate.

Ever sampled potato fudge from Prince Edward Island? You will here.

"When people travel they remember castles, museums, beautiful scenery — but what you remember most is the food," Player says.

"Even years after a trip, people remember a fabulous meal.

"New retirees have lots of discretionary time, income and some level of sophistication. They're educated and interested in food and wine," she says.

Of 160 booths to showcase destinations at home and abroad, 10 are taken by Newfoundland and Labrador with an unprecedented 23 travel representatives in tow — the largest single contingent at the show, including two musicians and a chef.

"In 12 years I've been at the show, we've never gone this big in Ottawa," says Jeannette Yetman, of the Destination St. John's tourism authority.

"And it's the first time we've taken an executive chef with us."

The second-largest exhibit is from China with four booths decked out in red to promote Shanghai Expo this year from May to October.

Also on the demonstration stage will be Ottawa TV personality and cookbook author Margaret Dickenson, Wakefield Mill Inn and Spa chef Romain Riva, Le Cordon Bleu sushi chef Armando Baisas, La Gazelle's Moroccan chef Oumzil Elhashmi, Indonesia embassy chef Ifmal Darmin, and chef Jorge Peralta of Gad's Hill Place in Merrickville.

Check the website www.travelandvacationshow.ca for times, topics.

New this year are free 30-minute seminars, every two hours, on how to take great travel photos by Henry's camera stores.

Exhibitors are also being encouraged to hand out tasting samples. For example, Turkey will offer olive oil and tapenade, India will have samosas, Cuba will have Mojitos, and Thailand will demonstrate fruit and vegetable carving.

Now in its 16th year, the show at the historic Aberdeen Pavilion attracts about 16,000 each year.

"The growing taste for culinary travel is very real," Player says.

"Appetites have been whetted by good food coverage in newspapers, magazines, and now on the Food Network where people can watch food and travel non-stop. This has definitely boosted interest in culinary tourism."

Karl Wells, dining critic for The Telegram newspaper in St. John's, appears with Watson as the critic on their TV show One Critic, One Chef. Although Wells isn't part of the Newfoundland and Labrador delegation this year, he's effusive in his praise for fine dining to be found even beyond a capital city that once had limited cuisine.

"We have many more international-style restaurants," Wells says. "There was a time you couldn't find sushi in St. John's, but now you have it.

"You can get Thai food here, Afghan cuisine, Greek dishes. Not only is the food more sophisticated, but people are cooking seasonally.

"We're using a lot of our own products — farmed blue mussels in a huge industry here and they're amazing."

And with fine cuisine comes fine wine.

"A few years ago when you went to a liquor store there was very little wine, and what wine there was tended to be horrible," Wells says.

"Now, wines take up most of the shelf space and they're from all over the world."

Player says that highlighting food through the weekend makes it more than just a travel show. "The idea is to give people more of a total experience — not just picking up brochures, but to take in seminars, cooking, and tasting what various booths have to offer."

Daly's Restaurant at the Westin Ottawa is also featuring a special Newfoundland and Labrador menu through 7 that includes cod cakes, chowder, braised short ribs, salmon and Screech-spiked apple cobbler.

For original article link with recipes click here

Marble Mountain is a Winter Wonderland

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 02:05:00 -0330

Source: www.skimarbleblog.com

Today is the kind of day when we really love our jobs here at Marble Mountain Resort (February 18th, 2010)! We woke up to an unexpected 10cm snowfall, it's still snowing and it's a picture perfect day on the mountain. Alli Johnston (the resort's marketing manager) took a walk with her camera just before first run today and took these shots of today's winter wonderland.

If you're on the mountain with a camera today (or any day!) send us your photos. Everyone sees the mountain from a different angle and we'd love to see your point of view! Just post them to our Facebook Fan Page or email them to info@skimarble.com.

Sea kayaking off Newfoundland can take you where the fish go

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 04:08:00 -0330

Source: Sue Bailey, The Canadian Press

BAY BULLS, N.L. – "It's a whole different world from a sea kayak."

Those were the words from our guide, Gerard Keough, as my husband Mike and I set off for our very first ocean adventure in a kayak built for two.

"Most boats can't get anywhere near some of the areas we get to explore – the caves, the coastline, the small bays, the little crevices created by the ocean that are quite spectacular and have some really amazing life forms in them."

It was one of those gorgeous, late summer days you wish you could bottle and release in the grey depths of winter. Newfoundlanders describe that sort of vast blue-sky bliss as "a large day, b'y."

Sun caught every ripple on the calm waters of historic Bay Bulls, a postcard-pretty fishing village about 25 minutes south of the capital St. John's.

It's a sheltered, deep-water harbour that is home to shipwrecks attesting to its battle-weary past. British settlers over the last four centuries survived repeated attacks, especially from French military forces that tried to drive them from these strategic shores.

Today, the community of 1,200 hosts thousands of visitors a year. They come to hike its rugged coastal trails or to board the touring boats that offer glimpses of majestic humpback whales in summer.

And they come to sea kayak.

The first challenge was getting Mike in the boat. At six-foot-four, it took a few tries to get the rudder controls set where his feet could comfortably reach them without his long legs getting too cramped up.

We wore life jackets and "skirts" that fit over the kayak to seal out the water, once we were seated inside.

A double kayak is much more stable for beginners than a single boat, though the rare flip can occur.

"If anything happens just pull that up to release it and swim," Keough said of the loop on the kayak skirt. He is a cautious guide who approaches the open water with respect and care.

Whoever rides in the kayak's rear seat has the extra duty of steering as well as paddling. It's a delicate dual task to keep your lower body in control of the rudder as your upper body strokes the water – something Mike compared to mastering a drum kit.

Keough, a former social worker in Kitchener, Ont., who came home to find his dream job, said it generally takes newbies about 30 minutes to really get going.

Sea kayaking is an instructive test of any relationship. It demands team work, patience, rhythm and endurance. A sense of humour helps. This is especially true when the salty wind hits you full in the face, the waves slap your bow and your shoulders start to ache.

After about 45 minutes of what we thought was hard paddling, we entered the oasis of a sea cave, carved by waves crashing into the ancient cliff soaring over our heads.

Our voices echoed off the wet stone that cast aqua green shadows as the ocean surge pulled us forward and back. We admired small starfish clinging to the rocks at our side, and caught our breath before heading out for some serious kayaking around rock towers rising up out of the sea. Locals call these geological wonders "the stacks."

Our guide's affable tone turned serious as he described the potential hazards ahead.

"You have to be able to follow me. There's all kinds of shoals. If you twist off by five feet you could end up on a rock, the water runs out from under that rock, the boat tips over, then we've got to do a rescue.

"I'm just being really blunt and straightforward because that's the only way to do it out here. Safety is the most important thing. If I get that sense at any moment that you're in any kind of danger, then we stop trying to go around the stacks."

Right then. With singular focus we paddled as one to keep Keough directly in front of us. Our reward was a front-row view of some of the most spectacular ocean scenery we've yet to see.

Kayakers love to swap stories of nesting eagles and Atlantic puffins – the stocky little birds fondly referred to as "potatoes with wings" – that make their home on nearby Gull Island.

But the greatest thrill of all has to be a close encounter with a whale. The bigger the better.

Keough was paddling back from a recent camping trip with friends when a large humpback rose up out of the water about 10 metres from their kayaks.

"I almost got the sense that the whale noticed us and then dove directly under our kayaks, turned, came out directly behind us, came out of the water again, back in, and then turned around and came up beside us maybe 20 feet to our left.

"And then it was gone. My sense at the time was he didn't expect us there and then he decided to check us out and see who we were and what we were doing. It was quite an amazing experience."

The best time to see the gentle giants is July and August when they chase caplin, their favourite staple of small fish, close to shore.

Keough had two more trips later in the day so we turned our boats back toward the bay after a two-hour tour. It was heads down, hard work against the wind as we paddled against larger waves back into the sparkling harbour.

We groaned and laughed as we unfolded ourselves from the narrow compartments. After stretching our muscles we were ready to replenish those burned-off calories with a freshly caught meal of fish 'n' chips.

Keough grinned like a man who has truly followed his calling.

"It's a phenomenal day in a phenomenal place," he said. "And it never gets old, folks. Never."

You’re From Where?

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 03:52:00 -0330

Source: Ed Kirby, Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism

Nicky's Nose Cove. It's over in Green Bay which is in Notre Dame Bay which is on the northeast coast of Newfoundland. You can't miss it. No relation to Jerry's Nose over around Port au Port, though.

Who named these places? Toogood Arm. Heart's Content. Come By Chance. Cupids. Ferryland. Joe Batt's Arm. Old Shop. Deep Bight. Open Hall. Happy Adventure. Famish Gut. Bareneed. Nippers Harbour. River of Ponds. Point of Bay. There are scores of place names in Newfoundland and Labrador that provide insight into how our early settlers thought, what they made fun of, and the unique lens through which they saw the world.

Colourful place names fill the Newfoundland and Labrador volume of The Canada Gazetteer, Canada's official list of towns, villages, capes, rocks, mountains and sunkers. It's one of the funniest books in print, right up there with the Dictionary of Newfoundland English.

Who christened Heart's Content, Heart's Delight, Heart's Desire, Little Heart's Ease and Cupids? You'd swear old St. Valentinus himself was an early settler. Was there a bit of luck involved in naming Come By Chance? Is Toogood Arm too good to be true? Are the natives of Heart's Content all that pleased with their lives? Was Joe Batt really a deserter from one of Captain Cook's voyages here in the 1760s? That's the folklore associated with the name Joe Batt's Arm. The stories about the names of these places are often as good as the names themselves.

There are many communities named for saints, including a couple not on the heavenly register, such as St. Shotts. Who was he, or she? And, of course, there's Angels Cove, Lourdes, Trinity Bay, and Conception Bay. The other side of the ledger is well represented by the likes of Devils Dancing Table, Devils Point, and Devils Kitchen Hill.

St. John's, the provincial capital, is named for the day, June 24, when John Cabot landed at Cape Bonavista in 1497. Bonavista is a strange reconstruction, and certainly not Italian (which is Cabot's native tongue). It's closer to Boavista, a fishing port in Portugal.

Scores of French names attest to the long habitation of French fishermen here. Isle aux Morts – Island of the Dead, in English – Point La Haye, Baie Verte (a.k.a. Green Bay), Conche, La Scie, Port au Choix (Port of Nuts or Port of Choice?) and even Fleur-de-Lys survive to this day, although official French presence ended in 1904. Grand Bruit means "great noise" – made by the spectacular waterfall in the remote south coast village. Rose Blanche describes the colour of the rocks in that town.

Many names were given to new surroundings by homesick immigrants – Ireland's Eye, Highlands, and Britannia. And some came from the nationality of those who fished from a particular harbour – Frenchman's Cove, Portugal Cove, English Harbour West, Port aux Basques and Spanish Room (a 'room' is the land-based property of a fishing operation.)

The Scots brought Heatherton, Lochleven and Highlands to the Codroy Valley in Southwest Newfoundland. The Irish were good importers, too, with such entries as Kilbride, St. Patrick's, Patrick's Cove, Ireland's Eye and O'Donnell's. And don't forget Spaniard's Bay, Harbour Breton, Turk's Cove, and English Harbour West, although there were no Turks here, just some Barbary pirates.

Famish Gut is a lovely piece of water, despite its name, and Bareneed is a prosperous little place, so there's more than a bit of black humour involved in some names, like Toogood Arm. Does Nippers Harbour say something about mosquitoes? There were two communities called Mosquito, both now abandoned. The French got into the spirit, too, with Tête de Vache – Cow Head.

Many names are repeated, especially in geographic features. There are, for instance, 42 places called White Point, 13 named Three Corner Pond, 27 Northwest Arms, and the granddaddy of them all, Long Pond, with 82. And if you think P.E.I. has the only Charlottetown, we've got two – one on the Island of Newfoundland and one on Labrador.

Resources figure prominently in names. Caplin Cove, Seal Cove, Black Duck Cove, Woody Point, Meadows, Birchy Cove, Ochre Pit Cove, Woodville, Lead Cove all speak to places where a living might be made, or food sought.

Bay Bulls would seem to have something to do with agriculture, but it's actually a corruption of the French name for the place – Baie Boules, so called because there were so many bullbirds there centuries ago, and the French for bullbird is boule.

Bay D'Espoir is pronounced 'bay despair,' but in French it means 'bay of hope.'

Spelling is not always a good guide to pronunciation. Pouch Cove is 'pooch cove.' Badger's Quay is 'badger's key.' Boswarlos is 'boss wallace.' Francois is 'fransway.' And Quirpon is 'carpoon.' In many cases, a French, Spanish or Portuguese word has been mangled in the translation, or the name is so old that English pronunciation has changed over the years.

Then there are names for which no explanation seems possible: Chase Me Further Pond, Pick Eyes, Loo Cove, Poor Shoal, Hell Fire Pond, Cuff Tickle (all of which may well have been named by a wit from Clowns Cove).

Ever seen a Fox Roost? How often have you been to Seldom? Little Seldom? You get the idea.The main thing is to have a bit of fun with it all…

Dive Outside the Chocolate Box This Valentine’s Day

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:26:00 -0330

Source: Ed Kirby, Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism

It's almost question-popping time – you know, Valentine's Day – but going down on one knee is a little…boring, right? Predictable, safe, and just not your style. Life is a big adventure, and the two of you are adventurous. So, let's go deep, 89 feet deep, in SCUBA gear, to the deck of an historic shipwreck, and spring the ring. Now, that's a proposal!

This one-of-a-kind package is available through Leaside Manor and Ocean Quest Adventures in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Ocean Quest is a dive and adventure operator just 15 minutes away. The dive is to a ship sunk off Bell Island in Conception Bay by a German U-Boat in the 1940s. The ship is sitting upright as you can see here. Leaside Manor is a high-end boutique bed-and-breakfast in downtown St. John's. The optional element in this package is a hand-crafted ring by jeweler Chris Kearney of St. John's from diamonds, silver, gold and labradorite.

There are other romance packages available that come with just a tinge of adventure. Here's a sampling:

Love on the Rock is a snowmobile ride combined with a romantic dinner and dancing, also offered by Leaside Manor. It features one night in a rustic cabin and a second night at Leaside, dinner, dancing and a tour of St. John's.

Humber Valley Heaven pairs cooking classes from top chefs with a helicopter tour of Gros Morne National Park on Newfoundland's west coast, and a zip line tour over Humber Valley, which is a bit closer to the ground.

Molding Your Romance in Newfoundland features pottery making at Riverwood Inn, Springdale, with world-class potters David Hyashida and Linda Yates who will fire and glaze your creation and send it to you.

Our Titanic Romance at the Ryan Mansion in St. John's features the meals served on Titanic – on replica Titanic china – a photo session on the Grand Staircase built by the same Belfast craftsmen who build Titanic's Grand Staircase, a tour to romantically named Cupids, and airport pickup and drop-off in a Mercedes.

Newfoundland and Labrador is a romantic place. Heart's Delight, Heart's Desire, Little Heart's Ease and Cupids are just some of our romantic place names. Cupids is celebrating its 400th anniversary in 2010, so we're romantic and steadfast.

Stone wall defended Canada's oldest British settlement

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 09:58:00 -0330

Source: Randy Boswell
Canwest News Service

Archeologists in Cupids, Nfld., have unearthed the remains of a stone wall that may have housed cannons to defend Canada's first English settlement, established on the shore of Conception Bay in 1610. Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, visited the site earlier this month during their royal tour of Canada.

Buried under soil and rubble dumped by 19th-century residents of Cupids — the Conception Bay village set to celebrate its 400th anniversary next year — the wall was hidden until this summer within a thicket of aspen trees north of the enclosed townsite where experts have already unearthed building foundations and artifacts from the original 17th-century colony.

The newly discovered remains suggest the wall might have housed seaward-facing cannons to ward off attackers in the early 1600s, an era when rival fishermen from France, Spain and Portugal — as well as the notorious English pirate Peter Easton — sometimes menaced the fledgling coastal community.

"We found this feature in September and had it uncovered during the royal visit," Bill Gilbert, the site's chief archeologist, told Canwest News Service. "I did mention it briefly to the prince but the tour was so short — only 20 minutes — that we didn't get to go into anything in too much detail."

If the 46-centimetre-thick wall proves to be what it looks like at first glance — a bulwark protecting Britain's first foothold in the future Canada — the discovery will add another layer of significance to a site already rich with symbolism.

To read the whole story, visit the Canwest News Service website.

The Hummock from Frenchman's Cove: IATNL News

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 03:07:00 -0330

Source: Paul Wylezol
Chairperson, International Appalachian Trail and
President, IAT

On a sunny October afternoon I managed to find the time to make a short trail blazing trek to the top of the Hummock, located 2kms southwest of Frenchman's Cove in the beautiful Bay Of Islands. This 1,000ft hill provides fantastic views of the Blow Me Down Mountains, Bay of Islands, North Arm Hills, and Humber Arm.

The following week an IATNL trail crew cut the 1/4 mile (400m) trail across the top of the Hummock, opening up the 360 degree panoramic view.

A round trip trek to the top of the Hummock from Frenchman's Cove takes 2-3 hours. A winter snowshow loop can be done in 3-4 hours. But for now it will take longer ... as you have to wait for the snow!

Paul Wylezol
President, IAT

The New Zip Line near Corner Brook, Newfoundland

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 03:21:00 -0330

Source: Lori Henry
LoriHenry.com

Steady Brook Falls, just outside of Corner Brook, Newfoundland, takes a lovely, short hike to get to, and is also the local swimming hole: you can jump from a rock into a swirling pool just before it cascades from the gorge. The currents somehow pull you back so you don't fall over the edge.

Now, locals looking up see the inconspicuously painted green platforms and almost-invisible cables that cross the gorge six times overhead. Today I went zip lining along them with MarbleZip Tours.

Greg and Jamie were ready for us when we arrived, us giddy from the snappish cold and faint sunshine. We got all geared up under the watchful eye of the resident dog and the guys took us up a "no vehicles allowed past" trail on a 4×4 Jeep-type car. From there it was all fun and games.

Each of the zip lines showcases Steady Brook Falls from a different angle, so everyone seems to have a favourite run. I loved number three, the highest zip line in Canada at 285 feet, that seems to drop the ground below most extremely and gives the biggest "wow" factor as the waterfall view opens up and your jaw drops. The longest zip line is just under 1,000 feet across.

It's spectacularly beautiful, even on a cold, end-of-October day (MarbleZip Tours is open year round).

I've zip lined in other parts of Canada, as well as Jamaica and Mexico but the rugged beauty here tops them all.

For the rest of Lori's entry, as well as some great photos, visit her blog.

Foal Brings Back Memories of Newfoundland Ponies

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 02:41:00 -0330

Source: Katherine Hudson
Western Star

Loretta Kelly received a rare gift in late August when one of her Newfoundland ponies gave birth to a foal. Kelly always had a pony while she was growing up in Howley, but received her first Newfoundland pony, Queenie, about 20 years ago.

[...]

The ponies saw a dramatic decrease in their population in the late 1970s. According to the Newfoundland Pony Breed Association, the numbers plummeted from about 10,000 ponies in 1900 to about 144 in 1997. Flirting with being wiped out entirely, the Newfoundland pony was declared a heritage animal by the provincial government that same year. The numbers have increased to about 400 Newfoundland ponies presently across Canada.

To read the rest of the story, visit the Western Star's website.