Keith and Heather Nicol

f you want to go cod fishing from a traditional Newfoundland dory then you need to contact Darren Park. Darren is a top notch guide and operates 2 Newfoundland dories for tours of the Goose and Penguin Arm and is based in Cox’s Cove at the end of the North Shore highway (highway 440) near Corner Brook. His dory fishing trips are unique in the province and are very popular during the recreational cod fishery which runs from July 21-August 12, 2012.

Gros Morne Summer Music (GMSM) has just started its summer season and has a full schedule of performances that will run until August 26, 2012. On Mondays in Corner Brook and Saturdays in Woody Point you can catch the show “Sherlock Holmes and the German of Bonne Bay” which is styled after radio drama which was popular in the 1930’s and 40’s. On stage you see an announcer, a sound effects specialist and 2 musicians which provide the superb background music and even advertisements for such things as kidney pills!

“My goal is to create memorable performances about this place –Cow Head and Newfoundland in general -that will appeal to both local residents and visitors alike” Theatre Newfoundland Labrador’s artistic director Jeff Pitcher told us recently. And the dinner theatre performance of “Sinking of the S.S. Ethie” fits this philosophy to a tee. This is the show that started it all for Theatre Newfoundland Labrador in Cow Head and it has been running to full houses since 1996.

“I love my office” grinned Ryan Young above the roar of the motor as we skipped over the small waves of Trout River Pond. “This southern part of Gros Morne National Park is undiscovered by many people and it is too bad since it is a spectacular area.”

We were doing a new Ocean Quest boat tour (http://www.oceanquestadventures.com/services/tourist/gros-morne-national-park) that started on Trout River Pond, and we had to agree - Trout River Pond is amazing since it is surrounded by steep cliffs 550-600 meters high and it is 15 km long.

We think Theatre Newfoundland Labrador’s new show “Newfoundland Vinyl” is a must see for those people who are interested in Newfoundland music from the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s. The backstory for the show is that Gros Morne Theatre Festival regulars “Ed and Ed” are throwing a musical fundraiser – for themselves! The music has a definite country flavour and includes hits made popular by A. Frank Willis, Roy Payne, Joan Morrissey, Harry Hibbs and Tom Cahill.

We are big fans of traditional Newfoundland music whether it be “I’se the Bye” or a song from the Northern Peninsula that we might never have previously heard. Neddy Norris Night is Theatre Newfoundland Labrador’s popular musical night and it takes on a different flavour depending on who is the musical director that year.

The names Cathy Jones, Mary Walsh, Greg Malone and many of the original Codco crew are now synonymous with well known Newfoundland comedy. In 1973 they were just getting started in Toronto when they were distressed by the stereotypes that Ontarians felt applied to all Newfoundlanders. So they fought back with the play “Cod on a Stick” which pokes fun at Torontonians and Newfoundlanders alike.

We recently returned from a 1-night get away that saw us sampling great food and accommodations as well as hiking on one of our favourite trails in the southern part of Gros Morne National Park. Since Gros Morne Park is so large, many people opt to see just the north side or the south side with Bonne Bay acting as a geographical dividing line.

Theatre Newfoundland Labrador (TNL) is back in Cow Head and they are performing several new plays for the summer 2012 season. We recently saw “The Fly Fisher’s Companion” and would recommend this play to anyone since although it deals with salmon fishing, its main theme is the changing face of friendship. The play follows Wes (played by Michael Chaisson) and Don (performed by John Dartt) as they gear up to go salmon fishing from a cabin they built together many years ago.

This is a big year for Theatre Newfoundland Labrador’s “Tempting Providence” as it celebrates 10 years of performances around the world. “Tempting Providence” tells the story of Myra Bennett, a dedicated nurse who practiced on the Northern Peninsula. I recently got a chance to speak to Gaylene Buckle, Theatre Newfoundland Labrador’s general manager. “When we developed this play we purposively created it so that it could be performed in a variety of “stages” around the province, from church basements to school gyms.

The Humber Valley Hikers has started its 2012 hiking season with a fine hike to Cedar Cove near Little Port in the Bay of Islands. Judie Gushue is an avid hiker and coordinator of the Humber Valley Hikers. She lives in Corner Brook and we chatted to her while walking the 1.8 km (1 way trail) to Cedar Cove on Sunday, May 13. "I am pleased that we had 16 hikers out for our first hike of the season" said Judie.

We had enjoyed dog sledding with Les Skis Doux in Wiltondale earlier in March (see our post dated March 4, 2012) and were keen to head out again with Elaine and her dogs. For Snow West 2012 they had arranged to be at the base of Marble Mountain and this is an ideal place to get a feeling of dog sledding.

On Friday, March 23, 2012 we decided to head to the Ocean View Hotel in Rocky Harbour in Gros
Morne National Park to see executive chef, Steve Watson, do his magic with a block of ice and watch him in the kitchen preparing Newfoundland mussels. This event is part of Snow West 2012 which is running in various locations in Western Newfoundland from March 21-24, 2012.

What a great afternoon ! The sun was out, the sky was blue and we were going zip lining at Marble Mountain. We met our guides Reg Flynn and Daniel Kean at the Marble Zip Tours (MZT) office (conveniently located at the base of Marble) for the 2 pm tour. We had enjoyed zip lining with MZT previously but had not experienced their newest zip line which brings you back to the base of Marble Mountain via their longest and fastest zip line yet!

Dog sledding was more exercise and more challenging than we originally thought. It was also a whole lot of fun! Elaine Pinard (owner of Les Skis Doux) has been taking people dog sledding for the past six winters from her base in Wiltondale at the entrance to Gros Morne National Park.

Last winter we had a chance to join Darren Park for a great trip to the North Arm Hills, which are located along the North Shore of Bay of Islands near Corner Brook. These mountains are visible in the distance as you drive along the south shore of the Bay of Islands but are generally inaccessible unless you take a snowmobile trip.

We recently were invited to Airport Nordic Ski Club located just outside of Gander, Newfoundland to do some ski clinics with some of their ski instructors and jackrabbit leaders. While we were there we also had a chance to view their scenic trail system with several of their members showing us the way.

Last winter we had a chance to head to Happy Valley- Goose Bay, Labrador and were most impressed with the cross country skiing trails and lodge at the Birch Brook Nordic ski club. As well as enjoying the skiing we were invited to a potluck supper at the lodge which was a great way to meet many of the club members.

Cross country skiing is alive and well in Canada's eastern most province. Cross Country Newfoundland and Labrador (CCNL) is the umbrella group for cross country ski clubs and there are dozens of kilometres of groomed tracks waiting for any visitor.

The autumn colours are usually at their peak over the Thanksgiving weekend in western Newfoundland but this year they seem to be lasting longer. Over the past few days we have been out kayaking down the Humber River and hiking through the fall splendour in the Humber Valley.