Woody Point

Woody Point is a small town in Gros Morne National Park.

It was at Woody Point I began to realize this was not going to be the expedition trip we were expecting.

At our last stop, L'Anse aux Meadows we all were pretty much there to see the ancient viking site and a bus trip was the only way to do it. There were no hikes offered or anything else.

At this stop I was hoping we could do some hiking or at least get up to the top of the tablelands.  

NOPE!  just a bus ride with a bunch of other old farts and then a talk by a park ranger about the geology of the park.

What are tablelands?  The flat rocky area above the tree line at the top of this page is referred to as the "Tablelands".

The tablelands are the result of tectonic plate action where the mantle of the earth has been thrust up and become visible. The earth's mantle is usually far below the earth's crust and this is one of the few places on earth where his has happened.

This exposed rock in the three pictures below is half a billion years old.

An artsy-fartsy shot.

The little town of Woody Point. Not much going on there but some of the local ladies were on the pier to greet us. They seem a friendly bunch here in Newfoundland.

Us old farts listening to our guide.

This is the guide in the black jacket.  A good gal, she knew her stuff but it sure would have been nice to actually do some hiking and get up a little higher.  Next time!

The valley below (we were told) was carved out by a huge glacier. I think Paul Bunyan did it.

This is as close as we got to the tablelands...at the bottom.

We did see a bunch of nice flowers though...wooohooo

And the one below (and the one following) is a carnivorous plant. A kind of pitcher plant I think she said it was.

This plant has a very strange eating process:  certain insects get in there and can't get out so they ultimately die in there. But that's not what the plant eats. Then other certain insects get in there and lay their eggs and then fly away because they are able to get out.  When the eggs hatch into larvae the larvae eat the dead insects that couldn't get out.  And after the eat they have to have a poop and that's what the plant ultimately eats...the larva poop!  Yummmmmy

And a picture of the Silver Cloud from on the hillside.

That's it for Woody Point.