Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland and Labrador

In 2000, the global stratotype for the boundary between the Cambrian and Ordovician systems (circa 500 million years ago) was designated at Green Point, Newfoundland by the International Commission on Stratigraphy.

In June, we went to see it.

The layers of rock look like a giant grey mille feuille pastry flipped on its side. They used to lay flat. Each layer was mud and debris that gathered and settled on the floor of an ancient ocean and tectonic forces caused the shift over millions of years, tilting the rocks. In this photo, the older layers (Cambrian) are to the right and the younger layers (Ordovician) are to the left.

It's kind of unbelievable.


The rock layers run in straight lines out into the North Atlantic.

They're different colours and shades of grey, white, orange, black. There are even some small rogue bushy plants growing in the formations. Little yellow flowers peeking through the green sticking out from a wall of rock.

While tramping around like six-year-olds, marvelling at the natural history, thin plates of shale crunching beneath our shoes, my husband and I encountered only one other couple.

"Makes you want to redo your kitchen counters doesn't it?" the woman said.

Different people see different things.

I received a variety of responses when telling people about Gros Morne. From "Where?" to "Oh, I've always wanted to go there" to "What an amazing place"



The rocks in the Tablelands are the colour of peanut butter because it is chock full of iron and actually oxidizing with the oxygen in the air. If you smash a rock apart, like I did, it's a dark green black on the inside.


The excellent CBC radio documentary, Bones of the Earth, explains the tectonic stuff with real geologists and goes into detail about the Tablelands.

A few more things about Gros Morne:

If you go to Gros Morne, stay at Seaside Suites in Woody Point. Superb hospitality and accommodation. Waterfront. The best cinnamon buns I've ever eaten. Fishing rods come with the room.

Originally the Sea Breeze Lounge, the place is also a literary landmark featured in Project Bookmark in a poem by Al Pittman.

Also of literary note, the Writers at Woody Point festival finished its 10th anniversary last week that included authors like Cathy Marie Buchanan and Will Ferguson.

The gift shop/cafe/reception at Seaside Suites offers everything from starfish pendants to books by local authors to plaid pyjama pants with Newfoundland stitched on the bum.

Fun fact: Two days in, we learned the owner of the suites was also the mayor of Woody Point.

Getting there. West Jet has seasonal direct flights to Deer Lake. On our return trip everyone seemed to know each other.  A few people were going to the same wedding in Toronto, a young family was en route to Disneyland for the first time. Or, go to Cornerbrook and drive north.

It's windy.

Greens are a little hard to come by. Foraging aplenty though, so do some research on edible wild plants if you want to go that route. And eat at Seaside Restaurant. The place boasts excellence seafood and service and features in The National Geographic Traveler's Magazine, The Globe and Mail, Where to Eat in Canada and the New York Times.

We did three hikes in four days. It would probably take a couple of weeks to get through them all. And to do the boat tour through Western Brook Pond.

Note: icebergs, in addition to the stellar Quidi Vidi beer, can been seen (a record year this year for sightings apparently) from St. Anthony, a five hour drive from Woody Point.

It's slow and relaxing and everyone says hello to each other.

There are moose. Rick Mercer did a segment about tagging moose. The woman at the tourist info desk warned us about moose. The rental car guy said, "Watch for moose." We watched, scanned the hills and trees and never saw one.

Maybe next time.

how to cope

Yesterday, I met an eleven year-old girl whose life this far has been an extraordinary journey.  

Stephanie lives with chronic pain due to serious complex medical conditions. Her entire family is living testimony to strength, courage and perseverance. 

But their lives were changed, especially Stephanie's, when Flare came along two years ago.

Flare is a C.O.P.E. (Canine Opportunity People Empowerment) dog.  

C.O.P.E.'s mission is to: provide a remarkable education program that engages communities and empowers students and others in the training of service dogs that will transform the lives of people with disabilities. (cope.org)

As an animal lover who grew up with pets and married someone who I think loves animals even more than me, I thought I understood the power that an animal can have.  

But seeing the relationship between Stephanie and Flare reaffirmed the fact that animals are highly intelligent, sentient beings. 

Stephanie's mother, Denise, recalled how two years ago Stephanie had essentially given up. She was in too much pain. Too tired to fight. Then they found out they would be getting Flare and everything changed, for the better.  The dog gave her hope, purpose, comfort.  

The dog gave her a reason to live. 

I've had cats most of my life and granted, you doing see a lot of working cats out there.  For one, they wouldn't wear that vest.  Cats seem to live, and give, on their own terms. The two I have now dole out their love and affection as they deem necessary. 

But they know when something is up. 

They'll come in for a pat just when I seem to need it most. They'll curl up on my husband's chest while we're watching a movie. They'll sit in my lap when I'm reading.  It's a relaxing feeling of being needed, often kneaded, and provides a soothing sense of calm.  

I see the effect dogs have on my husband, who, for different reasons than Stephanie, also lives with chronic pain. He lights up when he sees a dog on the street. Always stops to ask the owner if he can say hello.  He knows all the dogs in our building by name.  They distract from his pain, help him find joy. The same thing Flare does for Stephanie.

Although we're not in a position to own a dog, someday we might adopt a pair of rescues that can't be separated.  A couple of underdogs.  

Rick Mercer recently did a piece profiling the working dogs at the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides in Oakville.  In my opinion, these animals are nothing short of genius.

The camera operator I worked with yesterday told me how he once filmed a story about a seeing eye dog.  When entering Tim Horton's the Standard Poodle knew whether to get in line or go to the cash.  The cashiers knew the dog and tapped the counter so he would know where to go to be served.  An employee brought the order to their table.  A table the dog chose.  He liked one against the wall, so he could lie against it, out of the way of traffic and have a rest.

Stephanie told me that Flare helps her with her pain.  Flare doesn't judge, or look at her funny, or question her.  Flare is a presence that helps more than she knows.

On second thought, perhaps Flare knows exactly what she is doing.

In this video life partners explain how their C.O.P.E. dog is a friend, a companion, a helper.

These dogs give physical and emotional support from a place of unconditional love without judgement or pretense.

They are trained by humans, but I think it is we who have a lot to learn...from them.