Moominmama's Adventures

  Wherein Moominmama walks the mantle of the Earth, crosses from the Ordovician to the Cambrian, and hikes the boreal forests of Newfoundland... Moominmama had a largely sleepless overnight ferry ride from Sydney, Nova Scotia, but the drama of Newfoundland quickly woke me up as I traveled up the island's Northern Peninsula to arrive at Gros Morne National Park. The mountains and boreal forests of the park are thrilling. And if that wasn't enough, the geology of this area turns out to be incredibly unique. Newfoundland's west coast was shaped initially by a collision of tectonic plates. In the process, a section of the Earth's mantle slid up over the crust instead of below. This has happened in only a few places in the world, and Gros Morne is one of them. The area is called the Tablelands, and it's a rusty red color, with rocks called peridotite that discourage plant life. Apparently, this area has been studied for its similarity to the planet Mars. Peridotite is de...

  Wherein Moominmama explores the Cape Breton Highlands and goes in search of the source of a friend's stories... The last hurrahs of Tropical Storm Debby are coming across Cape Breton Island at the moment: rain last night, fierce winds today and high humidity.  Moominmama got wet weather when I arrived at the beginning of the week as well, but I did some easy hikes to start and then got one spectacular sunny day when I drove out to White Point, pictured here. Covered in windswept grass and heather, dotted with rocks and facing the deep blue ocean, the water creates endless patterns of white lace against the rocks. White Point has a small cemetery, with a marker seeking the day when loved ones will meet again on God's great shore. Because shore is surely what Cape Breton is all about! On one cloudy but otherwise good day, Moominmama hiked Mica Hill on the northern end of the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. That took me up bushy hillsides full of wild blueberries (yum!), a...

In which Moominmama forgoes hiking for country walks and learns about the author of Anne of Green Gables... Here on Prince Edward Island, there are no dramatic tides, towering cliffs or epic mountains. Instead there are gentle country byways, sandy beaches and refreshing breezes. This has been a relaxing week. Rather than load up my backpack with first aid and emergency gear, I carry only my water bottle, wandering in my sandals or sneakers along easy paths that skirt the dark green potato fields or golden wheat. Views of sand dunes and ocean are never far away.  Wildflowers and raspberries grow alongside the exposed edge of these grassy paths, and I frequently startle plump brown rabbits who venture out for the clover. These turn out to be snowshoe hares and will turn white come winter! Love for the natural world is a big part of the writing of L.M. Montgomery who grew up and wrote many of her novels and stories on the island. The town of Cavendish, where I am staying on the north...