Leg 12 total 934.5 km and Grand total
7931.0 k
(69 cycle days)
 |
| Leg 12 - Port aux Basques to Cape Spear |
Thursday, September 13th
Distance and Time: 26.3 km at 1:16
Route: Mount
Pearl to Cape
Spear via Petty Harbour
and Maddox Cove on Ruby Line, hwy 3, hwy 10, Petty Harbour Rd., Maddox Cove Rd.
and Blackhead Rd.
 |
| My route across Canada ends here! |
I knew my route was to be short and sweet
today, yet I found myself automatically programmed from the previous 69 cycling
days when I was getting ready for the day.
I packed a full bottle each of water and a hydration drink, snacks, an
extra layer, alternate lenses, etc. The weather was gorgeous and such a
blessing for this last little cycle.
Although it was incredibly scenic and short, it was not easy with the
coastal hills. In fact, when I saw the
last major hill to Cape Spear stretching before me I decided to switch to the
touring bike even though it involved a fair amount of effort on Wayne’s part to
cycle back to the RV (and up that same hill) and drive back with the other
bike. It was only 3.5 km, but I made the
right decision for I am certain I couldn’t have cycled it on my road bike, and
would have been quite disappointed to walk on the very last segment.
 |
| The last big hill to Cape Spear - the photo doesn't do it justice |
I’ve become quite fond of the steady old
touring bike the last few days on the windy hills, and a little annoyed with
the more finicky fair-weathered road bike (although I still love that cool
handlebar tape). The analogy which comes
to mind is the comparison of a dependable workhorse with a higher maintenance
race horse. I should do some research to
see if a bike with the gear ratio and brakes of the touring bike are available on
the lighter and better fitted frame of the road bike.
 |
| The trusted stead |
While I was waiting for Wayne and my bike for the hill, I decided to
take an inventory of my little blue saddle pouch carried just under my
seat. I’ve been meaning to do this for
several weeks so I know what to pack for the next long haul cycle. I was surprised with the amount of stuff
stored in that small thing.
 |
| Contents of the small blue saddle bag carried under my seat |
The above items include (clockwise from
upper left): a spare tube, tire levers, CO2 cartridge and cartridge
injector, compass and front white flashing light, key for a bike lock and rear
red flashing light, whistle (for bears) and mini Swiss army knife, lens for
cloudy conditions, RV keys (for the odd time when Wayne locks his keys in the
vehicle or if I arrive there without him), first aid kit, reading glasses,
power bar, insect repellent, sunscreen and bungy cord. I have also managed to stuff in a shirt and a bike
lock in that small pouch – it’s incredible.
Anyway, prior to the stop for the bike
change, the route through Petty
Harbour and Maddox’s Cove
was awesome, although there was a fair amount of hurricane debris still on some
of the roads. When I lived in St. John’s in my early
twenties, Jim and I went outside the box at the time and cycled around the city
for awhile before we invested in a little truck before we left. Hence we didn’t do a lot of exploring of the surrounding
area, and I wasn’t aware that such quaint and pretty villages were a stone’s
throw from St. John’s.
 |
| Petty Harbour |
My arrival at Cape Spear
felt a little anti-climatic as some big endings tend to be, I guess. It was still very poignant and sweet, though,
and nice to have some quiet reflective time to myself in such a beautiful
setting to really experience the end.
 |
| Cape Spear!!! |
We had always anticipated getting into St. John’s after Cape
Spear to have a look down my memory
lane and head up to Signal Hill so I could introduce Wayne
to my most favourite walk from Cabot Tower down to the Narrows and into the Battery neighbourhood. The delay
due to Leslie was going to make this tight, and the extra delay of changing
bikes would have made it a little too frantic as we had to depart by 2:30 to
make the ferry. So we decided that St. John’s
would have to wait for another visit, and to relax and fully explore Cape Spear. We have both been here before but neither of
us had walked around the perimeter and taken the time to see all there was to
see. We toasted each other with a glass
of sparkling Perrier and proceeded to do just that. Wow!
 |
| Tower on Signal Hill just right of centre, and my favourite walk along the rock between the water and hilltop |
 |
| The anti-submarine guns installed during the war |
We learned that the East Coast Trail passes
around Cape Spear and continues in both directions. I browsed through some material on it in the
little gift shop and can’t wait to find a week of weather like this next year and
come back to do this multi-day hike.
Yes, my bucket list is growing!
 |
| East Coast Trail meandering off to the right |
As I packed my bike things away and stuffed
the laundry bag with the smelly clothes I’ve been wearing for days (one
gets attached to favourite items), I felt a little sad and already nostalgic. Then I had a bright idea – I really should
add PEI to the cycle, if only between the
Pictou Ferry and Confederation
Bridge. I could get Wayne
to drop me off and pick me up the day we will be near Truro to visit his brother. Stay tuned :).
Wednesday, September 12th
Distance and Time: 140.8km at 6:30
Route: TCH from exit to Come-by-Chance to hwy 2 and Ruby Line into Mount Pearl (St. John's suburb)
The night was cold and with daylight came bright sunshine along with some thick low-lying fog. I was back on my road bike, starting early (before 9:00), and had a wonderful sunny day with a light tailwind, well paved shoulders and temps around 20 degrees.
 |
| Launching |
 |
| Come by Chance hwy exit |
We stopped for lunch at the info centre near the junction of hwy 100 to the Argentia Ferry and the ladies there were most helpful with advice on the best route to Cape Spear.
By late afternoon I was into the heavy traffic on the double laned approach to St. John's. Traffic wasn't the only issue, though, as the moose warning lights were on in a construction zone at the same time an ambulance was trying to get through. Talk about everything converging at once!
Just after traversing the construction zone I had a front tire blow-out with a resounding bang. Luckily we had cell coverage and although Wayne was on his bike cycling towards me, he wasn't too far from the RV. Normally he would have repaired the tube with spares and tools we carry with us, but in this case my tire was torn and needed a replacement. I now have a high end hand-crafted German tire on my wheel.
 |
| Struggling with the tire installation |
After a brief delay for repair, which coincided nicely with tea time, I was on the last leg of the day into Mount Pearl (Walmart), just west of St. John's.
 |
| What, no parking at Walmart? |
It is now only a hop, skip and jump of an hour or so to Cape Spear, the most easterly point of North America. This merited cause for celebration so we headed out on foot to dinner at "Around the World" restaurant for fish and chips. Thanks to Matt for the recommendation and excellent directions.
Tuesday, September 11th
In Clarenville: awaiting Hurricane Leslie to pass
Part 2:
We meandered through the remainder of the day in Clarenville by cruising Walmart and Sobey's during the afternoon after the winds had weakened enough to venture from our safe haven at the info centre. Having exhausted the shopping possibilities we headed back to the info centre (wifi is a powerful draw) to catch up on e-mail. Thanks to Jacques Côté for the honourable mention in his weekly Velo Cape Breton newsletter:
"LORI'S DREAM
As you read this, Lori is riding her bike in Newfoundland to complete her Trans-Canada bike tour. She spent a few days in Main-à-Dieu last weekend before taking the ferry on Tuesday Sept. 4th for Port-Aux-Basques to finish it off with an 890km last leg to St. John's. Fall weather has definitely made its way in the Maritimes with the heavy rainfall of last night in Cape Breton. That weather system is now south of Newfoundland and should not affect much Lori's riding in Cornerbrook/Deer Lake area today; it's sunny, 18C but easterly winds of 20 to 40 km/h (headwinds). However, the approaching Hurricane Leslie, whose track is pretty much unpredictable may affect the Maritimes early in the coming week.
You're almost there Lori. We all envy your determination and stubbornness.... (your word)"
I briefly considered getting out on the bike for another hour or so early in the evening because of the favourable wind direction, but it was still rather strong with periods of heavy drizzle so I let that idea fizzle out. After a late supper, we departed to head east and be closer to the start point tomorrow. Overnighted in an Irving station parking area and hit the sack early.
Part 1:
The rain began before dawn and the
winds ramped up shortly after. We are
watching the flag closely for wind direction and have moved a couple of times
this morning to be in the lee of the small building (and not too close to the flagpole in case it comes down). There is not much traffic on the highway
other than the odd big rig. So far the RV has been pretty stable, although a
few gusts have rocked her a bit here and there.
It’s noon now and the wind is still fierce but has veered to the north
as forecasted. Temperature remains warm and muggy. The eye of the storm is over Bonavista Bay
to the north at the moment and we can actually see a couple of small patches of
blue sky!
CBC radio has extended a special morning
show into the afternoon to report of the storm.
It sounds like St. John’s has really been hit badly with widespread
power outages (CBC is on generator power), many streets closed due to flying
debris, roofs and siding damage, overturned vehicles and trees and power lines
down. There is a warning for people to
stay off the streets and schools and most businesses are closed. All ferries are storm-bound, but the garbage
collection in St. John’s
was on schedule today!
 |
Ugh - the new shed built to protect the 1984 Corvette took off and landed on it.
(courtesy of 97.5 K-Rock) |
We’ll keep an eye on the wind and try and
get into town when it dies down a bit to entertain ourselves with some
shopping. In the meantime, the info
centre is open, the wifi is up and running and no one is minding our generator
noise. It’s actually kind of nice to
have a relaxing day with nothing planned!
The forecast looks great for tomorrow and
Thursday :).
Monday, September 10th
Distance and Time: 102.2 at 6:28
Route: on TCH from Terra
Nova Park
to exit to Come by Chance (just north of Arnold’s
Cove)
 |
| Getting close! |
I would say that today was my most
challenging physical day yet on the entire trip due to the terrain and wind. The hills seemed steep and constant without
any flat stretches between. This may be
because even the downhill stretches felt like I was pedalling uphill due to the
wind. I thought yesterday was bad, but I
don’t think I have ever cycled in winds like those today. Thankfully they were mostly dead ahead versus
the more tricky cross winds which can push you sideways into traffic or off the
shoulder. All I had to do was get in the
easier gears and keep pedalling…..and pedalling. It was actually enjoyable in a strange sort
of way, with a sturdy bike under my butt, a great gear ratio for the hills,
super roads, dry weather and lots of fresh air.
Having the touring bike makes the world of
difference for me in terms of comfort and confidence. I don’t think I could
have cycled much on my road bike today and if I had tried I’m certain it would
have been very difficult mentally because of the fear factor (similar to my
most mentally challenging days between the Soo and Ottawa because of the road
conditions and resultant melt-down).
We are less than 140 kms from St. John’s! The latest
info has Leslie making landfall tomorrow morning at 09:00, accompanied by
hurricane force winds and a deluge of rain.
Forecasts are predicting it will move off quickly, though, and Wednesday
and Thursday forecasts look OK for cycling.
Therefore, we still should be able to make it to St. John’s on Thursday with time to spare to
get to the ferry at Argentia for the evening sailing.
We drove back the 35 km to Clarenville
after the cycle because it is on higher terrain and not as close to the south
coastal area. We tried the Walmart lot
in town but it was pretty windy and exposed there, so are hunkered down tonight
in the RV outside the tourist info site, behind but not close to a wall of
trees. It is closed for the night but
wifi is still available.
 |
| Another interesting place name near Come-by-Chance |
Sunday, September 9th
Distance and Time: 131.2 km at 6:46
Route: on TCH from Notre Dame Junction (junction
with hwy 340) to 16 km inside Terra
Nova National
Park (junction with hwy 301)
Scenes enroute to Gander:
 |
| We have seen many, many highway memorials, and this one is the loveliest |
The above memorial is for a young local man killed during
road construction when the asphalt grader fell on him. It is a lovely site with his hardhat, picture and
night lighting.
 |
| My first live moose - a young cow |
 |
| A beaver home listed with a real estate agent! |
My hour long pit stop in Gander turned into two and a half hours, but
I was happy to get the blog updated and some e-mail sent (courtesy of Tim
Horton’s wifi)
 |
| Relics at the Gander Aviation Museum |
Today was mostly sunny and warm, but oh,
the wind! I managed with the road bike
to Gambo, about 40 km past Gander. By that time I wasn’t entirely sure I could
control it in the occasional gusts, so switched to my touring bike. It was much more stable on the exposed flats
and downhills, and the gear ratio was way better for some massive hills towards
the end of the day. I am sooooo glad we
brought it along.
I changed bikes at this beautiful lookout
spot overlooking the town Gambo. The town was
founded by Joey Smallwood’s grand-father, and Smallwood himself was born here.
 |
| Overlooking Gambo and an inlet of Bonavista Bay |
 |
| Gambo River |
I learned today that moose are not the only
thing to worry about. I came across a
young woman stopped on the side of the road, camera in hand. As I cycled by she
said, “Bears, be careful”, and I replied “Oh shit!” (in hindsight I should have
at least added a thanks to that expletitive).
When we stopped at the end of the day and I went in to buy ice cream and
ask about parking overnight in the lot, the girl said, “Sure, but please don’t
leave any garbage around because of the bears.
They’re everywhere.” Great. Just what I needed to cap off the end of the
trip. Luckily I learned they were
"everywhere" after I had cycled the last hour in the interior of Terra Nova
Park at dusk. At least there was a fair amount of traffic
and I hope it continues tomorrow. I
asked about that at the ice cream place too, and although the traffic is
usually heavy around here in the summer, they think a lot of people may have
been back and forth today to secure their cottages for the upcoming hurricane.
Speaking of which, from the following screenshot it
looks like Leslie will hit the Avalon Peninsula
late on Tuesday and be well offshore on Wednesday. Wayne, the meteorologist, assures me the
winds we are experiencing now have nothing to do with the hurricane, but
another independent low pressure system.
This means tomorrow should be a cycle-able day if the winds are no
stronger than today. We will try and get
as much distance in as possible since we will probably have to hunker down on
Tuesday and let the winds and hurricane pass.
We may even end up in a hotel if the motorhome is vulnerable.
 |
| Latest info on Leslie and Michael....doesn't look good |
Although I stopped cycling in the interior of Terra Nova Park, we drove back to the park entrance and are parked tonight in a huge lot
adjacent to a diner, fried chicken outlet and ice cream spot. The lot is used
for access to some water slides which are closed for the season. They kind of stick out like a sore thumb in
these parts.
Saturday, September 8th
Distance and Time: 130.7 km at 5:39
Route: on TCH from South Brook (junction of hwy 380)
to Notre Dame Junction (TCH and hwy 340)
It was a perfect cycling day with
temperatures around twenty degrees, light winds, long gentle hills, continuing
excellent paved shoulders and pretty scenery through some cottage country. I had lunch number one 50 km into the ride in
Badger and lunch number two at 80 km in Grand Falls. Grand Falls was a busy spot, and the 20 km
between there and Bishops
Falls was the only
difficult part of the route due to heavy traffic, rumble strips and very
reduced space on the shoulders.
Thankfully it was short-lived. I
saw my first moose early this morning, freshly killed by the side of the
road. It is one thing to pass by in a
closed vehicle at 100 km/hr but quite another to approach it slowly with no option but to pass by very closely. I didn’t have it in me to
stop and take a picture. There was quite
a bit of blood on the road because its throat had been cut – as Wayne explained, likely
by the person who hit it in order to bleed it and therefore make the meat
suitable for a passerby interested in filling their freezer. I remarked that I wouldn’t have had a clue to
do that if I had hit the moose, but I guess it is so common in NF that it is a
standard courtesy. Actually one sign I
passed today made reference to 660 collisions last year alone!
We passed the halfway point this around
noon today. Wow, it’s hard to believe I
only have four more days of cycling. I
think I’ll be ready to call it a day at the end of this leg, and believe me, my
butt and associated parts will be quite pleased to take a rest from the saddle.
I finally came across one of the girls Wayne met yesterday,
passing Melissa on a hill just before the end of the day. Michelle remained elusive (i.e. too strong to
catch up with) but I did meet her father in his support SUV parked near Wayne at one pit stop.
I’m anxious to check the Atlantic Hurricane
Centre site again and to connect with the world via e-mail and the blog. We didn’t manage to connect to internet in
Grand Falls and are therefore hoping to find a spot somewhere in Gander tomorrow. If Leslie is still on track for landfall late
Tuesday or early Wednesday (same time as our estimated arrival on the Avalon Peninsula) we may have to hole up for a day or so
and wait it out.
We are cold camping tonight in the parking
lot of a closed visitor’s centre just west of Notre Dame Provincial
Park. It is quite similar to the spot in Deer Lake
a couple of nights ago and we are plugged into an exterior outlet. Unfortunately this one was closed when we
arrived and the wifi requires a password.
The highway is right next door and although busy early this evening, it
has quieted down considerably. There are
a pile of bright stars in the sky, the air is clear, clean and cold and
doubtless we’ll have a good nights rest.
Friday, September 7th
Distance and Time: 110.4 km at 6:01
Route: on TCH from 22 km past Deer Lake
to South Brook (junction with hwy 380)
I had a look at Environment Canada’s Atlantic
Hurricane Centre this morning and it looks like Leslie and Michael may pose
problems early next week. Leslie is
forecast to hit the Avalon Peninsula early
Wednesday and Michael will be almost due east a couple of hundred miles at the
same time. Wayne has named our trek as “Lori vs. Leslie”. We’ll be keeping an eye on them in the next
few days. Hopefully they won’t impact too
much of a delay to our arrival in St.
John’s or the reservation for the ferry from Argentia
on Thursday evening.
The weather today was cool and overcast,
with drizzle and very strong headwinds (hence my low average speed). It was well into the day and I was quite
chilled before I figured out how to dress properly again for this weather with
layers, long pants, full gloves (neoprene paddling gloves), toe covers, and a helmet
liner.
Wayne cycled briefly this morning with two girls from Winnipeg, Melissa and Michelle. They started in Whitehorse
and have cycled and camped most of the country except for some transportation
in Manitoba and the train between Ottawa and Montreal as well as the ferry from Labrador a few days ago.
Michelle’s Dad is with them on the final leg in NF, providing support in his
SUV, so they are only partially loaded now but still camping. I’m looking forward to meeting them and
swapping road stories.
Although this area is new territory on the
road, the coasts of White Bay and Notre
Dame Bay
to the north and east are quite familiar to me.
I spent a couple of winter seasons in my early twenties working on CG
vessels in this area providing icebreaking support for the paper vessels
inbound to Botwood and assisting longliners in the spring seal hunt. Names like
Botwood, Twillingate, La Scie, Springdale, Exploits Islands, Lewisporte, etc. bring back
some nostalgic memories.
We are camped tonight at Kona Beach
campground just east of South Brook at the intersection of the TCH and hwy
380. It is a lovely and meticulously
maintained site nestled on a lake with camping sites directly on the beach, but
internet is unavailable and cell service is virtually non-existent until we
reach St. John’s.
 |
| Kona Beach waterfront campsites |
Scenes from today:
 |
| Anyone know the meaning of this flag? |
 |
| Bottom of Halls Bay leading out to the ocean |
 |
| Picnic causeway - what a view from the house on the bluff! |
Thursday, September 6th
Distance and Time: 121.2 km at 6:23
Route: on TCH from junction of hwy 460 (exit to
Stephenville) to 22 km past Deer Lake
 |
| Port aux Basques to Deer Lake |
I am proud to say I got an early start
today, getting on the road before 9:00.
I know that is not very early for most folks, but for me only a couple
of days after a time change, it is remarkable.
I wanted to get north of the Wreckhouse
area mentioned on CBC radio and the environment Canada website since the forecasted
winds were from the east gusting up to 110 km/hr. We couldn’t find any Wreckhouse region on the map but were able to determine that is
encompasses the southeast coast from Port aux Basques to Ramea and frequented
by high winds (how aptly named). The remnants
of Hurricane Isaac were passing through with the rain and associated winds and
the 11:30 ferry to North Sydney was
cancelled. We couldn’t help but wonder
about the cyclists who were all headed there today to catch one of the
ferries. Hopefully they didn’t try to
cycle through those winds.
We did have better weather throughout the
day with some sunshine here and there, but still experienced quite gusty
headwinds as the day wore on. I cycled
most of the day on my touring bike with the added weight and stability. Temperatures were in the high teens – quite
pleasant actually, with no sweaty helmet itch or uncomfortable padded shorts.
Traffic was steady today and only heavy
between Cornerbrook and Deer
Lake. Most of that part of the TCH was double laned
on a twinned highway, and the polite drivers of yesterday became faster and
more aggressive. I can’t figure out why
most of them whizzed by in the lane close to me when the lane on their left was
empty. I’ve developed a few hand signals
to let them know how they should behave (no, not the finger – just a pointing
arm to the left followed by a hand raised in question).
Scenes from today:
 |
| Truck stuck in the ditch of the median between opposing lanes - makes me a little uneasy thinking how tired and inattentive these guys may be sometimes. |
 |
| View of Cornerbrook and Humber Arm |
 |
| View to the east between Stephenville and Cornerbrook |
We have been on familiar roads up to Deer Lake,
having cycled from Port aux Basques to Gros Morne National Park a few years ago with a
group from Velo Cape Breton. All I remember
is the endless large hills, so I was delighted when the terrain changed after Deer Lake
to more flat areas and gentle long slopes.
We are cold camping again tonight, parked
in a Visitor’s Info Centre and taking advantage of their wifi. There is a sign saying no overnight parking
but another rig is parked here and they asked inside if it was allright to do
so. She gave us a thumbs up so I guess
we’re OK. We feel like old friends,
having met on the ferry and in the campground on the first night out.
Wednesday, September 5th
Distance and Time: 142.5 km at 6:22
Route: on TCH from Little Paradise RV Park (near Table Mtn) to
junction of hwy 460 (exit to Stephenville)
Traffic was quite light all day due to the ferry
schedule. Vessels arrive in Port aux Basques at about 0600 and 1800 so there is
virtually nothing on the road in this area after the ferry traffic departs early in the morning and early in the evening, other than some local stuff. The weather was cloudy but warm and fairly
calm. I tried to get in a healthy distance
today since tomorrow may be challenging with high easterly winds and some
shower activity.
We saw a lot of nothing along the road today, except for some
moose warning signs. I also heard some mysterious rustling in the bush next to the
highway a couple of times. Quite a long section of the
TCH is totally fenced off on both sides due to the moose
population.
Road conditions are good to excellent with
paved shoulders. Methinks NF is no
longer a “have-not” province, especially with that expensive fencing. The only
difficulty is the long stretches of good quality (meaning deep) rumble strips – great for
trucks but they can rattle teeth giggle a cyclist’s bladder empty!
We met quite a few loaded cyclists heading
to the ferry today. André from Ottawa is an amazing
fellow. This is his 18th year on the road with his bike since he
retired. He just accomplished
his seventh or eighth cross Canada
cycle (he’s done both directions) and he celebrated his 75th
birthday earlier this summer in the Adirondacks by
completing 7500 km in 75 days this year!
He has also cycled most of Europe and New Zealand. I can certainly understand his addition (why am I in NF?). He told us he no longer carries all his
camping gear (only everything else) and cycles between B&B’s and motels, a
credit card being a lot lighter than a tent and associated gear. His route this year took him and a friend
from Victoria to Port Hardy, then on the ferry to
Prince Rupert and the northern highway through Dawson Creek. They stayed north in the prairies, came south along Lake
Winnipeg and continued into Minnesota instead
of north of Superior. I guess when you have done it so many times,
you try for variety after awhile! André has quite an interesting bike (named
Ol’ Yeller) with a belt instead of a chain and only fourteen gears, yet he can
shift without moving. I’m intrigued and must ask Mike Glew more about this system and how it works.
 |
| André |
Wayne
had a bold little visitor when he was parked and waiting for me to finish up the last few km today.
 |
| I have never heard of a black fox |
 |
| We also came across an interesting ad for septic tanks |
Tuesday, September 4th
Distance and Time: 29.2 km at 1:28
Route: Port aux Basques ferry terminal to Little Paradise Park on TCH
I had a hard time falling asleep last
night, full of emotions about leaving Oyster Cove and uncertainty about this
extension to the trip with the turn in weather and the extra cost and time
factors. I can’t help wonder why getting to the eastern tip of NS is not enough
and why I feel I must cycle NF just because it is there. Stubbornness?
Getting a job finished completely (or not knowing when to call it a day)? An extra challenge I can’t resist? Positive messages from my girls when I told
them a few days ago and Chris and Kelly this morning have helped set me
straight, so now I’m looking forward to it a wee bit (I must say no to the Tuktoyaktuk
suggestion, though).
We sailed on the MV Blue Puttees (the following info is courtesy of my friend Eileen: Puttees were the wrappings the soldiers wore around their ankles and calfs, similar to modern gaiters. The blue puttees were worn by the Royal Newfoundland Regiment who were memorialized at Beaumont Hamel, close to the Vimy Memorial in France) to Port aux Basques this morning. It was actually a lovely crossing in terms of
the weather (can you imagine being in shirt sleeves on the upper deck in the Cabot Strait in September?), the crossing being on schedule,
and not many people on board. Marine Atlantic is a bit weird, though, with various services
closing in the middle of the voyage and charging $4 for a small ice cream cone. High prices are something they have in common
with BC Ferries, but the similarities end there.
 |
| Upper deck lounging |
 |
| Approaching the NF coast |
 |
| Entrance to Port aux Basques |
 |
| Shooting the breeze on the foredeck |
 |
| Welcome to NF! |
As we approached the NF coast, the sky
clouded over a bit, but fortunately cleared a bit by the time we docked and
offloaded. It was still early in the
evening so we decided to get a few kms out of the way and I cycled until dusk
shortly after 8:00. It was an absolutely
gorgeous cycle up the west coast along the ocean with no sign of people other
than a bit of traffic. The weather looks
good for a couple of days (during the scenic west coast part of the trip) and
then I may be cycling through some cool wet stuff as we cross the island.
 |
| We have a ways to go yet! |
 |
| Table Mountain area |
 |
| Sunset over the Atlantic |
Unfortunately we learned that there is no Rogers service throughout
the island, so this will affect how we plan our days. Wayne
will likely cycle with me a bit each morning and therefore stay behind me in
the RV most of the day. That way he is
always coming towards me if we are incommunicado and something goes wrong. I
will probably use my touring bike on the island since it is heavier and more
stable in windy wet conditions and when transport trucks whiz by. The shoulder I think is fully paved throughout
the province, but there will be a lot of truck traffic.
We are at a small little RV park just off
the highway, and the stars are awesome! It’s
late with the new time change so I should call it a day. We haven’t decided whether to actually change
our clocks….how lazy is that?
