Day 58 – St John’s (Saturday, July 4, 2015)

Before I left the Inn at Arnold’s Cove I took the risk and ordered french toast and tea. At first they announced there weren’t any tea bags but somehow I was presented with tea.

The weather in Arnold’s Cove was much the same in the morning as it was yesterday afternoon; cold and drizzling. I appreciate anything nature gives me. The cool is good for riding and the wet rain fits well with the surrounding landscape.

I took to the road around 9am and at 10am the Newfoundland food caught up to me. I took a walk in the bush. After that I felt much better.

I stopped at a subway at a busy roadside stop on the highway about 75km from St John’s and met another long distance cyclist from Montreal named Deni.  He was the best equipped cyclist I had seen driving the cadillac of touring bicycles; a Surly Long Haul Trucker. Though I felt happy that I had the same B17 saddle and Orlieb panniers poor Ralph was seriously outclassed.

Deni had just retired and at 52 was completing 24 days of his first of three installments to cross Canada. He mentioned outstanding bicycle trails running through the heart of PEI that, in my haste, I had missed.  Deni was on his way to take the ferry to Nova Scotia from Jersyside, NL and planned to continue his trip cycling the coast of Nova Scotia to Halifax. I will add all these to places yet to see in the maritime.

The first part of the trip from Arnold’s Cove to St. John’s was as hilly as any day on the tour (including BC). By the afternoon nature had dispensed with the toughest hills, the clouds lifted and a strong west wind brought me first to the end of the TransCanada Highway and eventually to the heart of St. John’s.

I ended up staying at the Courtyard Merriot two blocks from the harbour.  While it may not have the most character I was tired, it was close to the harbour, there were vacancies, the food was exceptional (I had halibut), and they served the local beers.

This is the end of my cycling tour.
There is no question that St John’s is a gem. My son and I will spend a few days exploring before flying home on Thursday, July 9.

Memorial monument in St Johns’s and lilacs in bloom.

Scenery aproaching St John’s.

St John’s harbour.

St John’s harbour.

Streets and row houses of downtown St. John’s.

Ralph at Cape Spear, North America’s most eastern point.

Streets and row houses of downtown St. John’s.

Streets and row houses of downtown St. John’s.

Day 57 – Arnold’s Cove, Newfoundland (Friday, July 3, 2015)

In the morning Keith, the host at the Lilac Inn, served me some yogurt, with granola and french toast as I had requested. He was unaware how to fancy-up french toast. I realized too late that by requesting it I had likely cheated myself out of something better.

He was somewhat sombre and appeared to be looking after the bed and breakfast on his own. His wife was mentioned but never seen and the quaint decor throughout the house left clear evidence of a female touch. As we talked he mentioned that his son, an elite British triathlete had recently passed away from a viral infection.

Before I left Keith suggest that I visit Trinity on my way to St. John’s.  Trinity was 66 km off the main route and may be a destination for another time. When I mentioned that I was heading for Arnold’s Cove he suggested a few better places to visit. “They are constructing an oil platform in Sunnyside.” he said “It is a better place than Arnold’s Cove.” As before, places to stay are quite limited in Newfoundland at the distances that I wanted to travel so I decided to stick with Arnold’s Cove.‎

I had a strong head wind throughout the day and arrived at Arnold’s Cove later than I wanted in a cool drizzle. I stayed at a place called Arnold’s Cove Inn formally Tankers Inn. I believe the name was changed to sound more attractive to visitors. That and an attractive internet advertisement made it enticing. You’d think that along with the name change would come some effort to “raise the bar”.

I had supper in a dining area without any windows. There was only one other group at a table but I am sure they weren’t eating. They likely knew better. It turns out they were the hired comedy team debating whether they should continue the show in the tavern in the next room. Apparently it was Friday night and the regulars all arrived early and had gotten drunk. I could clearly hear them yelling and laughing.

The motel personnel were nervously pacing back and forth. They had already tried to quiet the group and were likely incurring the cost of the performers if they didn’t get things started.

I asked the waitress what she recommended to eat for supper. She was an honest girl likely on her fist summer job and, without any role models, was trying her best to do things right. She blurted out “Oh I never eat here. My mother always makes my lunch.” Now I was really nervous. I told her I should get her mother to make my supper too. The poor girl tried to retract and insisted, as all servers do, that “all the food is good here”.

In all this commotion, struggling with my own uncertainty, and against my better judgment I ordered a turkey dinner in the Newfoundland homemade style. I really may not have any better choices but I won’t be back to find out.  I also ordered a local beer and was given a Canadian. Even I know there is pretty decent beer made in St John’s.

As it turned out the turkey looked and tasted ok but all the nutrition had been cooked out of the vegetables and, as hungry as I was I decided to leave the stuffing.

With all that said Ralph and I stayed the night in a nice clean and dry room. What else do you need really?

Arnold’s Cove in the morning.

A view of the Glovertown harbour in the morning.

The typical landscape between Glovertown and Arnold’s Cove.

The typical landscape between Glovertown and Arnold’s Cove.

Day 56 – Glovertown, Newfoundland (Thursday, July 2, 2015)

Today was only a 155 km day. Well, compared to yesterday it was short. What I hadn’t been prepared for were the hills (I had been spoiled by the flat terrain from Deer Lake to Grand Falls) and the head wind of 26 km.

I arrived in Gander, my lunch time destination, at 2 pm; two hours late and had a quick lunch at a roadside Subway.  Even though I was running late for the day I spent about 2 1/2 hours in Gander exploring the airport museum and visiting the airport frozen in time. This was a place that I heard about with interest and was determined not to miss.

I arrived in Glovertown after 8pm, much later than normal. I haven’t visited all the small sea side town’s in Newfoundland but I sense that Glovertown may be typical; somewhat isolated, welcoming, and just starting to cater to outside visitors. I  bought some real food at the grocers and ordered a sub at a local pizza shop since all the restaurants were closed.  I may have turned out to be the talk of the town for the evening.  One interesting kid found that I had traveled on a “pedal bike” all the way from Vancouver. He repeated it to anyone he knew passing by.

I stayed the night at Lilac Inn B+B. This is the most fitting name for a place to stay at the end of my cross country tour. Another name for my tour could be the lilac tour. Although lilacs only flower for a week or two I have seen a flowering lilac almost every day for more that 50 days from the middle of British Columbia to Newfoundland.

Keith the owner, is a proper English host. I was served tea and cookies before crashing. Although some of the B+B‎ frills I find silly, that was a nice touch.

The Lilac Inn in Glovetown.

A small “pond”. An escape from the traffic.

A small “pond”. An escape from the traffic.

Ralph in front of an old PBY-Catalina at the aircraft museum in Gander.

The lobby of the Gander airport frozen in time with the famous mural on the wall. The public is not allowed to enter the old lobby. All these pictures were taken through the glass windows

The lobby of the Gander airport frozen in time with the famour mural on the wall. The public is not allowed to enter the old lobby. All these pictures were taken through the glass windows

The lobby of the Gander airport frozen in time with the famous mural on the wall. The public is not allowed to enter the old lobby. All these pictures were taken through the glass windows

Ralph waiting patiently outside the Gander airport building. The panniers may have looked dangerous if they were inside.

People fishing on a “brook”.

Day 55 – Grand Falls WIndsor, Newfoundland (Wednesday, July 1, 2015)

In Newfoundland things are labelled differently than elsewhere. I kept seeing signs labeling bodies of water as large as several kilometers long “ponds”. It puzzled me so much I had to be sure of the definition. “Pond – a small body of water formed naturally or by hollowing or embanking”

Similarly any river or stream, regardless of the size are labeled “brooks”.

So lakes are called ponds and rivers are brooks in Newfoundland. I think there are some rivers that are called “rivers” but I suggest that is only because of pressure from mainlanders. Maybe Cook, in some old English style understated rivers and lakes in his maps.

I traveled 212 plus km from Deer Lake to Great Falls Windsor today.   Actually South Brook was my original destination. The problem was that I wanted to make the 300km trip to Gander in two days and there were no towns splitting the distance up nicely.

I decided to first aim for South Brook which was only 128 km and decide then whether to go further. The day, with a temperature in the low 20s, mostly cloudy, and a south west wind turned out ideal for riding. Making good time I had lunch by noon at a road side restaurant at about the 100 km mark.  At the restaurant the waitress told me the only town between South Brook and Grand Falls was Badger where someone nice may let me sleep on their lawn.

South Brook is located north east of Deer Lake along the Transcanada highway.   Just before the town the highway takes a sharp bend south east skirting the edge of a ‘Pond’.  I reasoned that if there wasn’t too much head wind I would proceed to Grand Falls. As I rounded the bend I discovered that the wind had shifted in my favour so I proceeded to Grand Falls.

I generally made good time into Grand Falls only slowing in the last 20km as the road turned more directly into the wind.

Signage in Newfoundland is generally quite poor. Where in most cities or towns frequent distance-to-town signs are standard there were none in the approach to Grand Falls. To confuse things several kilometers away there are a array of signs indicating what is available at each exit. “MacDonald’s take exit 13″,”Such and such a place take exit 15”, etc. Well it’s not like I have a pen and paper on my bike!

Then as I was rounding a corner and beginning to wonder if Grand Falls was a real place… whammo “Exit 13” Main Street.I tried hard to remember the content of the array of signs “what was down Exit 13 again?”. oh – the heck with it. “How big can Grand Falls be after all? How can I go wrong with ‘Main Street’? After all MacDonald’s is on the exit sign” So I exit down Exit 13 with confidence. As I proceed one motorist honks. I look around and seeing nothing out of the ordinary. I continue.  After 2 1/2 km the road ends with a chain link fence. I am not happy! I am tired, I don’t like being tricked and I absolutely hate retracing my route.

I worked my way back to the highway and checked my GPS to be sure that the next exit leads to downtown Grand Falls. A number of restaurants and inns were marked in downtown. I could take my pick. Well the next exit “Lincoln Road” took me downtown where I rode around for 20 minutes looking for the restaurants marked on my GPS to no avail. Eventually in frustration I asked some friendly people who pointed me to the only restaurant/inn they knew – on the highway bend further than the exit that I had chosen.

So I eventually arrived at Peyton Inn on the TransCanada highway a mile or more from the heart of Grand Falls. I had my supper, which wasn’t bad as I recall, and hit the hay. It could have been anywhere, on any highway really.

Interesting rock formation. Perhaps it’s interesting enough for a thesis.

Typical landscape between Deer Lake and Grand Falls.

Day 54 – Deer Lake, Newfoundland (Monday, June 29, 2015)

I woke at 5:30 and was on the road by 6:30 determined to make Deer Lake which was 163 km through hilly country against a strong cross wind from the east.

It was cool and overcast throughout the day, reaching a high in the teens. I find this preferable over hot days like yesterday.

Cycling was my main focus and although I spent a bit of time fiddling with my GPS connection I did not spend extra time on secondary roads until Corner Brook.

I arrived in Corner Brook at 1:40 pm and, noticing that it was located at a much lower elevation and away from the road, I decided to skirt the town and stuck to the highway. I remembered the owner of the Midway Motel mentioning that the trip from Corner Brook to Deer Lake was down hill. I thought he was pulling my leg since they’re both sea ports. But unless you leave the highway to enter the town your descent doesn’t start until you pass by the town.

Corner Brook is located at the tip of a fjord and may be another town worth visiting.‎ The road signs commemorated James Cook. I found out later that he was famous for mapping Newfoundland.

I arrived at the Deer Lake airport at about 6 pm. I will pick up the cross country cycling tour on Tuesday night.

Somewhere along the way I decided to visit Gros Morne Park. Several people had said that I ought not to miss it if I was going to NFL. Because the park is 70k m off the main route I have rented a car from Deer Lake airport. Ralph and I are staying in Rocky Harbour tonight at the Ocean View where the food is pretty darn good for Newfoundland.

Tomorrow we hope to explore the park.

A view of Corner Brook from the road.

(June 30, Tour of Rocky Harbour, Gros Morne and return to Deer Lake, Newfoundland)

While I do not consider the next day at Rocky Harbour part of the journey there is a bit of story to tell and a few additional pictures that I will put here for lack of any other better place. I am sorry that I fell short of the 10 photos that Russ requested.

I woke from my sleep at Rocky Harbour early with a sharp pain in my left hip. After puzzling about it I speculate that it was a hip flexor strain from a reflex straightening of my tight quads while I was sleeping; I had caught myself doing the same thing while I was half asleep another night. It was so painful that it resulted in a low grade fever, lifting my leg, and made it difficulty to walk especially up and down stairs. I was concerned that I could not realistically continue cycling. The fortunate part was that I was in Rocky Harbour with a rented car.  It was the only day that I would not be cycling.

With this festering issue I limited my visit of Gros Morne to the coast north of Rocky Harbour and the small town of Morris Point. Having completed an abbreviated tour of Gros Morne I returned to Deer Lake by 10:30 am hoping to see a doctor to examine my hip. I reasoned that if I was caught with an debilitating problem between towns in Newfoundland I would be in real trouble.  My only recourse may be to hitchhike.  Something that I would prefer to prevent.

I had no trouble finding a clinic in Deer Lake.  Unfortunately the clinics there were clogged much the same way they are in Ontario. At a about 2 pm I gave up the wait. I hoped instead that I could determine my ability to continue after a good night’s sleep. I shopped for a few things, returned the car to the Deer Lake airport, and rode my bike as best I could to the Driftwood Inn where I had supper and stayed for the night.

I treated my hip by wrapping it as best I could, icing it twice and taking two Tylenols before bed. I was very relieved in the morning that my fever had lifted and my leg was almost as good as new (but that’s the next blog). Although I never lost a day cycling I most certainly would not have been able to ride on June 30.

Morris Point harbour and the hills of Gros Morne in background void of significant ‎vegetation.

Shores along the road in Gros Morne north of Rocky Harbour.

Shores along the road in Gros Morne north of Rocky Harbour.

Shores along the road in Gros Morne north of Rocky Harbour.

Shores along the road in Gros Morne north of Rocky Harbour.

The hills of Gros Morne from Morris Point harbour.

View of the docks at Morris Point within the borders of Gros Morne.

Day 53 – Robinsons, Newfoundland (Sunday, June 28, 2015)

I attempted sleeping on the ferry in a lounge chair but it was rough. I may have got a few hours at the very most. At any rate it was a lot less than normal nights in poor sleeping positions.

I had breakfast on board just after the ferry had docked.

We disembarked at Port aux Basque at 7am Newfoundland time and were immediately greeted with unique Newfoundland landscape.   In retrospect (I am now writing this in Rocky Harbour) I realize now that Port aux Basque is worth visiting but at the time I was more interested in getting some miles in before crashing early to catch up on sleep.

I had lunch at a road side restaurant near Jeffery’s NL and learned from the local people that there aren’t many places ’til Corner Brook. So I resigned myself to stay at my original destination, Midway Motel and Lounge.

The day was good for cycling. It started cool but a nice tail wind picked up from the south bringing with it (I guess) the warmest day of my trip. I found the heat sucking the energy out of me.

As it turned out the Midway Motel (Robinsons, NL) was closed and the property was up for sale. When I arrived I was tired from lack of sleep on the ferry and quite hot so I pitched in the rear and crashed. Corner Brook was another 110 km I had no other place to go.

At about 7pm the owner came by and we chatted. I explained my situation and he was more than happy to let me stay. Apparently even when the motel was open he had reserved an area at the rear for cyclists passing through. (See the comment below.)

A river.

A picture of the ferry at a distance from Port aux Basque. I had forgotten to get a closer picture but this shows the blend of the ugly oil bunkers with the rugged nature of the town from the perspective of the highway.

The calm in an inlet in Port aux Basque.

Twin peaks.

Funny faces.

Day 52 – North Sydney, Nova Scotia (Saturday, June 27, 2015)

Today was a bit of a challenge.  I had to make 143km with unknown hilly terrain and a 13km head wind.

I ate grocery food in the hotel room and was on the road by 7:40am.

Despite the hills I was happy to make Beddeck by noon and spent some time exploring the town and visiting the Bell museum. Although Bell seems like a nice fellow with a good family he seems more like an influential tinkerer than a real scientist. Regardless we likely need more people like Bell who muck around and leave a lasting legacy.

Of all the places on Cape Breton I like the waters and surrounding hills of the Bras D’Or Estuaries the best. I can understand why it would have attracted a guy like Bell who had the good fortune of being able to live just about anywhere.

After Beddeck it was heads down riding the remainder 55km or so to North Sydney.   The climb between two parts of the Bras D’Or Lake was the steepest long climb since British Columbia. It was the first time since BC that I had to use the first chain ring.

I was satisfied to arrive in North Sydney before 6pm. I grabbed something to eat at Subway and spent the time before boarding the ferry at 9pm to do some bicycle maintenance. I replaced a broken spoke and patched a tire on the lawn of a museum.

I am currently on the ferry to Newfoundland. We left North Sydney harbour about 20 minutes ago. Now I have time to spend in a big chair trying to get some rest before I start bicycling again tomorrow.  Wish me luck.

Ralph was told to hang out with the motorcycles. I am not sure the motorcycles appreciated his company.

Boats in the small harbour at Beddeck.

Alexander and me.

The view of Bras D’Or at the museum in Beddeck.

A view of Bras D’Or from one of the highest hills since BC.

Day 51 – Port Hastings, Nova Scotia (Friday, June 26, 2015)

I woke to my alarm at 4:48am, packed up my tent and was on the road by 5:30am determined to make the first ferry to Nova Scotia. I arrived at the ferry dock almost 1 hour before the departure but I had enough time to eat breakfast of muffins and fruit that I had bought the day before.

The ferry arrived in Nova Scotia about 7:30am and I set off toward Pictou.   At the fork near Pictou I decided not to visit Halifax in favour of a direct route to Sydney.

Highway 104 in Nova Scotia was hilly but otherwise not especially interesting. At one point I decided to take a secondary road running parallel in hopes to get a sense of countryside. But while the road was quiet it was poorly maintained and wove around like a snake and I ended up returning to the main highway.

I ate and stayed at the Heartstone Inn in Port Hastings for the night. Ideally I would have liked to have gone another 20-30km to shorten tomorrow’s distance to Sydney.  The weather and the wind were favorable but the people at the information booth could not confidently assure me there was any suitable accommodation for some distance. The Heartstone was a pretty good place; better than the hotel franchises and had a clear view of the channel between Cape Breton and the mainland.

Packing up the tent at Northumberland Park at 5am.

The ferry to Nova Scotia.

Horses in Nova Scotia. This picture is for Katie.

The causeway to Cape Breton.

View of the causeway from Port Hastings.

Early morning on PEI.

Day 50 – Northumberland Provincial Park, Prince Edward Island (Thursday, June 25, 2015)

In the morning I met Steve, the host of Victoria Inn B+B.   He informed me about the latest history of the unique town of Victoria, a town which I just stumbled on, and pointed me to the best route to take both on the island and on Newfoundland. He suggested that I travel west through Charlottetown, on to the Wood Islands, and take the ferry to Nova Scotia. I didn’t even know there was a ferry.

After breakfast I set off. The weather was excellent and the wind favorable and I made Charlottetown in good time.

I approached the downtown off the main road as Steve had suggested and spent time eating a lunch (of store bought food) in the park by the water on the southwest corner of the city.   After lunch I passed a historic building constructed for tourists like me. I am intrigued by the history of the cities I visit and like to imagine what it would have been like for struggling pioneers years ago. But outside the building there was a notice “Closed on June 25”.

Not deterred I carried on toward the harbour doing my best to find directions to some history. After all I heard a bunch of guys got together to sign some important papers here in 1867. I ended up at a marina restaurant where the waitresses first directed me to the information center, and from there I found the location of Providence House.

Providence House as it turns out was closed for renovations.   I can understand that they may want it fixed up for Canada Day. I’ll make that presumption. But I was disappointed. It’s likely the most significant Canadian place in my trip since I have by passed all the capitals. Regardless of the reason it was closed I couldn’t help but think that Canada has all grown up. Its history is becoming more irrelevant.  It is a cynical thought. The country that now exists is the legacy of those guys who took the risk to act on their dream.

The cathedral which was also on the list of places to see was closed ’til 12:40pm. It wasn’t really important to me. Just added to the list of places that were coincidentally not open on the day or the time I happened to by riding by.

On the positive… the art gallery and the open outdoor spaces in downtown Charlottetown were quite nice.

Traveling from Charlottetown to the Woods Islands was uneventful. I followed the main road since the secondary roads didn’t lead me to where I wanted to go. The road was good but hilly with buildings sparsely scattered.

I arrived at the information center by the ferry at about 4:30pm.  Had I known the last ferry left at 4:30pm I would have hustled and made it to Nova Scotia.   Instead I bought some food at the cafeteria near the ferry dock and missed it.   I settled on camping at the nearby Northumberland Provincial Park enduring mosquitoes.

Lighthouse at Victoria PEI.

Park by the harbour in Charlottetown.

Open space in Charlottetown by the harbour.

Providence House which was closed for maintenance.

Lilacs by the art gallery in Charlottetown. The lilacs have been in bloom all the way from the interior of BC. In New Brunswick there were lilacs in almost every other house along the road with fragrance lingering everwhere. I can’t be sure where there will be no more lilacs. This may be the last I see.

Patio by the art gallery in Charlottetown.

Typical farm in PEI with ocean in the distance.