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.