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Lodging Summary
Gas Summary
Argentia, NF Mon, 9/2 81889-81895 (6 mi)
Got up at 4 :15 thanks to the alarm my neighbor lent me and some help from a
motorhome. Packed up and got to the ferry on time (5:00 am). Met up with
Jason on his Nighthawk returning home to St. John's from Edmonton.
Chatted with him for a while (rugby player in his junior year as a
petroleum engineer) before taking a nice snooze. Watched a couple
of movies, sorted my maps, and then met Jason in the bar for a few drinks.
Continued until we reached Argentia. Disembarked and stopped at the
visitor's center (it was already dark). They said I could camp on their
lawn if I liked (unofficially). Spent a little time talking to Luke, Sara,
and Daniella from Australia, who I had met earlier on the boat, and who
also slept in their "camper" in the parking lot.
St John's, NF Tue, 9/3 81895-82135 (240 mi)
Woke up around 9:00 and hit the road at 10:00. Beautiful ride along the two southern portions of the Avalon Peninsula. Stopped for a nice lunch and caught up on the journal in St. Mary's along the Irish Trail. Nearly put the bike in a ditch getting out of the parking lot! Went searching for a glimpse of the southern-most caribou herd in NA, but no luck.
Another beautiful ride up the coast, arriving in St. John's about 5:00 pm. Stopped in the Duke of Duckworth - a 50-gallon home made brew system in a nice English Pub with only one homebrew on tap. Made my way down to George St. for a little dinner. Called Jason, and he said he would
meet me at O'Reilly's on George St. about 9:00. Nice bar with a band
and open mike night. Saw Luke, Sara, and Daniella again, and Jason
showed up with his girlfriend about 11:00. Good band(s) and a packed
bar with great atmosphere. Talked to Trevor, Laura, and Tara for a
while until the bar closed at 2:00. Tara invited me to use her extra
room, so I agreed (better than looking for a campground in the dark
and cold at 2:00 in the morning), so I gave her a ride home.
Crashed immediately on the sofa.
St John's, NF Wed, 9/4 82135-82167 (32 mi)
Got up, showered, and headed out for some breakfast. Met Wayne from Ontario on his Yamaha Venture for breakfast. Called the Honda dealer about a new rear tire. Drove up to Signal Hill for a beautiful view of the city before heading down to the Quidi Vidi brewery just below. Had a fresh beer, pulled right off the bottling line with the original foam still under the cap, while I waited for the tour. Jackie, the assistant brewer gave me the tour and tasting, and then I had a very
good chat with Ray, the head brewer, who gave me some good tips
(e.g: chill beer to as close to freezing as possible before final
rack into kegs. It will clarify much better and leave more yeast behind).
He invited me back in the morning when they were going to keg to
get my growler filled. Then I drove out to Cape Spear, the most
easterly point in NA. Finally headed up to Pippy Park Campground.
Talked the guy into a cheap rate for an overflow spot (which was better anyway).
Had a great chat with Dave and Wanda from Cape Breton
(on a Harley Classic with trailer) and got some great tips on
routes for the return trip.
Carbonear, NF Thu, 9/5 82167-82250 (83 mi.)
When I woke up it was raining fairly heavily. I waited for it to subside, but not much luck. Packed up wet and headed over to the Honda dealership. My tire arrived just after I got there, and since their shop was too busy, Terry sent me down the road to a mechanic school that helps him out on occasion. There, John and I replaced my rear tire together - quite a learning experience for me! When we were done, the rain had stopped - a clear sign I had done the right thing! Stopped at the Honda car dealership around the corner to meet Tony (Tigger) Taylor from the VRCC. Finally headed out of town and on around the coast.
Stopped at the lookout above Carbonear where an old guy started pointing out the sights, including
Stone House and Keneally Manor B&B. Decided to stop here, so I
checked out a room and went to the Stone House, which I already knew
had given up brewing years before and moved their equipment to St. Johns.
Talked with Linda and Alice from Toronto for quite a while, and listened
to the Air Guitar player who made the mistake of getting a real one -
what a racket! Got to bed around 3:00 am
Gambo, NF Fri, 9/6 82250-82465 (215 mi)
Got up in time for breakfast (thanks to the town bell tower), but slept in some more afterwards. It had rained again during
the night, so my stuff was still wet. Linda, who was also staying
at the B&B, convinced me to take her for a ride, so we headed up
the coast for about 30 miles - actually a very nice ride.
Got back, packed up, and headed across the peninsula.
Nice ride to the TCH, then straight up to Clarenville for some dinner
(I was craving Pizza!). Passed through Terra Nova NP and found a
secluded spot to camp just outside Gambo.
Contact me at: rf6gunz@yahoo.com
Copyright © 2002, Rick Fletcher
