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Lodging Summary
Gas Summary
St. Barbe, NF Sat, 9/7 82465-82879 (414 mi)
Got up around 8:00, but packed up slowly to give my stuff a chance to dry out, getting on the road around 10:00. Made great time on the TCH. Stopped for lunch around noon and got back on the road. Turned onto the Viking Trail at
Deer Lake and rode through spectacular Gros Morne NP. Continued up, taking
a detour at Port aux Choix, but there was nothing going on so I headed back
to continue up to St. Barbe. Got there around 6:30. One hotel, one restaurant,
and a ferry terminal was the whole town (plus a ferry, of course).
Had some dinner (with terribly slow service) and drove a couple hundred
yards out of town to an isolated spot to camp. Woke up about 1:00 am,
and spent about an hour watching the most amazing display of Northern
Lights I've ever seen. It covered the entire sky above me, with a zillion
stars in the background. What a capper to a fantastic day of riding!
St. Barbe, NF / Labrador Sun, 9/8 82879-82997 (118 mi)
Got up in plenty of time to catch the 10:30 ferry to Labrador.
Met a nice couple from BC on board - Bill and Donna. After quickly
passing ferry traffic, had a terrific ride up to Red Bay.
Stopped at the restaurant at the end of the road for some lunch
(with Bill and Donna) and some souvenirs. Headed back down the
coast and past the ferry into Quebec, where I dipped my hand into
the VERY cold water. Surprisingly, there was a very clear difference
between Quebec and Labrador, even up in that remote area.
Caught the 6:30 ferry back, fixed Donna's camera, and had some dinner.
Since the sun was already setting, I camped out in the same spot as
the night before. After setting up my tent, I went back to the camper
park and visited with Bill and Donna some more. Had a very nice evening
in their camper before heading back to my campsite.
St. Anthony, NF Mon, 9/9 82997-83134 (137 mi)
Packed up and on the road about 10:00. Stopped in Flower Cove for a nice breakfast before continuing on to L'Anse aux Meadows to see the Viking settlement. Spent several hours watching the movie, taking the guided tour, and talking to the guides in the reconstructed huts. Stopped briefly at Norsted village before continuing on to St. Anthony. Decided to spend the night there since rain was in the forecast. Found the Villa LeMaire B&B and talked to Sandra about a room. She offered me one for $30 Can. So I agreed. Went back into town and stopped at the Carson Lounge where I talked to some locals for quite some time. Headed back to the Lighthouse restaurant for some dinner, where I was invited to join another couple from NS who recognized me from the Labrador ferry. Went back to the B&B and had a nice conversation with Kent (a dead ringer for David Gilmore) and Sandra. Went downstairs about 10:30 and talked to Brian (another regular guest) and caught the beginning of MNF.
Port aux Basques, NF / Ferry Tue, 9/10 83134-83581 (447 mi)
Woke up around 10:00, but it was drizzling fairly heavily, so I hung out,
eating breakfast and watching the weather channel until I decided to
brave the weather around noon. The rain pretty much subsided during
the first hour of riding, although it remained overcast and cold.
Finally saw a pair of Moose, as well as a huge fox. Stopped for
lunch around Port aux Choix, then continued on to Corner Brook.
Got off the TCH, thinking I would camp for the night, but after
driving around for a while, decided to make a dash for the 10:pm ferry
from Port aux Basques. Rode very fast (almost running out of gas for
the second time today), watching for moose at every turn.
Pulled in right on time at 9:00, only to find out the 10:00 ferry
was cancelled, and I was actually in line for the 12:30 one.
Hung out in the ferry terminal, boarded the boat, and after a couple
of quick beers at the bar with another biker from St. John's, went to
sleep in one of the airline chairs.
Contact me at: rf6gunz@yahoo.com
Copyright © 2002, Rick Fletcher
