We arrive off the ferry to howling headwinds and a fierce storm stuck over Nfld; the remnants of hurricane Ivan.
We are stuck in this small blustery harbour town.
141.7 km td 7,939 km
Miracles do happen and we are finally able to pedal our way out of Port aux Basque. The wind acts like a forcefield around the town, and after 25 km the day actually turns quite nice.
We slog the day away as we head inland and climb, there will be mountains in this province. During a lunch spot on an abandoned side road, a local moose hunter appears out of the woods to chat; only in Newfoundland! At dusk Darla and Syl arrive and ferry our gear into the next town as we continue to bike to avoid darkness. Dinner is high-class at the local gas station, but surprisingly the Ultramar can serve good meals.
134.9 km td 8,073.9 km
A coincidence shows itself at breakfast when it turns out our B&B hosted the Smithers crowd for Bryce Millars birthday last week! Only in Newfoundland....
The locals warned us it would be hilly and they did not disappoint; we spend 70 km climbing from sea level to ~600 metres. The scenery begins to look like British Columbia, with long high alpine lakes and forested mountains similar to the Shuswap area of BC. Even picturesque Cornerbrook is perched on a hill like Kamloops, and is complete with Staples and Walmart.
Still a day for milestones and records this late in the trip- 8,000 km reached, and the fastest speed. And finally we see a wild animal again- a moose crosses the road as we enter Gros Morne.
147.6 km td 8,221.5 km
The highway flattens out and we enjoy a cruising day with lighter panniers. We pass the time looking for moose, but after seeing nine dead carcasses (8 hunted, 1 roadkilled), and none alive, we give up. One has to give the Newfoundlanders credit for creating a sustainable meat industry without razing the forests and raising cattle. All begun with six lonely moose in 1904!
96.0 km td 8,317 km
A dichotomous morning with a painful 40 km of rain and headwind followed by a 55 km stretch of dry and tailwind. It couldn't get any better cruising at 45 kmh with Tom Cochrane's "life is a highway" blaring over the radio.
We take the afternoon off and head to Twillingate for a true coastal newfie experience- rugged coastline with small fishing villages, lighthouses overlooking, whales spouting on the horizon.
