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The snow has definitely stopped us in our tracks. We spent the day (and will be here tonight) in Corner Brook and knew this morning that we be goin' nowhere b'y as they say here. If only we had a nicer B & B to relax in. We are a little miffed at this place, the Bell's Inn. Sadly it has delivered on NOTHING promised in its website. When we called to book in, we weren't advised that the floors were being renovated on the main floor. The tablesaws were in full swing, there was nowhere to sit, no dining room and no kitchen facilities in which to make a much needed cup of hot toddy. Oh, and no hot water to take a much needed shower when we first got there. Ordinarily, had we been in a car, I probably would have told the proprietor that I had changed my mind and we would have returned to McDonalds to book an alternate place. But we were so cold and wet and had already brought in two heavy sidebags, removed helmet, gloves and jacket. Therein lies the monumental difference between car travel and bike travel. In these weather conditions, bike travel
wears you down to the point where the amount of effort required to put everything back on the bike, re-don the helmet and the gloves, plug back in, and reset the GPS before you can be underway is far greater than just sucking it up and staying put in a sub-standard accommodation. And even today, with the temperature barely hovering above zero and snow falling, we made a decision to stay put rather than move to another accommodation. Our small outdated pink room had nowhere to put things, no hangers, no shampoo, no lightbulbs in the lamps, no room between the toilet and the sink forcing you to sit at an angle, no sound-proofing, no bedskirts, no nothing ........ The proprietor had little interaction with us when we arrived, other than to give us the key to room #6 and to advise that he had recently set up the B & B as self-catered and if people didn't like it, well too bad. Even his make-believe wife on the website, whom old testimonials praised, was no longer his wife. Contrary to our experience thus far with amazingly friendly Newfies, this particular one didn't make us feel very welcome and it
was definitely a let down. I just wanted to be offered tea and biscuits. And salt cod with hard bread. I don't think Ian was as bothered about it as I was, but I wouldn't recommend the place.
We must have looked at the highway web cams 30 times today, and flipped to the TV weather channel as frequently, only to be presented with the same outcome: snow, wind, temperatures of 1 degree in the towns we need to travel through. We walked 3 blocks up to Wal-Mart and Mark's Work Wearhouse and froze our faces off. The wind was howling, snow flurries swirling around us, and the locals bundled up in mitts, toques, heavy jackets. May 2013. Ian bought new boots, I got new wool socks with labels that said Minus 40 (this will be a great test!), and apple crumble for bed later. Food, people, honestly.....
I have never had a holiday or trip with such highs and lows and ups and downs and hits and misses. At the end of the day, it's all good because we are together, we are healthy, we are still having fun and able to laugh at the situation, but
COME ON weather! Give us a break would ya! It's hard to fathom that we could be faced with such challenges, physically, geographically and emotionally from a simple road trip across the country lol ! Each day brings a completely different set of weather conditions, living conditions, restaurant conditions, bike conditions, butt conditions, hair conditions, you get it ...
I discovered today that my bike engine guard has snapped in half. I wondered about the more-excessive-than-usual-vibration yesterday, but didn't have the energy to look for it. I will have to get it welded when we reach St. John's. In the meantime, it provided Ian with another excuse to dig out the duct tape and try to support the break somewhat. What is it with men and duct tape? He has already taped up parts of his boots, which ended up in the bin today because duct tape is not waterproof afterall. Oh and my throttle grip has at least 5 wraps of tape on it to hold bedsheet padding and velcro in place (don't ask) - good luck ever getting it off since the heat has been on every single day of this trip and melted it into permanency.
Oh and two wraps around the plug-in for the GPS to keep it snug in the power receptacle. Why doesn't Ian's 2011 model have any duct tape on it? I can hear the told you so's from all you BMW snobs out there .... And my GPS is on the blink. I'm surprised it's lasted this long being an interior car GPS not a "bike" GPS. Why is it that when you mention the word bike or boat or RV the cost quadruples? A "bike" GPS costs $800 vs. $150 for the ones we purchased. I can buy 4 more before the end of the trip before I'm in a deficit position. Anyway the GPS has a mottled screen (since Ottawa due to rain damage) and now it seems to be stuck in some infinite loop where it works for ten minutes, shuts down and reboots itself for ten minutes, then recalculates the route for ten minutes, then works, then ... Of course, the ten minute working cycle never occurs when we are trying to find our way through a new town.
I believe we still have a lot to learn about motorbike travel and its efficiencies. We clearly
know alot about its inefficiencies. It's very similar to boating where eventually with practice you get it down to a fine art. For now, it takes an inordinate amount of time to do anything on the bike, and going to the bathroom can be likened to pee breaks when skiing. 5 wet layers off, 5 wet layers back on, sweat a bucket during the process. Are we having fun yet lol !!!!! Actually we are, and in the event that we don't make into Bonavista before our family leaves to return to Alberta, it's going to be a great excuse to repeat the trip IN CAR next time they are out here!
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