Newfoundland and Labrador

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Great riding with Boreal forest on our right and the Gulf of St. Lawrence on our left. Cool riding, mid 50’s, with the wind off the sea and mixed clouds and sun. Pulled into a campground on a beautiful lake. Heard a loon calling and we’ve also heard a number Screech owls and of course the ubiquitous Ravens. A short rain shower in the early hours but then cleared. We stopped in at the camp office on our way out for coffee and had a wonderful conversation with the owners. He’s a deep rock miner and currently is working at a gold mine in northern British Columbia. He spends 6 months at the mine and then the company flies him home and he can help take care of the campground for 6 months with his wife and family.

The riding along ocean and hilly Boreal forest continues. We passed large areas along the highway where the fisherman store their lobster traps. We stopped to check out a couple of tide pools but only saw barnacles and whelks. Wonderfully, we continue to have a tail wind! We met a women from Quebec and she was heading south. The wind was really tough and she was only managing 50 km a day. In fact she told us the day before she had to hitch hike because of it! We were doing great until the last 2 or 3 km’s When we had to turn into it and could barely keep the bikes upright.

After a 91 km day and the prospect of rain we stopped at a motel just 17 km’s from the ferry terminal. The next morning was very cloudy but we made it to the terminal just before another wind driven down pour. We hid in the terminal and by the time we were ready to board the rain had stopped. With the wind though we had quite the crossing. Luckily no sea sickness!

After the short morning ride, the waiting, and the hour and a half crossing, we weren’t prepared for the steep climb from the ferry and then the long steep climb over a ridge to get into the town of L’Anse au Clair! A small fishing village, population a bit over 200. We’re spending a couple of days here before continuing.

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