Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Day 29 to Pause (July 18 to 28)

Day 29 Sunday July 18

Click here for photos on Picasa.

I was on gmail today and ended up in a chat with my son David, wife Susan and daughter Katie at the same time! David said I could change my ticket for an earlier departure for a fee. I decided to leave a day earlier so I'd have a day to give some help to my mother who is preparing for a move.

One of the regular firehouse visitors, Paul, (I knew he was a regular as there was a standing cribbage rivalry between he and Dempsey) worked on the road crew doing some road improvements on the next section of highway I would be riding. He filled me in on the locations of all the snowmobile shacks that are located along the highway. These could be good destinations, particularly if the weather is rainy.

Day 30 Monday July 19 to Pause July 28

I stopped into the airport office of Sylvia Shea, the airport administrator who had offered me a place to store my bicycle while I returned to Vermont, to tell her that my bicycle was safely stored at the fire station. We discussed my trip and she asked about bear protection. As the store at which I figured I could buy a bear deterrent noisemaker, "bear banger," would close at 5:oo and my return flight came in at 4:30, Sylvia offered to buy it for me and have it ready for me when I returned. I can't believe how helpful everyone has been in Happy Valley - Goose Bay!

My flights back to Boston were uneventful. The cloud cover was mixed, so I had some incredible views going into St. Johns and going across Newfoundland. Most of the interior of Newfoundland is accessible only by floatplane. I enjoyed the executive class seating provided by my son David and the meals and drinks that came with it, including a visit to the executive lounge in Toronto. Unfortunately, the flight from Toronto to Boston was delayed two hours, so I did't get into Boston until almost midnight. A bus and subway brought me out to David's apartment where I had a short night's sleep before getting up the next morning to catch the bus to Lebanon, NH where Susan and Katie would meet me.

Pause to July 28

To make a long week short, I visited my mom Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday noon. Returning home, I wasn't feeling well and proceeded to collapse on the couch exhausted, with stomach pain. I ended up not getting off the couch until the wedding, which was Saturday, while running a low grade fever. I enjoyed the pageantry of the wedding, where the wedding party arrived by canoes, but with stomach pain, couldn't enjoy the food or drink.

Not wanting to share the details, it wasn't until Monday that I was able to eat anything solid. I had lost more than 10 pounds during the week home, more than I had lost in the four previous weeks of cycling. I postponed Monday's return flight as I wasn't sure if I would be better by that time. I tried to schedule a return flight Tuesday for Wednesday, but no flights were available. With David using his Air Canada Super Elite status, I was able to get a flight on Thursday.

So, as I write, I am expecting to take a bus this afternoon to Boston, spend the night at David's apartment, and fly back to Happy Valley - Goose Bay tomorrow. I will have lost four days off my schedule, but if I am able to continue covering more mileage than I had expected, I should be able to return to Vermont by my August 21 target date.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Day 24 (con't) to Day 28 (July 17)

Day 24 July 13 Tues (con't)

I last left you as I was about to head to a restaurant for my "Last Supper" before heading out for what I thought might be 5 days without the opportunity for resupply. When I walked into the Midway restaurant, there was a gentleman sitting at a table by himself. I asked if I might join him as his meal hadn't yet arrived. He said that he was there with his wife, but I was free to join him. His name was Winston and I learned that he was a retired carpenter who had worked in Goose Bay, but now had retired to his home town of Port Hope Simpson. His wife, Shirley, arrived shortly. Over my seafood platter (disappointing, this close to the ocean) we talked about the area. Towards the end of the meal, Shirley asked where I would be staying that night. I said I would be camping, that Port Hope Simpson had been my goal for the day, and that I was considering going a few miles more. She asked if I would be interested in staying with them for the night. While I knew it was a long way to Happy Valley - Goose Bay yet to go, the thought of a shower and bed was too much to refuse, and so I accepted. Winston and Shirley couldn't have been more gratious. Winston had to go check his Salmon net out in the river with his friend Clarence, so I asked if I could go along. We rode out to the net in the boat that Clarence had made himself, an open boat with a tall bow powered by an outboard motor. There were 9 fish caught in the net, but Winston and Clarence had tags for only four of them (each family receives 6 tags. All fish taken have to be tagged.) The remaining four were given to a nearby boat, where the owner had "community tags" for those elderly not able to go out and fish for themselves.

Back to the house, Winston asked if I would like to try some of the salmon. Of course, I replied. He then fried up some of the freshly caught salmon and served it along with some warm caplin, a small fish about 6 inches long that he was in the process of drying for bait. These were like a snack, consumed in its entirety, head to tail.

Shirley offered me the washing machine, so while I ate I caught up on washing anything from my bags that needed washing. Shirley went to bed and Winston and I chatted a while before we headed to bed. Mileage for the day - 30 miles.

Day 25 July 24 Wednesday

Winston made breakfast of eggs, bacon, oatmeal, and toast. I found when filling my water jug that there was a leak at the seam just underneath the handle. I tried a patch using the Gorilla tape that I have wrapped around my pump. I left Winston and Shirley's around 9 AM and went to the grocery store to buy last minute supplies.

I headed out on the road about 9:30. The road turned out not to be very hilly. I passed forest, punctuated by bogs, streams and ponds. Road surfaces varied. I had my first lunch eating in what I call "The Sock." The Sock is 5 yards of 6 ft. wide mosquito netting that has been folded over on itself and bound along the sides. Ham and cheese on torillas for lunch.

To eat my lunch, upon stopping, I immediately put up and zip the hood on the mosquito jacket. (The black flies don't bother me while I am riding.) I then gather the food and drink that I want to eat and put them in a pile where I want to stand or sit. Then I take the sock and quickly pull it over my head. Then I can unzip and take off the jacket hood and eat. Finished with the meal, I reverse the process.

Around 5 PM I could see a storm approaching. I was coming down a hill and could see yellow construction equipment near the bottom. I rushed there as the first drops were falling with hopes there might be some kind of shelter there. I was in luck. At the back of the clearing where the sand truck bodies were set was an 8' diameter culvert. I rolled the bicycle inside just as it began to pour. Black flies were finding me quickly, so I put on the sock and sat down, taking a rest until the storm ended. I sat smugly as 100's of black flies attempted to breach the netting.

Once the storm abated, I headed back out on the road. A short distance later I came upon a maintenance depot for the road equipment. I rolled in to refill my water containers and found out there was a house there where the road graders slept. The grader, Kirb, who was talking with a mechanic said I could stay there for the night. Chatting with Kirb, I found out he was related to Winston, with whom I had spend the previous night. Kirb said his meals were furnished and that I didn't need to bother using any of my food for the night. Sheldon, the other grader, arrived when our dinner of fish nuggets and fries was ready.

After a hot shower, I headed off to sleep in a real bed. Mileage - 66

Day 26 July 15 Thurs.

As both Kirb and Sheldon headed out early, I was on the road at 7 AM. Kirb said that there was a work camp 154 km (approx. 95 miles) away that I might stay at, but I figured that the distance was probably too far.

The morning's ride was much the same as yesterday. Different surfaces that depended most on whether they had been graded recently. Kirb said that each grader was responsible for around 45 miles of road and was expected to grade about 6 miles each day. Working a 6 day week meant that every section of the road was regraded every 8 days. This meant that I could expect to hit one or two loose sections of gravel each day.

Two motorcyclists who had stopped and talked to me yesterday stopped and talked again. They were from Portsmouth, NH. They had spent the night at Cartwright, a side trip from the main road, and that's why they were passing a second time.

I stopped for lunch at a pretty stream. While finishing up my meal, a squall approached so I got out my 10 ft. square piece of black plastic (black so it dries faster) and covered both the bike and myself as it poured.

The storm didn't last long. Packing up I continued on. The crosswind from this AM changed to a headwind making for tiring cycling. I pushed on towards the work camp.

Nearing the camp, I caught up to a runner, Jerry, who was returning from his out-and-back run. Jerry was a geologist from St. Johns who was surveying the soils 3 km on either side of the road to determine their suitability should the road require future upgrades. The danger, now that the road is constructed, is that an area might be developed for a cabin or camp on soils necessary for further repairs or construction. Suitable soil deposits will be protected from development.

Jerry made inquiries and I was allowed to use one of the empty rooms in the doublewide trailer dormitory. I was also offered dinner. After 94 miles it didn't take much effort to down the two porkchops, heap of hamburger goulash, vegetables and carrot cake I was offered. After dinner, Jerry brought me and his assistant Jason to Curtis's trailer to share some beer and wine. Curtis was an inspector on the project. Didn't get to bed until 11:00. A bit late since I had to be up by 5:30 if I wanted to enjoy the breakfast that had been offered. Most of the workers would already be off by that hour. They work 12 hour days, not including driving time to their work sites.

Day 27 July 16 Friday

Awoke at 4:15 at the sound of the workers getting ready for the day. Ate breakfast at 5:30 of bacon, sausage, boiled eggs, juice, and cereal. Jerry and Jason were off at 7. I took some time to journal and then headed out on the highway at 7:30. I was told I had about 20 miles more until I hit the construction section of the highway. When I finally arrived, at first it wasn't that bad, just a bit more loose gravel. I then hit a site where the road detoured around a road cut where they were preparing to do blasting. The road was then filled with large rocks. Whereas this would be difficult for a car, with a bike I am able to weave between the rocks. The soil around the rocks was hard packed and I was able go keep going around 10 mph. Then there were sections where the road was just blast rock, but these were not long. In the end there were only about 2 miles of what I would call difficult road in the 20 miles of "unfinished" road. The remainder had perhaps more rough sections than normal and some sandy sections that I had to walk, but all tolled, the adventurous section of road was very short lived.

I had heard that tomorrow was going to be rainy, so I decided I would push on to Goose Bay-Happy Valley. It was around 85 degrees, hot riding, but I was able to keep a pretty good pace, around 12 mph. Around 30 miles from HV-GB the terrain became a bit hillier. While the uphill is more work, it's nice to have the change in saddle position between climbing and descending.

About 15 miles from the dirt section of the road I passed a sign for cars going the opposite direction labeling where I had just come from as Eagle Plateau. I didn't realize how much I had climbed until I began what would become a 12 mile gradual descent. What a pleasure, particularly near the end of the day! When the hill ended I biked up and over several small hills before reaching the Churchill River, at the other side of which was the paved road into HV-GB.

I biked around 8 miles into HV-GB on the incredibly smooth pavement. I was back again with traffic. I arrived at a T junction with one sign directing L to Goose Bay and R to Happy Valley. I always thought they were one town, but they are separate villages. Not knowing which way to go, I stopped a turning vehicle for direction and they suggested I head right into Happy Valley. They said there was a park in that direction just beyond the hospital that would be a good spot to camp. I found the park, but there was a fence all around the park with signs advising video surveilance. I decided to keep looking.

Across the street from the park was the fire house. It had a nice lawn surrounding it. There was a fireman standing out front so I went and asked him if I might camp there. He said, "Sure!" My new host was Rick Harvey and he was one of four full time fireman for the town, one of whom was also on duty at the firehouse. Rick invite me into the firehouse which was fully equiped for living. He suggested I use the stove for cooking, which I did.

I went to find the webcam that Susan and Katie could see me on. I called them, but they were not at home to do so. On the way back to the station I passed the Royal Canadian Legion building. Remembering the inexpensive beers I had in Deer Lake I decided to see if this hall was open to the public. It was. I met two locals as I drank my beer. The first, Dumfrey, offered the facilities of the garage where he worked for anything I might need. The second shouted me a second beer. Then, Max Pebble, the president of the club came and gave me a visitors ribbon and pin. He then took me on a tour of the facility.
I then headed back to the station. After watching TV with Rick for a while I retired for the evening in the tent set up outside. Mileage for the day - 96

Day 28 July 17 Saturday
Good thing I made it in last night as it rained most of the night and has been raining most of today. The fire station has a computer with internet and that has allowed me to bring the blog back up to date. I've spent the day catching up on email, gmail chatting with Susan and Katie, and enjoying a hot lunch with Don, the day shift fireman. Ramsey, the evening shift fireman, has now arrived and it's time for me to make some dinner. My flight to Boston leaves Tuesday at 13:10, so I have a couple of days to explore the town.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Day 17, July 6 Tuesday

Quick breakfast of cold oats and raisins with powdered milk. On road by 7 AM. Ten miles to Mabou. Stopped on way to buy 4 blueberry turnovers, juice and a banana. Ate all. Turned on to Rt. 252. Steep downhill and then tough climb. Brook Village to Whycocomagh - beautiful valley with dairy farms. At Whycocomagh turned N towards N. Sydney along Bras d'Or lake. Saw a pair of bald eagles perched in tree near the road. Made it to Braddeck for lunch. Nice town. Washed clothes in sink at tourist office.

Continued on with easy rolling hills towards N. Sydney. Around 10 miles before N. Sydney climbed Kelly's mountain. Emma, who I mentioned earlier from Antigonish, spoke of how she rated hills by how far she got singing 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall. I started the song about half way up and finished before summitting. Descent off of Kelly's was far to fast with a hairpin turn at the bottom. 40 MPH downhills make me question my mortality.

Arriving in N. Sydney I went to the ferry terminal and found I could leave at 3:00 AM or 10:00 AM the next day. I chose the latter, figuring I could get a better nights sleep and perhaps Emma and Emily would show up for the ferry. Went into town for a fish & chips dinner, met two women cyclists from Norway, returned to terminal, TOOK A SHOWER (yes, they had a free shower at the terminal),watched a movie, and then set up tent along side the terminal. Went to bed. Noisy, so I put my Skullcandy earphones in and it helped dim the noise. Mileage 90.

Day 18 July 7 Wed.

Woken up by ferry personnel at 2 AM. I think they wanted to make sure I wasn't supposed to be boarding the 3 AM ferry. Back to sleep.

Breakfast of oats, raisins and banana. Got on ferry at 9 AM.

Tried to work on blog on the boat. Found my gmail account had been discontinued and the blog removed for violations of policy. I had no clue what was going on. Sent email to Yahoo.

Met Ray Walker, a Canadian who had emigrated to Canada in his youth. Ray was 80 years old, but still an active outdoorsman. He has been to Vermont enough times to hike and ski that he knew the trail names up Mansfield and Camels Hump. He was a good friend of Dickie Hall, who Jeb used to work with in his telemark teaching days.

Splurged on the $20 buffet. Figured I got my money's worth!

Once landed, I got on the road at 4 PM. Rocky, barren coast. Passed what were labeled as the Table Mountains. Spectacular bald mountains. Too bad it was cloudy, pictures will be poor. However, this is the scenery I came to see. Passed through a windy pass that I was told had winds strong enough at times to throw a tractor trailer off the road.

There was little wind and the hills were gradual. Pushed for mileage. At around 45 miles I started looking for a place to camp. Saw an area that had been a gravel pit and stopped. While standing, I saw three black fox wandering around. Not knowing their habits, I decided to push on. Saw lots of rabbits along the road. Got as far as Crabbs River. Passed two campgrounds and then saw a road head into the wood. Followed it a short way and it passed through a gravel pit. Had a place to lean the bike on a boulder, so looked like good place to camp. Lots of mosquitoes as I set up tent. In bed @ 10:15. Mileage 60

Day 19 July 8 Thursday

When I woke up, I found mosquitoes in the tent. I pinched them to kill them, rather than swat them because I didn't want blood smeared on the tent. It was a cloudy day with a mild tailwind. Travelled through timbered rolling hills. Grades were good.

Stopped @Corner Brook for info on ferries, eat a snack and do some shopping. Pushed on through a deep river gorge and then had hills to climb.

My goal for the evening had been Pasadena. I had read on a cyclists blog that they had great pizza in Pasadena. I found a restaurant that had a pizza sign, but weren't selling pizza at that hour (7 PM). In fact, it was their closing time. Owner had some others still eating, so she let me order a hamburger and fries. Leaving Pasadena, I couldn't help noticing the number of people out for a walk. I asked one gentleman why and he said they didn't often get such a nice warm evening.

I met a cyclist coming the other direction. His name was Yvon Daniel from Gatineau, Quebec. He was trailering a B.O.B. and had cycled all the way from Vancouver. While I was cycling in the misty weather with just a wind jacket, he was dressed in full foul weather gear and said he was still freezing. I think he had lost so much weight that he had no reserves to keep him warm. Tough to keep the weight when averaging around 95 miles a day! Poor Yvon had only 9 sunny days since leaving Vancouver!

Pushed on to Deer Lake. Saw a large hydro generating station entering town. Just beyond it I saw a large pavillion where I could set up my tent out of the weather. Where I could turn off the highway, there was a Royal Canadian Legion hall and it was bingo night. I thought I might go in and play bingo until it got darker, then set up my tent. Turns out the bingo was mostly over, so it wasn't worth buying the $5 card. Just as well. I asked if the bar if I could buy a beer. I could and it was $2.80, much cheaper than the usual $4 for a beer. I ended up celebrating with two as I had just completed the first century of the trip. In fact, I had covered 110 miles that day!

At the pavilion, more like a performance stage, I found two young men hanging around, drinking. It turned out to not be as nice a place to stay as I had hoped. The floor was generally clean enough, but I think the corners in the back were used as urinals, adding a not too pleasant smell to my camping spot. I used a piece of cardboard to sweep the area for my tent clean, erected the tent, took a sponge bath, and headed to bed.

Day 20 July 9 Friday

Went to a nearby Tim Hortons for coffee and muffins. Did some work on the bike as I sipped my coffee. The headset needed tightening and I cleaned and oiled the chain. The pedal adapters were squeaking again and I tried tightening them with the tool Al in Halifax had given me, but was unable to do so.

Set off for Gros Morne. It was still cloudy. There were moderate hills until around 10 miles from Rocky Harbour. Then came a serious hill. Still tired from yesterday, I walked a steep section. Walking is perhaps 1 mph slower than straining in my lowest gear, so I walk to get a break from being on the seat and to use some different muscles. After climbing that first pass, I screamed down (40 mph) to Bonne Bay. I pulled off at a rest area to have a drink. As I arrived a woman offered me a bottle of cold water. Sounded good, so I accepted. Another family from Corner Brook was next to me having their lunch and they offered me a ham sandwich. This was followed by a soda, cookies, and finally two banana chocolate chip muffins to take along. Nice treat!

Had another hill to climb as I went by Gros Morne mountain. Unfortunately, all I could see was its base. The top was in the clouds. Walked a section again and then 41 mph downhill to the visitors center. Met Josianne there, a Canadian now living in Holland, who was traveling with her friend Andree. She said Andree was working on the internet at the library, so I got directions from Josianne and proceeded there. Josianne and Andree had cycled from Quebec City.

The library closed at 4 pm, so I went to a store, bought a snack and left Rocky Harbour around 5 pm. There was a very strong headwing and it was flat cycling. Passed through boggy areas on my right and the ocean on my left. Wind strengthed to what was at least 40 mph. Decided to ride it as long as I could. Nearing dark, I stopped at Daniel's Harbour. I bought some OJ. Asked about a place protected from the wind as it was certainly too strong to erect the tent. Was directed to the school where I found a spot on the leeward side that wasn't too windy. It was still windy enough that I had to peg down the tent footprint so I could erect the poles.

It was a chilly evening so I brought out my long underwear and cap to sleep in. The wind buffeted the tent and roared all night long. Somewhere, late in the evening, I was awoken by headlights and voices, but the vehicle backed away and I was left in peace again. Day's mileage, 100.

Day 21 July 10, Saturday

Around 3 AM I was woken up by a group of boys and girls coming down the side of the school where I was located. Obnoxious, they bothered me for a while before leaving, tripping over my guy lines as they went.

At 5 AM I was again awoken by two drunks. "Time to get up" they shouted. I should have listened to them. Around 7 AM the skies opened up with a pouring rain. It was my first test at taking down the tent in the pouring rain. I successfully took down the inner tent, packed it in the dry bag, and then strapped the soaking wet fly and footprint onto the bike outside the dry bag. It rained hard the first couple of hours on the road. I rode in my cycling shirt, windbreaker jacket, plastic poncho, and rain pants. I stayed warm enough, except for my feet, which were cold and wet. I need to find a better way to maintain foot warmth.

The remainder of the day was drizzle. I continued to have a tailwind, just not as strong as last night. Stopped for coffee and muffins and a chance to dry out at 24 mi and stopped again for hot soup at around 50 mi. Learned at the first stop that there had been a big party in Daniels Harbour for the area kids last night. Most of the riding was easy until around Hawkes Bay where the road became hillier. Got to St. Barbe at around 3:45, plenty early for the 6 PM ferry to Labrador.

Treated myself to a hot meal at the ferry terminal and also asked about accomodations when I arrive at the other side. I would be arriving in Quebec, cold and wet, at 8 PM and I figured it wisest to book a room. I called a B+B and reserved a room.

Coming off the ferry, I was greeted with a steep hill which I needed to walk. Legs were tired after back-to-back centuries and that day's 90 mile ride. It was 5 miles to the Beachside Hospitality House where I met my hosts, Norm and Gloria Letto. I hung my tent fly, footprint, and other wet items in a shed outside. Also outside was a family of mom and two kids, Catherine, Sophia and Tom, who were cooking up some dinner before they went into their room. I had seen them earlier on the ferry.

The room was $48 as opposed to the $38 advertised on their brochure, but I wasn't in a position to argue. The house was immaculate and my room very comfortable. Before showering, I asked Gloria if there was somewhere where I could wash my clothes. She was hesitant, then offered to wash them in her laundry. So, after a hot shower, my pile of odiferous clothing was offered up to Gloria for cleaning.

It was Gloria's birthday, but I had just caught the tail end of the party when I arrived. Norm was playing the accordian while his brother-in-law accompanied on the guitar. I chatted with the family and learned that Howard Dean had stayed there back when he was governor. Mileage for the day was 96.

Day 22 July 11 Sun

Had a "breakfast" of three pieces of thick toast with assorted jams and coffee. Packed up the tent pieces and cleaned and oiled the chain on the bicycle. Stopped at nearby store for more food. Trip to Red Bay started off with a one mile climb. It was foggy when I started, but the sun broke out for a beautiful day. The landscape was spectacular. Barren hilltops and beautiful bays. Had several steep climbs and steep descents. The temperature varied probably 20 degrees between hilltops and the windy bays below. Passed what looked like a chicken farm along the way, but I was told it was a mink farm. Had a hill to walk.

Road started to follow the Pinware River. The river was beautiful as I followed it up into the mountains. There on the high plateau were ponds, lakes and rock, very wild and spectacular. Catherine and the kids went by several times as they went off on side trips to explore. At Mary's Harbour, my destination for the day, I again met Catherine and the kids. They were going to hike up to an observation point and offered to give me a ride to the departure point. We climbed a hill with a nice view over the town and harbour. Catherine was feeling adventurous, and led us on an alternate route down to the sea that had us all wondering if we would finish our hike that evening as we had to bushwack through thick growth and lower ourselves down steep banks by hanging on to trees and bushes. However, we did make it down safely and returned by a path along the coastline.

Catherine and the kids were also camping, so we scouted a place to set up our tents. The local playground offered such a site so we stopped there. I should mention, we made several stops at the local store that afternoon and evening. Of interest there was the fact that to wash and dry a load of laundry was $5, but to take a shower was $7.95 plus tax! Guess a shower is a luxury in these parts.

I contributed some food to the dinner and helped in preparation as we all battled with the black flies. I had purchased a fly coat that afternoon that went a long way in the battle. Pasta with mushroom soup and hamburger was the dinner for the night. Mileage for the day - 50

Day 23 July 12 Mon

I left the pavement today. There was lots of climbing and fresh crushed stone on the road made cycling difficult. On one fast downhill I was probably up to 25 mph when I hit a section of loose stone. It was all I could do to keep the bicycle upright. Fortunately I made it through without incident, but I will be keeping my speed much slower on the downhills in the future.

Hit a section that was freshly graded with the loose stone pushed to one side. I was able to move as fast as pavement, particularly with the day's tailwind. I'm disappointed that cars and trucks don't slow down as they go by, as with each passage I am enveloped in a cloud of dust.

A truck pulling a camper stopped and offered me water. They had gone by me several times as I bicycled up through Newfoundland. Two airport employees from HV-GB stopped and asked about the trip. They were willing to shoot a couple of photos of me by taking my camera and going up the road and waiting for me to approach.

At Lodge Harbour, stopped at Mona's store. The store had everything. It was interesting that the prices were not unusually high. I'm thinking that they keep the prices reasonable for the locals. A Gatorade, banana, and ice cream cone and I was underway for the last 5 miles to Mary's Harbour. Catherine and the kids went by one more time. I didn't see them in Mary's Harbour as I found a spot to pitch my tent behind a store upon arrival with rain threatening.

At 6 PM I was in the tent and taking a nap. Woke up at 7, had some tortillas and cheese slices for dinner. Tried my radio and by chance it was set to the TV frequency. Canada must not have switched to digital yet as I was able to listen to the weather portion of the evening news followed by the Wheel of Fortune!

It rained hard during the night, but the tent stayed dry. Average speed for the day on dirt was 9 mph. Mileage 55

Day 24 July 13 Tuesday

Morning arrived with nice weather. The wind has changed from the SW to the NE. Means I'll have a headwind all day. Caught up on my journal.

Heard yesterday from the two airport employees from HV-GB that new sections of the road from HV-GB to Labrador City are now paved. This could make that section faster for me.

On the way out of town, I stopped at a motel/restaurant to use the washroom and met a group of students from Dukane U. in Pittsburg. They were filming a documentary and their story line was led by two students, boy and girl, riding loaded BMW motorcycles. One of the group, Robert Isenberg, had grown up in Middlebury. He said my passage on the highway was becoming a topic of conversation.

Although it was only 30 miles today from Mary's Harbour, it was a hard day for me. The temperature as I type here in Port Hope Simpson is about 85 degrees and I battled a 30 mph headwind all day. Road surfaces for the most part were excellent and with no wind or a tail wind I could have probably doubled my speed. Most of the day was travelling through dense woodland, punctuated by beautiful blue lakes and rocky hilltops. I saw multiple woodpiles along side the road. Apparently the locals cut the wood in the winter, leave it by the roadside to dry over the summer and then in winter again, pull it home with snowmobiles and sledges.

I'll be treating myself to a restaurant meal (and washing up in their washroom) before I begin what could be a five day trek to HV-GB without any towns between. It's about 240 miles. Best to all of you. Wish me luck.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Day 14 (July 3) to Day 16 (July5)

Today I rate as one of the best cycling days I've ever had. Got on the road around 9 and followed some cycling trails that Al suggested out of the city. These led to a rail trail that headed right across a salt marsh. Followed rail trails for about 25 miles before continuing on the main roadway. The day was probably around 75, but breezes off the ocean kept it cool. The route followed a pattern of up around the points and down through the bays. Traffic wasn't bad.

Stores were far apart, sometimes as far as 25 miles, so snacks had to be found in my stash.

Ended up in the town of Sheet Harbour where I took a side route, St. Andrews Loop, that brought me to a bay side grove of trees with grass beneath them. It was very windy, so I had to stake down the tent to keep it from blowing off. Large pulp loading facility was located across the bay. Also saw many buoys that were different than lobster buoys. I found out they marked locations where mussels were suspended in the water in a mesh and allowed to grow.
Days mileage - 86

Day 14 - July 4
Tailwind continued and I pushed to Sherbrooke. Ate 175 g of bologna (package size) and three tortillas along with my chocolate milk. Followed a river valley for a while before making a large climb. Dropped down along a beautiful narrow lake, Lochaber Lake. Climbed again before descending to the town of Antigonish. It was a pretty college town, and I was hoping to find a bike shop to replace my broken water bottle. Entering the center of town, I ran into two other cyclists Emily and Emma, who had cycled from Montreal. They had scoped a place to camp for the night, but were going to treat themselves to a $9 steak first. I joined them for the meal and then we went shopping for breakfast food. We camped to the side of the large sports park.
Mileage 89

Day 16 Mon July 5
With two stoves going, we made bacon and eggs. Emily and Emma had English muffins, so our first eggs were Egg McMuffins! Between the three of us, we almost finished the bacon, but some was packed to eat with lunch. There was a deli right next to us, so coffee was enjoyed with the breakfast as well.

It turned out the bike shop was no longer open, so I found a usable water bottle cage at Canadian Tire and was able to attach it with hose clamps. For a bottle I am using the pint nalgene bottle that I had been carrying loose.

We didn't get off until 10:30 and we had a leisurely ride to the causeway to Cape Breton. When we stopped for lunch along the way, the storekeeper at the store where we bought cold cuts let us use the deck on his house to sit and eat on.

We got to the causeway around 4:30. We spent time getting information at the tourist office and washing up (me). Whenever I find hot water, I shave! We then split up, me heading for the Cabot trail and the ladies heading towards Bras d Or lake. I cycled until around 8:30 to the town of Port Hood where I found a place to camp behind a church.

Spent time looking at my schedule and discovered I had dropped the Newfoundland days out of the schedule. Now I will have to go to N. Sydney directly to get the ferry and try to make up for the additional days. Mileage for the day - 66 miles.

Friday the 9th. Library in Gros Morne is closing. Did my first century yesterday 110 miles to Deer Lake. ! Got to run. Will continue the blog when I can. Harvie

Friday, July 2, 2010

Day 11 con't to Day 13 6/30 - 7/2 Wed-Fri

Day 11 (con't)

I followed the river from Bridgewater for several miles before the road cut inland to Lunenburg. About 5 or 6 miles from Bridgewater, I stopped for a drink and noticed one of my rear panniers was open. I then realized that the reason I had the pannier open was that I had taken out my toilet kit to shave at the library and when I did a last minute search on the computer, I had forgotten to pick it up. I didn't want to take the time to double back, figuring I would just buy a new toothbrush, shaver, etc.

Arriving at Lunenburg I stopped and bought an apple and orange and a quart of yogurt. They didn't have any small plain yogurt for sale, so I had to buy the big one. I made my way to the wharf where I had one of my favorite road meals of cut up fruit , oatmeal, and yogurt. While eating, I met a man from Florida who had travelled from Florida in his cabin cruiser with his wife and two sons. They were there to see the maritime museum, a luxury I forwent due to the $20 price tag for admission.

After a few photos, I headed for Halifax. On the way out of Lunenburg, I hit a rail trail and took it for a while until the surface seemed too rough to make it worthwhile. The rail trails are a toss up. The gravel surface take a little more work to pedal on, but the grade is always gentle so there are no hard hills to go up. I rode the local road for a while past some pretty coves and then got onto the main highway. My goal for the evening was the Shore Club in Hubbards, a short distance past the town of Chester. On the boat from Saint John, I had seen an ad in a motorcycle guide to Nova Scotia for an all you can eat salad bar and steamed mussels with a lobster dinner. My mind was made up thats where I would be heading this day. I figured with my cycling appetite I could eat my money's worth.

I arrived at the Shore Club around 7:00 and headed in for dinner. I was surprised at the price. It was $28 and change for the small lobster (9/10 lb). Added to that would be 15% tax plus a tip. Expensive as it was, I was committed. I started with a plate of salad and my first container of mussels. I had two more containers of mussels before my lobster arrived. I was pretty proud of my ability to leave nothing but a carcass. It was then back for another plate of salad and another container of mussels and I was reasonably sated. I then took the brownie and ice cream covered with chocolate sauce option for dessert.

Back towards the highway from the Shore Club was a park at the end of the bay. A local on a scooter stopped and talked with me just before the park and he said no one would mind if I put up my tent behind a bush in the park. It made an easy place to spend the night.

Mileage for the day - 50

Day 12 July 1

Today is Canada Day, the Canadians equivalent to the 4th of July. After drying out and packing up the tent, I headed on towards Halifax. I needed a washroom (translates to bathroom) so I stopped a short way down the road, used the facilities and shaved and treated myself to a cup of coffee. Had a few chats with the locals, including a gentleman who winters in Florida.

Very soon down the road I came upon the Margaret's cove rail trail. I didn't take it at first, but when I started hitting some hills I decided to give it a try. The trail was in good condition and there were many people using the trail, either walking or biking. Periodically there would be a nice overlook where I stopped and chatted with the people sharing the view. I only had around 30 miles into Halifax, so I didn't have to hurry.

Around lunchtime the trail came to an old rail station converted to a bike/coffee shop. It was called the Bike and Bean and it offered bike rentals and service, as well as coffee, rolls and light meals. The owner, Dana, loaned me his wire cutters to shorten the cable I had repaired yesterday. He also runs a tour company, Pedal and Sea. Some of his tours were in Ireland and he said he had run into Bike Vermont there. After polishing off the rest of the muffins and cinnamon buns, I headed to Halifax.

While the rail trail didn't run along the coast, it passed by several nice lakes. I figured I would see enough sea coast before I'm through and it was nice not to have to ride with the busy Canada Day traffic. As I approached Halifax, I called my Warmshowers.org host and got directions to his house. Without difficulty I found my way to "Fuller Farm", the home of Al and Sarah Evans, in Halifax. The farm is really just a rental apartment where well-tended vegetable and flower gardens have been created. Both Al and Sarah live eclectic careers. Al does some bicycle repair, photography, and other creative endeavors and Sarah is a librarian with many creative sidelines. They have hosted round-the-world cyclists, Trans-Labrador cyclists and many others in their time as Warmshowers hosts.

Chatted late into the evening with Al, aided by some growlers of the local Propeller Brewery Porter and IPA.

Day 13 July 2 Friday

Slept in this AM until around 8 AM. Had breakfast and then Al took me to a local bike shop where one of the employees, Mark, worked. Mark had biked in Labrador and Al thought I ought to meet and talk to him. It turns out Mark was an ultra-distance cyclist and had biked the Paris-Brest-Paris randonneur brevet, a 1200 km endurance event. He shared information about the communities I would pass through as I work up the Labrador coast, water availability, and road conditions. While I was having my conversation with Mark, Al had to go off and do a radio program that he hosts.

After chatting with Mark, I headed towards the waterfront. On the way I rode up to the Citadel, the fortification that overlooks the harbor. While cycling the road that circles the summit, I ran into a German tourist from Nurnburg and had a chance to practice my German.

Down at the waterfront I visited one of the ships on display and poked along the waterfront. It was very touristy, much like any city on water. There is a ferry across the bay to Dartmouth. I took the ferry and with a transfer pass was able to take it back, all for $2.25 - one of the few bargains I've found recently. The ferry ride gave me a better view of the harbor and the ocean beyond.

Got cash at a bank, made a few purchases and went back to Al and Sarah's. Got my laundry done and Al helped me remedy a squeak I was having in my pedals.

That brings me up to now. I'm going to add some more photos to Picasa. Katie emailed me how to link there easily, so to see the photos click here.

I'm off tomorrow with expectations of reaching Sherbrook on Sunday. From there I'll work my way to Port Hawkesbury and on to Cape Breton and the Cabot Trail.

I'll post again when I can.