How relaxed are the Newfies? Relaxed enough that they give you 64 seconds to cross the street! 😊 The day was pretty much a beeline for St. John’s from Millertown. It’s more than a 5-hour trip, so there was no dawdling about getting up and out of the Lakeview Inn this morning. After an evening walk, and a few photos of the flywheel down at the lake across the road at Millertown, I slept pretty well.
With the long ride to do, today needed some rest stops. The first of these was at Gander. You may have heard about the role of the town of Gander and it’s neighbouring villages in the 9/11 disaster. When the US shut down its airspace, this tiny town opened its runways to 38 trans-Atlantic flights. Over 7000 passengers eventually disembarked, almost doubling the population of Gander. The city created accommodation, opening their community centres, schools and homes to the stranded travellers, including 17 cats and dogs and 2 great apes! We stopped at the airport because they have a piece of the World Trade Centre on display that was given in appreciation of their outstanding generosity. Gander also won my heart by having the strawberry shortcake donut at their Tim Horton’s. Haven’t seen it for awhile. The airport also has the most amazing chairs for relaxing. I asked the security guy if he turned his back could I smuggle one out. He said they were about $1200.00 each, but we could walk out with one right now for $1000.00. Joking, of course. It’s probably one of those things that seems like a really good idea at the time but when you get home or have to move it, you realize it’s actually a pain in the butt. As an aside, when I parked Fury, I went to put $ in the meter and there was a little painted feel-good rock at the bottom of the parking meter! How nice, and an indicator of the community’s heart. Back on the road, the traffic was getting busier, but on we flew, not stopping for another hour and a half. Clarenville was the next stop and it was now time for lunch, so we pulled into Mary Brown’s. This is Newfoundland’s fried chicken chain. There is no doubt that Mary makes very good fried chicken! Restored by the break, we filled up with gas and got back on the road. With one more brief stop along the way, we arrived in St. John’s about 3:15 p.m. I took Fury straight to the bike shop, where I have asked for a new headlight bulb an end-to-end inspection to ensure she is healthy for the rest of our journey. Entreating them to be very nice to her because she has worked very hard the last 3 months, they assured me they would secure her in their yard and treat her nicely. Booked into the Hampton Inn, bags and suitcases were unloaded and a cab called to go down to George Street. This is the “pub” district in St. John’s and one of the “places to see”. Deciding to check out a few places, the first stop was the Yellow Belly. This is a local brewery and we stopped in to try a flight of their local beer. For me, it was the bakeapple cider, which was pretty good. A warm pretzel appy filled in one chink until dinner time. The next stop was Bridie Molloy’s. We sat on the patio and sampled their beer and I ordered a scallop appy to fill in another chink until dinner time. Last, but not least, the Celtic Hearth was the choice for supper. Choosing a table near the window that was beside that of another couple, we struck up a conversation with Joanne and Jay from Grand Prairie, AB! We enjoyed our visit very much. I ordered the creamy seafood dish with shrimp, scallops, cod and mussels. Served on nacho chips….? OK. This dish came and it was gigantic! It was delicious and I did my best to make sure I ferreted out all of the seafood. There were lots of nachos left on the plate and I couldn’t eat all of the mussels. Not going to lose any weight in Newfoundland even if I was trying! The evening wrapped up with a short stroll down to the waterfront where there were some big boats sitting prettily in the evening light. Then back to the hotel and time to get some rest in preparation for further exploration of St. John’s.
2 Comments
No travels or news really to share today, since I worked all day. So I will share some information about where we’ve been staying in Millertown. Millertown is about 30 minutes off of Hwy 1 and has a large guesthouse called the Lakeview Inn. Not surprisingly, it has a view of the lake across the street. Owned and operated by Russ Squires and his son, Joshua, it is a quiet, make-yourself-at-home kind of place. Joanne comes in each day to prepare supper for everyone and we haven't been disappointed yet!
While it might seem a bit out of the way, it is not really, with access to ATV trails, lakes and short drives to other lovely area locations. There is a Beothuk national historic site close to hand which is not very widely known. Having been fully engaged with work for the last couple of days, and must do so again today, I have not had much opportunity to explore it, but would still recommend the Lakeview Inn and Millertown as a great place to spend a few days in Newfoundland. In the summer there are some regular guests that work nearby, but also tourists coming and going. Everyone has been friendly and outgoing and it has been a pleasure to visit in the evenings when my work is finished. I took some time today to give Fury a much-needed bath and wax. She has also had her chain cleaned and oiled and is ready to be back on the road tomorrow. It will be on to St. John’s where hopefully we can get her outfitted with a new headlight, then some days of exploration around the south-eastern region of Newfoundland. Stay tuned for more adventures! Well, I warned you - it was a work day today, so not too much interesting to tell.
Got up early and went and picked up Fury from Butt's Esso where I left her with a burnt out headlight last night. Then flew back to the inn to prepare for the first of 3 sessions to get schools ready for startup. In between sessions, I called a local shop, but they can't get a replacement bulb for about a week. So, there won't be any more travelling at night, which is not my preference anyway. I will check in St. John's to see if they can replace it for me at a shop there. Many more things came up over the day work-wise, but it was good to work wtih everyone again and they were so appreciative of my time that it was certainly rewarding. Meals are included at the inn, so when I was done with my sessions at 8:00 p.m., dinner was ready, whcih was lovely. Then it was sit out on the deck, have a glass of wine and watch the water. So I doubt anyone is feeling very sorry for me that I have 3 days of work this week. :) It was a very early morning to be on the road by 7:00 a.m. to L’Anse aux Meadows. This is a national historic site of the Viking settlement discovered in Newfoundland. The site has a visitor centre and a trail out to some re-constructed houses and the foundations of the original structures that were there. The Vikings called this area Vinland and came for its timber and grapes. They made timber and sod huts and even smelted bog iron from the rocks to make nails. It was all very cool and interesting and much more time could have been spent exploring not just the site, but the surrounding area as well. It was a special place and I left some ashes there for Tracey, at one of the smaller huts covered with flowers.
Along the way, there were countless wee fishing villages and I learned some new things. “Tuckamore”, which appeared on signs in a number of places, was a curiosity. It refers to the growth of the spruce trees, which are bent, misshapen and entangled on the coast of Newfoundland. It makes an almost impenetrable landscape. While there were some pretty interesting names on the signs, the one that made me laugh was for Nameless Cove. Bit of an oxymoron, that. As we flew along, I also noticed that there were little fenced cribs along the side of the road. I thought “those look like they have potatoes planted in them”. I quickly wrote the notion off, because why would there be potatoes planted randomly along the highway, seemingly in the middle of nowhere? Also notable, were the huge stacks of firewood everywhere – again, not seeming to be organized for sale or in yards or anything. Both of these mysteries were solved by the story-tellers at the Viking settlement site, when asked.
Being due in Millertown tonight meant that we only spent a couple of hours before heading back to Rocky Harbour. Fuelling up, it was on and out for the 3.5 hour drive to Millertown, expecting to arrive about 10:00 p.m. Close to 2 hours along, just at dusk, I needed to pull over for a rest. It was at this point that we discovered my headlight was burnt out! With the ever-darkening sky, I thought maybe I could just follow close to the car with my hazards on and make the next town, leaving Fury parked somewhere as safe as possible for the night. Unfortunately, it was getting dark very fast and the prospect of doing this for another hour was daunting. Thinking that I must find someplace to park much sooner, the universe was looking out for me. Not too far along the highway, Butt’s Esso station was brightly lit and open! Larry was very helpful and very generously offered to keep Fury inside where she would be locked up until I can return for her tomorrow. Tucked away safely for the night and the Millertown destination achieved, I will be able to return for her tomorrow and get her to a shop for fixing up or find a replacement bulb. In the meantime, I have 3 full days of work starting tomorrow, so it will likely be boring blogs for a few days, if I have any stories to tell at all. So, enjoy your Viking settlement pictures and a collection of Newfoundland flora! It was a perfect riding day as I headed out of Channel Port-aux-Basques for Rocky Harbour. The day dawned sunny and cool, so I dressed accordingly and was on the road by 8:00 a.m. Traffic was light and Fury and I sailed along in blithe unconcern for worldly matters. The scenery along the way, from the Table Mountains leaving Port-aux-Basques to the beautiful mountain and water scenes as we approached Cornerbrook.
I stopped at Cornerbrook for gas and a Timmy’s tea break. I think I saw more Tim Horton’s between Cornerbrook and Rocky Harbour than anywhere else in the Maritimes! The scenery continued to be spectacular through valleys and then up steep rises to feel like we were flying over the top of the mountains. Somewhere along the way, Fury and I reached the 22,000 km mark on this trip. Clearly we will exceed the 23,000 kms originally estimated for the cross-country journey. Arrived in Rocky Harbour about 1:00 p.m. and met Peter at the Fisherman’s Landing Inn. This is a really nice hotel with well-appointed, spacious rooms. The free laundry for guests was a big sell for me, with everything in my bag needing a wash (and probably me too!). Taking advantage of the sunny afternoon, we headed over to Lobster Head Cove lighthouse to check out the tidal pools at low tide. The tidal pools didn’t compare to those on Vancouver Island, but there were some spectacular rock formations. Some were black with some kind really pronounced green intrusions. I though of how Tracey would have loved this place with the variety and beauty of the rocky shore. I left a few ashes there for her, on the pretty black and green rocks beneath the lighthouse. The brief tour through the lighthouse revealed a “family” business. Three generations were in charge of the light on this point and the lighthouse was set up as their home was in the day. Photographs and stories of the family were placed throughout the building. One of the stories was a son saying how travellers would be sheltered and fed by his mother and sometimes they would wake up on the floor in the morning because their mom had given their bed to a weary traveller. The story reminded me of the days when we thought it was so fun to crawl into our sleeping bags and sleep on the floor at Grandma Curtis’ when there was a houseful. The evening ended with dinner at the upstairs restaurant at the Anchor hotel. The food was very good and was followed up with a pleasant stroll down the beach and back to the hotel. Looking forward to visiting L’Anse aux Meadows tomorrow to see the Viking settlement. Newfoundland is certainly a fascinating place to visit! I could start by saying that I don’t have a lot of stories to tell today because I really did very little riding. However, as I review the day, I always have much more to tell than anticipated.
Having had a forced, but much needed rest and early end to yesterday’s adventures, I was up early, packed up and off to the breakfast room in good time. I can recommend the Highland Motel (if you don’t mind basic) for their reasonable price, clean room and complimentary breakfast that included boiled eggs and sausages, along with the usual suspects of toast, cereal, juice, coffee, etc. Knowing that I was supposed to arrive at the ferry to Newfoundland two hours early to keep my reservation, it seemed prudent to give myself time to get lost. A quick breakfast and back to the room to load up Fury. As I was doing so, several people stopped to chat. I was pleased to be able to have the B & B in Levis, Quebec to suggest to Suhkwinder and Rod, who were travelling across the country from Alberta with their two children. They had some suggestions for me too as they were travelling the opposite direction. Another couple from Quebec stopped to say hi and spoke much the same Frenglish as me, though I forgot to ask for names! Then, just as I was finishing my loading, Donna said hi. She used to be a rider and misses her bike, so was interested to see mine and hear about my adventure. And that was all before I got out of the motel parking lot! Even I would have had trouble getting lost on the way to the ferry, so Fury and I arrived in good time and were the second bike to be lined up. The couple in front of me were headed over to visit his father (I didn’t get their names either. ☹). A short while later, Peter pulled up on his quad. He was headed over to do a trek through Newfoundland – not the first time for him. He had a hotel suggestion and some good sight-seeing suggestions as well. We had a good visit while waiting for our loading instructions. Eventually four trikes pulled in behind us, but by then, it was almost time to prepare for loading. Got to chat a bit with those folks when I got off the ferry. Whole new game on the Marine Atlantic ferry. These ferries feel like they are the size of a small cruise ship and I looked askance at the mechanisms for securing my bike. I haven’t been on a ferry yet that secured bikes the same way. Watching the guy ahead of me lock his down, I thought I could figure it out. Then Danny from the deck crew came over and cheerfully gave me all the help I needed! And I’ve taken pictures, so I should remember for the trip back. These ferries were apparently purchased from Norway and are absolutely beautiful. Not being familiar with how busy they would be and fully aware that it is peak season, I reserved a seat, as well as my vehicle spot on the boat. The “reserved” area was like flying first class. Not too many people were in the room, reclining seats, lots of rooms, washrooms on our level and a little café and a key card for access! Felt like I should have changed into an evening gown! My seat was right in front, looking out of the window, which I thought was fabulous. It was fabulous except that the sun was shining in and it got quite warm. Fortunately, the reserved area was not all booked and I was able to sit back one row in the shade. While it was kind of fun to feel like the rich and famous, I’m not sure I would bother reserving a seat again. It was very warm up there and having seen the rest of the boat in the 7-hour journey across the North Atlantic, the other areas looked very comfortable too. The boat had a nice little gift shop and helpful reception staff. In fact, all the staff on the boat were very friendly and helpful. There were a variety of food and beverage opportunities and a sundeck at the top. I explored it a bit and then went back to my seat and had a bit of a doze while my system adjusted to the sway of a slightly rough sea. Before I knew it, it was time to go back down to the vehicle decks and prepare for unloading. This presented more opportunities to chat as others arrived to unload. As I was figuring out how to release the straps securing the bike, Peter and another gentleman helped me get them off the bike and in no time I was ready to go. It wasn’t much of a riding day, as it was already 7:00 p.m. and I had booked into the St. Christopher Hotel for the night. It is a very nice hotel, perched up on the hill overlooking the harbour. Got all checked in and then went for a walk. Seeing a little boardwalk, I took a little stroll and read the story boards about Channel Port-aux-Basques. On the way back, I ended up at the pub in the basement of the Harbour Restaurant. It has great ambiance and good food, but be prepared to wait a long time for it. The bartender was quick to take orders, but the kitchen was extremely slow in delivering them. The bonus, though, was visiting with a bunch of people in the pub! Two couples were travelling through on vacations and there was a table of locals there as well. Everyone was friendly and helpful and fun and I enjoyed our visit very much. The one couple is travelling in the same direction as I am, so I may see them again and get their names this time. Back at the hotel in a very comfy bed with enough pillows to satisfy even my exhorbitant pillow requirements, I am ready for a good sleep before starting my Newfoundland discoveries! |
Newfoundland & LabradorFlower: Pitcher Plant ArchivesCategories |