ROAD TO ROCKY HARBOUR

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!