"Your route is being recalculated." And so in the words of our most beloved scapegoat Siri, we changed our plan.
Chased by a giant blob of heavy green with a lot of yellow and red, we decided not to ride any further north into the Viking experience and run rubber to the east. Sailing south on the Viking Trail at a full run, skating over potholes and skimming construction sites, we only met the edge of the storm, barely getting damp.
At Deer Lake, we headed east, meaning to ride as far as we possibly could into the sunrise. Stopping for gas, we met another road story. A friendly soul, sporting a 70's something BMW with top down in the mist, chatted us up about the wonders of a Newfoundland. He was on his way to Norris Point to paddle board with his dog, a huskie curled up comfortably in the back seat of the car, banked in by all manner of road junk collected by his owner. He left us with a card for his father's store in Corner Brook, "the largest Newfie store on the island" making sure we would stop on our way back.
Route 1 catapulted us into the center of the island. Little traffic, good music, and clouds that didn't shed saw us through most of the day. Wherever we rode, lakes, moosey looking swamps and heavy green forests shouldered in.
Jules, my picnic table bloodhound, zeroed in on a cleared and deserted building site, well off the road, with a table and a fire ring. He built the fire while I drank the wine. We are so compatible! Humid and warm, the air warned us that we were still being chased by the storm and we shouldn't get too comfortable. And so, we reluctantly took off.
Halfway to our destination, St. John's, we stopped in Gander, a medium sized town surrounded by wilderness. Tomorrow we will head out to St. John's. Hopefully we have escaped the rain.
8/13/15
There is no escape from the rain! We ate breakfast with a mural of a Royal Canadian Air Force flier looking up toward the skies behind Jules, both seeming to say, " Is it going to rain? ". Hopefully, we headed out to St. John's without rain gear. An overcast and ominous ceiling hung over our heads, but we enjoyed the road as long as we could. At Terra Nova National Park, we dismounted and took in all the sights, from whale bones to a stunning shoreline. A deepening humidity and the ever constant clouds hurried us along. Only a few miles into the next leg of our trip saw us struggling into our rain suits along the highway, as the clouds gave up and let it all go. The heaviest rain took us into lunch at a remotely and fortuitously placed restaurant. Warm soup and a glass of wine fortified us for the rest of the trip.
Our first job in St. John's was to find the Harley Dealer. Rascal has been working hard this trip and the miles were taking a toll on her back tire. We made an appointment for the next morning and went on a hotel hunt, anxious to be dry. The Capital, a Steele Hotel like the one we visited in Gander, proved that this family run operation knows how to do it right. Not having to set foot outdoors, we dined in elegance at the aptly named Safe Harbor where I finally had the courage to eat the Newfie delicacy, cod tongues. Delicious, they proved that you can deep fry anything and make it palatable!
Again tonight, wind and rain blow up the coast. These Nor'easters have not tarnished our impression of Newfoundland - they have given us an authentic experience of the weather-beating this most eastern island can take. People we meet do not curse the rain, but praise the warm weather that comes with it. Several have commented that in a few weeks, this could all be snow!
We fall asleep hoping that the storm will have spent its fury by morning. St. John's is calling and we must answer, wet or dry!
Is it going to rain?
Whale bones
Terra Nova
More Terra Nova
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