Newfoundland 2012

newfoundland - 2011
KitchenPass II
Newfoundland 2011 – Riding the Rock…
Over the past several years I have been thinking of riding to Alaska or Europe. So how
does Newfoundland fit in? Newfoundland is within 1600 miles from Central Ohio and for
the most part the language is English. I thought this would be a great warm up for the
other two destinations.
Why Newfoundland?
Newfoundland is separated enough from the States to have its own unique culture.
Some residence I spoke with still think of Newfoundland as a separate Republic from
Canada. This mentality has allowed Newfoundland to have a bit of a European feel
without the travel involved. Newfoundland also offers mountains much like the Western
US (not as high of course) and miles of coastline like California. The roads do not have
the extreme elevation changes as the NorthWest but there is enough to keep any rider
entertained. The last reason for Newfoundland is the weather conditions. Newfoundland
in August 2011 was cold to cool 45 degrees to 70 degrees. I have been watching
weather in Alaska and the pattern is similar.
The most influential article I read stated that Newfoundland was not for the Tourist.
Escaping Rvs, and the typical tourist traps is one of the primary goals in my ride
selections. After other debates about riding NorthEast and many hours of research
Newfoundland was the direction for 2011. We are riding a Honda ST1300 hauling a
UniGo trailer. Finally with the saddlebags and trailer packed, we departed Central Ohio.
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Riding North East
From Ohio we rode freeway through Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York State. We turned
off the freeway route in Utica NY onto US8. Riding through the Adirondack Mountains is
brilliant. During my rides I try to note unique signs. Along US8 there was a sign for the
“Stumble Inn.” I thought what a great name for tiered riders. The tree-lined road is
magnificent. There are enough curves to keep you entertained as a rider and enough
little diners to enjoy local food.
We road into Lake Placid, New York early in the evening and pulled into a hotel.
Downtown Lake Placid is open late and taking a walk in the evening is welcome after a
long days ride. Without a turn-by-turn plan, the next day’s ride was mapped out in the
evening.
Riding in August is unpredictable from a weather perspective. Luck has been on our side
so far this trip. An important tip I learned a few years ago is to ask the locals where the
best rides may be. Where this also may be unpredictable, the locals are very interested
in showing you interesting routes or sights you may not have thought to go.
The ride across US9 and the $10 ferry ride across Lake Champlain led us to Burlington
Vermont. Again the ride through the Adirondack Mountains is a fantastic route. We rode
through valleys with mountains on each side and beside mountain streams and lakes that
the road was following. From Burlington a short trip down the freeway brought us to US2,
which took us through Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. US2 is a mixed bag.
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The majority of the mileage is very good, however like most secondary routes - road construction and some bad
stretches of tarmac require your full attention. Once we crossed into Maine, the road became simply epic.
Maine smells like saw dust and Pine needles. The barns are amazing, if you like barns. They are big and very well
maintained. The other observations are that the towns are either very nice or very run down. There does not seem
to be a mid point. We road past Bangor Maine toward Acadia National Park and US1 North to end the days ride.
This was the turning point of the trip.
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Northward
The morning came and it was wet and overcast.
After a couple cups of coffee the rain stopped
and we hit the road around 8:00 am. The first
stop of the day was Acadia National Park (ME).
The Park Service did a brilliant job with this
picturesque part of the NorthEast coast. The
coastline is very similar to North Shore of Lake
Superior. There are no shortages of places to
get a lobster dinner or take pictures of the
coastline. We had a very nice dinner and hit the
road in the late afternoon for Canada and parts
unknown.
US1 is called the coastal highway. Well we did
not see any coastline nor was there a highway.
For one eight-mile stretch, the road disappeared
and it was packed dirt. The dirt was slick from
the rain and it was slow going on the ST13. The
farther North on US1 we got, the fewer cars
there were. The rough roads make riding much
more interesting but much more exhausting.
One early observations about Canadian Hotels;
they are not obvious. These places seem to be
hidden and you just need to go out and discover
them. This observation will prove out as this trip
proceeds.
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The fog at the top of the mountain was lifting. We stopped to catch a few pics. To see the islands an coastline on a
clear day would be worth a second trip.
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Onto the Atlantic Ferry
We woke to a cool, clear day. Getting repacked and hitting the road early again today will make the overall 340-mile
ride easy. There was no particular goal other than the knowledge that we will be running out of land soon. Just short
of 1400 miles so far for the trip. We turned off just as we crossed into Nova Scotia to ride along the coastline.
The highway signage is very strange. There are signs for towns, the town is on the map but when we get there,
there is no town. These places must be hiding behind a tree or rock. We stopped at a visitor’s center, I explained
this observation and of course we had a good laugh.
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The excitement of the day was the shortage of open fuel stops. The ST has a long fuel range but we certainly
stretched its capabilities today. We finished the ride for the day in North Sydney where we will catch the ferry across
to Newfoundland.
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Finally on the “ROCK”
The day started with heavy fog and 50 degrees in Port-aux-Basques. This is the first of
August but I would rather ride in cold temperatures. One thing I have discovered about
Newfoundland already is that it is wet and foggy. As we pulled out of the hotel parking lot I
felt as if Boris Karloff should be lurking around the corner – it was a bit creepy.
We rode into Gros National Park today. I cannot decide what this countryside reminds me of.
Part foothills of the Rockies, part West Virginia and the Blue Ridge Parkway, and part upper
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New York State and parts of every US National park I have visited. There is a missing
element that I have not been able to put my finger on yet.
Tim Horton’s restraints are everywhere; I don’t think you can throw a rock without hitting
one along the TCH. The roads today have been very good. The Trans Canadian highway
is two lane and splits regularly into three lanes where you can pass or be passed with
ease.
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What is a road turtle? This is a term that I will use for now on to describe those mounds of
asphalt that have the shape of a turtle shell in the road. There are road turtles
EVERYWHERE and if you are looking around and not where you are going you get one
that snaps at you. I can tell you that it can throw you off balance quickly.
We went for a little hike around a lighthouse today after setting up camp. This particular
lighthouse was decommissioned in 1990 after nearly 100 years of service. The houses in
Newfoundland are small square dwellings with no or little character except for their color.
They look exactly like those pictures of Alaska villages we have all seen. The houses
range in color from red to yellow with only a few being white.
The night in the tent was very good; we actually got some really good sleep. The morning
was cool again and the sky was bright blue. A few puffy clouds in the sky broke up the
horizon as we rode to our destination for the day.
About 100 km North was Western Brook Pond. I am here to tell you this was not pond, it
was a lake. Between 500 and 600 feet deep is no pond in my book. We had to park and
hike back to the dock which was about 5 KM; the trail rose and fell like ripples in the water
except the ripples were about 29 feet high. We arrived at the dock without too much
trouble and purchased our tickets for the boat ride back into the Fiorge. This ride was
unlike any other experience. Our fellow travelers were very nice. Friendly people are a
common theme for this trip.
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The cliffs that surrounded the Western Brook Pond reminded me of those in Yosemite
National Park. On one occasion we were 20 feet from the cliff and the captain of the boat
announced that we were in 500 feet of water. Simply amazing this place is and it is highly
recommended.
We met two riders who were from Maryland that were on a two-week trip. They invited us
to set at that table with them to eat dinner. This is another example of how great bikers
can be. We talked about just about everything under the sun. The trip they are on is one
that I want to do in a few years – across Quebec, Labrador, and then back through
Newfoundland to the US. The rest of the time on the “Rock” will be short rides followed by
a couple of days of rest. These rides are not just about the miles but the experiences you
get from riding.
I learned a lesson today; here is what happened. I was waiting to get into a shower at the
campground when a couple walked up and the gentleman said in a strong French accent
“is this the line to the showers?” I said “WE” and the gentleman fired right back at me in
full French. I had no idea what the guy was saying so I dumbly shook my head and
smiled. The lesson - its better to answer someone in the language you know.
We started to pack up the bike for tomorrows ride up to St Anthony’s (380 KM) where we
will spend two days. We have been warned that there are many moose along the route. I
did learn today that the moose population started with just two moose that were brought
over in the late 19th century. Now there are 150,000 in Newfoundland.
The bike is running great; it was good to shed the trailer for a couple of days. We are
getting a little lighter as we use up the food and shed some extra pounds along the way. It
is making riding a little easier but I do wish we could have done without the trailer.
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Western Brook Pond
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It’s Cold Up Here:
We broke camp this morning and headed
North. 64 degrees overcast and wind gusts
from the East at 35 to 60 mph the conditions
were not the best. It was windy for sure but
without knowing it this was just a puff from what
we will soon experience. The road (CA430) is
good but there many washboard stretches and
many road turtles that needed to be dodged.
We stopped at the “Arches” along the Viking trail
(CA430). This big rock was on the shoreline
and there were three district rooms two of which
were 20 to 25 feet tall with smooth slimy walls.
The rocks on the ground were smooth and
rounded from years of tumbling in the tides.
It was a short ride day 250 miles or so. By the
time we reached St Anthony (the most North
East land in North America) it was 54 degrees.
We booked a boat tour to go out into the North
Atlantic to see if there are any whales and
icebergs.
One thing about a bucket list, when you check
an item off - are you suppose to fill it in with
another challenge? I think so… There are 25
icebergs in the bay and 25 plus whales within 5
miles from shore. The pictures are great but
the experience of seeing the whales and bergs
is perhaps the highlight of the trip. Tomorrow
we may stay here or ride back down South.
Spontaneity is one of the best features of riding
without a pre-defined plan.
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We met two riders from Canada on the Boat tour. They too were riding across TCH through Labrador and
Newfoundland. This is the second duo that we have met doing this route. The gravel and dirt roads across Labrador
will keep me from taking the Sport Touring machine across but who knows, people rent duel sport bikes everywhere.
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CA 430 - aka "Washboard Way"
We just finished the hardest six hours of riding I have ever done. Some people will laugh
but 6 hours and 280 miles of windblasts, washboard and rollers that went on forever. Oh
and don’t forget those road turtles – when they byte it hurts…
We started out from St Anthony, Newfoundland after spending the morning hiking and
looking at more icebergs. When we left it was 52 degrees and misting. Cold - I can
handle but mix in wet and it is not as nice. Once we hit the coastline, the winds swirled
around pushing the bike from all angles. I tried to look at the tree line to see which
direction the wind was blowing but to no avail. The wind was literally blowing from every
direction. Flags are another good indicator to see wind direction. There were two flags
about 10 feet apart and one was blowing North and the other East, literally two different
directions.
While the wind was blowing the road was getting worse as each kilometer went past.
Washboard pavement kept coming and frequently interrupted by speed bump like rollers
about four feet apart. I did my best to guide the ST onto smooth tarmac but my aim was
not so good sometimes. I spoke to other riders (who were not on duel purpose
machines) and they agreed with my assessment but they did have a little easier time of it.
I must also say that this ride is not for the beginner. The challenges of the wind, road and
weather conditions along with the nothingness, you really have to be prepared. Hotels are
extremely hard to come by and they are very expensive.
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To complicate things even more, the coastline of Western Newfoundland is absolutely
fantastic. Mile after mile went past where the ocean met rocky shoreline. The ocean
was every color of blue in the crayola box. Then it hit me, what Newfoundland looks like.
The entire Province looks like bits of the American West all wrapped into one place plus
other surprises that pushes it over the edge. The only thing missing is the SouthWest
and the heat but the trip is not over yet.
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We pulled up to the hotel where we were
greeted by a group of guys having a bit of a
party. It wasn’t 10 min and I had a Cuban cigar
and a cold Black Horse beer in my hands. My
wife gave up and went into the room for a while
before we went out to eat. What an epic day.
The conditions, road and views all contributed to
an exhausting day.
Another Tropical Day in Newfoundland
Full-fledged rain greeted us when we opened
the tent flap this morning. Fifty degrees and
cold rain, It’s a really hard way to start the day.
We got everything packed and started down the
road toward St Johns Newfoundland. There
was not much sense riding to the turn off to hike
to the fire tower like we planned in Terra Nova
National Park. The fog was very heavy and all
the mountain peaks were covered. We have
learned to surrender to the will of the forecast
and adjust our rides accordingly.
We met a couple on bikes at a service station
and they were also traveling to St Johns. For
the first part of the ride even with the rain was
good, the wind was calm as my wife told me at
one of our stops. This was a false positive, the
wind kicked up just as bad as the days
previous. TCH 1 was good to ride and on a dry
day would have been a blast.
I spoke to a gentleman from Scotland in the
parking lot. In a thick Scottish accent he said
he had been in St Johns for a month working.
He continued saying that it has been like this for
his entire stay. He jokingly said that the
weather hear was worse than Scotland. At least
this is what I think he said, I could only
understand every other word because of the
accent.
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The trailer has brought a lot of attention. Today the Scottish gentlemen asking many
questions about the trailer. I told him that it would hold about 110 pounds which was
about half of what my wife needed to bring. He laughed and advised me that I should not
tell her that. Since I wrote this I did tell her of this conversation so no one can hold it over
my head. I thought it was funny to hear him laugh.
All Newfoundlanders that we have talked to in St Anthony to St Johns have a very thick
accent. They also talk very fast and sometimes you don’t know what they said at all, you
just agree and talk about the weather…
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Downtown St Johns is a happening place. There are many stores, restaurants and pubs
that line the streets. If the weather breaks tomorrow we will ride a Southern loop South of
St Johns, if the weather is like today, we will visit the downtown district and have some
fun window-shopping.
We are staying at the Battery Inn in St. Johns. When we arrived we went into the little bar
overlooking the harbor and had a coffee and some great fish. This is the first good meal I
have had on this trip. The fish cakes are a mix of Codfish and potatoes, then lightly
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salted and pan-fried. It was outstanding. Our room here overlooks the harbor and
provides a great view of the ships being loaded and the fog of course.
What did I learn today? Twenty-five years ago my wife and were married. At that time
we did not have the communications, access to the Internet and when you went on a trip
you were on your own. This is what we are experiencing right now. Not being able to
communicate with our children has been brought up a couple of times. Escaping the rat
race is one of the reasons most people ride. This is an extreme, but very welcome to
leave it all behind.
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A Day Of Rest
We spent the day off the bike in St Johns, Newfoundland. St Johns is a combination of
San Francisco CA and Leadville CO. The streets are very steep and the downtown
buildings are much like those in Leadville. The stores fronts are very old and they offer a
variety of goods. We ate lunch at a small grocery store; it was so good we went back for
dinner. We stopped at the Yellowbelly Brewery on George Street and had a pint. What a
fantastic beverage… I could have sat there for days…
We are getting packed up for the trip back across TCH1 to Argentia and catch the boat
across to the mainland. Newfoundlanders are calling this month Fogust… Knowing we
had a long travel day tomorrow it was welcome to have a day off the bike. We have been
on the road for eleven days now and to say it has been all pleasurable is not accurate.
The weather has been very unpredictable, the wind relentless but the roads good overall.
I now have a new definition of strong winds and unpredictable weather. I have ridden
threw wind in Wyoming and Kansas in past trips. I believe that the winds in Wyoming and
Kansas go to Newfoundland to learn how to become Wind then return home. It has been
tough ride. The one attribute that I dislike the most about the ST1300 is how the bike
handles in the wind.
Argentia Newfoundland to the Mainland of Nova Scotia.
A short ride from St Johns to Argentia today. As low as 45 degrees and overcast, but no wind or rain. The conditions
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were not perfect but overall a good day to ride. I felt like the bike was floating during our ride. This feeling does not
happen that often for me but when it comes it really feels like all parts of the bike and rider are almost like one.
We met a couple of riders from Michigan at a café (Philip’s). We hit it off and started talking. We were all waiting for
the ferry, which we were all very early for. The other two riders were riding across Newfoundland much in the same
way we were. As we talked telling ride stories, time got away and the waitress came over and said there was a
waiting room for the ferry at the dock. We caught the hint and left…
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Argentia Newfoundland - Bangor Maine - Mount
Washington
The night on the boat was fantastic. The ‘deluxe” room was nice. We landed in North
Sidney around 10:00 am, and we headed West (a new concept on this trip). The trip
across Nova Scotia and New Brunswick was good until we hit the US boarder. The rain
started and hit us hard for about three hours before getting to Bangor Maine. We took
this ride in a big chunk, only stopping for gas.
I was reminded today of something a Newfoundland rider told me. ” You can’t wait for the
perfect day to ride. If you wait for that perfect day – you may not ride at all.” This is very
true…
Tomorrow it promises to be 75 degrees and nice for to ride the Vermont and New
Hampshire. This will be the first day in almost two weeks we will ride in temperatures
above 70 degrees.
A Great Day All Around
I regretted not riding the Cabot Trail with my new friends but I did know that there were
other routes that I wanted to explore with the remaining time we have. Every long ride I
have been on I leave wanting to go back. The Cabot Trail is one of those roads I want to
return too.
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We left Bangor this morning under favorable weather. The best we have had for the past
week actually. We saw blue skies for the first time in a week. We rode down to US2
West across Maine and into New Hampshire. The trek was fantastic except for the
occasional slow car. The US2 corridor is tree lined and the views of the mountainsides
would be worth a second ride.
We turned off on US19 toward Mount Washington. I have never used the word paraless
to describe a ride before but the ride up the Auto Road is narrow and between 12 and 22
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percent grade. Part of the road was dirt and the other parts of the 8-mile assent were not
the best. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the views were spectacular but my full
attention was needed to navigate up this road. I will say that this was one of the most
exhilarating motorcycle rides I have ever done. This eight-mile trip should be on all
adventuress bucket list. We got to the top when my wife said very clearly “I want off
NOW” and that alone made me laugh a bit out loud. I too was shaken a bit by the sheer
drops and what seemed to be endless climb.
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We left Mount Washington and continued down 302 West, another fantastic stretch of
twisty mountain road. One stretch after a climb up the road dove down and as I
descended, I was going “to fast” for the New Hampshire State Patrolman. I was pulled
over and after a short discussion he allowed me to proceed with a warning and asked me
to slow down a bit and have a good day.
After our visit with the trooper we proceeded across New Hampshire at the speed limit
and into Vermont. After a very good drive down an interstate 91, I can’t believe I just said
that… we turned off on an exit toward Windsor NH. There I saw a few white tents down a
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hill and rode down to see what was happening. There we found a micro brewery (Harpoon) that was the bomb…
fantastic beer, great music and good food. As we were packing up the take out beer order, a couple stopped by and
asked if we were staying in the Teepees’ What Teepees I replied -tell me more… They proceeded and next thing we
knew we were staying the night in a Teepee.
We built a fire in the Teepee and I was very surprised how fast it got warm. As the fire burned, nightfall came. A
group of curious Boy Scouts were camping at the other end of the garden. I was almost asleep when my wife yelled
“There are people in here!” I woke to the sound of a herd of boy scouts running away like a gaggle of little girls. I
laughed because I was ready to run away too.
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What a great experience all around; today may have been the best ride day and certainly offered the most diverse
experiences of the trip so far.
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The Run Home
The night in the Teepee was cold. The fire went out and the temperature was about 50
degrees. In the middle of the night I rebuilt the fire to warm things back up and with a bit
warmer environment I got back to sleep.
The morning was cool, with bright blue sky. We packed the bike back up and hit the
road. All interstates are not created equal. US 91 is wide-open, tree lined perfect ribbon
of tarmac. There was not any traffic for 30 miles; we had the interstate ALL TO OUR
SELVES! We continued the run down US91 to Route 9 West. Route 9 was another twolane road that twists and turns through the mountainside and offers even more great
views.
I have a new appreciation of “bad” roads. After riding through Newfoundland roads, the
roads in the US are not so bad, even those that are marked “rough roads.”
Route 9 turned into Route 7 and after three hours of fun riding, we hit the freeways again.
87 to 88 to 80. After another five hours and four restroom breaks, we ended up in a
truck stop hotel. Yep a truck stop with a hotel attached – real class. It was the only
room available. The little league World Series is starting and every hotel is booked for a
150 mile radius around Williamsport PA.
The ST1300 is running well. I have been struggling with wind blasts and wobbles from
trucks and in general crosswinds. I installed a laminar lip on the windshield about two
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years ago. I took this attachment off and it
appears to have helped. I still have some
wobble when passing trucks but it is a lot better
without the laminar lip than with it.
The Dreaded 300
It’s the last day, and the truck stop inn we
stayed in last night was good enough for a
couple of tired travelers. We got moving early
as the weather forecast was for warm weather.
Early in the AM it was 65 degrees and no wind.
We rode for one hundred miles before stopping
for breakfast. With a full tank of gas and about
320 miles to home we hit the road.
The worst part of a long trip is the last 300
miles; you know that the trip is about over yet
there is still a long ride back. I started to
reminisce about the sights of the past two
weeks. The people we met were great and I
hope to hear from some of them.
We rode past the 100, 200 and 250-mile
mark. With 70 miles to go we started to get
sore but we pushed on. The ST has a long fuel
range and I really wanted to test the
range. With 28 miles to go the gas warning light
came on meaning one gallon left. We pushed
onward and got home early in the afternoon.
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Adventures:
An adventure happens when things start going
wrong or you take a left someplace to an
unknown place. Making things up as it comes
and the spontaneity of just making things
happen is as close to being free as you can get
in my book. An adventure should change you in
some way. The past motorcycle rides have
definitely changed how I see people. I have met
more people from all cultures and nationalities
over the past few years than I have in the fifty
years of my life. It seems that at every gas
stop, campground or hotel, a person asks
questions of where your from, where have you
been or where you are going. It seems that
deep down the wish they had the ability to set
life down and run away with you.
Riding two up with a trailer changes how you
ride in many ways. I reminded myself many
times that the two of us had someone at home
that still depended on us. Second, taking
corners is a bit more challenging. Thankfully
my wife is a great second rider and is quiet on
the back. Every move or twist a second rider
does seem to magnify through the bike. She
tried to find ways to be invisible to the wind or
she just was that scared by getting closer
behind my back. This helped tremendously. As
a plus, my wife did take great pictures after
some practice. She took many pictures of sky
and my back until she got the knack of taking
pics on the move. We took aver 1400 pictures
on our trip, about half were not very good, the
other half were good and about one hundred of
those were good enough to keep.
Even though the Unigo trailer is “easy” to pull,
the corner weight is very noticeable. Again this
changed how I rode on this trip. The trailer did
come in handy for toting the extra load but I
wonder if it was really worth it. Without the
trailer we would have left the camping gear.
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It’s not about the bike…
Inevitably whenever I am taking one for these
long trips into places where people normally do
not go, the movie Long Way Round is brought
up in the discussion. A lot of bikes I see on
these trips are the BMW GS models. Being a
Sport Touring owner I stick to the tarmac. From
other rides, I have only run across three areas
that I wanted to go through that I could not
because of the road conditions.
Those that have ridden on dirt and ride Duel
Purpose bikes take adventure riding to the next
level. This group may chuckle at my
comments. I have not hidden the fact that I
don’t ride on dirt and that the hardships I talk
about are not as tough as others may
experience. That being said the spirit of
adventure riding is to push your own limits and
get out of your comfort zone. Newfoundland
definitely did that for me.
Our sixteen-day trip covered 5,288 miles. It is
not the longest on record but at the end of the
day it’s about the adventure. Stick your foot in;
take a dive, go where you have never been. Its
not about the bike, rather being that kid again…
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The End
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