The great weather held and the morning was crisp and clear. My hostess served a great breakfast and wished me well, with the statement "No one ever comes to Newfoundland just once!" There may be a lot of truth in that statement, as I'd fallen in love with the country. Not in a "knock your socks off" way but in a gentler "slip-one-off-at-a-time" way.
The night before I'd run back the number of days I had left before having to be in New Mexico, as well as wanting to spend a couple of days with my friends Christine and Jules at their soon-to-be traveler's hostel south of Quebec. I realized I needed to look south again, despite my desire to stay a while longer and really get the experience of so much to do in the region.
The day was another spectacular one, with clear blue skies and sunshine. I headed south from Hays Cove to Hwy 430 where I headed west for a while until the turn south on 432 that looped through Main Brook and eventually reconnected with 430 on the coast. Wendy had said I might see caribou and moose along the road, but I only saw moose hunters, along with a quartered moose across some atv's on a trailer in front of me.
I hadn't realized that Newfoundland was such a hunting destination, but the number of pickups with plates from New York and Pennsylvania, not to mention the groups of guys from the U.S. at cafe tables along the way, confirmed it. There were lots of pickup trucks and ATVs along the roadway.
The only wildlife I saw was a large eagle flying low along the roadside though I never relaxed from watching for moose.
I topped off at a little gas stop at Main Brook and listened to the local lady talk about the coming snowmobile season ahead. I'd seen a fair number of snowmobiles in the back of trucks or being prepped in yards. My B&B host had said she was surprised at the level of professional trail maintenance equipment that was used in her area.
The road through the forest ended at Plum Point and I hung a left towards Rocky Harbour for the destination of the day. The winds, though strong, had lessened from the previous day and the ride was great. I enjoyed riding, and didn't stop much. At Rocky Harbour, I was still energized and continued to Deer Lake where the plan was to spend the night.
I topped up the bike and grabbed a snack at the adjacent KFC. A group of school boys came in, excited about the motorcycle and asking lots of questions. They wished me safe travels, kind of shocking me at their genuine conversation and manners. On the way out the door, a couple snagged me about the bike for a few minutes. They were traveling to a moose festival somewhere, where lots of moose based foods would be sampled. With the accent and speed of conversation, I only got about a third of what they said but understood the moose and food part.
At the bike, the sun was still high and I wasn't tired, so I decided to go a bit further south and find a place. The scenery south of Deer Lake was really nice, with plenty of mountains and vistas of water.
Before I realized it, I'd rolled into Port Au Basques. I hadn't planned on going that far south by any stretch, but it was getting darkish and my sunshine-fueled energy was waning. Since it was only about 7:30, I checked the ferry schedule about catching it that evening. As I sat debating whether to book and board the overnight boat, my energy level dumped and the thought of spending the night in a chair sucked. I decided to get a good night's sleep and catch the morning run.
Though I hated missing much of Newfoundland, the place really hooked me, and I want to return at a pace less than a rolling moto trip. I certainly understand the other posters who've said they want to return or wish they'd had more time. I feel the same way.
September has been a good time to be here, as I've not seen a single mosquito and hardly a single bug, other than some bee-like creatures who smacked me on the forest road today. The tourists are greatly reduced, generally being older couples, and the limited tourism infrastructure isn't overwhelmed. It's easy to find lodging though a few places begin to close up near October.
Newfoundland seems to be a place of quiet treasures, where you listen to locals who tell you of places to see, or people to meet. I look forward to returning and doing exactly that.
The next morning I packed gear and headed for the ferry, about a 5 minute ride away. Another gorgeous day and again greeted by the friendly Marine Atlantic ticket booth gal.
The line of cars wasn't bad but it took a little while to get into the main lot. My wait time in the line was interrupted by yet another romantic interlude. I was spotted by a young, blond-haired beauty, who donned an orange safety vest and picked up clipboard, pretending to write down license plates and ask people questions in order to get a chance to talk to me. It happens all the time - women police officers write me speeding tickets just to get to talk to me, female nurses shock me with a defibrillator each time I'm rolled into the ER on a gurney, all because they're just too shy to ask me out. I'm used to it. But this girl was much too young, bless her heart, so I just played along and answered her silly question about whether I had any plants on the bike.
Once aboard the ferry, and after a few conversations with travelers about the bike, I settled into one of the lounge chairs and before I knew it had passed out. It was a very pleasant day of travel and we arrived in North Sydney about 6 PM.
I had hoped to get a couple hours further south but by the time I reached Baddeck, the sun was gone. I grabbed a piece of pizza and a motel for the night