Sunday, 02 July 2006

Lawn to Swift Current (Newfoundland)

I was hoping to go a good distance today, so I made as early a start as my brain and body would allow. I roused myself from my sleeping bag and packed up everything in the tent when it started to rain - quite heavily. I was for a brief moment contemplating getting out the sleeping bag again and going back to sleep. I waited a short while until the rain eased off, then started to load up the bike. By the time I took down the tent, the rain had stopped.

The fog had cleared overnight and although it was still hazy I could see down to the harbour and most of Lawn. It was 7:20 when I set off - I hadn't bothered with breakfast, hoping that I would find something at St. Lawrence about 10 km along the road. At the gas station I found out that there was 'only one hotel in town, yis boy!' (Must be a local trait) so I cycled down to the Ocean View Motel. They weren't serving breakfast (No guests?) but the guy at reception offered to make me a cup of tea. He then offered to make me some toast 'to tide me over to Marystown' - so I did get a mini-breakfast after all. And free of charge.

The cloud was starting to break up - there was even some sun although it was still quite cool being early in the day. From Lawn to St. Lawrence I had had the wind buffeting me from the side but soon after Little St. Lawrence I was turning north-east and heading up the heel of 'The Boot' with the wind behind me. When I was cycling at about 25 - 30 km/h I couldn't feel any wind at all, so I guess that was the rough wind-speed.

This part of 'The Boot' was more mountainous and inevitably beautiful. In between keeping an eye on the pot-holes in the road, I was scanning both sides of the road for moose - as if watching some sort of giant tennis match in slow motion. Can you get RSI of the neck? Tennis neck?

By the time I reached Lewins Cove I found that the wind was as much battering me from the side as pushing me along from behind. I was mostly sunny now as I cycled along through this mainly residential area although it was never hot because of the breeze. I stopped on Burin for a proper cooked breakfast at Jake's Restaurant. Felt better for that. I didn't bother to stop at Marystown this time and cycled straight through on the 210 road. I detoured through Mooring Cove to avoid a hill on the 210, and although there were a couple of steep hills in the village, I breezed through - quite literally. Once back on the 210 after Mooring Cove, there were no other settlements en route until Swift Current about 120 km further on.

It was a beautiful day, apart from the wind which was so strong that it even made taking photos difficult as it was virtually impossible to keep the camera steady. Much of the time I was having to cycle in the middle of the carriageway to give myself space to avoid being blown off the road - something to be avoided at all costs here in Newfoundland as there is often a steep embankment up to 20 or 30 feet high places. I might never be found! At least riding out in the road forced most drivers to give me a wide berth.

I stopped again at The Tea Rose, on the 210 near Boat Harbour. There was no local Newfoundland dish of the day, the special was a 'Dessert Sampler' - 3 different desserts from a selection; carrot cake, chocolate cake and Partridgeberry Pie. What else was I supposed to do but tuck in with much gusto. (With cream) I had after all cycled 92 km already today!

It was now a cloudless sunny day, and out of the wind it was lovely and warm. How tempting it was to find a quiet spot and just relax in the sun - but I still had a long way to go - another 80 km to the next settlement; Swift Current. I set off again at 2:30 pm. The wind was less of a problem in the afternoon so I continued to make good progress. Much of the way was free of pylons and telegraph poles so the only link with the world of man was the ribbon of road stretched out ahead and behind me, upon which I was balanced. The landscape was ever changing, ever the same. The flowers bending and nodding in the wind. The grasses shaking their heads. Under the blue sky, the lakes were azure blue, darkened where the wind lifted ripples - enough to create white horses on the bigger lakes. Heart-burstingly beautiful.

And through it all I sped for mile after mile. What did I think about in all those hours? I don't know. I was enrapt, transported. Maybe lone cycling is a kind of madness.

I had thought that it might just be possible to make it as far as Swift Current in one day, though I expected it to be a very long day arriving much later than I did at 6 pm. (I was still plenty relieved to part my bum from the saddle!) For once things had conspired in my favour, and I had covered for me a record distance; the furthest I've ever travelled in one day by bike - by nearly 30 km. Further than I had cycled on billiard table flat Holland. But this was wind assisted of course.

I'd stopped at what I thought was the campsite marked on my map, but Kilmory Resort is more of a cabins and RV place than a campsite so it seemed I was out of luck. I had cycled 173 km in the hope of a hot shower for nothing. The lady in the office gave some suggestions as to where I might wild camp for the night, and filled my water bottle for me, but then, deciding that I wasn't a trouble-maker she offered me a place to camp in her garden. She even offered to let me use the internet and let me use the washrooms and shower (Hurrah!) and even made me a cup of tea and brought it to my tent! Once again I've been really lucky to find someone not just nice but interesting to talk to.

As afternoon gave over into evening a thin veil of cloud had been pulled over from the south and by 9 pm it was raining, so the day ended as it had began.

Over 8 hours in the saddle, 173 km of wilderness scoured, and still no moose. I have more chance of seeing the Loch Ness Monster.

Distance: 173.1 km
Cycling time: 8:06
Total distance: 2896.1 km