Wednesday 1 August 2012

Day 14 - Newfoundland!

July 27

After arriving by ferry the previous night at Port-Aux-Basque, we had checked into the local hotel, the Port Aux Basque Motel.

That night we stopped at Tim Horton's for coffee and to work on our respective blogs.

The two girls working there had Newfie accents.

The Newfie accent was unlke anything I had ever heard.  I had an incling of what it sounded like, but until you hear it in person, you cannot really appreciate how unique it is.

The accent is very thick, almost Irish like.  But at the same time, it is nothing close to Irish.

The one server in particular had a very thick accent. I really had to concentrate on her words to understand her, but within moments I understood most of what she was saying.  I ordered a bagel, with each slice containing a different cream cheese, at the recommendation of these two fine Tim Horton's ladies.  The one girl told me that afterward I should tell them which I liked better.  The other said I had better like her's.  We all laughed when she said that.

Fast forward to today, July 27th.

After spending the night at the Hotel Basque, we were ready to begin our Newfoundland adventure.
We filled our stomach's with a hearty breakfast from the hotel's restaurant, packed our bags, then checked out.

But before we departed, we had things to take care of on our bikes.

One of the things you have to deal with as a motorcyclist is that you have to take care of your bike.  This includes the time spent on vacation.  Steve and I both have chain driven bikes (his is a Suzuki V Strom 1000).  These both needed to be tightened.

Steve realized he did not have the proper tools for the bolts on his chain, and mine didn't fit his, so off he went across the street to Canadian tire. 

After adjusting our chains and running a few errands - getting cash, etc., we were finally off!  It was 1 pm and time to head for Gros Morne National Park.

As we left Port Aux Basque, we got our first real taste of the Newfoundland landscape.

What a site!  The landscape was hilly and there was green everywhere - you guessed it - fir trees.

Within minutes, the landscape went from hilly to mountainous.  The Turtle Mountains were everywhere.

I was excited.  It struck home that I was on Newfoundland soil.  The amazing landscape made me feel like we had just been transported - which we had by ferry - but what I really mean is that it felt like I had awoken and instantly found myself in an amazing place.  And what was really cool for me was that I was riding on an island.

Hours later We got to Corner Brook where we stopped at the visitor's centre.  There we tried to book a hostel or campsite, but we found that either there was no phone number to call, or the campsites were booked.

At this point I didn't feel well.  At all.  I started feeling sick the previous day, and now things were worse.  I had a really bad cold, and worse, I was really fatigued.  I could barely stand anymore.  We decided to call it a night in Corner Brook.  We found out the nearest campsite in Corner Brook, and hopped on our bikes and rode to it.

The route took us back on the highway which encircled the city.  And what a view!  Corner Brook is surrounded by huge hills, rich in trees.  It is also situated on a lake.  So far this island had offered nothing but great views!

We found our campsite and set up our tents.  I was feeling even more exhausted.  It didn't help that I had been up till late the previous night working on my blog (I hope you readers out there appreciate how much I have suffered to bring you this!  LOL!).

Steve offered to make supper.  With his handy pocket rocket camping stove, within minutes he create a delicious lentils meal flavoured with Indian spices. With a few cranberries and almonds thrown in, we had a feast!

We then decided to head to the McDonald's - so as to use their WIFI.  We wanted to check out the schedule for the ferry ride back home as well as figure out the rest of our itinerary.

The McDonald's is perched on top of a hill.  It offers spectacular views of Corner Brook!

Much of Corner Brook is situated in hills.  It was night time and we could see lights of the city everywhere, with the lake below.  It was a beautiful, peaceful site.

After looking at the Ferry schedule, as well as catching up on emails, we hopped on our bikes and headed back to our campsite.  It had been a great day, but a long one.  I hoped my cold wouldn't get any worse.


The Turtle Mountains

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home