Unless there is a typhoon in the morning, tomorrow will find me on my bike heading north. Until two months ago, I had probably considered Newfoundland only as a bit of random trivia or useful in 6th grade geography bees. For the last two months, every single day, the word “Newfoundland” has found its way to my tongue.
This is what I now know about Newfoundland:
1. It is not a second-rate Iceland
2. It is about as large as Virginia
3. We will be closer to Rome than Seattle
4. It used to be the center of Pangaea, the oldest continent
5. There are many puffins, but no penguins
6. Icebergs fizz as they melt
The rough plan will be to get a train out of Boston tomorrow morning, ideally to Portland, Maine. I’ll then bike up the coast with stops at as many lobster shacks as feasible, Acadia National Park, and enter Canada in New Brunswick. While in this mysterious province, I will spend a night or two watching the tides at the Bay of Fundy, before heading to Halifax. There, I’ll meet a new internet pal and his wife for a day of sight seeing before continuing up the coast to the tip of Nova Scotia to meet Vic.
He’ll be flying up with his new bike and we’ll take the 14 hour ferry over to Newfoundland. We’ve got just under three weeks there, making a big loop of the place and plan on looking at birds, fjords, whales, and if we’re lucky icebergs.
Once he flies out of Sydney to return to Boston, I’ll likely continue around the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton, and then follow the coastline up to the St. Lawrence Seaway in Quebec and to Montreal. But that will be a nearly two months from now, so I’m not sure exactly. But then that is one of the lovely things about bike touring.
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3 Comments
My wife and I cycled Acadia NP, Bay of Fundy NP, and Cape Breton NP (Cabot Trail) last summer, but unfortunately not Newfoundland. We thought the Cabot Trail was one of best roads in North America. Cape Breton NP is really quiet and be sure to take the walk to the end of the Skyline Trail (1 mi) and enjoy the amazing view. Acadia NP was very busy but the Loop Dr was still nice, Bay of Fundy was ok. In the next few months I’ll be posting my own photos from our trip – http://www.steephill.tv. I’ll be especially interested in your Newfoundland report and photos from a cyclist’s standpoint… allow the appropriate time and enjoy!
i still want to know what you do to be able to afford touring, and still have nice bikes.
Working for the CIA has some benefits.
I guess not owning a car helps save some money and make the touring possible. I am trying to keep a detailed record of how much I am spending every day, so at the end of this trip I can present to others a detailed, realistic account of how much it costs to tour. Let’s just say, so far: I am over budget and averaging about $40 a day (camping, food) and not including things like ferry rides etc.