The Rainy Day That Wasn’t

When I went to bed last night – or more accurately when I sealed myself in my tent last night – it was a beautifully clear night. I would’ve preferred watching the sunset from my personal field of dreams but the flies were excessively aggressive. And I only have so much bug spray. Luckily, the WiFi from the motel across the street was reaching my tent so at least I had that.

This morning I woke up around 5:30 and even without opening the tent flaps it felt like it was an overcast day. The forecast predicted scattered thunderstorms and it felt like they got it right. However, I also noticed the lack of rain actually falling on my tent at that time. Despite the early hour, I decided that this may be the only chance I have to take down my tent in somewhat dry conditions. I say “somewhat dry” because the tent fly was soaked – from both the dew and condensation. So, I packed up my bags and when I eventually opened up the tent flaps the overcast feeling was confirmed. Dark clouds loomed everywhere. This had the makings for an encore of my ride from Baie-Johan-Beetz to Natashquan.

Remarkably, by 6:15 my bike was completely packed up and ready to go. And I went. Fast. My field of dreams had rapidly turned into a mosquito breeding ground and I was to be their feast (even with all the weight that I’ve lost).

The plan for today was a 100 km ride to Cow Head. While Cow Head is not actually in Gros Morne National Park, it’s surrounded by it and you have to pass through a section of the park to get to there. I was tempted to do the full 150 km ride to Rocky Harbour but with the weather being what it was I figured there was really no rush.

The pending long ride and looming clouds prompted me to seek out a real breakfast. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) the restaurant at the motel across the street didn’t open until 7:00. I went over anyway and hung out in the lobby while I charge up some of my electronics.

7:00 eventually arrived and I had a sizeable breakfast that I figured should keep me going for at least 50 km. And while breakfast was good, my stalling tactic was not successful in making the clouds go away and when I got out to my bike it was in fact starting to drizzle. Here we go.

Suited up in all my rain gear I headed down Highway 430 (aka. The Viking Trail). Surprisingly, the drizzle didn’t last long and I was at least able to remove the hood of my rain gear to reduce the amount I was sweating to a slow gush. Dark clouds were still all around so it was only a matter of time before I got soaked. On the upside, there was no wind whatsoever.

I pedalled on and somehow managed to make it 20 km without rain. Then 30. Then 40. And 50. Dark clouds were still around but there were a few lighter clouds taking over. I even saw the sun briefly. I passed through two sections where the road was wet so perhaps my stalling tactic of breakfast worked after all.

I stopped for lunch at the midway point – Daniel’s Harbour – and the sun was starting to takeover. To say this was unexpected would be a gross understatement. My anticipated Natashquan-like ride had suddenly turned into a beautiful coastal ride in the sun. Ok, sometimes I couldn’t see the coast but the ride was still enjoyable.

About 80 km into the ride I made an unscheduled stop at The Arches Provincial Park. I had never heard of it but there was a sign – so, since it was there and I was there, it seemed I should check it out. It was more coastal beauty. I wandered around. Took some photos. Couldn’t take the photo I wanted to take (sometimes there’s a downside to traveling alone). Met someone from Toronto and discussed bicycle touring. And eventually resumed my ride towards Cow Head.

The highlight of the ride came at about the 90 km mark. As is often the case with trip highlights, this one caught me a little by surprise. As I mentioned earlier, Cow Head is surrounded by Gros Morne National Park. The highlight came as I saw the sign welcoming me to Gros Morne. I knew I would be entering the park today but for some reason seeing that sign brought a big grin to my hairy face. And the grin wouldn’t go away. Gros Morne was definitely a major goal when the trip began and, even though I wasn’t at Rocky Harbour yet, just seeing that sign gave me a great sense of accomplishment. It took about 2,850 km, one flat tire, and three broken spokes to get here. But I got here.

The rest of the ride to Cow Head was beautiful. The bright sunny day didn’t hurt either. The park is stunning – and I’m only just at the edge of it. Of course, given Cow Head’s proximity to the park means that it is a very picturesque village. I rode around the town a bit – partially to see the scenery and partially to scout potential wild camping options.

There’s a supermarket here so I stocked up – I was almost out of peanut butter! Also bought some fruit – which I think startled my system a bit when I ate it. I then went over to the local restaurant and had a cod dinner – not fish & chips, a real cod dinner. It was no poutine, but it was still good.

I then spent the next hour or so sitting in their new Veteran’s Memorial Park – it’s a very nice park that also happened to have power outlets. Let the charging begin! After being there for an hour a car pulled up and an older man got out and came over for a chat. He wondered what I thought of their new monument but part of me got the feeling he was really just checking in on this stranger that had been sitting in their park for the past hour. Anyway, I think I passed his test and he eventually moved on (although, I don’t think he liked my answer that I was going to be wild camping somewhere tonight). He also recommended that I head down the road to check out Shallow Bay (again, not sure if he was just trying to get me out of town or not – kind of like that first scene in First Blood).

And as for camping, I am again set up for the night. At least for now. It’s dark and I haven’t been kicked out yet so hopefully I’ll have another uneventful night. I’m in a much more visible area tonight so I had to wait until later to set up my tent – which meant no chance for my tent to dry out. Hmmm … I may have spoken too soon. Someone is wandering about near my tent. They’ve stopped. Oh, they’re walking again. Footsteps are fading. Ok, I think I’m clear again.

Today’s Totals:
Distance Travelled: 119.08 km
Time on bike: 5:48:52
Maximum speed: 43.56 km/h
Average speed: 20.45 km/h