Wet Tent. Dry Roads. Nice Views.

I made it through the night without incident and woke to a pretty nice sunrise – although, all things considered I’d have been happy to sleep longer. But I was awake and once again my tent was soaked but I wanted to get things packed up before anyone really noticed I was there. I was successful in that regard as everything was ready to go by 6:30.

Once packed up I was in no real rush to hit the open road as I had no specific plan for today other than to eventually make it Rocky Harbour – and that was only 50km away. As such, I stopped at the same place I had dinner last night (even though they were now closed) to take advantage of some free WiFi in the area. Not exactly sure where it was coming from but it was working and that’s all that really mattered. I also charged up my camera which was probably only going to last a few more shots – and I figured today would require more than a few more shots.

I was officially on the move to Rocky Harbour at 9:00. A little over an hour later I had reached Western Brook Pond. Ok, when I said I had no official plan for the day that’s not entirely true. Stopping in at Western Brook Pond was part of the plan. I think most people have seen the view from this site as it’s used in pretty much every Newfoundland tourism video. For obvious reasons. Of course, the only way to get to that point is by hiring a guide for about $300. Or, you can take a 2-hour boat ride into the fjord. I was considering doing the latter – even though I wanted to do the former. However, with the 3km walk to the boat launch area I would’ve had to wait for the 12:30 tour and with the winds picking up I decided to carry on. I still did the 3km walk to get a glimpse of the area though. I figured I can still do the boat tour another day. Oh, and before the walk I had lunch – I’m officially on jar number three of peanut butter.

Side note (which likely will not be appreciated by anyone but me). So, with the exception of the boardwalk trail, I couldn’t help but think of the show Mantracker while I was walking towards Western Brook Pond. The trees were so dense (even more than me), I couldn’t imagine having to bushwhack through it. There were the occasional spots that you could escape to if needed. And then there were vast open spaces with nowhere to hide. (Yes, I realize that no one has any idea what I’m talking about). Anyway, it was just such an interesting terrain. Ok, this concludes the worst “side note” ever.

Back on the bike, the remaining ride to Rocky Harbour was uneventful – although, occasionally hilly. I guess that shouldn’t be much of surprise given the terrain of the area. But it was really hilly. Almost Quebec-hilly. Almost. That said, I’ve definitely gotten stronger at climbing hills.

One of the downsides to not being on a tight schedule is that sometimes you aren’t overly motivated to do things. Ok, maybe that’s not much of a downside. Anyway, with the limited sleep I had last night and the limited food I’d eaten today, I wasn’t really looking to do any specific activity today. So, I cycled through town, got a popsicle, went to the Gros Morne Visitor Centre, and got some necessary information for hiking Gros Morne mountain. I mean, how could I not climb Gros Morne mountain? And because of my pending climb I opted to go with a campsite tonight so that I could leave my stuff there while I do the climb – apparently it’s about a 7 hour hike. I figure the campsite gives me the illusion of safety that my stuff will be there when I return.

So that’s where I am now. Well, actually there’s a bit of a longer version to how I got here but I digress. Actually, since this update is only mildly long at the moment I’m going to go with the longer version. Feel free to skip ahead a few paragraphs if you’re bored. I won’t be offended. Well, so long as you don’t tell me!

The Gros Morne Visitor Centre is a few kilometres outside of Rocky Harbour – not a big deal in a car, more of a big deal on a bike. Did I mention the hills? Anyway, there’s a campsite in Rocky Harbour at which I was planning on staying but when I arrived at the Visitor Centre I noticed that there’s a nearby campsite there too. And it’s closer to the Gros Morne mountain trailhead. The downside, it’s a KOA. You may recall my previous experience with KOA. The upside, it was actually SLIGHTLY cheaper than the other campground. Begrudgingly, I decided I would give KOA another shot. VERY begrudgingly.

The KOA looked nice enough – a typical KOA as far as I could tell. Chains are funny that way. Anyway, I was given a site, I paid my fee, and was about to go to my assigned site when I saw a note on their small whiteboard, “Boil water before drinking.” Sigh. Are you kidding me? I went back into the office to confirm this MINOR detail that was not shared with me before paying. Confirmed. Their pump broke so for precautionary reasons the water has to be boiled. Given my limited supplies, this was not an option. So, after getting a refund I headed back to Rocky Harbour to the campground at which I was originally going to stay.

So, that’s where I am now (again). My tent is currently partially set up as I try to dry everything out before it rains tonight. I’m debating heading into town to get a real meal as I expect tomorrow will be somewhat physically demanding. With Rocky Harbour being the hub for Gros Morne activities, there are an abundance of restaurants available (well, relative to the size of the town). Update: I opted for home cooking. Just had a big bowl of pasta. Followed by a bigger bowl of rice.

Oh, and for those concerned about hygiene – yes, there are showers here. Although, I might be better off using the laundry room and just crawling into a washer (oh, and think of how warm the dryer will be).

Today’s totals:
Distance travelled: 62.09km
Time on bike: 3:03:53
Maximum speed: 57.75 km/h
Average speed: 20.24 km/h

Slightly better side note, I find it interesting how spending four weeks in Quebec has really messed with my mind. I’ve been in Newfoundland for seven days now and it still sort of surprises me when people speak English. It’s very weird.

Update to above side note, a guy just came into the kitchen area speaking French and I got to use my “Je ne parle pas Français” line again. And balance is restored to the universe.