58.6 miles 2,800 ft ascent.
Today we entered our 10th Canadian province, Newfoundland. We had to set our clocks ahead 1/2 hour, since Newfoundland and Labrador (official name for the province) is half a time zone ahead of the Atlantic Time Zone.
"Newfoundland and Labrador (/njuːfənˈlænd ... læbrəˈdɔːr/; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. It is made up of the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of 405,212 square kilometers (156,500 sq mi). The province's population is expected to be 521,758 in 2021.[7] The island of Newfoundland (and its neighboring smaller islands) is home to around 94 percent of the province's population, with more than half residing in the Avalon Peninsula." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newfoundland_and_Labrador
I drew a quick breath when I noticed the name of the bar on the ferry. No drinks for me, thank you.
View from the ferry port in Argentia. I thought that Newfoundland was flat. Perhaps I was misinformed?
Looking out into the Atlantic from the docked ferry. The seas are calm, and to my knowledge, only two cyclists took dramamine for seasickness.
An official welcome from our hosts. The flag on the left is the Newfoundland Labrador flag, the one in the middle is the flag of Canada, and the flag on the right is the Union Jack of Great Britain. We had not seen the Union Jack flown with a provincial flag in other provinces. Perhaps in NL it is flown because NL is the closest province to the United Kingdom.
These islands were located in a fjord that extended inland for 10 miles.
I thought we had another chance for a bull moose sighting in the marshy area, but no joy! The sign indicated there were 660 collisions with moose last year, I presumed in this province. That is about 2 each day, but we haven't seen a single moose.
We were keeping watch at lakes also, but still frustrated at seeing no moose.
Another charming harbor town.
We had a great day riding after disembarking the overnight ferry from Nova Scotia. Temperatures were in the 70s and low 80sF. In Newfoundland the wind blows long and strong. A tailwind prevailed today for the most part, but we did have a headwind in two segments, and some strong crosswinds at times. I was blown from the shoulder into the roadway with one gust, but thankfully, no vehicles were in the vicinity near me at the time. Eric had the same experience. We have both lost weight during the tour, so the wind has a greater advantage over us now.
Today we reached our tenth and last Canadian province, and tomorrow is the last official day of the Tour du Canada. I hope you will stay with us to the very end.
We've sure enjoyed tagging along, Jim. Have a great last day!
ReplyDeleteSally G.
Merry Ann and I have enjoyed blogging. I'm staying in St. John's 1 extra day to tourist. I wanted to ride to Cape Spear to see puffins that day, but I'm advised that there may be none there now. Difficult to see moose, so I'm after the puffin.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the final day's ride. It's an emotional climb going up Signal Hill and appreciating what you have accomplished over the course of the summer.
ReplyDeleteLen MacDonald - TDC 2021
Enjoy the last ride.It rained hard on us last year .That was first time I thought getting drenched by passing semis was kind of funnyTom Walsh TdC 21
ReplyDeleteWe were extremely fortunate with the weather on the last day and for the last weeks of the tour. Four Rainy, cold, hypothermic riding days earlier in the tour were more than made up for by the excellent weather at the end. I began the tour as a fair weather cyclist not allowing for unpredictability bad weather, but I have changed my ways. I have gained the utmost respect for Canadians braving the conditions during cycling adventures.
ReplyDelete