Gander to Lewisporte ,NL
Traditional territory of the Mi’kmaq and Beothuk
67 km
Fog and cloud, drizzle in the morning, 1 ºC
Last night clouds rolled in before the sun went down and while I was warm overnight we awoke to a cold drizzle. Packed up quick and breathed in the wet air on a morning ride to the CBC Radio studio in Gander. This was our third time on the radio and while I still haven’t gotten the hang of not saying ‘uh,’ I will endeavour to improve. You can listen to the interview on CBC Newfoundland & Labrador here.
Picked up some more food supplies before we left Gander into the fog of inland Newfoundland. This was our first wet day since we left St. John’s, which made it a bit more daunting to leave the shelter of the grocery store, but once we got warmed up and spinning on the highway, (most of) the layers came off, as usual.
You might think inclement weather would be a downer, but to be honest I found it to be a bit of a relief. Wet and cold is the weather that I had expected for Newfoundland, so the clear skies of the last week made me a bit anxious wondering how we’d hold up when the Atlantic coast caught up to us. Granted, today wasn’t nearly as bad as bad weather can get and as rain goes it was really quite pleasant, but it felt good nonetheless to put my rain gear to the test. As the air cleared around noon, I felt better knowing I’d cycled through near-freezing rain and was no worse for it.
I let the rain bead on my pants and breathed the cold ice-sheet air of the northeasterlies.
As the day progressed the asphalt dried and the grey sky grew lighter. I spent the afternoon focusing on keeping my RPMs at 90, listening to an album then working on slam poetry until our next break and the next record.
We left the TCH for Lewisporte in the direction of Twilingate and the northeast coast of Newfoundland. Many of our accommodations and community connections in the province have been coordinated by a friend-of-a-friend United Church minister Stephanie McClelland, and Lewisporte is where she calls home.
So we’ve spent the evening with her, listening to her stories—she hand-cycled across Canada at the turn of the century to raise awareness and challenge perceptions about people with disabilities—learning about local history and planning for the coast. We picked up her pet dog and spent a twilight moment by the cargo ships and ferries that connect Newfoundland to Labrador; and I’m writing this once again blessed and fortunate to have wifi and warm shelter for tonight as the rain sets in again.
P.S. Quickly added some code to make Disqus commenting possible on journal entries so if you ever have a question or comment, just scroll down.
