Day 5

Labrador City, NL – Happy Valley Goose Bay, NL
Total Km – 550 (2709km)
Litres of Gas – 48l (180L)
Cost of Gas - $56 ($194.50)

I have lots of material from today's ride and I don't know where to start.

I had a bit about how any car really could drive this route – even Rhys' Lotus or Coup's BMW. But I can't remember the punchline. It was funny I think. I saw a Prius today.

Then I had this bit about how stuff is really expensive.... For example regular gas is like $1.30 a litre, a can of beer was $5 at one gas station, and chips, chips Kiteley, were like $4.99 a bag! The kicker though, ladies, is I saw a 20 pack of Tampax pearls for eleven dollars ninety nine. Now I have never bought them before, but that has to be the limit of consumer gauging. OUTRAGEROUS!

My next funny bit....

I saw 2 wolves today. (Seriously, I did.) I past them on the side of the road and I was like 10 feet from them. I wanted to take their picture. (This is the funny bit....) I got to a safe distance away, a distance I recommend girls in a bar stay back from Hahner, or Jag, or Rhys, and especially the Goslin's, and then took their photo..... (BOOOOOO – I know...)

So ya – The first 110km was the smoothest pavement even laid. Lavis Construction, who does fantastic work, would be envious of this topography. Then the gravel again.... No problems. I just skated over and through it like Brian Orser. I met up with an elder rider on an older BMW GS. We stop and chatted for a bit. I made it 240km later into Churchill Falls, NL.

And no problems camping last night. I had a decent enough sleep.

Churchill falls to HVGB. Some construction along the way and bad, naughty gravel too in places. Plenty of it was about the size of Rich Tremain's scrotum. BIG. Wrist Jarring. It was a long stretch of 290km. But I saw plenty of traffic and I saw the wolves. I had a picnic lunch halfway. It was good. Funny enough it rained a wee bit and the skies were blue. I stopped and waited to see a rainbow, which would have almost made a great, perfect day (I need Shelly, my sweet baby, for that), but there wasn't one. No big deal. I didn't get wet at all.

So ya, I am holed up in a less then desirable hotel called the Labrador Inn. It is in a sketchy part of town. I got some great emails and I thank you all for them..... (Janet, Hahner, mom, dad, Marsha, etcetera)

I also wanted to mention about how the land has really changed in the last 100km. More birch trees and the land is very sandy. It is cold driving. I really wish I had have taken my dad's heated vest and gloves. All in all I am warm, but......

I got for a run again! 24 mins for another 5.5km or so. The travellers out and back! Unreal how that works. What does that give me for 5 days now – Something like 27km. Beaser probably just did a 27km run today. Hey Beddow – How's our Jenkin's loop doing?

One more thing about the gravel driving. Since I will be out in Rossland, BC BABY in a few months with Joel and my brother, this is sort of the analogy. Driving in this is the opposite of the skiing/snowboarding we'll be doing. You want to find a grove, find a surface that has been tramped over. The fresh stuff just grabs your front wheel and twists you and pulls you to the side and gets you out of control. That is great while you are skiing. But when you are driving a 500 pound plus bike loaded up, that is not so great. But the similarity is, the corduroy sucks on gravel and on the ski hill.

Until another day everyone.... Shelly, I am always thinking of you.

Lots of love.