8\/10 We left Shallow Bay with the plan to go to Port au Choix but decided to leave that for the trip back since we would have to come back the same way. We considered crossing on the ferry to Labrador but when we stopped to check it was extremely windy and and Jean-Francois preferred to cross on a less windy day.<\/p>\n
Now here’s a real case of stupidity on my part. It’s too windy to take the ferry, right? What’s it going to be like on a motorcycle.<\/p>\n
One of the things very high on my wish list was L’Anse aux Meadows where the Vikings landed 1000 years ago, but I was aware the west coast of Newfoundland is notorious for very high winds.\u00a0 I had read there had been a train along that western coast but it was abandoned because the train would get blown off the tracks.<\/p>\n
It was frighteningly windy (for me) on the way to St. Anthony. I would have stopped if there indeed was was someplace to stop, but there is nothing on that ride northeast to St. Anthony. It occurred to me I wouldn’t want to stop anyway since I wasn’t sure I could hold the bike up against the wind.<\/p>\n
I was pretty fried by the time we got close to St. Anthony and turned north on 436 to go to L’Anse aux Meadows. There was a short stretch of pavement and the road gave way to construction and a bed of deep gravel. I made it about 3 km down the road and had a melt down. I had been terrified of the wind, I was worn out by fear, and this was more than I could handle in one day. I was so scared and I cried. Jean-Francois came back and was very kind. Patiently explained that I couldn’t just stop there. People stopped and asked if we needed help and he told them I was just upset. I stayed put until I wasn’t crying, let JF turn my motorcycle around, and rode back to pavement. Thank god.<\/p>\n
We got into St. Anthony and I declared it a rain day (hotels were supposed to be reserved for rain days) even though it was raining and we stayed at Grenfell Heritage House in a room that had a wonderfully comfortable bed. Beds are so awesome after several nights of camping…<\/p>\n
That night we went to the Lightkeepers for a nice seafood dinner and watched whales playing in the water off shore. It was a lovely evening.<\/p>\n
8\/11 Rain kept us at the hotel until 10:00. We stored our stuff before leaving because I was going to ride with Jean-Francois to get out to L’Anse aux Meadows. I cannot tell you how awful the road was and how glad I was that I wan NOT on my motorcycle. They had torn the road up more — you can see pictures at the link below. I know they have to do all their road construction in the summer, but the degree of this destruction with no way around it was ridiculous. Even cars were having a hard time on the road.<\/p>\n
The day had turned bright and sunny and L’Anse aux Meadows was worth the trip. They have preserved the mounds from the original buildings and it was amazing to stand there and look out at what they had seen when they arrived so long ago in their small boats. I read that they never traveled unless land was with two days. That’s how they crossed the North Atlantic from Norway – Iceland to Greenland to Newfoundland. Replicas of there homes are reconstructed a short distance away.<\/p>\n
We walked the hiking trail along the shore and saw two more moose galloping across the park on the way back.<\/p>\n
If you go to L’Anse aux Meadows go to the Norseman for a meal while you’re there — wonderful food.<\/p>\n
By the way — 436 was even worse on the trip back. Soooo glad I was riding with JF. We left for St. Barbe (ferry to Labrador) around 6:30 and camped at an abandoned campground that night.<\/p>\n
Newfoundland feels so strongly about keeping people off the roads at night because of collisions with moose they encourage what they call “gravel pit” camping. If the sun is going down and you are out in the middle of nowhere, pull over where ever you find a decent spot and no one will question you. There were signs everywhere posting how many people had died in moose accidents that year.<\/p>\n