CCCT Part II - Whitbourne to St. John's, NL

Sunday, July 28, 2013 - Day 45
We both slept poorly due to room being to hot and humid and lots of trucks coming and going. We were up at 6:45 AM and after a quick breakfast in our room we packed up our bags and loaded them on our bikes in the room and wheeled them out to the parking lot. We set off for St. John's at 7:45 AM. Again it was overcast and a bit cool so we put on our sleeves and vests. It was a miserable rainy, misty, foggy, windy, hilly day. We had to make frequent stops to wipe our glasses off, to rest our butts, etc. There were no convenience stores or service stations between Whitbourne and St. John's. The only thing that kept us going was the fact that it was our last day of cycling. We arrived on the outskirts of St. John's at 12:30 in cold, rainy and windy weather. We passed several exits and I thought "Great, the next one is where we want to get off." Only it turned out to be another 10 kms down the highway and with several more hills!!! Finally we arrived at 14 Ledum, chez Krista and Mike's, at 1:30 PM. We were thoroughly soaked and chilled it was that windy and cold. I had wanted to go on to Mile 0 for the photo op but because of the lousy weather I changed my mind. It was great to see Krista and Mike who were home to welcome us. We quickly unloaded our essential clothing bags and put the rest of our gear and bikes away in the back shed. Krista showed us our room upstairs and we quickly had showers to warm up and changed into dry clothing. after a short nap, Mike drove us to a nearby Sobey's where we got some groceries and beer and champagne at the liquor store next door. It was still quite windy and bitterly cold. I was glad I had brought my jacket. We returned home and had a beer while Krista prepared fish cakes. I also checked out the Wi-Fi and Bev posted a message on FB re our arrival in St. John's and the completion of our Cross Canada Cycling Tour. Besides delicious fish cakes we had coleslaw, macaroni salad and roasted tomato and red pepper salad for dinner with sticky cinnamon buns for dessert. It was good to be in a warm, dry house and not have to worry about getting on our bikes again tomorrow. What a sense of relief knowing that we had cycled from Trois Rivieres, QC to St. John's, NL, another 2,514 kms to complete our CCCT for a total of 7,994 kms.
At home, Ottawa, ON - Thursday, August 8, 2013

CCCT Part II - Clarenville to Whitbourne, NL

Saturday, July 27, 2013 - Day 44

Had a pretty good night's sleep. We were up at 6:00 in anticipation of another hot and muggy day's ride which we calculated would be around 100 kms to our next destination i.e. Whitbourne. After loading our bags on our bikes we were ready to set off at 7:10 AM. It was overcast, quite windy (mostly a crosswind). The paved shoulder along the highway was god, bad and sometimes terrible. Lots of rumble strip. We had to stop many times mostly because of the number of hills and the headwind/crosswind. We stopped at Megan's at Southern Harbour for lunch. I had bacon and eggs, toasts and fries (chopped up because they had run out of home fries). I drank 2 glasses of ice water to help cope with the heat and to hopefully prevent any cramps like I had yesterday. We also stopped at Goobie's and Come By Chance for snacks. we passed the turnoff for Dildo and soon arrived in Whitbourne at 3:30 PM. Bev went in the Ultramar and got 2 cold drinks and next door to the Robin's for donuts. we checked into the Moorland Motel at 4:10 PM. We paid $75 plus taxes for a room with a mini fridge and a microwave, Wi-Fi, etc.  I checked the Wi-Fi after we brought our bikes into our room through the side entrance. There was no Wi-Fi. At least none that I could find on my Notebook. I went to the store where we checked-in to complain. The assistant manager went off to reboot the router. Still no Wi-Fi. Watched PGA on TV. Later we had dinner at Mary Brown's. It was very hot and humid. We went over to the Ultramar for Gatorade, etc. Had ice cream for dessert. Bought 2 cold drinks before going back to our room. Bev was very tired and was off to bed at 8:30 PM. I watched TV for a while before putting the lights out at 9:00 PM.

Home (Ottawa, ON) - Wednesday, August 7, 2013

CCCT Part II - Splash 'n Putt, Glovertown to Clarenville, NL

Friday, July 26, 2013 - Day 43

It was a terrible night considering how much we were paying for a good night's rest. The noisy trucks, night time creatures, etc all combined to make it difficult for me to sleep. We were up at 7:00 AM and while I packed Bev prepared some oatmeal to go with muffins, 1/2 a banana and chocolate milk for breakfast. After getting rid of our garbage and dropping off the key we were ready to leave for Clarenville at 8:20 AM. Again it was an overcast day and very humid. We had to stop several times, especially after cycling up the many hills. We stopped at a service station for lunch. Bev went in a got cold drinks (7up Lime) and we sat outside on the curb and ate our snack packs. After lunch we still had 38 kms to go before reaching Clarenville which was our destination for the day. We didn't get very far (10 kms) before having to stop again at a convenience store for cold water. There was a very large floor fan outside which was supposed to blow a mist of water to help people cool off. Because it wasn't working properly the manager used a spray bottle to squirt water on the fan. We both stood in front of the fan and for a minute or two were able to cool off. After several more stops including one at the VIC we arrived at the Clarenville  Inn which was on top of one more hill. We had stopped at St. Jude motel at the bottom of the hill to ask how much a room for the night would cost. It was $121 plus taxes. We decided to go on to the Clarenville Inn at the top of the hill which turned out to be more expensive at $134 plus taxes but at least we wouldn't have a hill to face first thing in the AM. We put our gear and bikes in our room and after a shower Bev went over to the nearby service station for food for our breakfast and lunch. She also returned with an ice cream cone which I gladly accepted. NL was going through a bit of a heat wave and the humidity was quite unbearable. I checked the hotel Wi-Fi which was so-so. We both rinsed out an outfit and put them outside on the patio furniture to dry in the sun. I started having problems with cramps in my legs. We watched PGA golfing on TV before going over to the hotel restaurant for dinner. I had a beer and hot turkey sandwich with mashed potatoes for dinner. More cramps. Went for a walk after dinner to help get rid of the cramps. We went over to the gas station convenience store and got some date squares, chips and tea for Bev. I did some stretching in the hopes that it would help get rid of the cramps. I posted our location/destination on FB before going off to bed at 10:00.

Home (Ottawa, ON) - Wednesday, August 7, 2013

CCCT Part II - Gander to Glovertown, NL - Day 42

Thursday, July 25, 2013 - Day 42
We were up bright and early for an early morning departure. After getting our bikes out of the shed and loading on bags on them we said our goodbyes and thankyous and set off for Glovertown at 8:10 AM. It was a very overcast day and after only 10 kms we stopped to change our lenses from dark to clear. It started raining so we had to stop again so I could put my rain covers on my handlebar bag, etc. Thankfully it was only a shower and by 11:00 AM it had cleared up. We stopped at Gambo, home of Joey R. Smallwood, where there was a roadside rest stop with a nice view of the town below. We were able to get a sausage and a cold drink from a fellow who had a BBQ setup there. While we were having lunch a guy from Toronto who was touring with his two children came over and asked if he could take our picture with his two children. He was so impressed with our bikes loaded down with all our panniers and the fact that we were cycling across Canada. We got caught in the rain again before arriving at our destination which was the Splash 'N Putt in Glovertown. It was right on the TCH. We arrived at 1:30 PM very tired, sweaty and dehydrated. The sun had come out again and the water slide was doing a great business. Bev went into the convenience store and got a couple of cold drinks for us. We had originally planned to spend the night camping but my shoulder was to sore to go on. Instead we decided to rent a cabin for the night at $159 plus taxes. We unloaded our bikes and put them on the porch. Bev hit her lip on her T-bar when moving her bike. I showered and lay down for a nap before walking back to the Mary Brown's fast food restaurant for dinner. I had pulled chicken on a bun, wedge fries, coleslaw and a diet Pepsi. Bev had chicken strips, etc. We watched the kids sliding on the water slide and playing mini putt. For dessert I had ice cream, Bev was to full and abstained. we returned to our cabin in the woods and watched TV. There was no Wi-Fi and only 3 channels to choose from on TV. We were off to bed at 10:00 PM. A truck went by at 10:30 and deliberately leaned on his air horn just to remind me that we still had a few more days to go before getting to St. John's.
Home (Ottawa, ON) - Wednesday, August 7. 2013