Monday, April 30, 2012

So what is this trip I'm gearing up for?

Now that there's a lull in the prep action, I thought I'd post a bit about the trip itself.  

I'll be starting out in NY.  I'll ride up into Canada at Quebec City (most likely) and head north from there to Baie Comeau (270 miles).  From Baie Comeau, it's 361 miles to Labrador City.  About 134 miles in, the pavement ends and the gravel road begins.  Right before Labrador City, is the border of Quebec and Labrador.  This is where the Trans Lab starts.  

The Trans Lab exists as a mining access road in Labrador.  It's in the process of being paved.  Once it's paved, the "adventure" will gone so that's the reason for riding it now.  

From Labrador City, it's 151 miles to Churchill Falls and then 181 miles from there to Happy Valley/Goose Bay.  From HVGB to Port Hope Simpson, it's 254 miles of NO SERVICES.  No food, no fuel, no lodging.  Nothing.  This is the stretch where I'll have to carry extra fuel.  I have a 2.5 gallon fuel can and hope my gas mileage will be normal and that'll be enough fuel.  If my gas mileage sucks, it'll be a nail biter for sure!!

From Port Hope Simpson, it's 136 miles to the ferry crossing at Blanc Sablon.  Here's where I'll catch the ferry over to Newfoundland.  

In Newfoundland, the plan is to explore!  I'll head up the coast from the ferry landing to L'anse aux Meadows.  This is the only known site of a Norse or Viking village in Canada.  After that, I'd like to head down to Gros Morne National Park and maybe spend a day or two hiking and enjoying scenery there.  Then it's out to St. Johns on the far eastern coast.  From St. Johns to the ferry at Port aux Basques, there's an old rail bed that is now an unpaved trail.  It would be fun to ride this to the ferry but I'm not sure if the condition will be good enough.  I don't want to have to battle a fully loaded bike on crappy trails.  That's not fun.  So not sure what route I'll take to get to the ferry.

Speaking of ferry, Port aux Basques is where I'll catch the ferry from Newfoundland to Nova Scotia.  In Nova Scotia, I'll meet up with some friends and we'll spend a week hanging out and exploring Nova Scotia.  

After Nova Scotia, it's back to NY to finish the trip.  Total mileage will be about 4000.  About 1000 miles of that will be unpaved.  

So that's the trip overview.  

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