September 1, 2015
Crossroads of the World: Day 91 - Grand Falls - Windsor to Gander
We started the day in what bills itself as the centre of the province but what others may call the middle of nowhere. So if you bike 100 km from the middle of nowhere, that puts you at the edge of nowhere. That seems like a perfect spot to build what was one of the worlds biggest and busiest airports. Welcome to Gander!
Precisely because it was at the edge of nowhere, or more accurately at the edge of the operating range of the first military and commercial aircraft, it was an extremely important airport that played a major role in WWII and in the subsequent development of the commercial aviation business that exists today, enabling air traffic between North America and Northern Europe.
So it's a pretty interesting town with an iconic airport and a pretty good museum of early aviation. The airport use dropped off dramatically with the advent of long range jet aircraft but Gander still showed its importance when on 11 Sept 2001 38 planes that were enroute over the Atlantic were diverted to Gander, and the town responded by giving food shelter and support to over 6000 stranded people on a few hours notice.
Today they only had to deal with the three of us!
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
So we're in an interesting spot but the biking today was just another ok but not great day along the TCH. A new month, September, and it started to feel like fall. For the first time in a very long time we set off wearing jackets. It warmed up to a really nice cycling temperature in the high teens, and then at about 1 pm, just as the weather forecast predicted, the winds shifted to come from the north, picked up in intensity, and he temperature dropped about 5 deg C.
Luckily we were travelling south east so we were getting a pretty good push into Gander. We decided to go to the aviation museum when we got to Gander as it was just starting to rain lightly. We thought it might blow over while we were in there. Wishful thinking. By the time we left the museum it was pouring and the wind was now blowing about 40 km/h. Luckily we only had a few km's to get to Marks friend Gail's place where we are staying. However even in those few km's we were soaked and cold. Didn't I make some comment last night about the Newfoundland weather gods? Well they are giving us payback today and the forecast is for more of the same tomorrow! At least the wind will be with us.
Not many pics today, mostly roadside signs and the aviation museum. Other than the signs along the road it was rocks and trees. A few hills thrown into the mix today but all were pretty moderate grades and we got nice long downhill payback for each on we rode up. But if this sounds boring, it really wasn't. For me we were out riding, the air was cool, and I had lots of time to think about the last three months. We've only got three days of this grand adventure left and today I was replaying many of the sights, adventures and characters that we've come across. All the while our legs are on auto pilot pushing us down the road.
We had a really good dinner with Gail and great discussions about Newfoundland and Gander. Thanks for the traditional Newfoundlander hospitality Gail.
Song of the Day:
Ring Around the Moon by Elephant Revival
There was a beautiful full moon a couple of nights ago and it felt very fall like today. This song has imagery of moons and fall leaves and it just seemed to fit for me today as I was reminiscing during the ride.
Historical monument of the day:
The North Atlantic aviation museum, or even the whole Gander airport and town. This place was built in the 1930's to fill a need for servicing aircraft and developing effective air transportation between North America and Europe. For decades this relatively small and isolated place played a large role in the development of the air industry .
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Today's ride: 103 km (64 miles)
Total: 8,397 km (5,215 miles)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 2 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |