August 9, 2012
Natashquan to Blanc Sablon
Fortunately I awoke early, at 0430, and although eager to get packed away still had time to admire the sunrise and watch the Nordik Express come into harbour. Upon arrival at the terminal I had to pay a surcharge for the bike, of $23, which compared to $580 for a car seemed a bargain - although a car would have been loaded into a container and winched aboard whereas I had to wheel my bike up the gangplank, through the busy cafeteria area and then up another steep flight of stairs (the cost of a passenger fare was $140).
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
The Nordik Express is primarily a supply ship, taking supplies to the remote communities on the shore which are unreachable by road, although it also takes passengers, and has a limited amount of cabins and sells them as a cruise for people wishing to ride the ship just to admire the coastline and view the masses of marine life, including lots of whales. Unfortunately (?) all the cabins had sold out, so I had a good nights sleep in my sleeping bag on my sleep mat on the floor of the upper lounge area.
When we arrived at Blanc Sablon I met two other cyclists waiting to catch the ferry, one of which was Don, who had just cycled the Trans Labrador Highway - which has only recently been completed and is about 1200km of mainly gravel road through some seriously desolate land. After chatting for a while, and finding out a good spot to camp for the night, I headed off in the dark to find it, via the store for a large apple pie and a beer.
Today's ride: 6 miles (10 km)
Total: 6,471 miles (10,414 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 3 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |