Plum Point to Point Amour, Labrador

August 16, 2016

We were scheduled for the 1 pm St. Barbe Ferry crossing but had extra time so we cycled out past Pigeon Cove. Along the way we saw a community park that involved miniature houses.

These were models of buildings which had been moved inland from the coast.

While waiting for the ferry Rhona conversed with a truck driver who had been parked in a nearby lot for days waiting for room on a ferry.

The ferry would take us to Labrador (technically we would actually arrive in Quebec Province).

We waited in a parking lot to load onto the ferry with an amazingly long line of cards and trucks.

I took picturea of the ferry marking the waterline before and after loading this tremendous weight and it had changed.

The tractor trailers looked like they would be too big to squeeze into the opening.

I walked the tandem down the slippery grate trying not to slip in my cycling shoes. The crew had to do some rearranging to squeeze the tandem in.

After exiting the ferry we immediately started up a very narrow steep road. Steep in this case meant we were in our lowest gear going 2 miles per hour. At this speed on a loaded tandem it takes every ounce of concentration to keep a straight line and to avoid in this case falling off the lip of the road into a ditch. Unfortunately, one heavily loaded tractor trailer also committed to climbing the hill and passing us in his lowest gear at a speed 1/4 hour faster than us and less than one foot from our left pannier. It was one of those situations where there was nothing to do but keep going as stopping and putting our feet down would have made contact with the truck or it's wheels. It took probably 30 seconds (Rhona says 60) for the truck to pass us. It was not even possible for either of us to take our hands off the bars to make a nonverbal gesture (although being in Canada, we could never have been so rude).

Not more than a quarter of a mile down the road we saw this sign. Talk about poor sign placement! We don't remember seeing any similar signs in Newfoundland/Labrador.

After another steep climb we entered the Labrador part of province of Newfoundland/Labrador.

We stayed overnight in Grenfell Louie A Hall B&B in Forteau. (709-931-2916). It was notable for an onslaught of the (according to locals) worst swarm of blackflies of the season. We purchased insect nets to pull over our heads prior to boarding the ferry in Newfoundland because we heard the blackflies were worse on the Labrador side/

These work pretty well even over bicycle helmets. It is a problem even trying to get a drink of water.

Unfortunately, we did not put them on prior to stopping to unload the bicycle and Rhona ended up with 12 blackfly bites while I only got drilled one time.

but had not put them on.

The most prominent bite. This is the second tour where blackflies have displayed a marked preference for Rhona instead of me. She is beginning to understand my complaints about mosquitoes which really like me.

Notable at dinner was our first taste of Partridge Berry pie. The berries were ripening at this time of season and we sought them out in the form of pies and jelly the rest of the tour.

The Grenfell Louie A. Hall Bed and Breakfast was formally known as the Old Forteau Nursing Station which was built by the International Grenfell Association in 1946. The owner told us she and her husband had been born in the building as had almost everybody else in the town. Later, when we got to St. Anthony's we learned more about the extraordinary Sir Wilfred Grenfell.

Today's ride: 31 miles (50 km)
Total: 270 miles (435 km)

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