August 24, 2016
The journey home and epilogue
The cab ride (City Cab 709-634-6565) for the 40 minute ride back to the airport in Deer Lake was 15 minutes early for our 4 am pickup, which is certainly better than being 15 minutes late. I enjoyed the conversation with our native Newfoundlander driver. Like every other Newfoundlander we encountered on this tour he was friendly and welcoming to us. Our first flight leg took us to Halifax Nova Scotia and then on to Toronto. Once again clearing customs was not a simple process but we finally landed safely in Pittsburgh.
Epilogue: Our distance total ended up approximately 600 miles in spite of the Crazyguyonabike journal totals. Weather in August was good from a cyclist's perspective other than some contrary wind direction and ideal blackfly conditions in Labrador. Traffic was heavy near Gros Morne Park but drivers typically gave us sufficient room when passing. In northern remote areas traffic density was so low that overtaking traffic usually moved into the other lane when passing. Based on the number of "No Vacancy" signs we passed reservations are a necessity near Gros Morne during this time of the year.
Our best pre-tour decision was contacting Ed English at Linkum Tours to plan our itinerary. In spite of my internet research and search for cycling tour reports it was difficult to determine "must see locations" as well as appropriate routes and daily distances. One example is that we did not know the paved road ended in Red Bay, Labrador and going further north would be challenging and unpleasant. Ed designed a custom tour for us and did all of the bookings. Our decision to place trust in his knowledge of the area and honorable business practices was well placed. Many of the proprietors at B&B's and Inns throughout our Newfoundland knew him or had served on Newfoundland tourism boards or committees. Prior to our actually meeting him at Quirpon Lighthouse Inn we happened to meet guests of his from the previous weekend. They spoke highly of him and after only a short stay at the Inn regarded him as a friend.
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The Viking Trail tour in Newfoundland was one of our top five bicycle tours
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