On the best day of biking

Yesterday was a bit of a washout. The Nfld Trailway was an extreme disappointment with very little in the way of decent surfaces for biking even on the short distance I was on it. Just before I got off it, I hit some soft, deep, wet sand that clung to various surfaces on my bike and simply wasn't rideable. In addition, it was foggy and pissing with rain for much of the day.

On the plus side, over breakfast at the Radio Station Inn B&B someone recommended the Wreckhouse Haven Tea room to me. This proved to be a bit further along the road than I anticipated but was just right for lunch. Lunch was a clubhouse sandwich, a bowl of thick pea soup, partridgeberry pudding and warm Newfoundland hospitality. It was a bit like sitting in someone's kitchen listening to them gossip about so-and-so who was in the hospital. I almost broke down and ordered a second dessert in the form of the blueberry grunt that two other patrons were raving about. I probably should have.

I had opted for the Midway Motel as lodging for the night. Unfortunately, it didn't have much in the way of food, so supper was an egg salad sandwich, a bag of Doritos, a bottle of milk, a muffin, some pemmican, a fruit bar and some oatmeal cookies, the latter three items coming from my food reserves. My first breakfast was also ad hoc consisting of a banana, the remaining oatmeal cookies and some coffee. Needless to say, I was eager to pedal the 30 odd km to the Ultramar station where reliable intelligence suggested that breakfast might be had.

Yesterday evening I spoke with Alice, Mark and Olivier. The latter was in Corner Brook and offered me a sofa to sleep on. In my planning, I had been going to spend tonight in Stephenville. This would have been a mistake and I am glad I changed my plans. Today has probably been the finest day of cycling I have ever had. The weather was sunny with fluffy clouds and the wind was at my back. The Trans Canada Highway (or TCH to the locals) is a biker's dream. My average for the day was 26.1 km/h. The maximum speed was 69.6 km/h!!!! I am going to get Olivier to sign a piece of paper testifying to this result!!!!

In addition, the landscape is very scenic. About the only fault I can find with it is that I have yet to see a moose.
Today has been a blast. Olivier has made me feel very welcome and has served me some delicious clam chowder made from clams he caught a couple of days ago. Cheers.