Monday, July 23, 2012

The Longest Day... (or is this "Here comes the sun")


Day 14, July 20th Friday friday

Now you have that song stuck in your head.


Between the hours of 11pm and 3am I tossed and turned and maybe... MAYBE slept a total of 1.5-2 hours.  There was more tossing and turning than anything.

This is why I didn't take many pictures departing Argentia.  The fog was thicker than a Arab's beard and you couldn't see more than 50 feet in any direction.  Had there been someting to take a picture of, I would be very afraid (does Titanic ring a bell?) and most probably making toilet in my underwear.
Fog.  A lot of fog.

If there was something interesting to take pictures of, I'm pretty sure I'd be busy making toilet in my underwear instead of taking pictures.  (Titanic Anyone?)

This is what I slept in.
They don't recline much.  The food on this flight was terrible.  It was whatever I brought myself, which was nothing.  The inflight movie was "Big Brother".  I felt like evicting everyone from the house.

While drinking coffee number idontremember (12 or 15... something like that) and uploading day13 blog in tge 'colourful lounge' (actual name Colors Bar), I overheard another passenger ask a staff member what side of the ship would the sun rise.  SUNRISE!  I wanted to watch the sunrise on Cape Spear but I had neither the energy nor the inclination.
This was my chance!

I finished up the blog and figured the sun would be at the back of the ship somewhere as we were going south/southwest... or was it west southwest?  does it matter?  I went to the back.  No, I'm not using nautical terms as I'm not a sailor... hell, I barely got my sea legs enough to not spill my coffee.


I ran to the back of the ship on deck 8, where the Air Seats were to get my camera and drop off my laptop.
This was at about 4:45am.  Little did I know that the sunrise would only be at 5:29am.
With the wind and humidity it was damn cold.  I was freezing but I didn't want to miss the sunrise.  Matters were complicated when the battery alert on the camera was flashing and it seemed the wind was against me taking proper pictures.

I took a few.  Sorry for the sunrise porn.  I think a few of them aren't bad. at least you get a full transitory effect.








Almost there...

This is Mr Wispy.  He was a low level cloud which seemed to run past us at a alarming pace.





What a big deck (that's what she said!)

Almost There...

Stay on target! (isn't this the scene that Piggins gets it?





















sunrise pictures; mission accomplished.
For any of you that think these were a lot of pictures and it took to long to load, upgrade your internet connection already, it's 2012, not 1995. heh

We disembarked the boat at about 6:30-7am.  It was a long line of motorcycles for a while as they grouped us all together.  It seemed they all needed gas.  Thankfully, the KLR doubles as a fuel camel and I was only at the 150 KM mark.  I thought I could go at least 300km, even with the hard terrain.

I was then in the lead of the pack of 2.  Me and a biker chick on a harley with a sparkly half shell helmet.  She wanted to go ahead so I let her pass.  From the conversations I overheard, they were all doing the Cabot trail today.

But I know a shortcut and I'm certain I would beat them.  The same guy who told me about the little diner in Gould told me that there's a small cable ferry that runs from Englishtown.  I figured he was right about the food, why not the ferry?

The ferry was essentially waiting for me to get on and I was the only fare.  Not bad for $5.25 to cross.  The road to Englishtown and the road on the other side of the crossing was very "pretty" as the random guy in St John's said.  It was a nice relaxing ride.  I could have gone the long way around, but since I did it before, I didn't see the point. Thanks Random guy.

I was getting hungry by this time and kept and eye out for a breakfast place.  Nova Scotia isn't like Newfoundland and certainly not like Labrador.  Nova Scotia, particularily the Cabot trail is a popular tourist destination filled with B&Bs, restaurants, etc.

whoosh.  Passed by one that was a breakfast Cafe.  Crap.  Oh well, maybe there are more up ahead.

Up the zigzag mountains we go, perhaps a little too fast, but it was fun as hell.

I saw a Sign for Mainstreet restaurant up in Ingonish Beach.  I found the place (hard to miss with the big arrow) and walked in.

Nicely done.  It's a mix of new world Cafe and old cottage country.  Clean and bright and attractive staff.  Not used to that after where I've been.  It was a sight for sore eyes. 


The Menu was a bit different but also had the standard 1-2 or 3 egg breakfast.
I decided on the Breakfast Cobbler.
Scrambled Eggs, sausage, bacon, peppers, roasted potatoes all baked together covered with cheese and served with toast.

This is what I got.


It was outstanding!
I stood outside having a coffee and a smoke after breakfast and noticed a few of the bikers that had stopped for gas earlier.  I must have gained at least 30 minutes.

Leaving there, the rains started again.  Soft rain, then hard... then harder... then soft. then hard.  This sucked.  My boots hadn't dried from two days before and now my feet were soaked again.  I hate having wet feet.  I need a new pair of boots.

Now the urge to urinate was strong.  You don't get away from that urge by drinking pots of coffee and then getting cold, wet feet.

I stopped in at a store near Pleasant Bay (Timmons?) which not conicidentally I had stopped in back in 2008 on my first road trip.  If I recall, I bought a pepperoni stick packaged with a cheese stick.  This time I noticed they had a tarp (and due to all the rain) and I bought it.  I had another coffee but alas, they had no washroom.

I chatted with a guy on a sport bike (and crocks) about recent crashes on the Cabot trail. I asked about the crash with a deer that killed a guy.  Seems the zigzag portion I had come up was where it happened and the odd part is that it's rare to see a deer on the Cabot Trail.  Caribou, Moose, sure... but deer, no.  Seems the deer never hit the bike, but the biker himself and threw him off the bike.  There were 3-4 deaths on the Cabot trail that week.

If I crash, So be it.

The sun had come out and I had a destination close by that I wanted to revisit.


Tada!  The Stupa!  You may remember (or not) an almost identical picture with my other bike. heh.



It was at this time I was finally 'relieved'.  Since I just helped make some flowers grow, I may as well take a picture of one.


I took a picture of Gampo Abbey just to make it clear as to who 'owns' the Stupa.

It started raining just as I was leaving the Stupa and it didn't stop until I got to the campsite I was aiming for. This part of the ride I was a bit leary about as a heavily laden KLR with weak back brakes going downhill on the Cabot Trail in the rain does not make for perfect riding conditions.  

Yet I made my way to the campsite without incident, the same campsite I had gone to before in 2008.
I got my spot, pitched the tent and went into town for supplies.

I got two meals bought since it was only 1pm.  So for lunch I made myself some cheese grill'ems and chips.

I attempted a doughboy but it just didnt work well.  It stuck to the stick.  Was tasty though.  I'll perfect this technique with the bisquick one day...


Supper Ingredients
Sat around, poked at the fire a bit and then made myself some supper.

A Tbone steak, with brussel sprouts and potatoes. As they didn't have regular sticks of butter, I used garlic butter.

I put both the brussel sprouts and potatos with onions and butter in their own pouches.  Then when I thought they would be almost done, I put the steak on.
random pictures while waiting for food to cook.
I had to wait, so I figured I'd let anyone reading this blog wait a little longer too.



And presto, just like that supper was cooked.

T-bone, Medium Rare(ish)



The steak was nice and tender without being overdone. The sprouts and potatos both turned out ok. Both the potatos and sprouts lacked salt.  I suspect the garlic may have been a bit overpowering as well.

I ate as much as I could and then digested it with a Hobo Rolo hot chocolate.
Delicious.



1 comment: