Newfoundland’s West Coast

 

 This journey began (just as all my travels begin) out of a sincere desire to see what’s on the other side; and when I return home it will be (as always) with a few small regrets for what I may have missed, but a treasure trove of sights seen, people met and the memories “recorded” via hundreds of photographs.

When contrasted with my travels in Argentina the experience has been vastly different.  In South America my mobility was limited by dependency on public transportation; but in Canada onboard my motorcycle, I have been free to control my own destiny.

While this freedom has obvious advantages, it also can lead one to bypass many sights that might that would have better observed by a foot-bound traveler “dropped” (as was the case in Argentina) in an quasi-isolated spot to explore at will.

The tendency (that one must try diligently to avoid when riding a motorcycle) is to “observe as you go” and only stop when inspired by a particularly captivating sight.

In Newfoundland especially the sights were many and frequent, but in truth if your alert their are many (sometimes, too many) photographic opportunities available.

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When I awoke the next morning at my campsite north of Cold Brook the sky was overcast, but quickly turned to rain as I rode the to town for breakfast.  Hoping to burn some time until the rain stopped, I looked for either a McDonald’s or a Tim Horton’s (both of which were certain to have Wi-Fi available).

Although WiFi was in fact available, my computer battery was dead and no plug in was available.  Without the computer option, I suited up in anticipation of more rain and hit the road for Deer Lake.  The rain never produced, but a heavy fog did, and visibility was so greatly reduced that it was almost impossible to photograph anything.

I had been eager to see what I had been told were spectacular views along the road that wound its way thru the picturesque Gros Morne Provincial Park, but with the fog there was nothing picturesque about it.

Disappointed, I continued northward for Labrador, knowing that I would have a second chance capture pictures on the return back to Deer Lake (the west coast highway was the only north-south route available).

Bound for the ferry to Labrador I was not anticipating any stops along way.  According to my map the entire coast from north of Gros Morne to the ferry crossing appeared to be sparsely settled; but Newfoundland had one more surprise.  The Arches Provincial Park lies only a few hundred meters off the highway.

The Arches (at what assume was low tide) fully expose themselves, and to the delight of tourist, provide an opportunity to scramble atop and thru the arches.  They would perhaps provide some spectacular photos with the backdrop of the setting sun, but perhaps I’ll never to know – I didn’t wait to find out.