Ride Day 2--Rocky Harbour

Day 2, RT 20,  Saturday, July 3
Trout River to Rocky Harbour, 26 km

Tour Guide Description: Today we return through the tablelands to take a boat crossing Bonne Bay from Woody Point to Norris Point to the northern side of the park. After a ride from Norris Point to Rocky Harbour, there will be time for a short hike, a swim at the campground pool, or perhaps some photography at the Lobster Cove Lighthouse.

Knowing that we had to retrace part of our hilly route from yesterday to get to the ferry in time, I leapt out of bed at 5:30 am before the alarm. Suz got up too and we made pb&j sandwiches for ourselves, packed a few bars etc., wolfed down some bran and blueberries and oatmeal, and were off. . . sort of. Merely back to the office to pay the bill and complete our paperwork. It was only 6:30 am, but Ivy, the woman who gave me the key last night, came to the door in her nightie and cheerfully accepted our payment. Then we were really off.

The steep up after the left turn of the day before of course became a very steep downhill which frightened Suz, so she walked it, aggravating her knee. 

I was so nervous about getting us to the ferry in time, a distance of 26 miles I thought, but actually 26 kilometers (ca 11 miles), that we were almost the first riders to reach the Granite Café in Woody Point, so had plenty of time for coffee and a cookie. When most of the group had arrived, we cycled together to the ferry and boarded for a 20-minute ride that would save us terrific hills and probably two days tough riding around Bonne Bay to Norris Point.

Suz posing with Gary at the Granite Cafe; she wore her fanny pack on her belly not her fanny

The group milling around before boarding; Ancilla in the hot pink, Barbara far left

Storing the bikes in the passenger section

The ferry ride was fun. The day was sunny and breezy, temps in the high 60s low 70s. I took pix of the riders sitting in the bow posing for Ed and Andrew’s cameras.



Andy in orange jersey, Ed in orange cap, and a stranger joshing with the cyclists and taking pix of us on the ferry

My photo of the riders lined up for a photo at the back of the ferry: Suz, Heidi in yellow next to her, Barbara with ponytail in brown, two BUNs next to Heidi; Wayne in screaming yellow flanked by another BUN and Barry in red; Marshall in blue stripe; Pat, blond in front of Marshall, Rick behind Marshall

The crossing took only 20 minutes or so. When we arrived at Norris Point, we found an aquarium, the entrance fee only $5, so we two and Arlene toured the facility. It was really a working research station for Bonne Bay, but had a tide pool set up with baby flounder, scallops, anemones, large sea snails, and a small wolf fish in it. We wandered the facility for a bit and then returned to the lobby where we met a young woman who took us “behind the scenes” to large tanks of flounder, pipe fish, scallops, moon snails, wolf fish, rays, lobsters, anemones and other sea life.

Bonne Bay with fog hanging off the Gulf of St Lawrence at its mouth

Photo of colorful kayaks taken from the ferry as we entered Norris Point

Dockside at Norris Point

When we exited the aquarium, I spotted a root cellar dug into the bank across the way, so rode over to take a photo of it. We then climbed up a short steep hill out of Norris Point and came upon another interesting cemetery and church.

The old root cellar

White stones standing out starkly against the green and blue

The rest of our ride to the Ocean View Motel in Rocky Harbour was pleasant (though we battled blackflies) and sunny with the usual coastal ups and downs. I rode ahead at my own pace and Arlene and Suz rode together for a bit. At the edge of town, Arlene stopped for lunch at a place advertising mooseburgers. Suz, a "mostly" vegetarian, & I continued on to the Ocean View Motel right on the water.

Our room was on the second floor, but the motel had a small rickety elevator. I managed to get our food boxes and the rest of the gear the ride leaders had dropped off onto the elevator and up to the second floor. Took two trips.

Internet photo of our Ocean View Motel; the rest of the group was camped high on the mountain behind us 

Suz met me at the top as she is afraid of elevators. She had reason to be afraid of this one. It stuttered and jerked its way up and down and was claustrophobically small. Then I took the bikes up one at a time. Finally when I’d gotten all up to the second floor--four elevator trips later--Suz, who had come up via the stairs, met me and asked: “Which way?” I was grumpy and feeling like her personal valet. We were at the very end of the hallway with only one way to go, so I curtly replied, “The room you are standing in front of is 201. We’re in 202.” I should have just said “left” because later this sparked our second shouting argument. These nasty arguments and unfounded accusations cropped up several more times on the trip, always when we were tired, hurting, and low on “fuel.” 

After getting all the stuff into the room and situated, we went grocery shopping. We walked 15 painful minutes, with my tendonitis and Suz’s sore knee, to a FoodLand, which had produce. It was a cold, windy walk down the coastal road, but the store did have a bit of “fresh” produce and the yogurt Suz was looking for. I bought sardines; Suz bought pasta that could be reconstituted with water, we also bought some fruit. We ate in our room, so did not spend big $ in the hotel’s white-tablecloth restaurant.

Internet photo of Foodland, the grocery with fresh produce that we walked to; the town was proud to have such a store