Day 33 – Argentia to St. John’s: Ferry, Highway to Hell, Made it!

Distance: 146km

Elevation: 1,521m

I had slept very well on the ferry and had a great breakfast. So, I was well prepared for my last push to St. John’s. At least that is what I thought.

Arriving in Argentia, on the Westside of the island, was very beautiful as the hills of Newfoundland slowly got closer under a perfectly blue sky.

Newfoundland and Labrador – this was my last province of Canada. Now I just had to get to St. John’s on the other side of the island.

I was in the saddle by 10am. After 10km a gentlemen in a truck pulled over “You are heading towards a dirt route. This is the wrong way, don’t do it!” He offered to take Rosinante and me to the highway with his truck. I thanked him but declined.

What is the problem with dirt roads in Newfoundland?

• Slow and exhausting
• Higher risk of accidents
• No infrastructure like gas stations
• No cell reception
• Extreme climbs

Thanks to Komoot, I had lost 10km and had to change course and take the TransCanada Highway 1 which was the only paved road leading to St. John’s.

On the way to the highway, I met Blair and Stan from Cape Breton who had cycled a bit in Newfoundland. They had taken a bus from St. John’s to avoid the highway. Ok, great. That was affirming!

However, I wanted to get to St. John’s today, pretty much at all costs. They confirmed that the highway was the only way to achieve that.

We chatted a bit and they were very inspired by my project – or my age.

After 60km I stopped for lunch at a burger place.

Then came 70km on TCH1. Think of a German Autobahn with cars and trucks going up to 120km/h and a shoulder of about 1 Meter.

Let’s be clear: cycling on a highway is perfectly legal in Canada.

I will not lie to you: it was bad! At first I was scared but later I got upset and angry. Not many cars were making space. Many simply ignored me and drove by very close by at high speeds.

Some trucks even crossed the white line separating the shoulder from the road. They did so without traffic related reasons.

However, I tried to calm my mind with the fact that the car drivers did not expect a bicycle here. This was there natural habitat and I was the intruder.

There was one good thing though: a highway is fast, even for heavily loaded bicycles. The slopes are mild and long. With a gentle tailwind I managed to coast at 35km/h.

I used the stoic strategy “compartmentalize and endure” and mentally focused only on chunks of 10km at a time.

Later I realized that if I survived today, I would never have to deal with Canadian highways again as a cyclist. That helped.

Around 15km before my destination, I finally could leave the highway and took the TransCanada trail which was cyclable starting from there. This last part into town was very safe and beautiful.

I arrived at my Warmshowers host Wade around 7pm and he helped me to stow away Rosinante in the backyard.

I was determined to go out and celebrate. So I had a shower, chatted a little with Wade and found a micro-brewery that he had recommended.

The IPAs and the salad were amazing. I felt so happy and relieved and was smiling all the time.

Around 9pm, I was on my sofa and fell asleep in an instant.

What a tough day – but great in the end!