It seems like my rest day at Norris Point may turn into a rest week, but with a bit of rain overnight and an overcast start to the day, I really don’t mind, I’ve never been this relaxed.

But Norris Point is quite a distance from where I started in Newfoundland, and this distance is filled with a lot of stories.

After leaving Red Rocks and continuing through the Wreckhouse Site, I wound my way north on the T’Railway, where it veers inland and follows the Codroy Valley. It was around 9:00pm, but the sun was still up when I came upon a corner store in the middle of nowhere.  Stores in Newfoundland seem to open late and close late and I still had an hour to spare at this one. I was looking for something reasonably healthy, but instead, bought a frozen chocolate cake and proceeded to destroy it, much to the amusement of the locals.

Buzzing from 2,000 calories of sugar,  I continued on until I found a grassy area overlooking a marsh where I set up camp and drifted off to sleep just as a light rain started.

In despite of the great weather I’ve been having, Newfoundland is a wet island and anything left stationary for too long will have something crawling or growing on it.

The rain stopped overnight, but the fog hung in for the morning, so with no views to be had in the Codroy Valley I hopped on to the TCH, which ran parallel to the T’Railway for this stretch of the ride.

The total population for Newfoundland and Labrador combined is just over 500,000 people, so major towns are spaced quite a distance apart,

but you get plenty of warning before you need to turn on your blinker,

and make a decision on where to eat.

When the highway parted from the railway, I followed the gravel and spent the rest of the day chatting with locals while riding through small settlements, bogs, and forests.

I’ve never toured at a slower pace, but then again, I’ve never ridden my bicycle through a more beautiful place.

Sometime in the afternoon I came upon a fork in the trail where I decided on the path of least resistance. Unfortunately, this turned into the path of most resistance and I got myself lost for a few hours in the back woods of Newfoundland.

Being that I’m touring self supported with a few days worth of food, and fresh water abounds on this island, getting lost really isn’t a problem and just adds to the adventure.

I came across a few water crossings along this route with bridges that were out

and a few camps scattered in the woods

until I finally dead ended at an old quarry.

After not finding an outlet that I was willing to chance,

I backtracked until I met a local Newfoundlander, who was enjoying a beer while watching the wildlife. After telling me where I was, how I managed to get there, along with stories about growing up in the area, he guided me out, waiting at the intersections to make sure I went the right way.

The sun was getting lower as I continued on and in a stroke of Newfoundland luck, I met a salmon fishing guide who shared some great conversation and directions to a beautiful river camping spot for the night.

Where I watched the sun set over the old rail bed.