Leroys73
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jun 19, 2022
- Messages
- 58
- Age
- 76
- Location
- Dallas area
- First Name
- Jerry
- My Ride
- Yamaha Royal Star Venture traded to Tiger 900 GT Pro
Sold Honda VTX1300R
- Riding Since
- 1965
Part 3
We only had about 150 miles to the ferry at Blanc Sablon. Since we were ahead of schedule, we figured we would stay in Port Hope Simpson or Mary’s Harbour, or Red Bay. There are a lot of places not listed but we did not want to keep getting off and on the motorcycles to check. We called a few places listed. We stayed at another hotel with a similar name like Northern Lights in L’Anse Au Clair in Labrador.
On our way to the hotel, we ate a late lunch at a restaurant near the museum in Red Bay. It was OK. Afterwards we went to the museum. The lady, Karen, was very friendly. All of the people from up there were friendly. She told us to come back tomorrow so we could get our money’s worth. This day our time would be short due to the closing time. We bought a ticket for the next day to take a boat ride to the historical island visible from the museum. Since our hotel was not far away and we had time, we agreed to return the next day.
Red Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The channel between Newfoundland and Labrador was a major Basque whaling area from 1530 to the 1600s. They uncovered a whaling ship along with many artifacts from the 1500s.
It is not a large museum, but it has a lot of exhibits. They show how the whaling process worked. There are many artifacts.
A scale model of one of the ships they found is on display.
The morning before we returned to the museum, we ate breakfast at Jungle Jim’s. I ordered bacon and eggs with hash browns. I should not have eaten the bacon or I should have sent it back. It was not cooked very well. I paid for it later. I was sick most of the day.
After touring the museum, we rode to the ferry dock in Blanc Sablon, Quebec, to check out the boarding procedure. We were going to ride farther south into Quebec as we were told it is pretty. I was so sick from breakfast we headed back to the hotel. We did see an iceberg.
I paid for my terrible breakfast by spending serious time on the toilet. By late afternoon I was feeling much better and a little lighter.
We took advantage of our extra time to do some minor maintenance on our motorcycles. Randy sharpens blades of all kinds for a living. He had just sharpened my knife before the trip.
I was cutting off some zip ties (should have been using my “nippers”). The knife slipped and I cut my index finger on my left hand. It was deep. It would not stop bleeding. I carry a good first aid kit with some wound care bandages that are made to stop the bleeding. He got one out, wrapped it, and taped my finger very well. We each rode our motorcycles to the emergency room. I was able to shift without any pain. It took three stitches. I had taken out special medical insurance for this trip to Canada. I have not received the bill yet.
The next day, August 3, 2023, with stitches in my finger we went to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription the doctor wanted me to have for infection. The nurse forgot to call it in. We had to go back to the emergency room and wait for the doctor to finish with a patient. I explained the problem. He called it in. It was ready soon after we arrived back at the pharmacy.
This was my second time I had to use the Canadian hospital system in seven years. Once was in Nova Scotia with a broken leg and now this time. I can say I am well satisfied with the care I received both times. I would recommend paying for medical insurance that does what they call "direct billing". I used Blue Cross Blue Shield’s GeoBleu Voyager Choice. At age 74 my cost was noticeably more than a young person’s would be. I had a $1,000,000 limit. I have always carried Med Jet in case I needed evacuated (including motorcycle).
I did not have direct pay back in 2016 with my broken leg. It was a nine-month hassle to get it all paid by my two stateside medical insurances. My primary insurance, BCBS, wanted me to pay the $23,000 then pray I got reimbursed. I held out and argued with BCBS until they paid.
After visiting the pharmacy, we had plenty of time before the ferry to Newfoundland. We decided to ride south into Quebec along Quebec 138 to Old Fort. It is the same numbered highway,138, we took out of Quebec City to highway 389. However, 138 is not continuous to Old Fort along the coast. It is connected by ferry.
We understood that most of the road to Old Fort was not paved. It was all paved although very poor in places with construction and narrow bridges. This was a beautiful ride mostly along the coast. It ended at the water’s edge where ferries deliver cargo. The good part is we had to return to the Blanc Sablon ferry terminal for the ferry to Newfoundland on the same road. The scenery appeared new.
There were not many places to stop for pictures. Pictures would not do justice to the scenery.
The first iceberg I had ever seen.
The arriving ferry to take us from Blanc Sablon to St. Barbe, Newfoundland.
We arrived early at the terminal since the time zones were a little confusing. This is when I wish I had an old fashion wristwatch. We had three time zones to work with assuming all used Daylight Time. Labrador is on Atlantic time. The ferry leaves from Blanc Sablon, Quebec. Quebec is on Eastern Daylight Time. Newfoundland is on Newfoundland Time which is one-half hour ahead of Atlantic. However, some of this part of Quebec unofficially uses the same time as Labrador. Most people speak English along this coast. They were very helpful with the times.
Our GPS and cell phones changed zones but by this time we did not even trust them. We verified that the ferry operated on Newfoundland Time since it is based out of Newfoundland. At that time, we made mental adjustments to what our GPS and cell showed. We arrived in plenty of time. We had reservations and did not want to “miss the boat”. Late arrivals without reservations take their chances.
The trip to Newfoundland is about an hour and 45 minutes plus we were supposed to arrive, I think, 1 ½ hours before departure. Our tickets were prepaid in April. All we had to do was pick them up. The cost was $18 including the motorcycle. Good deal.
The ship was large but not huge. The loading and unloading were easy. Securing the motorcycle was a little stressful for me. I felt pressured which was all in my head. The trip was smooth and comfortable. We spent most of the time on the deck. There was some food and drink available but not worth it in our opinion. We weren’t hungry.
We arrived in St. Barbe on time August 3, 2023. The motorcycles did fine. I strapped mine with two ratchet type tie downs with the side stand down. Randy did the same but left his stand up. We locked the front brake with a strap and put it in in first gear.
We had booked two nights in a two-bedroom cabin with a kitchen at the Dockside Motel. It was rustic. One of the beds had the head lower than the foot. Two rocks fixed that. This was the second time, so far, we had to boil drinking water. We had bottled water so we were good. Their restaurant was good.
This was the third time I had made reservations here. I had to cancel once because I broke my leg before leaving Nova Scotia. The second time was because of covid.
I had been wanting to go to Newfoundland since 1975 when a buddy of mine and I ran out of time. I made it this time. I had to celebrate with my favorite beer. I brought it all the way from Dallas, Texas. It is the imported Munich, Germany, Hofbrau Oktoberfest Bier. I grew to like Munich beer when I lived in Munich while going to college from 67-69. This is my favorite.
We only had about 150 miles to the ferry at Blanc Sablon. Since we were ahead of schedule, we figured we would stay in Port Hope Simpson or Mary’s Harbour, or Red Bay. There are a lot of places not listed but we did not want to keep getting off and on the motorcycles to check. We called a few places listed. We stayed at another hotel with a similar name like Northern Lights in L’Anse Au Clair in Labrador.
On our way to the hotel, we ate a late lunch at a restaurant near the museum in Red Bay. It was OK. Afterwards we went to the museum. The lady, Karen, was very friendly. All of the people from up there were friendly. She told us to come back tomorrow so we could get our money’s worth. This day our time would be short due to the closing time. We bought a ticket for the next day to take a boat ride to the historical island visible from the museum. Since our hotel was not far away and we had time, we agreed to return the next day.
Red Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The channel between Newfoundland and Labrador was a major Basque whaling area from 1530 to the 1600s. They uncovered a whaling ship along with many artifacts from the 1500s.
It is not a large museum, but it has a lot of exhibits. They show how the whaling process worked. There are many artifacts.
A scale model of one of the ships they found is on display.
The morning before we returned to the museum, we ate breakfast at Jungle Jim’s. I ordered bacon and eggs with hash browns. I should not have eaten the bacon or I should have sent it back. It was not cooked very well. I paid for it later. I was sick most of the day.
After touring the museum, we rode to the ferry dock in Blanc Sablon, Quebec, to check out the boarding procedure. We were going to ride farther south into Quebec as we were told it is pretty. I was so sick from breakfast we headed back to the hotel. We did see an iceberg.
I paid for my terrible breakfast by spending serious time on the toilet. By late afternoon I was feeling much better and a little lighter.
We took advantage of our extra time to do some minor maintenance on our motorcycles. Randy sharpens blades of all kinds for a living. He had just sharpened my knife before the trip.
I was cutting off some zip ties (should have been using my “nippers”). The knife slipped and I cut my index finger on my left hand. It was deep. It would not stop bleeding. I carry a good first aid kit with some wound care bandages that are made to stop the bleeding. He got one out, wrapped it, and taped my finger very well. We each rode our motorcycles to the emergency room. I was able to shift without any pain. It took three stitches. I had taken out special medical insurance for this trip to Canada. I have not received the bill yet.
The next day, August 3, 2023, with stitches in my finger we went to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription the doctor wanted me to have for infection. The nurse forgot to call it in. We had to go back to the emergency room and wait for the doctor to finish with a patient. I explained the problem. He called it in. It was ready soon after we arrived back at the pharmacy.
This was my second time I had to use the Canadian hospital system in seven years. Once was in Nova Scotia with a broken leg and now this time. I can say I am well satisfied with the care I received both times. I would recommend paying for medical insurance that does what they call "direct billing". I used Blue Cross Blue Shield’s GeoBleu Voyager Choice. At age 74 my cost was noticeably more than a young person’s would be. I had a $1,000,000 limit. I have always carried Med Jet in case I needed evacuated (including motorcycle).
I did not have direct pay back in 2016 with my broken leg. It was a nine-month hassle to get it all paid by my two stateside medical insurances. My primary insurance, BCBS, wanted me to pay the $23,000 then pray I got reimbursed. I held out and argued with BCBS until they paid.
After visiting the pharmacy, we had plenty of time before the ferry to Newfoundland. We decided to ride south into Quebec along Quebec 138 to Old Fort. It is the same numbered highway,138, we took out of Quebec City to highway 389. However, 138 is not continuous to Old Fort along the coast. It is connected by ferry.
We understood that most of the road to Old Fort was not paved. It was all paved although very poor in places with construction and narrow bridges. This was a beautiful ride mostly along the coast. It ended at the water’s edge where ferries deliver cargo. The good part is we had to return to the Blanc Sablon ferry terminal for the ferry to Newfoundland on the same road. The scenery appeared new.
There were not many places to stop for pictures. Pictures would not do justice to the scenery.
The first iceberg I had ever seen.
The arriving ferry to take us from Blanc Sablon to St. Barbe, Newfoundland.
We arrived early at the terminal since the time zones were a little confusing. This is when I wish I had an old fashion wristwatch. We had three time zones to work with assuming all used Daylight Time. Labrador is on Atlantic time. The ferry leaves from Blanc Sablon, Quebec. Quebec is on Eastern Daylight Time. Newfoundland is on Newfoundland Time which is one-half hour ahead of Atlantic. However, some of this part of Quebec unofficially uses the same time as Labrador. Most people speak English along this coast. They were very helpful with the times.
Our GPS and cell phones changed zones but by this time we did not even trust them. We verified that the ferry operated on Newfoundland Time since it is based out of Newfoundland. At that time, we made mental adjustments to what our GPS and cell showed. We arrived in plenty of time. We had reservations and did not want to “miss the boat”. Late arrivals without reservations take their chances.
The trip to Newfoundland is about an hour and 45 minutes plus we were supposed to arrive, I think, 1 ½ hours before departure. Our tickets were prepaid in April. All we had to do was pick them up. The cost was $18 including the motorcycle. Good deal.
The ship was large but not huge. The loading and unloading were easy. Securing the motorcycle was a little stressful for me. I felt pressured which was all in my head. The trip was smooth and comfortable. We spent most of the time on the deck. There was some food and drink available but not worth it in our opinion. We weren’t hungry.
We arrived in St. Barbe on time August 3, 2023. The motorcycles did fine. I strapped mine with two ratchet type tie downs with the side stand down. Randy did the same but left his stand up. We locked the front brake with a strap and put it in in first gear.
We had booked two nights in a two-bedroom cabin with a kitchen at the Dockside Motel. It was rustic. One of the beds had the head lower than the foot. Two rocks fixed that. This was the second time, so far, we had to boil drinking water. We had bottled water so we were good. Their restaurant was good.
This was the third time I had made reservations here. I had to cancel once because I broke my leg before leaving Nova Scotia. The second time was because of covid.
I had been wanting to go to Newfoundland since 1975 when a buddy of mine and I ran out of time. I made it this time. I had to celebrate with my favorite beer. I brought it all the way from Dallas, Texas. It is the imported Munich, Germany, Hofbrau Oktoberfest Bier. I grew to like Munich beer when I lived in Munich while going to college from 67-69. This is my favorite.
