Day 124: St. John's, NFLD -> Middle Cove Bay, NFLD

Date: Saturday, September 16, 2023
Start: St. John's, NFLD (Staying with friends)
End: Middle Cove Bay, NFLD (Tire dip in the Atlantic)
Distance: 9km

This was the last official day of biking in the trip.  The plan had been for the official ending point to be in Quidi Vidi Harbour - an area otherwise known as "The Gut" - but you'll never guess what happened!  Did you guess that the ramp down to the water in Quidi Vidi was closed?!  BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED!

Jeremy went to the Atlantic to dip his tire in the water and the ocean was closed...

Not to worry.  Despite the shores in Newfoundland being largely rocky cliffs, there are other places where one can walk down to the water.  In this case that place was Middle Cove Beach just 10km outside of St. John's.  I put all my biking gear back on, and prepared for one last ride!

At Kate's suggestion I made a little playlist of some of the songs that I listened to throughout the ride that reminded me of places I'd been.  I picked one song from each province and popped my earbuds in as I got on my bike and prepared for the last leg.

As I rode and listened to the music the memories came racing back and washed over me in overwhelming waves...

Kicking Horse pass.  Mohawks and mullets in Revelstoke.  Apricot jam with Jullian and Jill.  The wail of the loon on Gillis Lake.  Warm evening sun on Nancy's deck.  The trees of Vancouver Island.  Dinner and drinks and drinks and drinks with Warren.  The utter beauty of Iron Mine Bay.  Spanakopeta with Nicola and the family.  Spike Ball at Locarno Beach.  Brunch with Don and Tasha in North Van.  The smell of berries in the air while riding through the Lower Mainland.  Dinner with Joel and the family in Chilliwack.  Climbing Alison Pass.  The beauty of Princeton, BC.  The non-stop slendor of Southern B.C.  Climbing Gray Creek Pass all day.  That moment I arrived at Laura's in Fernie...soaked.  Riding through Crowsnest Pass with John and Kip.  Dad finding me on The Cowboy Trail.  Breakfast with Nancy in Calgary.  The tears and gut wrenching feeling of leaving Calgary one last time.  The sheer beauty of The Prairies.  The grain elevators.  Surviving the storm in Harris, SK in my little tent.  Beach volleyball in Saskatoon with Mandy.  A reunion with Aunt Rhonda and Uncle Jim in Humboldt, SK.  Donuts in Wadena, and shakes in Canora.  The heat through Dauphin and Riding Mountain.  Being adopted by Bruce and Islay in Erikson and flying for the first time.  Strawberries with Rory riding into Winnipeg.  Saskatoon berries with Iris in Winnipeg.  Dinner with Rory, Iris, Larry and the gang at The Forks.  Meeting Shaun and Phil in Kenora.  Indian food with Lorne and Nadya in Upsala.  Gavin and I being saved by Colleen and John in Neys.  Drinking Chateau Wawa with my hosts.  Dinner with Gaving and his family in Montreal River.  Meeting and getting to know the Carricato's in Sault. Ste. Marie.  Everyone trying to repair my flat tire in The Soo only to be rescued by Erika.  The sunset in Blind River.  Almost getting sprayed by skunks on Manitoulin Island.  Getting cleaned out by raccoons in Southern Ontario.  FINALLY MAKING IT TO GUELPH!  Incredible baked goods with Patrick and Mireille and family.  A day at the beach with The Polowicks.  The reunion with Skipper.  Dinner with Joe in TO.  The heat leaving Toronto.  Riding in the deluge of rain into Belleville.  Breaking bread with Tori and Sean and Skipper at Parsons Brewery.  Dinner with Gregor and Kim.  All the riding with Gregor and Skipper.  The incredible ride along Lake Ontario into Kingston.  Sunset on the locks in Kingston.  Dinner with The Fishers in Perth.  All the reunions and the incredible time in Ottawa.  La Route Verte.  The views along the Ottawa River.  Biking Mont Royal in the heat.  Picnic in The Botanical Gardens with Emily and Skipper.  Arriving in Magog.  A day with the family.  The beauty of Quebec City.  Fireworks....so many fireworks.  Probably the most beautiful sunset of my life on the St. Lawrence River.  Another poutine with Skipper.  Another incredible night at Dalhousie, N.B.  Good company in Miramichi.  All the coastline to PEI.  Biking those red dirt roads with Uncle Jim and Skipper.  Uncle Jim and Aunt Rhonda again!  Singing Stompin' Tom with Jamie.  Saying goodbye to Skipper.  Dinner with Stephen and Adam at The Narrows.  Watching surfers in The Atlantic at Lawrencetown.  Pizza in Antigonish.  The view biking into Cheticamp.  The coast of Cape Breton along the Cabot Trail.  The clouds and coastline of the Codroy Valley.  Non-stop Newfoundland.  Terry and Kate waiting for me at the finish line...

Like a straight line through both time and space I traced my path and it went through so many places and intersected with so many incredible people.  I thought about how lucky I was for everything I'd got to experience and all the people I'd met along the way.

It was only 9km to my goal and it was now the afternoon, but there were still spots in the landscape where the fog hung in the valleys in the distance.

And at some point an opening revealed the water.  It was a sharp turn and a serious downhill to the beach, and I arrived just as Terry and Kate were unloading from the car.

I took my bike down to the beach and was happy things had been closed at Quidi Vidi.  Before me was a cove of some size walled on either side by sheer cliffs of solid rock.  The beach was rocky and a picture to behold.  The Sun was bright, the few clouds only managed to highlight the beauty of the day.  I couldn't have asked for a better spot to finish.

We all gathered and I walked down to the water.  It was a treat to have Kate and Terry there to take pictures, it made the entire experience easier.

Without delay I walked down and dipped my front tire in the water.  I immediately went far away in my mind.  Back to Iron Mine Bay on the West Coast and the moment I dipped the rear tire on June 1st.  I remember thinking "You need to remember standing here and dipping this tire because you will think of it again when you're in Newfoundland and dipping the front tire in the Atlantic..."  And sure enough I did.

Terry asked if I was ok.  I must have looked spaced out and gone.  I came back to reality and we proceeded to take lots and lots and lots of pictures!

It didn't take long before my feet were soaking wet.  But the water was surprisingly warm.  And wanting to make the most of it, I decided to jump in.  I went in to my waist and jumped in head first.  It was a sort of baptism.  A cleansing.

Kate asked me if I felt like being by myself.  She noticed I hadn't cried.  And she was right, I didn't really feel the tears coming.  What I felt was an intense feeling of gratitude.  For all of you and the time we've shared.  For the experience and the distance and the things I've seen.  For it being done.  For it being possible to do at all.  When I dipped my tire on the West Coast I cried a lot and I think that was largely nostalgia because I'd been to the place before with so many other close friends.  But this was different.  A new place, a new experience, and so many reasons to be happy about it all.  I didn't feel sad because you were all far away and long ago.  You were all so recently and just down the road.  And I was happy I had traveled it to see you, or even traveled it with you.

Fun Fact: The odometer for biking from Calgary to Sooke, and then back again to this point was...

10478 km

That'll be the official number for the trip.

I spent a few minutes staring out and reflecting on the trip and trying to burn the memory of that moment and that place into my mind.  And then - like so many times over the last 120 days - I put my helmet back on, got on my bike, and started down the road.  One last time.  And when I was back at Kate and Terry's house, it was over.  And in that moment, it was enough.