A posse ad esse - "From possibility to actuality"

Quebec!

This is right after we'd gotten off the train we had taken South to Sept-Iles, Quebec. Canada Day it was. There was a big celebration the park we took this picture from. I thought it was a beautiful town, but so starky different from the Labrador we had come from that morning. Here we were again seeing very nice houses with perfect, colorful gardens, and perfectly trimmed grass. We noticed right away that the friendly feeling we had grown used to in Newfoundland/ Labrador was replaced with looks of suspicion as we passed, waves and smiles were not generally returned and no conversations were started by strangers.

At the end of our first day biking in Quebec, we had reached a look out and were trying to decide if we should go down to the campground, when we were called over to a big antique building being refinished across the street. Mark (the one in white, the only one who spoke fluent English) translated for us that we could come in and eat supper and stay the night if we wanted. What a wonderful world we live in! They were just finishing eating and served us up the rest of their lobster/rice/asperagus/bread and french cheese dinner!

Cheeses brought from France. Keith was in Heaven.

Our first real 'taste' of the French culture that exists in Quebec was a nice one :) From this point, for the next week and a half we felt as though Canada were a place far away and we were enjoying the French countryside.

Merci Beaucoup!

This is a place called Caribou Island we really loved. We stopped here for a long snack break. It was glorious.

Camp in Goudbout. So hot, hot, hot and Humid, humid!!!!! We went to bed feeling very sticky. Catching the ferry to the South shore at Matane in the morning.

The Last of the Labrador Wild

The first day out of Churchhill Falls (after we had spent the morning touring the mine and hiking to the falls) we did only a half-day of biking, during the which biking, a very nice hunting guide named Vernon from Maine pulled over in his truck to talk to us. He had some guests from Maryland and they were out fishing and hunting a bear. He invited us to stop in at the lodge he and his father (Charles) run. It happened to be the perfect distance away for us to bike that evening. Charles and Vernon are awesome. I miss them. It was so nice to stay in their cabin there and take a shower and eat a nice meal or two and share some good conversation ; ) That night their guests did get a small black bear and Keith watched them skin it. They are typically a Caribou-hunting outfit (they had never taken anyone to get a bear before then) but because some European dude made a documentary about how the Caribou are becoming endangered because he couldn't find the herd to film them (when the populations is Actually doing just great--that has been confirmed by others we have talked to), new legislation came out to stop the hunting of Caribou for who knows how long.

Trees and Lakes.... others say it's boring "there's Nothing there!" But I found it so beautiful!!! There is so much variation in the trees and waters that I never got bored!!

More 'bares'... this was a big ol' bar.

Second night on our way to Lab. City: we had biked 86 or so miles and it was rainy and we were dripping and cold when we finally found this campground. Walked into the "office" to pay for a patch of grass, when we were welcomed by a warm room of cheerful people telling us to come on in and dry off. They hung our clothes by the fireplace and brought out huge plates of delicious food for us. I was really trying hard not to cry I was so happy and overwhelmed by the hospitality and warmth and kindness we have been met with at every turn in Newfoundland. They let us sleep on the couches in the main cabin. We were also met when we entered with the faces of the two German bikers we had heard about from people on the road for a few weeks! We had finally crossed paths! We had a great time talking about our trips and hanging out. They are the only others we have met who are traveling the direction we are! (We have met many cross-canada bike tourists, but all others have gone West to East, as one is "supposed to"). Hopefully we'll see them again at some point.

Labrador City. A mining town. My 23rd birthday.

July 1st. Waiting to catch the train down to Sept-Isle. Cavelle (who runs the campground) gave us these hats to wear for Canada Day. Yeah, we biked in them.

Classic.

Hanging out in the wilderness with massive construction equipment.

The seven-hour train ride WAS beautiful! (Keith took these pictures leaning out one of the side doors...)

Labrador -- Part... I lost track...

Good-bye Wilf and Brenda!!! Thanks for everything you helped us with during our not-so-regretable delay in Goose Bay!

Okie dokie.

This particular night, Keith was sick. He just rested in the tent while I, lonely, ate some random snacks for dinner on the road. Well, later that night (in the middle of it) Keith was still awake feeling nauseous so he was able to hear the bear that was walking around our tent. He woke me up so he wouldn't startle me with yelling. We listened intently trying to hear the bear-- it was scratching the tree across the road trying to get our food bag. We took turns yelling at the bear and it left, came back and tried the tree again, we yelled again, then it walked back past our tent the way it had come. Awesome. I was terrified. My heart was pounding so hard. I really didn't like that. The next morning we saw the bear that was probably the culprit a kilometer or so down the road. This is one thing I will not miss about Labrador.

They offer free tours of the Hydro-Electric Plant, so we signed up the day before and took advantage the next morning of the opportunity to go 1200 feet underground and look around. Big cables, eh?