Newfoundland & Labrador

Published September 2, 2018

Step aboard… experience the WONDER. Witness the world’s largest concentration of humpback whales, as we cruise along our beautiful coastlines. Steam through the passageway of 12,000 year-old icebergs as they arrive after breaking off from the Greenland ice shelf and slowly melt into our frigid waters.

Book a tour on IcebergQuest.com, kinda think you’re gonna see – well, icebergs. Oops, wrong season. No icebergs, no puffins, no whales. No discount either. BUT still the BEST way to see St John’s, Newfy’s harbor-nestled capital on the North Atlantic.

Downtown walk, easy to locate: Water St to Pier 6 (street parallel to restaurant-littered George). Knowledgeable upbeat crew – ALL with the Newfoundland accent. LOVED it! Sailed thru the Narrows into the cold expansive Ocean. Can’t imagine how our Pilgrim ancestors stomached the voyage OR had the courage. Blank landscape/nothing but grey rocking waves. Looked back on the North American continent: Greenland north, Ireland due east. Cool/constant breeze kept me easy, stomach steady. 2 other tourists not as fortunate. Crew comforted with trash bags, exchanged ‘em often. Uck.

Cape Spear, Signal Hill, Cabot Tower, Fort Amherst. Capt’n spouted lotta Newfy facts, furthering my O’ Canada knowledgeable. Tuned in bit more than normal, dug his pseudo-Irish brogue. ‘Round the active lighthouse on Cape Spear, then circled back to town.

Marathon tomorrow but not before dinner. Ya’ll know I’m a foodie 😊 Seafood’s what’s cookin’ in St John’s. Tops here? Mussels & cod. Heard it, lived it: LOUD & CLEAR. Cod chowder starter. Cod tongues app. Steamed mussels dinner. GREAT local eats.

Transportation fail. Bowring Park, Monday’s Huffin’ Puffin start: FIVE miles away. Taxi to the airport, last-minute car rental. These boots are tired of walking ♫ ♬ ♭ ♮ Whew!

: downtown St John’s

: National War Memorial (WWI)

: Jellybean Row

: city tour on the North Atlantic

: the Narrows

: Signal Hill Historic Site

: Fort Amherst

: Bald Eagle

: Cape Spear

: North America’s easternmost point

: GREAT local eats!

: far far from Colorado

Newfoundland Island

Posted in Canada | Tagged beachcombing, lighthouses, watercraft | 3 Comments

Quidi Vidi Village

Published September 1, 2018

Two provinces every year for 5 years. Marathon goal: all of Canada by 2020.

Holiday weekend destination: NEWFOUNDLAND. Nowhere further East on the North American continent. Marathoning Labour Day Monday, holiday same-day both Canada & US. Colorado return late Monday nite; days missed from work: ZERO. Perrrrrfect – stockpiling PTO (vacation days) for Antarctica (Jan 2019).

Denver to Toronto [everything Air Canada involves Toronto] almost missed my connection clearing Canadian Customs (Nova Scotia last summer, 8 extra hours ‘til next available flight). Thankfully this time, an Air Canada rep walked [me] to the front of the line; otherwise, would’ve been Sunday first opportunity to see St John’s.

Newfoundland & Labrador. Newfoundland’s the island, Labrador mainland Canada. #10 of Canada’s ten provinces, joined the Confederation March 1949. Entire weekend spent in St Johns, province’s capital city. Booked a pricey B&B stay downtown (B&B sans one ‘b’/NO breakfast). Old historic home. Unique rowhouse experience. Capital city, sleeps downtown, why rent a car? Walking vacation. By Day 2 that flaw’d be rectified. No Lyft, no Uber. Whole lotta walking. HILL-Y! Like our San Francisco without the busy city part. GORGEOUS scenery however. Over-the-top OCEAN views, unique local foods & Canada’s FRIENDLIEST people. Crazy accent too – super FUN, more Irish than Canadian.

Late to bed, early to rise. 3 ½ hour time difference. HALF hour time change? No joke. Day’s first waking thought: MUST FIND FOOD. Missed a couple meals Saturday. Ready, ready to eat! LOL>

Classic Café East on Duckworth TOPPED the short-list. For a guy who digs diners – absolutely, bang on. Waitress recommended 2 local specialties. Add my first choice (fish cakes) & that’d make THREE. Spending Canadian $$ this trip – bring it on. Words of Scarlett O’Hara: “I’ll never go hungry again.”

Fish cakes & eggs (cod cakes), toutons with molasses (fried dough/fritter) AND salted cod/hard tack & scrunchions (fish/potatoes/onions/mystery meat, skillet’d together). SUPER TASTY. Lotta take-away — big eyes, little stomach.

Boat tour scheduled early afternoon. Plenty of time to walk off breakfast – well, maybe part of breakfast. Who am I kidding? 2½ kilometers to Quidi Vidi Village. Would have to add 40 to that figure to walk off MY breakfast. SOOOO very FULL 🙂

Hafta/MUST do while in St John’s: Quidi Vidi [pronounced kiddie-viddie].

Village on the water, hemmed in the island’s rolling hills. Fishing boats, sea gulls, brightly-coloured dockhouses. Super scenic, quiet/peaceful, reminiscent of Maine. HIGHLY recommended. HUGE FAN of Newfoundland. LOVE LOVE this place ❤️

: Labor Day Holiday

: Jellybean Rowhouses

: fish cakes, toutons, salted cod/hard tack & scrunchions

: HILLY; like our San Francisco without the busy city part

: hip artisan co-op

: day’s WOW pic!

: in from Boston, LIFE’s moments BETTER when SHARED

: fishing boats & sea gulls

: brightly-coloured dockhouses

: LOVE this place ❤️

Quidi Vidi Village, NL

Posted in Canada | Tagged road-signs, watercraft | Leave a comment

Route 66 Challenge (August edition)

Published August 31, 2018

You have to fight through some bad days to earn the best days of your life.

August 2018 update: BIRTHDAY month, good to be Colorado HOME.

Recommitted myself to process, completed my first 200+ mile month since Spring. In like a LION, out like a LAMB. Unexpected health change kinda sucked the wind outta my sails.

CAN – WILL – DO

Determined to maintain a strong fighting spirit all Fall season – my last busy run season. Many new places, lotta friend/family faces. Paring down the race schedule next 2 years.

Marathoning remains a passion – gotta CONTINUE the STREAK (almost FIVE years now) – but adventuring & my Faith is directing down another path. Unknown. Hoping that means lotta tall PEAKS & crazy heavy SNOW. My faith is STRONG.

Race ReCap: 2 marathons (Mt Sneffels COLORADO, Area 51 NEVADA). 21 FINISHES (including 2 new CONTINENTS) with four months of 2018 left to GO!

Marathoning Streak: 57 months

Mileage ReCap: ended August at 460 miles (89 miles behind GOAL)