Saturday 29 June 202 to 1 July 2024, 1083 miles
Saturday 29 June 2024, The Trans Labrador Highway is one of those roads that we don’t have in the UK or even Europe, long, very long and isolated.
We caught the ferry at 8.00am for the 1hour 45 minute crossing from St Barbe to Sablon Blanc. We attracted the usually attention that motorcyclists with UK plates get from the more adventurous of our fellow passengers. A conversation soon started with Pat and his 2 friends, both called Ken, they were on a salmon fishing trip to Pat’s very isolated cabin somewhere in the North of Labrador, this involved a flight on a light aircraft, there are no roads where they were going. One of the Ken’s had recently returned from a motorcycle trip in Morocco, this gave us a common adventure to talk about as I have been to Morocco several times on a motorcycle, the last time in 2023. 3 really nice men who gave me their contact details and the offer of accommodation at their homes, if I ever come back to this Newfoundland.
The ferry that sails between St Barbe and Sablon Blanc
We saw some whales at the side of the ferry, raising to the surface and showing us the spray of water and air from their blow holes. Very exciting for us tourists, from the reaction of the locals a common sight for them.
The ferry docked and we headed north through a few miles of Quebec before crossing into Labrador, the sun was shining, there were lots of houses and the road surface was good, easy enough so far.
View from the cliffs just outside Sablon Blanc
Our destination for the night was Happy Valley-Goose Bay, the last fuel before this town was at Port Hope Simpson, we filled the bikes up and found a good cafe that sold us home cooked beans and bread, very taste. Only 257 miles before the next fuel station, a stretch for all of the bikes other than my BMW R1250GS Adventure. We all made it, some of us a little nervous towards the end of the journey, and then the bad news, the town of Churchill Falls is closed and all the inhabitants are evacuated because of a wildfire, no fuel for 329 miles until we reach Labrador City. We gathered at the fuel station at Happy Valley-Goose Bay and considered our options, we needed spare fuel, the BMW would be OK, although I would be nervous, the other bikes wouldn’t make it, some of us had spare fuel tanks and we were able to purchase 3 further 5 litre cans which we hoped would be enough to get us to Labrador City. Heading to a camp site the heavens open again so we decided to find a hotel, the first hotel looked rough and a warning from a local about its homeless drug taking inhabitants diverted us to the more expensive hotel next door.
Cafe at Port Hope Simpson
Sunday 30 June 2024, 329 miles with nowhere to stop, a challenge for all of the bikes other than my BMW with its 30 litre fuel tank, even so that’s a daunting journey. Before leaving the UK I had read that the Labrador Authorities will loan satellite phones to traveler’s, there in mobile signal on the Trans Labrador Highway down to Labrador City. The hotel we were in was one of the loan sites, I collected a phone signing for it and leaving my credit card details incase I didn’t return it to a drop off location in Labrador City.
Satellite phone loaned to me by the Labrador Authorities
We set off in heavy rain that continued for nearly all of the 329 miles, in the first 3 hours of the journey I saw 16 cars and one black bear crossing the road, this is a very lonely place. When I was researching the Trans Labrador Highway I was disappointed that they paved it all in 2022, I wanted to ride the gravel, as it turned out with very heavy rain all day I was pleased it was tarmac. At Churchill Falls police cars were positioned at the access roads into the town preventing anyone entering the evacuated town. Apparently everyone who lives in the town works for the hydro power generating company, a very lonely place to live, work and bring up a family.
A wet ride to Labrador City
We eventually reached Labrador City, I handed the satellite phone over at the designated hotel and found a coffee stop to consider our options. The sun had come out so camping at the side of the lake at Fermont was the conclusion, a decent enough site ruined by the very ferocious mosquitoes that love taking blood from me and leaving some very itchy and red swellings. Fermont is a mining town in Quebec, we had left Labrador. It somehow felt different in Quebec, less wild more developed, cleaner.
View from the campsite at Fermont
Monday 1 July 2024, today we are heading South towards Baie Comeaux on the St Lawrence river, 160 miles of the road is unpaved and the sun was shining. The only downside was the large trucks that created clouds of dust that obscured my vision so much that every time the passed I nearly had to come to a standstill. Tonight we camped at Camping Manic 2, Rivière Aux Outards, not a bad site apart from the mosquitoes.
The dust generated by lorries travelling at speeed
On the way to the campsite we passed the dams and hydro electric generation plants called Manic 1 and 5, named after the Manicouagan river. The last part of the ride to the campsite was a longish with some great series of bends that flowed beautifully, like so many great European roads.
Not much English spoken now, all French, the area seems more French than France.
