Taking my time on Canada Day 2025

 Bonne Fête du Canada à vous tous!

This surprise visitor on the sidewalk at the B&B where I slept last night was no doubt there on my path to remind me to take my time and enjoy the experience of Canada Day in Newfoundland. 

The sky was overcast as I left Twillingate this morning and as I stopped to take a few pictures at the harbour, including one of a statue of a mermaid no less, and of a Canadian Coast Guard vessel at the CCG base wharf. 

After I left the wharf I proceeded to get lost in Twillingate. I can see you rolling your eyes and thinking, how can someone get lost in such a small place as that? Well, it’s actually not that difficult, particularly if you decide not to trust Lucy of my GPS. I was convinced, until I wasn’t after having repeatedly ignored her suggestion to ‘’make a u-turn’’, that she was once again sending me off on a wild cod chase. Well as it turned out this was not a July 1 Fool trick that she was trying to pull on me. Once headed on the right course the rest of the day’s ride went off without a hitch.  There was even at one point a real Canada Day parade, complete with a town fire truck, at least two police cruisers and an emergency response vehicle with lights flashing and sirens blazing followed by at least 2 dozen cars and pickup trucks (there are a lot of those here - many of them red), festooned with flags  and other Canada Day decorations. It was nice to see the outpouring of pride in one’s beloved country. 

The sides of the road contain a wide variety of wildflowers including many beautiful stands of lupins in different colours.

I was looking forward to having lunch in Gander but the best I could do was a meal at a Swiss Chalet as all other restaurants with a girl’s name or the word ‘Family’ in it were all closed. I guess they were all out watching parades or otherwise celebrating Canada’s birthday; who can blame them. 

It had started to rain again, lightly, by the time I

arrived at the 3,000 kilometre mark of this year’s ride, as the next picture shows. 

Tonight I am at the Clarenville Inn on the TCH, a day away from St John’s, which I am planning to use as a base from which to explore the Avalon Peninsula.