Another great morning in what is becoming a truly sublime (and surreal) Newfoundland summer. Ready for a big day ahead (crossing the Topsails) I set off from Boom Siding. Alas the scourge of saplings made another appearance (last seen on the late night leg to St Georges).
Unfortunately on a mountain bike there is no option to ride in the middle as it is 6 to 8 inches deep with loose stones. A front wheel washout on a fully loaded bike could be gravel rash, or worse, a broken rider or bike :-(
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| The overgrown saplings closing in on the track |
To test the mettle of any sane rider the track then threw in a few kilometers of loose stones. Energy sapping at the worse time, early in the day.
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| The dreaded loose stones :-( |
Deer Lake power station was a welcome sight and relief from the loose stones (though very temporary it would prove).
The power station is from around 1924. The large pen-stocks (pipes) in the photo are actually constructed from wood! The lines are steel bands (many thousands) bolted around the wood to form the pipe. After 90 years service there is the odd leak perhaps (Ed Note: when I returned to Corner Brook they were unloading new pipes at the waterfront to replace these penstocks).
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| State of the art in 1924 |
This next bridge certainly raises the question did the drawing get flipped the wrong way round after it was sent from St. John's? (yes the photo is taken the right way up). The only such "upside-down"
bridge I came across on the journey.
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| Perhaps they had a Australian assisting on the day. Down-under bridge anyone? |
The next obstacle also came without warning. I spent some time pondering if my 70 kgs would "really" collapse this huge concrete structure with it's built in factor of safety (perhaps a touch degraded by it's advanced age). These are the sort of obstacles an online and up to date trail guide would help prospective travelers with (small hint to trail council please).
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| The second unfortunate obstacle on the trail |
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| The alternative? A faint track crosses the base of the dam and up the other side |
I'll leave you to decide the best route. Suffice to say on arriving at the other side I discovered yet a third option which the ATV's use, though I suspected it required getting your feet wet.
As I sat down to lunch not long after crossing the main dam I noticed the ground was very busy with tens of little jumpers:
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| Pint sized lunch companion, a very small frog in the red circle is just visible |
At this point Sandy Lake was on my right and the area began to live up to it's name with some very tempting spots to call it a day and enjoy a swim, if you could ignore the flies ;-)
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| Private beach, Trailway style (and yes the water was very warm!) |
At this point I noticed the temperature was getting a touch unbearable. I stopped in Howley for some cool refreshments and placed my watch in the shade to check the ambient temperature, a sultry 36 degrees!
Howley is famous as the place Moose were introduced into Newfoundland.
Newfoundland, much like the islands of New Zealand, had very few native species before our forefathers decided they needed more sport. Newfoundland seems to have fared much better than New Zealand. The consequences of introduced species in New Zealand having devastated the native wildlife such as the kiwi and introduced plants taking over vast areas of once native forest or productive land.
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| How to introduce a new species into the eco-system. |
After Howley lay the great expanse of the Topsails.
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| The first hint of what lies ahead, straight as far as the eye can see! |
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| Kitty's Brook, climbing onto the Topsails but still very hot here |
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| Ever resourceful? Not sure how they managed to move it into position as there is no road for many miles |
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| A genuine life saver! Water although plentiful, was not easily accessible from the trailside |
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| The loose stones make another appearance |
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| and conspired with the overgrowth for double trouble |
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| Cabins at Ponds Crossing, getting pretty remote |
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| And the first glimpse of the Gaff Topsail (right edge of photo) |
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| Confirmation I had arrived, thanks to informative signage. |
The topsails are a collection of rock outcrops in this barren central plateau. The Gaff Topsail lies closest to the railway line but other outcrops are named in the area such as the Mizzen Topsail and the Main Topsail (pictured below).
The gaff topsail was the small sail at the top of a gaff rigged sailing ship. Gaff rigging is no longer used with modern sails having fiberglass or carbon battons to retain sail shape. The mizzen was the second (often smaller) mast to the rear on a ship with two or more masts.
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| The Main Topsail |
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| The view from atop the Gaff Topsail (worth the short climb). The rail line is the dark strip starting middle left in the photo |
Short video from atop the Gaff Topsail as the rain started to take hold. To the south rain, but to the north and east still fine.
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| And then the rain came! |
Actual torrents of rain arrived just as I summited the Gaff Topsail. By the time I got back down the trail was two small rivers (one for each wheel rut). Not so pleasant riding conditions. The temperature was OK but the wet makes steering and riding that little bit more treacherous. The puddles often hide large solid objects as I was about to find out.
As I rolled off one stone I heard the familiar sound of a spoke "pinging" as it broke. Appropriate that I was as far away from civilisation as the trail gets and bike troubles start.
Oddly, combined with the rain I felt somewhat set back at this point. Fortunately as often happens in these situations there really is "no one" to help so you have to sort it out yourself. "Character-building" is what the British used to call such situations. Either way they are good tests of your resourcefulness and positivity.
I set about adjusting the tension of the opposing spokes to counteract the lack of tension from the absent spoke. Fortunately with disc brakes the trueness of the wheel is less critical. I gingerly continued on my way.
As an odd side note: I noticed when I took photos atop the Gaff Topsail that I had full cellphone coverage. Not something to depend on but could be useful if all else fails.
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| The lofty heights: 1554 feet. |
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| The rain subsides as fast as it arrives. The view of the Main Topsail from the other side. |
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| Mary March Brook |
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| It was getting late, but a less than appealing option for the night, was the old bunk car |
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| A little fuzzy but the camera was out quicker this time |
And this next guy had a layer of skin taken off his nose by my peddle!
Not sure who got the bigger fright, but as I whizzed past I turn to see a rather large animal on the edge of the track. It's been a few years (35+) since I've seen or thought about a beaver. I certainly didn't recall them being that large!
This guy was the size of a very well fed Labrador dog. What they say about Icebergs (you can only see 1/9th above the surface) applies to beavers! He doesn't look big in the water but up close and personal I certainly wouldn't take him on.
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| An unhappy beaver |
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| His dam, at 7 feet high a substantial structure |
The rest of the ride out to Badger (via Millertown) was painfully slow as I nursed the rear wheel making minor adjustments every few kilometers. The day ended with fish and chips and 161 kms under the wheels (and just nudging the halfway mark of the trip!).
Elevation profile for the day. The small blip in the middle isn't an error, it was from the side trip up the Gaff Topsail itself. Well worth the walk up for the views and to get a true sense of how stark and remote the area is:
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| The Gaff Topsail (the blip) crowns the ride across the barren central plateau |
Day 3 and a big day across the top:
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| Deer Lake (Boom Siding) to Badger - 161 kms |
Continued:
Link to Day 4 of the Ride
