Epilogue

Vancouver, September 8th, 2009

Well, it's been a week and a half since that last day of riding. In my last blog, I tried to describe my feelings as I covered those last few miles, and the emotions I experienced as I realized that we had reached the end of the road, and it was time to part company with my new friends. Now that the dust has settled, I re-read my journal, and realized that I did not do justice to the celebrations that followed our arrival.

I described the fiasco of our arrival in Cape Spear on the Friday; how the group managed to get split up at the last minute. This was not the end of the ride that we had wanted, and we were all disappointed that we missed the chance to ride the last few miles together and relish the end of our adventure. However, we all eventually calmed down and realized that it was just one of those things that happens; nobody's fault, and the only thing to be done was to put it behind us and carry on. After a few pints at O'Reilly's tavern, we were all feeling better, and we drank many toasts to our achievement, as well as to the lovely ladies, Valerie and Judy, who had supported us from the home front.

On the Saturday morning, we all returned to Cape Spear with Tom and Della. Out on that windy cape, we congratulated each other, reminisced about the highlights of our trip and took dozens of photos to immortalize the occasion. The sky was blue, the Atlantic was wild and the world was perfect again.

The Hipditch Cottage in St. John's was the perfect place for us to relax and to enjoy the last hours of our time together: cozy and somehow "real Newfoundland" but with enough space to be able to begin our return to normal life and to prepare for the inevitable parting of the ways. In a few hours, the place was festooned with drying laundry, with tents and sleeping bags airing on the deck ("bridge" in Newfoundland parlance).

On the Sunday, we had been invited to Tom and Della's house for another Newfoundland feast, but unfortunately an emergency occurred in their family and this was not to be. We all wish them well, and thank them again for their amazing Newfoundland hospitality.

Sunday dawned with a dose of real Newfoundland weather. Hurricane Danny was passing through, rain was lashing sideways, and we were happy to stay warm and snug in the cottage. Eventually, we ventured out in the car to pick up food and drink for the day. We loaded in codfish, salmon, fish cakes and mussels for an impromptu "last supper", and all sat around the table for hours, eating, drinking and talking over the trip, the world and the universe. A bottle of local rum (known as "screech") let us complete the formalities with a "screeching in", all downing a healthy shot in one gulp to become honourary Newfoundlanders.

And on Monday, it was time for the goodbyes. The van was packed, bikes were loaded, hugs were shared, tears were shed, and Valerie and I waved as our friends disappeared down the winding lane on their trip back to Ohio.

Valerie and I spent one more night at Hipditch. We picked up a rental car, and made a tour of the Avalon Peninsula before heading off on a weeklong tour to explore the eastern part of the province. We had arranged to stay at two more restored cottages, the E. J. Sooley house at Heart's Delight on Trinity Bay, and the Thomas Mouland house in Bonavista. Both homes were furnished just as they would have been fifty years ago when they were occupied by local families.

Our neighbours in Heart's Delight were all related to the Sooley family, and had many tales to tell of their lives and the local history. Everywhere, we enjoyed the friendliness and inclusiveness of the Newfoundland people.

The Mouland House was built 100 years ago, and is of historical significance in the area: Mr. Mouland was a survivor of the 1914 sealing disaster, when 132 men were stranded on the ice and two-thirds of them perished in a blizzard.

We spent a wonderful week, exploring the outport villages, meeting locals and sampling the local cuisine (although I must admit that cod tongues seem to be an acquired taste!) We had to keep reminding ourselves that we were still in Canada - the scenery and culture could easily make you believe that you had strayed to the west coast of Ireland.

So, now we are back in Vancouver with our memories, our photographs and our blogs to remind us that this adventure really happened. I will try in the coming days to respond to all of you who sent so many messages of support during the trip.

This time in Newfoundland was a great way for us to celebrate our coming 38th Anniversary.

Love to all

Barney and Valerie