This message was particularly timely. I faced a major chunk of dirt road (and some paved) to get to Labrador city today. I felt a mite anxious after my spill the day before. The weather was forecasted to be sun/cloud mix, but as we have learned, pop up showers happen frequently and mud was the last thing I wanted to drive in today.
The last time a fox appeared in my path was when our son Brendan set out from Guelph to Victoria, alone, by car with little highway experience. I was terribly worried & he called home each night to report his progress & reassure me.
The morning he left, I was walking near our home & out of the bushes appeared a fox!
It is believed that the Fox is considered the protector of the family unit, keeping it safe. The Fox is an excellent talisman for those who travel. After seeing the Fox this morning, my spirit felt lifted and I knew my journey would be safe, just as I knew my son's journey would be almost 5 years ago.
My bike was in great shape. Pat drilled a new home for the windscreen that had been broken off, he straightened out the headlight bracket & nose cone, adjusted the handlebars, mirrors & front brake lever. He brought a new chain just in case mine became in worse shape so while he had all his tools out - heck he changed that too!
We did 220 km yesterday over 5 hrs. Today, the plan is to do 365 km on mostly dirt roads. Dry weather has its own hassles....dust, flying rocks from passing trucks & road graders. They leave a ridge down a portion of the road that can be extremely dangerous to cross.
Not many bikers on Hwy 389 this time of year. Passed 2 Americans yesterday earlier on our route.
We passed by the huge dam at Manic Cinq and the dirt road began.
We arrived at Relais Gabriel about 11 am and warmed up with soup & tea. Topped up with gas at $1.77 a litre.
We passed by the ghost town of Gagnon. Boulevards line the middle of the street of this town, dismantled in 1985 when the mining company that owned it, closed its doors.
Not too much further along is the 52nd parallel. We notice the trees are more sparse, taller & thinner. Plus there is moss and lichen growing around the base of the trees.
At Fire Lake, you can see 2 massive silos from a distance away. Another mining town since shut down.
Mount Wright is seen from a long way back.
The iron is being stripped from the mountain
The Quebec Cartier Mining company operates on Mount Wright. The water surrounding the mine is pink from the iron mining residue.
We find the large trucks are more courteous & slow down on the dirt road whereas the pickups & cars blast past.
Labrador city is a small mining town, expensive to live there. We didn't check it out too much after our long, tiring day on the road. We stayed at a local B & B which was clean & central.
Tomorrow we make the long ride to Goose Bay/Happy Valley. An all paved road, it should be a good run - all 530 km!
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