Newfoundland!
Check out the Newfoundland Tour Journal below…! In point form for all you short attention spanners…
The guys pick me up mid afternoon. Raining. Not how I pictured this road trip starting. Realize I forgot my coldcuts at home. Curse. Outrun the storm and are back under clear skies. Switch the driving up just before Ottawa, and make our way into Quebec. Darkness falls. Can’t believe how much construction is going on in this province. Gas stop. Switch drivers again. Crash. Hard.
Wakeup to the guys oohing and aahing over the New Brunswick landscape in the morning. Cross into Nova Scotia in the afternoon. A few hours till the ferry is to leave so there is time for 3 or 4 (or 7) drinks at Rollies in North Sydney. We stand out like sore thumbs in the place but people are too polite to stare. Try to steer the conversation away from F bombs and sex acts. Fiddlers appear in the pub, one by one until there must be 10 of them with a guitar player and pianist. East Coast good times ensue. Hop on ferry. Millions of stars up on the top deck. Reminds me of Titanic. Subs and herbs. Good spots to sleep already taken. Sleep on decently hard floor of ferry.
Wake to PA announcement of arrival on Newfoundland. Back in our second home, the van. Sleep through more oohing and aahing about mountains and oceans. Much to tired (and hungover) to raise head to see beautiful scenery. I’ll catch it on the way out. 10 hrs of amazing scenery and sun and we’re at the hotel. Can see the ocean from the room. Quick cheap dinner then catch Friday’s showcase at Club One. Drinks. Hotel. Attempt to sleep through loud snoring of band members.
Continental breakfast then over to the Conference. Meet as many reps from schools as possible. Network. Invite everyone to our showcase. Fish and chips lunch and then over to soundcheck. Back to hotel to nap and have dinner. Head back to club one and rock out. More drinking and networking. Post party at Conference hotel. $2 beers. Black Horse is the beer of choice in NFLD. Get lost trying to get back to our hotel. Lost in St John’s? Just want to sleep. Eventually figure it out and fall into coma.
Check out. Back on the road. Stop a few times and enjoy the NFLD landscape. Grab some rocks for souvenirs. Catch the view of the mountains that I missed on the way in. Arnold impressions have us laughing too hard. Man, we’re tired and punchy. Back on ferry. More modern this time and less comfy. Again sleep on floor. Guys stay up playing arcade games all night.
Awake to thick Newfoundland accents talking excitedly. See Tom Fun Orchestra leaving ferry. Jealous that they only have to drive to Cape Breton. Back on mainland. Raining now. Food has exploded in freezer bag. Van smells like rotten food now in addition to the thick dude smell. Switch drivers in New Brunswick. Drive through beautiful NB. See a bear. Quite proud of ourselves. Want to see a moose but careful what I wish for. Watch Madagascar until battery dies on mini DVD player. Switch drivers in Quebec. The night hawk in me prefers driving the graveyard shift instead of the morning shift. Happy to be back in Ontario. Cheaper gas. Smells like pine. Craving floss and bed. 6am roll into Toronto after 22 hrs on road today. HOME SWEET HOME.