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“ I was expecting endless rock , but it was sand from Happy Valley to Churchill Falls to Lab city ,” Dave said .
The remoteness of Labrador became increasingly evident as they rode toward Churchill Falls .
“ That ’ s a bear ! I said as we rounded a nice sweeping corner , and we drove back within a hundred feet to take a photo ,” Steve said . He was also quite amazed with crossing over the Churchill River , “ It ’ s massive , and you hear so much about it .”
Gas stations were sparse , and the gas smelled funny at one fillup stop . After lunch in Churchill Falls , wildfires added to the day ’ s challenges . They ’ d seen water bombers roar overhead , and there were fire marshals on the road . Road closures were imminent .
“ We were the last vehicles to make it out before they closed the road , and we were told they evacuated Churchill Falls right after we left ,” Steve said , reflecting on whether it was a good or bad thing that they ’ d been let through . Regardless , he figured it was adding to the adventure .
In Lab city , Steve ’ s bike was misbehaving , forcing an impromptu repair session in a gravel-strewn parking lot . Armed with a Gerber multi-tool and sheer determination , Steve scrubbed his fuel filter while the rest of the group provided moral support . Then they went to Ba-Ba-Q for barbecue and beers , which had been recommended to Blake before the trip .
Descending toward Baie-Comeau , it was mainly sand and gravel roads . “ We were really enjoying that part ,” said Steve . They pulled into a gas station to fill their extra cans for the day . They were planning on stopping at the massive Daniel Johnson hydroelectric dam , also known as Manic-5 dam , but a fellow rider from Quebec , Dominic , alerted them to the fact that the ferry workers were set to walk off the job
Pic : Mathieu Dupuis / Le Québec maritime
that evening ( if they were planning on taking the ferry ).
They needed to fill up their extra gas cans no matter what they decided , to complete the next section of the ride . But , the power to the gas station was out . Dominic , who spoke French , talked to the linesmen , who said the power would be on in five minutes . That one interaction saved them an additional 100 kilometre backtrack to the nearest fuel stop .
“ We had to make a snap decision ,” Steve said . “ Stay the night and risk being stranded or push hard to catch the ferry .”
They chose to ride to make the ferry , with a quick photo stop at the 214 metre high , 13 arches , and 1314 metre long dam .
Dominic led the charge , setting a blistering pace on some of the finest roads the group had ever ridden .
“ Dominic was fearless ,” Steve said . “ He was almost decapitated when he rounded a blind corner and nearly collided with a house being towed .” The group stopped , breathed a
Pic : Steve Butler
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