Quebec, and the longest day.

What a day. 

It was raining when I left Labrador City, and it stayed with me all day.
But I’ve been in lots of rain before, and that wasn’t what made it a long day.
It was about 12 hours of riding, but I've done more than that.

I may have made the statement earlier that I had already completed all the gravel road, and that now I had nothing to worry about.

The nice folks who told me that were probably talking about the road inside Labrador, and not including the Quebec side.
Shortly after crossing the line in Quebec, the road turned to dirt. It looked like a construction site at first, so I didn’t pay it much mind.

Then it turned to a slippery, soupy mess and continued mile after mile.
50 Miles!

It was a challenge to keep the bike upright at times.
I kept thinking of the gravel that caused problems in Labrador and wondering, “Why don’t they sprinkle some gravel on this slippery mess?” Anything to help give some traction.

Finally, I was elated to see beautiful pavement. It lasted 3 miles; then back to mud again.
40 miles of it!
I had a big cheer when that was over, but it didn’t last either. Back to mud again, but deeper.
This was Dalton Highway-class mud.

The poor bike just kept hammering through the potholes, shuddering with each wave of pounding, and I thought of all the places I’ve ridden this bike. How much more could it take?

I didn’t take any pictures of all this because I was so busy and just wanted off it.
Everything is on the GoPro footage that will come out in the movie.

I didn't realize that there was so much dirt road on this side of Labrador. If I had done my homework, I would have known about it and... well, done the same thing.
But I would have had more time to worry about it.  :-)

Note: This is the essence of adventure that isn't experienced by those people who plan and research before leaving home. It's the shock and awe of unexpected discoveries that create the lasting memories:

"Oh, wow - there aren't any paved roads here!"
"Oh, wow - this place is overrun with large predators!"
"Oh, wow - it's 252 miles to the next gas station!"


To go along with the mud was some of the steepest roads I’ve travelled on. 10% - 12% grades.
Check the road coming off the mountain in the background:

Manic 5 is an enormous hydro station - I stopped at the visitor’s center, but mainly to use the restroom. There was a free tour beginning, and I was invited to tag along, but I declined. It was raining, I had all my wet rain gear on and was carrying my helmet… I just wasn’t prepared for a 2-hour tour.

Here’s a friend I had at the lakeside campground while I was packing up to leave:

I made it to Baie Comeau, Quebec, on the southern coast. I was looking for a motel that had WiFi and pizza delivery, and found it. The tent is drying on the shower rod.  :-)

Now I’m going to bed and get some sleep without raindrops falling on my head tonight.