August 16th-17th, 2010

This morning we packed our gear onto the bikes and got ready to hit the road once again.  We thanked Denis, Isabelle, and Charles for showing us a great time in Quebec City.  This visit was much different than the time I came here back in grade 7.  Hopefully someday we’ll all be lying under the Cuban sun once again; taking a break from the long Canadian winter.

Taking a break at Saint Joeseph de la Rive

Ferry crossing at Tadoussac

We managed to spot a few whales poking their heads out from the river

Soaking in the scenery at Baie du Moulin a Baude

We managed to find a place to camp next to highway 138 where we won’t be bothered

Dinner is served; too lazy to do any prep work for dinner

The next morning we continued riding east along hwy 138 and came across this interesting piece of art titled “Le Pouvoir” which means “power”.

 

After a short stop in Baie Comeau to resupply on food, fuel, and water; we were off to the races on the Trans Labrador Highway.  The TLH primarily runs through dense wilderness, with absolutely no roadside services between communities.  The majority of the 1,712 km trek from Baie Comeau to Blanc Sablon is gravel road, but eventually will be paved in the distant future.  A section of the highway recently opened on December 16, 2009 that allows you to bypass the ferry at Happy Valley-Goose Bay.  We’ll be one of the first few who will tackle this stretch of highway by motorcycle; 250 km of it to be exact.  It’s sad to say, but this will be our last extended trek into the wilderness on our trip.  Didn’t do much planning so we’re super excited for what’s to come.

There are a few hydroelectric dams along the TLH that are incredible marvels in engineering.  Here is the Jean-Lesage Generating Station or simply known as Manic 2

This here is the Daniel-Johnson Generating Station aka Manic 5.  We managed to find a nook off of the highway and found a place to camp.  Check out this view!

Words can’t really describe what we’re seeing; the thing is so massive!  It looks like a spaceship from outer space.

We ventured out in the night to get a closer look; I imagine security is tight in these parts.  It felt eerie walking towards the dam, like we were infiltrating some secret government base or something.

609 km

Back on gravel road.

One last trek into the wild.

A spaceship awaits.