The sun had set and a few drops of rain had started to fall on the darkening coastline. I had begun searching for a place to camp along the water but the dense short trees made it difficult to find a suitable spot to hang my hammock. In Parson's Pond, I pulled in to the picnic area to have a snack when a blue Toyota truck loaded with driftwood pulled in beside me. I had noticed the driver loading it up a few miles back up the Viking Trail (Hwy 430). "Hey me b'y, you's looking fer a place to camp? Follow me!" I had only to warn him my top speed was limited to 70kph and was soon off following the red brake lights into the darkness. Soon we arrived at a garage outside Three Mile Rock where a horse grazed on the shoulder. I stopped to introduce myself to Reuben, a Toyota enthusiast evidenced by his many Toyota tattoos on hands, arm and neck. My kinda guy! He showed me around back near the horse corral where two perfectly spaced spruce trees would provide my hammock a home. Old Ski-Doo's rusted beneath the nearby pine bows and the dim hum of a radio inside the garage mixed with the sound of the surf in the night air. Reuben brought me into his well appointed garage and showed me his mini bike hiding in the back. He led the horses around to the corral as I set up my hammock then bid me a good night. It was all the better to be asleep beside my equine companions as it helped mask my own scent of dirty socks and musty down sleeping bag. Ahhh life on the road. Rain dripped onto my hammock with the first light of morning sifting through damp dandelions. The horse whinnied and in the distance I swore I could hear a rooster crow. What a relaxing night in the rain, dry in my hammock. I packed up and headed inside his home for a cup of coffee, some cookies and crackers - breakfast of champions and many Newfoundlanders I've found! We shared a few stories before heading out to unload the collection of driftwood from the back of one of his many mid 90's Toyota Trucks. He impressed me with the remarkably low cost he paid for each, few more than $500, some as low as $100, yet all showing some age and much potential for future work as a plow truck or grocery getter. The rain picked up so I pushed the scooter into the garage bay and spent the morning being introduced to a variety of friends who stopped by on their way to Corner Brook or farther south. To my surprise he knew both Steve and Ralph, my new friends up near Bartlett`s Harbor and Shoal Cove. It truly is a small world on the coast of Newfoundland!
2 Comments
Reuben
10/31/2015 07:04:18 pm
Just wanted to say hi.Glad you made it back on your bike.thanks for the great write up about me
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Mike
10/31/2015 08:13:58 pm
Thanks Reuben! It was a joy meeting you and for the chance to stay in your yard. Hope you are all set on wood for winter. Stay warm up there.
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Mike SaundersIn May 2014 I quit my job to ride a Honda Ruckus over 69'000 mi and counting. Wild camping most nights and cooking most of my own meals, I keep the costs low and the landscape changing. Archives
April 2018
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