Brad, keep me in the loop if you do take that IOM trip, its something i've always wanted to go, too. The wife and kid and I went to ireland summer before last and the plan for me and my boy was to sneak away to the races for a couple days but we ended up going later in the summer.
Speaking of places with odd names, I came across this gas station on my 2011 cross country trip. Sadly, they did NOT sell T-Shirts. I should've bought the coffee mug, though.
I know. That was just the first one I saw. None of the ones where I stopped had T-shirts though. Most of them couldn't seem to understand why I'd want one, either. Go figure.
Some more photos from "The Rock" (Newfoundland and Labrador):
My wife took that photo over my shoulder as we rode into Gros Morne National Park. Those are the "Table Lands" ahead of us, a place where the Earth's crust split open and magma oozed up and solidified into rock. There is no vegetation as the surface is poisonous to plant life. The white patches are snow fields.
This is Norris Point in Gros Morne National Park.
L'Anse Amour, Labrador. The oldest evidence of a ceremonial burial in the New World. Beneath this mound of rocks was a child buried face down with several trinkets buried with him. The site is approximately 3,000 years old.
Great stuff Jaimec! I was there also back in 1990 I think. We went to L'Anse aux Meadows to see the original foundations of the huts build by Erik the Red's son when he discovered a New Found Land. I have pics on film somewhere!
we were there in 2000 and COMPLETELY unaware they were doing a reenactment of the arrival of the first Europeans in the New World. They even found a direct descendant of Leif Erickson to pilot the replica boat from Greenland to L'Anse aux Meadows and we just happened to be there. The first time I've EVER seen traffic in Newfoundland. It was a HUGE deal.
That just awesome! The whole story of Leif stopping there long enough to build a village and a "smithy" to make nails to repair his boats. A pretty self sufficient group!!
Other random thoughts: We never got tired of eating lobster in Nova Scotia, but we did get pretty tired of codfish in Newfoundland! On three separate occasions we took the ferry from Fortune, NFLD to St. Pierre et Miquelon. Unfortunately it was a passenger-only ferry so we had to lock up the bike in Newfoundland but that wasn't a problem. We got to tell people we did a "Three Flags Tour" of North America without going to Mexico to see if they can figure out where we went.
On Cape Breton we used to stay at the Seal Island Hotel in Boulardarie but the original owner sold the place and the new owners didn't seem to have ANY idea on how to run a Hotel/Restaurant. BTW, the original owner's name was "Frank Skinner," the same as a Bad Webber I've seen posting here.
By the way, took advantage of the current situation to ride around Manhattan yesterday. It was downright eerie! I'd seen the photos of Times Square deserted, but until you see it in person, it's hard to believe. Even when you're there, it's surreal. Fortunately, at least one NYC mainstay was open even if you couldn't eat inside...
I recall the afternoon of 9/11 .... when they opened the subway and I arrived at 59th on the N Train . . . Emerged from the subway and found 2nd Avenue with 1 car and 2 persons in sight.
One of my favorite traditions used to be wandering Manhattan . . . Just after sunrise ... on New Years Day. That is where the legendary “Ulysses” picture . . . 7 months before the model was publicly unveiled. . . Came from.
Keep the pics coming and I’ll be heading back to The Hudson Valley late June ...let me know if you get in the area.
