yyt

The mantra from the crew when heading out for another morning of exploring was – is there another road that we can go along.

Nope.

The province is like this there is one road to where you want to go – well once out of the greater St. John’s area. There is the possibility of making a circular trip but there are no options on what route. Trepassey? Route 10. Corner Brook? The TCH. Woody Point? Route 431.

I also realise that at times it could be quite frustrating, Route 20 to Pouch Cove but the lack of options went without notice. There was a reassurance of marking distance by familiar points passed and their change over time coupled with the amount of roadside attractions – Best Friends Restaurant in Cape Broyle, the Last Supper Mural, the erratics of the Gambo River.

Because of this I wondered why another road was needed when I felt that I hadn’t really seen Route 430 enough, the fishing areas still within the park, the towns along the road, the lobster pot storage area north of Port au Choix. I did note that I hated the trip between Rocky Harbour and Woody Point but this was more from me wanting to get to the turn off rather than anything really wrong with the road. It was the western equivalent of Route 20 – one day I’ll stop along that when not in a hurry to get into town or out to Pouch Cove.

Hitting the States, I noticed this urge to see what the optional routes would be like as I realised that there were options. I am sure that there were options once I left the island especially once off Cape Breton but I only realised this once I saw U.S. 1 in Calais Maine and realised that it was the same road that passed the house where I was born.

Here in the States there is a history of road “improvements” that don’t necessarily widen the existing road but build a new one that more or less parallels it at a reasonable distance. In this case U.S. 1 and I-95. Being more efficient, however, the newer roads are stripped of all things interesting.

Taking State Road 9 from Calais to Bangor, I saw old motels, non chain restaurants, towns. Needs were spaced due to some organic growth rather than some formula for rest stops along the interstate. Maine is particularly telling heading north along I-95 there is a sign warning travellers of the last 24 hour gasbar along the toll road. It takes some time before one realises it doesn’t mean no gasoline will be available - as the warning entering Route 480 to Burgeo states - that it simply means that one will have to leave the road to refuel.

I felt tempted and frustrated playing tag with the US routes – 40, 20, 6. I know that it would have made re-entry back into the States better if I had the time to use them.