Part One-Arm of Gold Campground to St Johns

Sept 11th, 2019/Arm of Gold Campground

Sept 12th, 2019/Arm of Gold Campground to Sunset RV Park, Argentia via Marine Atlantic Ferry

  This morning I woke to overcast skies, no rain yet, it was coming. I made breakfast in the barn then showered. It felt good to break camp once again. I took my time, I was well ahead of it, there was no rush.
  Once in North Sydney I did a quick tour of the marina, a halibut boat was unloading its catch. One last look at the fish boats then off to grab some lunch at Subway, ate one there and wrapped a traveler for tonight’s supper. Marine Atlantic Terminal was the next stop. The passed quickly and the call for boarding rang out over the loud speaker. I threw on my rain gear, swapped out my street shoes for clogs then peddled to the front of the line, it was raining pretty good. The signal to board was quick, thankfully so. I stowed the bike, with sleeping bag etc under arm I headed for the eighth floor. The seats reclined, somewhat like on an airplane. It was quiet, we were at the end of season. There a few fellow passengers in the room, all on the same page. None of us were willing to spend the $200 for a berth. I crashed out in the chair, then moved for the floor instead, it reminded me of the tent, I felt more at home. Not a bad sleep considering I had no Thermarest. I had read on the website they weren't allowed, or at least they didn’t want people crashing on the floor, no one bothered me.
  The sixteen hour journey passed surprisingly fast. I ate a great breakfast on board, should have been for the $21.00, ouch! Argentia was foggy, no rain at the moment but noticeably cooler. Not the best introduction to my eleventh Province! I stayed to plan riding a short distance to the Sunset RV Park, I pitched and setup. It had kind-of an industrial vibe, trailers lined up on gravel pads. An oil rig was being built near the ferry slip, the park was home to all the workers. Lorn, the camp attendant offered to take me into Placentia for groceries. When I returned I cooked and ate lunch in the camp kitchen, went for a short walk, showered, then the rains came. Tomorrow was suppose to be a better weather day, I wanted to ride.

Sept 13th, 2019/Sunset RV Park to Butter Pot Prov Park

Day's total/KM 97.7/elevation gain 911 meters
Total to date/KM 8012.9/Total elevation gain 46910 meters 

I've just passed the 8000 Kilometer mark!
  A later than usual start, I was waiting for the rains to abate. I was finally under way at around 9:30, and soon greeted by my old friend “head winds”, they were strong and persistent. I followed Hwy 100, it was well shouldered and in good condition. At the Junction I swung East along the TC. The Subway sign drew me in and I stopped for lunch. Lorn mentioned a highway closure, the server at Subway filled me in on the details. It was 1:30 PM when I pulled away from Subway. My initial plan was another 20 or so kilometers, the closure pushed me on, I had another 52kilometers to crank out before days end. The TC is divided, it had a good shoulder. 30 plus kilometers out from Subway I rode thru the closure point, I was well within time. They were updating a culvert, the detour by bike was not suppose to be a fun one. It was worth the extra effort avoiding it. I arrived at Butter Pot around 5 PM. They were calling for frost, it was already cooling down and so was I. 
  Camping was free, initially Paul, whom I’d met on the Argentia Boat unannounced passed me on the way in by car. He explained my story of cycling across the country to the park attendant and wanted to pre-pay my site. The attendant wasn't disagreed and insisted he pay instead.

Sept 14th, 2019/Butter Pot Prov Park to Pippy Park Campground

Day's total/KM 45.1/elevation gain 434 meters
Total to date/KM 8058/Total elevation gain 47344 meters

 Clear skies this morning and a little nippy, there was frost on the ground! It was a mini marathon just to get to the washrooms that had hot water at the campground and mostly uphill. I did dishes etc then back to camp to pack. A female moose and her young came crashing out of the bush in front of me on the way back. They were soon down the road then blazing their own trail. The TC was good all the way thru into St Johns. At Pippy Park Campground I chose to pitch in the tent field, it was a little cheaper and the slopped field was included for free. This was home now till the 15th, my last pitch.