88 km, 6.5 hrs
The morning started out with a detour in search of fresh bread. Scott wanted to get back on the TCH right away (and head up a big hill to do so), but we had little food and didn’t know what would be available on the highway. We knew there was a convenience store in Bellevue and a bakery in Norman’s Cove, so we took a detour along the coast via the 201 instead. Scott was quite doubtful about the route due to steep hills and a “Rough Road” warning sign, but it turned out OK. The hills were definitely steep, but the road was great. A few potholes and rough spots, but otherwise excellent. 
The views along the coast were quite spectacular, and much more interesting than the TCH. Unfortunately, we got to Norman’s Cove only to discover the bakery was closed. Very sad.
Once we got back on the highway the roads were much faster than the last few days. The winds were still from the south west, however we were now going mostly east, so that translated into a quarter tailwind rather than a headwind. With the tailwind, the hills were much more bearable, and we climbed quite happily.
By dinner time, it was clear we weren’t going to make St. John’s today as we had hoped. The daylight would be fading shortly. Our new friends Fraser and Judy had offered us a rescue, so we took them up on it, just before Butter Pot Park. Fraser came out with a trailer to pick up us and our bikes, and Judy had a sumptuous meal ready for us when we got to St. John’s. A wonderful finale to ten days in the saddle.
