tuckertj
Observer
An entie day later than initially planned, we managed to depart my apartment around 2pm on Tuesday July 22nd. Destination? St. Johns NL (or as close as possible).
Numerous factors had led to our late departure. Last minute touch-ups, prep, inspecting the Jk's and of course, tardiness (late arrival from Burgeo by Lindy). All of that no longer mattered now, the trip we were in talks about for almost a year was finally happening. OverNL had begun.
Before leaving town, we had to run a few last minute errands. Our first stop was to a local grocery store to purchase food. After filling our coolers, I had a last minute idea that I needed a more durable storage tote. That led to a trip to Canadian Tire to purchase a 90L Action Packer. Luckily Canadian Tire has a gas bar and we were able to fill our tanks at the same location. Finally before hitting the highway, we agreed that we had regretted not designing a vehicle decal for our trip. Now this isn't a major deal but let's face it, decals are cool, fun to look at, and will give some people an idea of what two outfitted Jeep Wranglers are doing driving across the Newfoundland T'railway. Knowing that it would set us significantly farther behind if we searched the town for auto detailer, one of us looked up and spotted a Staples store. Twenty minutes and eight dollars later, we were sporting brand-new #OverNL decals.
Our first stop was a mere 10km away to meet a friend. Once there, Lindy borrowed a drill from our buddy and popped a hole in the side of his expo trailer to give easier access to the intake of his water system. Once that was done we picked up some beverages and ice at Georges Ski-World in Steady Brook and hit the road. The closest place the Newfoundland T'railway picked back up was Deer Lake, which was 50km away. 50km of pavement driving to begin our journey was not something we wanted to do. Lucky for us, with a little research and past conversations with other expo members we heard about a back road from Humber Valley Resort to Deer Lake via Goose Arm Road. We drove the highway for 7km and finally got our tires on the dirt at the Humber Valley Resort. A quick air down and we departed the valley around 5pm. This trail was approximately 50km, the same as the paved highway but with an average speed of 20km/h vs. 100km/h we estimated the route could take 3 hours rather the 30min!
The road between Humber Valley and Deer Lake proved to be a better idea than we both could have imagined. The weather was great, clear skies and 30 degrees. This opened up some great scenery. We expected the road to be fairly well maintained and easy to drive but to our surprise there were several obstacles. These weren't anything too challenging but enough to put the JK in 4WD, disconnect the sway bar and keep the trip exciting. Our first obstacle was a small brook crossing because the bridge over it was no longer safe. Shallow water and a solid bottom allowed us to cross with ease and not tear up the terrain or our vehicles. There were several other washouts and bridge closures along the way but nothing a lifted JK on 35's couldn't handle with relative ease. Approaching the end of the trail and nearing Deer Lake, the GPS was showing a water crossing coming up. I can easily say that there was little debate between us in deciding to give it a go. Once we eased into the brook we quickly discovered that this was a local swimming hole! Safe to say seeing two JK's with one towing an expedition style trailer was not something a couple of local's expected to see that evening! We quickly apologized for startling the swimmers and slowly crossed the swimming hole. They snapped a couple of pictures during our crossing and after seeing the smiles on their faces, we're confident in saying they didn't mind our surprise visit.
From there we soon entered Deer Lake via Goose Arm road and a cold beverage was on both of our minds. It was now approaching 8pm but time was nothing more than just a number to us. We stopped at a local bar “Langers” for a single spice & 7. Taking full advantage of our resources, we also enjoyed some free popcorn before hitting the road.
It was now finally time to start what we had signed up for! We first hit the Newfoundland T'railway at 8:30pm on Tuesday July 22nd. We didn't travel far that night, just to Howley. Driving up to this point had been relatively easy. We weren't travelling fast, but it was to be gentle on both our vehicles and the terrain. The largest obstacle of the day presented itself soon after starting the T'railway with a fairly steep hill climb on the easterly side of our Main Damn crossing in Deer Lake. After crawling up the hill we continued on for about 20km and stopped for the night. After using half a can of insect repellent and putting on long sleeves, we were able to set up a decent camp. On the dinner menu that night was none other than a classic cheeseburger. It had been a long day and the simplicity of a burger and beer made it the perfect way to end the evening. After a couple of burgers and a few cold drinks we were both exhausted and ready for bed. We decided to call it a night and start fresh in the am. Tomorrow marked the start of our trek through the backcountry of Newfoundland. Day 2 of OverNL was set to begin bright and early.
Numerous factors had led to our late departure. Last minute touch-ups, prep, inspecting the Jk's and of course, tardiness (late arrival from Burgeo by Lindy). All of that no longer mattered now, the trip we were in talks about for almost a year was finally happening. OverNL had begun.
Before leaving town, we had to run a few last minute errands. Our first stop was to a local grocery store to purchase food. After filling our coolers, I had a last minute idea that I needed a more durable storage tote. That led to a trip to Canadian Tire to purchase a 90L Action Packer. Luckily Canadian Tire has a gas bar and we were able to fill our tanks at the same location. Finally before hitting the highway, we agreed that we had regretted not designing a vehicle decal for our trip. Now this isn't a major deal but let's face it, decals are cool, fun to look at, and will give some people an idea of what two outfitted Jeep Wranglers are doing driving across the Newfoundland T'railway. Knowing that it would set us significantly farther behind if we searched the town for auto detailer, one of us looked up and spotted a Staples store. Twenty minutes and eight dollars later, we were sporting brand-new #OverNL decals.
Our first stop was a mere 10km away to meet a friend. Once there, Lindy borrowed a drill from our buddy and popped a hole in the side of his expo trailer to give easier access to the intake of his water system. Once that was done we picked up some beverages and ice at Georges Ski-World in Steady Brook and hit the road. The closest place the Newfoundland T'railway picked back up was Deer Lake, which was 50km away. 50km of pavement driving to begin our journey was not something we wanted to do. Lucky for us, with a little research and past conversations with other expo members we heard about a back road from Humber Valley Resort to Deer Lake via Goose Arm Road. We drove the highway for 7km and finally got our tires on the dirt at the Humber Valley Resort. A quick air down and we departed the valley around 5pm. This trail was approximately 50km, the same as the paved highway but with an average speed of 20km/h vs. 100km/h we estimated the route could take 3 hours rather the 30min!
The road between Humber Valley and Deer Lake proved to be a better idea than we both could have imagined. The weather was great, clear skies and 30 degrees. This opened up some great scenery. We expected the road to be fairly well maintained and easy to drive but to our surprise there were several obstacles. These weren't anything too challenging but enough to put the JK in 4WD, disconnect the sway bar and keep the trip exciting. Our first obstacle was a small brook crossing because the bridge over it was no longer safe. Shallow water and a solid bottom allowed us to cross with ease and not tear up the terrain or our vehicles. There were several other washouts and bridge closures along the way but nothing a lifted JK on 35's couldn't handle with relative ease. Approaching the end of the trail and nearing Deer Lake, the GPS was showing a water crossing coming up. I can easily say that there was little debate between us in deciding to give it a go. Once we eased into the brook we quickly discovered that this was a local swimming hole! Safe to say seeing two JK's with one towing an expedition style trailer was not something a couple of local's expected to see that evening! We quickly apologized for startling the swimmers and slowly crossed the swimming hole. They snapped a couple of pictures during our crossing and after seeing the smiles on their faces, we're confident in saying they didn't mind our surprise visit.
From there we soon entered Deer Lake via Goose Arm road and a cold beverage was on both of our minds. It was now approaching 8pm but time was nothing more than just a number to us. We stopped at a local bar “Langers” for a single spice & 7. Taking full advantage of our resources, we also enjoyed some free popcorn before hitting the road.
It was now finally time to start what we had signed up for! We first hit the Newfoundland T'railway at 8:30pm on Tuesday July 22nd. We didn't travel far that night, just to Howley. Driving up to this point had been relatively easy. We weren't travelling fast, but it was to be gentle on both our vehicles and the terrain. The largest obstacle of the day presented itself soon after starting the T'railway with a fairly steep hill climb on the easterly side of our Main Damn crossing in Deer Lake. After crawling up the hill we continued on for about 20km and stopped for the night. After using half a can of insect repellent and putting on long sleeves, we were able to set up a decent camp. On the dinner menu that night was none other than a classic cheeseburger. It had been a long day and the simplicity of a burger and beer made it the perfect way to end the evening. After a couple of burgers and a few cold drinks we were both exhausted and ready for bed. We decided to call it a night and start fresh in the am. Tomorrow marked the start of our trek through the backcountry of Newfoundland. Day 2 of OverNL was set to begin bright and early.
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