Adventure Moto

When the leaves start to turn and drop, there’s always a yearning for some way to cap off the season on a high note, and last weekend, a small group of riders from the local adventure scene did just that.

What started as just another group chat about a ride, turned into a ~600KM overnight adventure trip that will be remembered for years to come. A good friend of ours, Dustin , pitched an overnight trip into Beothuk Lake a few months back, and after some chatting back and forth, it made its way into the real world. Late fall in Newfoundland is known for its chilly mornings, but we combated that with day one starting with a hot breakfast at the Hew & Draw Hotel , a staple in the community known for its warm atmosphere, both literally and metaphorically, thanks to the beautiful, wood-burning fireplace and amazing staff. Breakfast was full of laughs from Andrew handing around 7 large freezer bags full of goulash, with moose meat provided from Ben, highlighting right away how much of a community effort a big ride is. The staff was happy to lend us some packing tape to reinforce our bricks of goulash, which added to the laughs before the ride even started.

After gearing up in front of the hotel, and hitting the road, Jamie from Adventure Moto took the lead on the guiding side of things and we quickly found ourselves heading into Lady Slipper Road enroute to Grand Lake lookout, a grown in but beautiful trail that overlooks the epic Grand Lake and Glover Island. Some wrong turns, dropped bikes, and laughs later we found ourselves at the look with Dru shooting some photos.

Realizing the day had gotten away from us a bit, we geared up for a long haul to Stephenville crossing via a few woods roads and the iconic NL Trailway, which was the home of the long gone Newfie Bullet train system. Landing in Stephenville Crossing, Ben took the lead and showed us all the big town had to offer; fuel for the bikes at Irving, and fuel for the riders from Karl's Canteen , which was loaded with goods from the nearby Domino Pizza House (Not the chain, they existed long before the well known chain!). While snacking, riders repaired their rattled loose racks and removed some indicators that couldn’t handle the terrain.

Once both riders and bikes were fueled and ready to roll, we hit the road for an unknown destination, the night's spot to pitch a tent. From the crossing, everybody left and headed in the Burgeo Highway and onto the Abitibi resource road, which is a pristine gravel road that follows the Lloyd’s River. The fall leaves and the rarely travelled road made for some epic riding, with the leaves flying and chasing the large adventure bikes as they blew by.

After reaching the southern tip of the massive Beothuk Lake, the daylight countdown to find a spot and set up camp began. Everybody raced to find a good spot, while stopping and asking locals for suggestions, most of which offered their own property as a campsite, highlighting our classic, well known Newfoundland hospitality. It didn’t take long to find a beautiful spot to set up just as the sun was setting, a sandy area highlighted by the record low water levels of the lake. Once tents were up, everybody collected firewood from the days passed, and found an old steel wheel for a firepit, it wasn’t long before the fire was lit, stoves were going, and everybody was opening their bags and seeing if their goulash survived the ~300km trip that included some tip overs and slams.

The night sky provided, with endless shooting starts and the milky way prominently hanging above everybody. The laughs were back again as everyone recapped their days and the shared struggles and highlights. The overnight low was about 2 degrees, and narrowly avoided frost. The morning was chilly, but comfortable with the right layer choices, and once the sun broke the horizon, the layers were quickly shed.

Day two provided and fueled the soul, with a later than planned roll out, the day was a bit faster paced than planned, feeling like a bit of a Dakar style ride, a lot of ground covered in not a lot of time! We quickly arrived at the small old mining town of Buchans, and while fueling up the bikes at Colemans grocery store/gas station, the owner of a small chip truck style restaurant mentioned she had hot food available, and everybody hit the gas to Coishs' Grub Shack , where everybody was well fed! Next up was the Gaff Topsails, an abandoned railway settlement along the same railway mentioned in the previous day. A quick look, a quick fall or two, and we were homeward bound with the same daylight race as the day before.

There's one thing that resonates after a trip like this, and it’s the feel of a proper community. A wide mix of bikes, from 300cc singles, to 900cc twins, and people from all different walks of life, all on the bike for the same reason, the feeling of freedom and the unknown.