I was at Wells Fargo yesterday getting some quarters and making small talk with the teller, Sarah.  I mentioned the road trip to her, at which point she proudly declared that she was a Canadian.  How convenient!  (Also: there sure are a lot of Canadians living in the Twin Cities.)

We talked for a little while about my proposed route.  I described how I will be going north into Ontario before heading west to Alaska.  While Sarah conceded that western Canada was beautiful, she claimed eastern Canada was a sight not to be missed.  Perhaps she was biased; she hailed from Stephenville, Newfoundland.

[Fun fact: Newfoundland didn’t join Canada until March 31, 1949, before which it was a self-governing British Dominion.]

According to Sarah, the best way to see Newfoundland is to take the ferry from North Syndey, Nova Scotia to Port aux Basques, Newfoundland, then drive the 600 miles across the island to St. John’s, and then take the ferry from there back to Nova Scotia.  The length of that drive caught me a bit off guard — it’s about the distance from Minneapolis to Indianapolis, except it isn’t a freeway, and there is a substantial moose collision hazard.

I’ll be interested to see how they treat an outsider like me.  I’ll probably stick out like a sore thumb.  Sarah claimed that people there will spontaneously invite me to their homes for dinner, simply because I’d be a visitor.  As a city/suburban boy, I have a hard time believing that actually happens, but I’d love to be surprised!  We shall find out in a few months.