Welcome To Mooseville...

With our business done in St. John's, it was time to start making our way across the province.

We'd been told that it was going to take the better part of three hours to drive from St. John's to Clarenville, but we managed it in just under two. Everyone in St. John told us to beware of moose and, in fact, there was no shortage of warning signs along the Trans-Canada Highway. Be that as it may, though, we didn't see a one:



The moose and the car are depicted to scale; you don't want to hit one of these...



This type of scenery was a typical sight...

The drive was uneventful, and we made it to our hotel in Clarenville and pulled into the parking lot.

When we pulled into the lot, my first thought was that I should've spent a bit more time looking for adequate lodging. The Clarenville Inn looked like a $30.00 a night hotel from the outside, and there weren't too many cars in the lot. That does not normally bode well.

When we checked in and got to our rooms, though, we were pleasantly surprised. The room were ridiculously nice.

We got settled, met in the restaurant for a late lunch, and then headed out for the show. It went well, and we were pretty pleased with everything overall.

Our next show is in Corner Brook, and there's no way in Hell I wanted to drive from Clarenville to Corner Brook and then do a show on the same day, so I scheduled a travel day in between. I managed to find a nice lodge in Springdale, Newfoundland, called the Riverview Inn.

This is, quite frankly, the nicest "hotel" I've ever stayed in. It's more like a lodge, actually, with two buildings each housing six rooms each:

The Riverwood Inn in Springdale, Newfoundland...



My room at the Riverwood; right on the Indian River...

After getting settled into our rooms, we decided to go out and walk around a while. The Riverwood Inn has a number hiking trails on the grounds, many which follow the Indian River. It's an idyllic setting, and one which, I'm sure, is played out throughout the province.

One of the many hiking trails at the Riverwood Inn...

We decided it was time to head out for some dinner and "refreshments", so we found a local convenience store and picked up a bottle of Jack Daniels, some coke and ginger ale, and then found our way to Kaitlyn's Family Restaurant.

Now, I've given our friends to the north a hard time concerning "Canadian cuisine" before, and I always try to do it in a good-natured manner. But, I mean, come on; cod tongue? Peanut butter or Cheese Whiz?



Where else can you find Cheese Whiz on a restaurant menu? And at such an affordable price?



And it was only fifteen bucks...

We finished dinner (we both opted for burgers), and made our way back to the Riverwood.

Now, one of the cool things about working in the guitar industry is that you tend to always have some pretty cool guitars around. We took up residence in the lobby of the main building, mixed some drinks, and broke out some guitars. I don't play much anymore these days, but it was good to be able to sit down with a guitarist as solid as Mike Lille and do some jamming. I just never do that anymore.

Of course, it wasn't long before I put down the guitar and pulled out my camera. Mike's website could use some new photos, so I figured I'd snap some. Truth be told, I'm a much better photographer than I am a guitarist, so I was more than happy to let Mike play while I shot way:

Guitarist Michael Lille at the Riverwood Inn...

As I sit here, it's a little after 9:00am, and I'm watching the Indian River flow slowly past my balcony. This has been a great trip so far. We're off to Corner Brook today, which is on the west coast of Newfoundland.

If we have time, we're going to look for those always-welcome photo ops along the way...