On the Road

There are both pros and cons to driving in Newfoundland.

Pro - There is rarely anyone else on the road - traffic is maybe 3 cars on Highway 1.

rare wind turbines on a
familiar empty highway

Con - The traffic noted above is usually because roadworks have slowed and bunched up the few travelers together.

Pro - The roads are constantly being worked on, with crews in every part of the province

common indication to keep you
on your driving toes

Con - The roads need to be worked on, as potholes are frequent and fierce, gravel roads go from very good to OMG!!!. There are patches on patches and one can look awfully drunk weaving from side to side trying to find the clearest and safest bit of road to drive on. The winter weather is mostly to blame, but the snowplows probably add their share of divots. You know when you are heading for trouble when you see a permanently installed "potholes ahead" sign.

a stretch of potholed gravel turns
100km to 30km pretty quickly

Pro -  There are signs that point you in the right direction

Con - Once you know you are going in the right direction, signage seems to disappear. Very few offer a sense of how far it is to one place or another.

Pro - Even in the middle of nowhere, there will be a local hiking briskly along the highways as his/her constitutional it seems.

Con - Well, that kind of hiking along highways is not for me.

Pro - All the poles seem to be reinforced with a box of wood full of rocks. 

Con - These poles need buttressing against the wind, which can sometimes test a driver's grip on the wheel when a broadside gust hits.

Our wonderful rental Chevy Trax worked superbly - no tires were blown, no dents from flying gravel dented body or windows - and mostly importantly - we did not run out of gas 100km away from anywhere!