Basilio & Wendy-OUR HOME IS ON WHEELS: TCH

Acronyms are funny.

In Canada, THC often means pot

In Newfoundland, TCH often means potholes. But at least they warn you.

The TransCanada Highway, or TCH as it’s known locally, is the main transportation link around the “ROCK”.

As the crow flies, the distance between Port Aux Basques, where the ferry lands, and St. John’s, is just over 500 kms. But maybe crows don’t fly straight in Newfoundland. For sure, the TCH doesn’t. Because driving from the ferry to the city is 902 kms.

Even though St John’s is directly east of Port Aux Basques, the first direction the road goes is northwest for about 30kms before angling northeast for another 365kms. Talk about taking the long way around the island.

For all that the TransCanada is the main road in Newfoundland, very little of it is divided highway, even though the speed limit is 100 km/hour. It is also surprisingly not a very heavy traffic road, so occasional passing lanes are sufficient to keep any build up of cars behind our slower rig.

You are warned many times, and in many ways, about moose hazards along the route. It appears that collisions with those huge animals is the most dangerous part of the drive. We learned that moose are in fact not native to Newfoundland. They were imported in 1904 to provide lean meat for hunters. And with no other natural predators, their population exploded. We have seen traces of them along the hiking trails. But for all the cautions and warnings, and watching very carefully, so far we have not seen one.

The other thing about such a main route is that there are no provincial rest area plazas. There are a few gas stations right off the highway, but not many unless you get off the main road and go into a small town. What they do have, however, are several pull-offs with no facilities. It is common to have transports and even campers parked there overnight to break up the drive.