This Is Not the Mainland: A Novel Tour of Newfoundland and Labrador

R.G. Moyles is professor emeritus of English at the University of
Alberta, the co-author of Imperial Dreams and Colonial Realities:
British Views of Canada, 1880–1914, and the author of The Salvation
Army and the Public.

This Is Not the Mainland is an affectionate account of a novel tour of
one of Canada’s most beautiful and least-known provinces. Accompanied
by his motorcycling friends, the author visited little-known and
out-of-the-way places, from Gaultois on the south coast of the island of
Newfoundland, to Brimstone Head on Fogo Island off the northeast coast,
to Point Amour on the Labrador mainland.

As readers, we are fellow travelers. We see the scenery stretching
before us with the unobstructed view of the motorcylist. We note the
changes in landforms, vegetation, and weather as we journey. We watch
the young caribou licking salt off the roadside rocks and a moose
struggling to extricate herself from a bog. We enjoy the smiles on the
faces of the children of Harbour Breton, who are seeing touring
motorcycles in their community for the first time. We appreciate the
hospitality of their elders, whether it involves providing accommodation
for the night in the already crowded Burgeo or taking us on a boat trip
out into Canada Harbour to see “Squid Hounds.”

In addition to beautiful photographs that add to our enjoyment of the
land and its people, there is a map at the beginning of the book.
Whether you are an expatriate Newfoundlander or someone who likes to
travel off the beaten track, This Is Not the Mainland will make you want
to call Marine Atlantic and make your ferry booking to Newfoundland
right away.