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Thumbin' The Rock: A Newfoundland Hitchhiking Odyssey
Thumbin' The Rock is the story of a fourteen-day trip taken by two very unlikely trailblazers, my sister Dolly and myself. At ages 72 and 60 respectively, we were spry but no spring chickens, and with little more than a belief in ourselves and a strong desire for adventure, we hitchhiked the Province of Newfoundland in September of 2012.
Thumbin' the Rock is funny. It's Newfoundland! Humour is in the air they breath and the water they drink. It's inescapable! It also takes you to a place where a helping hand from a stranger, a ride down the road, or an offer of a bed in the middle of nowhere (when you thought for sure you'd be sleeping in the woods with the moose that night) is not unusual.
This book puts the reader on the road with thumbs out and hopes high. In every car, truck and unforeseen situation, they feel the sun, wind and rain, sharing in the highs and lows of each day with anticipation and exhilaration, meeting first-hand a gallery of memorable Newfoundlanders.
Includes colour photos from the trip.
Thumbin' the Rock is funny. It's Newfoundland! Humour is in the air they breath and the water they drink. It's inescapable! It also takes you to a place where a helping hand from a stranger, a ride down the road, or an offer of a bed in the middle of nowhere (when you thought for sure you'd be sleeping in the woods with the moose that night) is not unusual.
This book puts the reader on the road with thumbs out and hopes high. In every car, truck and unforeseen situation, they feel the sun, wind and rain, sharing in the highs and lows of each day with anticipation and exhilaration, meeting first-hand a gallery of memorable Newfoundlanders.
Includes colour photos from the trip.
- GenresNonfiction
174 pages, Paperback
Published June 18, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
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June 15, 2026What an uplifting and wonderful book; I am so pleased to have been given the chance to read an advance copy, and delighted to offer it full stars for the pleasure it gave me. What would be more unlikely to see on a road in Newfoundland than two white-haired women, one with a guitar over her shoulder, both pulling along a padded grocery cart wrapped with a yoga mat, two thumbs out? Made me want to call my white-haired Toronto sister to see if she would be up to such an adventure (no!); made me tell my white-haired daughter--and have the idea immediately tabooed. Instead I will simply have to recommend this book to all my friends so they too can travel along with the adventures of Bernadette and Dolly. Honestly, I smiled all the way through. Absolutely two thumbs up.
July 25, 2026
First published on https://miramichireader.ca/author/sue... August 12th
Thumbin’ the Rock is an unbelievable yet profoundly inspiring memoir written by Bernadette Shea, published by Somewhat Grumpy Press. It is the story of two sisters, Dolly, age 72, and Bernadette, age 60, who spent 14 days hitchhiking across Newfoundland. Bernadette describes themselves as “spry, but no spring chickens with a strong desire for adventure.” They wanted to do the adventure “on the cheap” and with no reservations, except for their first night in St. John’s. They did, however, have an emergency VISA, “just in case.”
“Yes,” you may well ask, “My God, whatever possessed these two women to do such a thing at their ages: 60 and 72 …or at any age … or at all!”
In September of 2012, the sisters, one carrying a guitar on her back, both pulling an old grocery cart behind them, boarded the North Sydney ferry. In the old cart they had an extra change of clothes, sandals, 2 refillable water bottles, sun hats, a Scrabble board, light disposable rain jackets, a box of crackers, peanut butter, fruit, chocolate, a whistle, bear spray, and, get this, a yoga mat for their afternoon naps. On the 16-hour Marine Atlantic ferry ride to Argentia, they displayed a misspelled sign reading “Saint John’s” instead of “St. John’s,” hoping to find their first ride before getting off the ship. What follows is an account of their journey and the “stories” from and about their rides.
“Never underestimate the power of a random, simple interaction with a stranger.”
Some of these stories were funny, some were unbelievable, but they all described the wonderful and kind people of Newfoundland. My favourite story was one of the earliest ones. One of their rides thought the sisters might have been escapees from a nursing home, with their grey hair, pulling an old grocery cart.
They travelled in all sorts of weather, including during the remnants of a hurricane. They enjoyed hiking trails, L’Anse aux Meadows, and their feeds of fish. They traded an entertaining “gig” for a boat tour of Twillingate Harbour. They stopped by 2 different newspaper offices and told their stories; one of the articles was reproduced in Thumbin’ the Rock. I should mention that throughout the book, there are coloured pictures, proof of their amazing and incredible journey.
The first time they described climbing over the guardrail and gingerly making their way down the hill to find some shade and a flat spot to put down their yoga mat for a nap left me in tears. While they were situating themselves on the mat, I thought to myself, no way could I do that, and I am more than a decade younger. I cringed at the thought of their arthritic knees creaking as they got down on the mat, and thinking how on earth are they going to get up again after they wake up. Even in my camping years, I needed an air mattress beneath me to wake up without needing a trip to the chiropractor the morning after.
This story read like I was sitting down across from Bernadette and Dolly for tea, her telling me their stories, sometimes going off-topic as all good stories sometimes do. Except it had to be coffee for Bernadette, who doesn’t like the smell, let alone the taste of tea. I found Thumbin’ the Rock to be very entertaining, and I will recommend this memoir, especially to those of a certain age.
Thumbin’ the Rock is an unbelievable yet profoundly inspiring memoir written by Bernadette Shea, published by Somewhat Grumpy Press. It is the story of two sisters, Dolly, age 72, and Bernadette, age 60, who spent 14 days hitchhiking across Newfoundland. Bernadette describes themselves as “spry, but no spring chickens with a strong desire for adventure.” They wanted to do the adventure “on the cheap” and with no reservations, except for their first night in St. John’s. They did, however, have an emergency VISA, “just in case.”
“Yes,” you may well ask, “My God, whatever possessed these two women to do such a thing at their ages: 60 and 72 …or at any age … or at all!”
In September of 2012, the sisters, one carrying a guitar on her back, both pulling an old grocery cart behind them, boarded the North Sydney ferry. In the old cart they had an extra change of clothes, sandals, 2 refillable water bottles, sun hats, a Scrabble board, light disposable rain jackets, a box of crackers, peanut butter, fruit, chocolate, a whistle, bear spray, and, get this, a yoga mat for their afternoon naps. On the 16-hour Marine Atlantic ferry ride to Argentia, they displayed a misspelled sign reading “Saint John’s” instead of “St. John’s,” hoping to find their first ride before getting off the ship. What follows is an account of their journey and the “stories” from and about their rides.
“Never underestimate the power of a random, simple interaction with a stranger.”
Some of these stories were funny, some were unbelievable, but they all described the wonderful and kind people of Newfoundland. My favourite story was one of the earliest ones. One of their rides thought the sisters might have been escapees from a nursing home, with their grey hair, pulling an old grocery cart.
They travelled in all sorts of weather, including during the remnants of a hurricane. They enjoyed hiking trails, L’Anse aux Meadows, and their feeds of fish. They traded an entertaining “gig” for a boat tour of Twillingate Harbour. They stopped by 2 different newspaper offices and told their stories; one of the articles was reproduced in Thumbin’ the Rock. I should mention that throughout the book, there are coloured pictures, proof of their amazing and incredible journey.
The first time they described climbing over the guardrail and gingerly making their way down the hill to find some shade and a flat spot to put down their yoga mat for a nap left me in tears. While they were situating themselves on the mat, I thought to myself, no way could I do that, and I am more than a decade younger. I cringed at the thought of their arthritic knees creaking as they got down on the mat, and thinking how on earth are they going to get up again after they wake up. Even in my camping years, I needed an air mattress beneath me to wake up without needing a trip to the chiropractor the morning after.
This story read like I was sitting down across from Bernadette and Dolly for tea, her telling me their stories, sometimes going off-topic as all good stories sometimes do. Except it had to be coffee for Bernadette, who doesn’t like the smell, let alone the taste of tea. I found Thumbin’ the Rock to be very entertaining, and I will recommend this memoir, especially to those of a certain age.
August 9, 2026
3.75⭐️ I thought this was such an interesting and fun story! Not only was it funny, but I can tell Bernadette and Dolly had fun, it shows through Bernadette’s writing. I liked how she didn’t just share about what they did, but the people they met, and who shared their stories with them. This is a classic tale of Newfoundlanders and how they treat people. Not the best written, but she’s just sharing her adventure. I would also have liked to have seen more about what they did in each spot too, not just solely focus on the hitchhiking aspect although yes that’s the premise of the book. The photos were a great touch too.
August 27, 2026
It was a fun blast from the past to read this nonfiction book as I was born & raised in Sydney, Nova Scotia. I could just hear the accents and charming way of telling a tale. It's not that anything overly dramatic or especially outrageous happened on their hitchhiking trip. It's about showing readers how welcoming, funny, helpful and thoughtful Newfoundlanders are. When describing the Rock and it's people, I always say the uniqueness is such that you feel like you're in another country. Seeing is believing, so as Bernadette Shea said, JUST GO!
I won Thumbin' the Rock in a LibraryThing giveaway.
I won Thumbin' the Rock in a LibraryThing giveaway.
August 25, 2026
Just another Newfoundland enthusiast!
Enjoyed this book so much. Read it in an afternoon. Brought back so many memories of my various visits to Newfoundland. One trip with three families (including 15 children)
From Port aux Basque to Portugal Cove with many stops in between (Camping of course).
Also enjoyed seeing mutual friends Barb & Sandi mentioned.
Enjoyed this book so much. Read it in an afternoon. Brought back so many memories of my various visits to Newfoundland. One trip with three families (including 15 children)
From Port aux Basque to Portugal Cove with many stops in between (Camping of course).
Also enjoyed seeing mutual friends Barb & Sandi mentioned.
August 3, 2026
I enjoyed this trip across Newfoundland from the perspective of two hitchhiking older women. Their adventures made me laugh out loud. I will never think of a yoga mat in the same way again!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews