Thumbin’ the Rock: A Newfoundland Hitchhiking Odyssey by Bernadette Shea

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.

Bernadette Shea was born in the coal mining town of Glace Bay, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, and raised in the adjoining nickel mining towns of Onaping and Levack, outside Sudbury, in northern Ontario. She enjoyed an idyllic childhood with parents who allowed a lot of freedom, and she credits that for developing an early and keen sense of adventure.

She’s lived and worked in four provinces, with an odd assortment of jobs from waitressing to singing and playing guitar in bars, to flagging on road crews. She worked in commercial egg production and on a cattle farm, and ran a Bed and Breakfast for nine years. She went back to school in her late 40s to study cooking and home care, and enjoyed a career in home care for more than twenty years. Now retired, she’s considering filling another book with some of her many adventures.

CBC ‘Oddity on the side of the road:’ book recounts sisters hitchhiking across Newfoundland | CBC News https://share.google/LHvDjaIcqDbZ29N6v

Publisher: Somewhat Grumpy Press (June 18, 2026)
Paperback 6″ x 9″ | 174 pages, includes colour photos
ISBN: 9781998555192

Sue Slade

Sue Slade has a Bachelor of Child Study from Mount St. Vincent University in Halifax. After working with children and adults with special needs, she now has her midlife dream job of working with books. Sue manages an independent, locally owned bookstore, Dartmouth Book Exchange, and is known for planning and executing amazing, engaging book events. Through her charismatic sharing centred around books and community, Sue has created an interactive cornerstone for authors, customers, and book lovers of all ages. Sue is an avid reader, and her reviews cross over many genres. As the East Coast Advocate for The Miramichi Reader, Sue champions Atlantic Canadian literature by featuring the diverse works and unique communities that define her home region.