St Anthony

While I was writing last night, some campers were all excited about seeing a bull moose, with full antlers while taking a walk nearby. They showed a video around; it was majestic! I’ve never seen a moose in person in my life, and all the way up here, I’ve been praying to see one, safely, of course. Lucky them!

I take advantage of the facilities to shower & charge up everything while I write. Wi-fi is slow, so it takes me a while to upload the photos, clean them up, tag them and write my post. It’s past midnight by the time I head to bed.

In the morning, I decide to go hunting for that moose they saw yesterday evening. I make my way to the spot they mentioned, via the beach.

I pass by a curious, cute little cemetery, tucked into a corner of the woods near the beach. I look at the tombstones to see how old they were: the oldest one was from early 1900s; there are some modern ones too. Who would be buried in this mini cemetery today?

After about 40 minutes, I have no luck finding the moose, so I reluctantly decide to head back to the campgrounds, somewhat disappointed. I take a different route on the way back: The Old Mail Road; a trail that used to be the only way to reach the communities in the Northern part of the peninsula until the 1950s when the highway was finally built.

I’m walking by myself, and some black bears were spotted in the area, so I talk out loud to make some noise, as recommended. Last week, I was in L.A. attending the annual summer martial arts training camp. One of the subjects of discussion was purpose. I recite the mantra Sensei suggested:

• May I acknowledge and accept myself, just as I am.
• May I acknowledge and accept my true nature, with my strengths and weaknesses, and use my strengths to transform my weaknesses into strengths.
• May I acknowledge and accept my life, just as it is, and do my best with what I have.
• May I acknowledge and accept the true purpose of my life, and align my thoughts, my words, and my actions with that purpose.
• May I be free from all five hindrances—desire, aversion, laziness, restlessness, and doubt—, resulting mental poisons, and disturbing emotions, in order to maintain my full attention on the path toward my purpose.

What is my purpose? I have a passion and talent for teaching, be it computers, software, martial arts, board games, culture, history, etc. I love to learn and help others learn.

As a Bahá’í, I believe man’s highest purpose is to know and to worship God. I do this by seeking, developing and appreciating God’s attributes in myself and others. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to live a life of service to others, don’t you think? My way of serving is to help others learn—specially with technology—and make things easier for them. What do you think? Have you found your true purpose?

Not long after leaving camp, I come across a little town with a familiar name: Daniel’s Harbour; I pose with the sign for fun.

There’s not much to say about the ride up the coast. Lots of little coastal communities; many of them have “Cove” in their name. I make a couple of pit stops for coffee & gas: once for breakfast, once for chowder, both were delicious. Oh! And it started to rain for the first time since I got to the island; not too heavy, just some drizzle & light rain time and again.

I pass some places I’d like to visit later, on my way back perhaps, if I have time: French communities, a UNESCO site, some whale watching spots, a restaurant that Judy recommended. I ride on straight through to St Anthony, my rest stop for the night.

First stop in a new place: the Visitor’s Centre. Shauna helped me find the places I’d like to visit in the area, as well as a decent place to sleep; after camping for four days, I decide to enjoy a good shower and nice bed.

Next, I visit a restaurant she highly recommended with good seafood: The Lightkeeper’s Seafood Restaurant.

She wasn’t kidding: the chowder is excellent! I sign up for the Great Viking Feast they are hosting later tonight. The view from here is breathtaking. It’s the perfect spot to watch some whales; though none of them are there at the moment. Shauna said she counted over a hundred of them a few days ago.

While I have some time before the feast, I go to the inn to settle down, get out of my wet gear, take a shower and do some laundry.

At the Visitor’s Centre, I saw a banner celebrating 175 years of Grenfell Legacy; and, to my joyous surprise, what do I read at the bottom of the banner? “The purpose of this world is not to have and to hold, but to give and serve.” Hah! Interesting coincidence, don’t you think?

Riding distance: 321km