Flower's Cove to St. Anthony

August 19, 2016

We awakened to a strong wind coming from the northeast, the very direction we would be cycling 51 miles . Even loading the bicycle had to be done in the lee of a building. Over a wonderful breakfast (which included Partridge Berry Jelly) Maggie offered to drive us part way to St. Anthony. However, she

Maggie was reluctant to let us out along the way, fearing the wind would overcome us so she drove us to just 15 miles from St. Anthony. We so enjoyed our conversation with this lively woman we weren't paying attention to how far we had gone.

One mile after getting out of the truck we finally saw moose in broad daylight. They are big, dark and muscular. We talked to tourists driving cars who frequently saw moose, possibly because they drove at dusk.

We saw our first pod of whales and an iceberg from a cliff just outside of St. Anthony.

A store clerk told us about a polar bear that wandered into town the previous summer, probably drifting down on an iceberg. Biologists tranquilized the bear and lifted it out of town by helicopter. One of the customers who lived near the store was asked if they saw the bear. They hadn't but when they got home fond bear paw prints high up on their storm door to the porch.

Although we frequently were cold, it was still actually summer and some flowers were still in bloom.

One notable experience in St. Anthony was a visit to Grenfell Interpretive Center in honor of Sir Wilfred Thomason Grenfell. Grenfell was a heroic medical missionary, originally from Parkgate, England. In 1892, Dr. Grenfell was sent to Newfoundland & Labrador to investigate the state of the fishery.

This was the start of his lifelong work to aid the people of an isolated coast ice blocked and inaccessible for many months of the year. For his years of service on behalf of these communities, he was knighted by King George V. The B&B we stayed in at Forteau Labrador was one of his projects. In the Center we learned about his amazing life story, which he was able to publicize to further his charitable work. Even Dave (the Cynic) was impressed by what he accomplished to the point that his slogan, "the purpose of this world is not to have and hold, but to serve", sounded heartfelt. In the 1990's the medical charity including the hospitals he had built was absorbed by the Canadian Medical system at a cost of $1.

The Jordi Bonet Murals in the rotunda of Curtis Memorial Hospital.

St. Anthony is also known for another reason. You may recall the best seller novel by Annie Prouix, "The Shipping New" which became also became a movie by the same name starred Kevin Spacey. Annie lived in St. Anthony for a year and is thought to be the setting for her novel.

I was most excited about our stay for the night at the Fishing Point B&B (709-454-2009).

Lester and Donna Budgell own this fisherman's home which is where Lester was born and raised. The dock is right on the bay, a perfect spot for whale watching.

The deck was a wonderful place to wait for the sun to set.

For once the cellphone camera captured the sunset.

Today's ride: 20 miles (32 km)
Total: 370 miles (595 km)

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