#28 Labrador City, Labrador: Infinity?

It's a long drive across Labrador but every once in a while Patty would punctuate the silence with an observation:

So. Many. Trees.

Does Canada supply, like, most of the world's oxygen?

Our wedding verse says 'the trees shall clap their hands.'  That's quite an ovation.

No wonder there's a pine tree on Labrador's flag.

There must be infinity trees.

That last comment finally made me pull off the road into a turn-out.  I'm good enough at math to know there couldn't be THAT many.  Definitely no more than half an infinity.  But there was only one way to find out.  Count them. 

First I donned the bug suit I bought down the road.  Between black flies, mozzies and bulldogs, there was approaching infinity predators.  I paced out a plot 10 x 10 meters and counted 112 trees.  A quick Google search got me the area of Labrador.  With a glance at the map I could subtract the area covered by lakes and tundra.  I'm sure there's a margin of error but my final tally?  263.71968 trillion.  Literally. Many. Trees.

When we arrived in Lab City on Labrador's western edge, we boondocked on the Glad Tidings Church parking lot.  The blurb on Google Earth said "a super welcoming place"  and we hoped that meant they wouldn't kick us off.  We were planning to attend the service the next morning so did a little pre-scouting.  On an old CBC news story we learned that the pastor had participated in the Cain's Quest snowmobile race.  Fascinating.  We'd have to ask about it the next morning.

We did learn some interesting things.  Apparently Jacques Cartier had referred to Labrador as the 'Land of Cain.'  I'm sure Jacques meant it as a slur since Cain, son of Adam in Genesis, had been punished with useless land.  But Labradorians have owned the term.  Cain's Quest is over 3000 km long.  Longer than from Calgary to Toronto.  The most amazing thing to me, having just driven across Labrador, is the fact that the racers have to come up with their own route.  The daily checkpoints are set but, between them, they're on their own.  How in the world do they find a path through ALL THOSE TREES?  David, the former pastor, had indeed completed the race.  His son Andrew, a member of the congregation, had won twice.

We had come to Lab City feeling pretty depleted.  Then the Lord starting ministering to us through His people.  The sermon and the believers praying for us started the re-fueling.  Then the offers for us to do our laundry there, use their bathroom, kitchen and WIFI, plug in our RV, fill it with water...  That wasn't enough.  They came up with two $100 gift cards so we could top up our supplies.  I've never literally counted my blessings.  Right about now I'm pretty sure they'd be infinity.


Popular posts from this blog

#1 A Single Step

Image
Laozi said that ‘the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’. In our case, the journey of 32,000 kilometers started with a date ... at the James Ave Pumphouse Food & Drink in Winnipeg. Adventures are my thing - not Patty’s. Her perfect holiday is visiting family at the end of a tried and familiar path. I thrill to the unknown. Our common ground is wanting to make our lives worthwhile. To walk by God’s leading. So when I get the idea for an adventure (and this happens regularly), the first litmus test to differentiate between a ‘Terry sparkler’ and ‘Divine calling’ is Patty’s response. I have learned that a good presentation doesn’t hurt my cause so I picked the setting carefully. The tables at the Pumphouse overlook a century-old collection of giant pipes and pumps – still covered in original grease. These were used to move Red River water to distant hydrants for fire-fighting. A restaurant with a combination of history (my love) and good food (Patty’s). P...
Read more

#2 The Forks, Winnipeg: Iau Descends

Image
It felt to me like we were standing on holy ground. Probably the same feeling I’d get if I was to visit the location where Moses saw the burning bush and where the tribes of Israel gathered around the base of Mt. Sinai to feel God descending with shaking and thunder and smoke. If I’ve put together the clues correctly, something very similar seems to have happened at the Forks. On the Mountains of the Prairie, On the great Red Pipe-Stone Quarry, Gitche Manito, the mighty, He the Master of Life, descending, On the red craigs of the quarry, Called the tribes of men together. From his footprints flowed a river, Leaped into the light of morning, O’er the precipice plunging downward Gleamed like Ishkoodah, the comet. And the Spirit, stooping earthward, With his finger on the meadow Traced a winding pathway for it, Saying to it, “Run in this way!” An indication that something special had happened here first came to light when an Anishinaabe elder approached Sid Kroker, the head archaeolog...
Read more

#4 Dominion City MB: That’s a Bit Audacious!

Image
A few people tagged along on the first leg of the journey from The Forks to Dominion City. We were hungry and I had promised a special lunch, but first I wanted to tell three stories from local lore. Countess of Dufferin In 1877, t ogether with her husband, the Governor General of Canada, the Countess of Dufferin was visiting Manitoba for diplomatic reasons. I hope she brought her rail-working clothes because she was roped into pounding in the first spike on the first railway in Western Canada. When finished, it would connect Winnipeg with St. Paul, MN. Having done the deed , the Countess and the Governor General boarded a paddlewheeler heading south up the Red River on their way home. En route they passed another paddlewheeler heading north and carrying the Countess of Dufferin. Confused? This particular C of D was a locomotive named after the lady in the other boat. They waved at each other (actually I’m not sure about that) never to see each other again. T he locomotive ...
Read more