We set out on the road by 8 am. The same pattern as yesterday was to be followed. Our gear would be in Mr. Downeys truck and we would leapfrog, if you will, about 210 kilometers to a town called Kindersley.
There wasn't anything in the most interresting sense that happened on thi day's trip. It was one of those days where you simply put your head down and pushed yourself as fast and as hard as you could.
The sun was out in full force and we were wilting under the heat. To stay refreshed we drank copious amounts of water and gatorade.
When we finally pulled into the town of Kindersley we found ourselves a motel where we could take a shower for free and immediatly afterwards made ourselves something to eat. I was exhausted but very happy to have a camper to sleep in. The second my head hit the pillow I slept like a baby.
Friday, 8 July 2011
June 25th: Calgary to Hanna
It was a beautiful day outside. Mr. Downey, Downey and I went out for breakfast at a place called "Rickies" in Calgary. It was a great way to start off the day. The week was laid out in front of us.
"We got nothing between here and Saskatoon. Its about 620 k between here and there" Downey said
"If we travel light, and if my dad wants to shadow us for a few days and carry some of our gear, we should be able to push at least 200 something kilometers every day. If we do that, we'll make it there early, and get a decent rest".
The proposal seemed good enough to me. If nothing else I thought that covering Calgary to Saskatoon in three days was a challenge in and of itself and would be worth the effort. Downey's Dad was more than happy to help any way he could, and so we had our course of action planed.
We cycled all day long, and finally found ourselves in the town of Hanna. Downey's dad had a camper along with him, and so we didn't need to look for a place to sleep.
"We got nothing between here and Saskatoon. Its about 620 k between here and there" Downey said
"If we travel light, and if my dad wants to shadow us for a few days and carry some of our gear, we should be able to push at least 200 something kilometers every day. If we do that, we'll make it there early, and get a decent rest".
The proposal seemed good enough to me. If nothing else I thought that covering Calgary to Saskatoon in three days was a challenge in and of itself and would be worth the effort. Downey's Dad was more than happy to help any way he could, and so we had our course of action planed.
We cycled all day long, and finally found ourselves in the town of Hanna. Downey's dad had a camper along with him, and so we didn't need to look for a place to sleep.
June 24th: Day off in Calgary
I woke up rather late. Knowing I wouldn't be biking during the day was motivation enough for me to remain motionless in my bed for an extra hour. It was worth every second.
When I finally made my way upstairs Roger and his family were already up. His wife had gone to work but his child had stayed home from school to come with Roger and I to the ALS Calgary office.
At around 11:30 am, Amanda, from the ALS office Calgary arrived to pick up our crew and head over to the office. When I arrived I was more than happy to find pizza after pizza waiting for all the workers, volunteers, families, and media people who were invited to the event. By some of the looks being cast in my direction, I could tell a couple of people looked doubtful whether or not I was one of the guys biking accross Canada due to the copious amounts of pizza I was shoving into my face, but I silenced any inner worry I had by reassuring myself that I was carbo loading, and therefore was performing a duty of utmost importance for the completion of our trip.
Downey did not make it to the ALS Calgary meeting. His father had driven to Calgary from Winnipeg to see Downey and spend some quality time, father and son. Some people from the ALS Calgary office were dissapointed that they could not meet Downey. They said he sounded like a very interresting fellow and a very animated one at that. I assured them that that just wasn't the case, and that if I made Downey seem like an interresting, nice, or decent fellow, it was only due to the creative liberty I take when I'm writting the blogs.
"He is ok at best, and after all, more pizza for us!" I said jokingly... yet seriously.
The meeting was great! Everyone present at the table shared stories. I was asked many times about the things we had seen on the trip, as well as the interesting people we had met. I recounted all the various breakdowns we had, both our bikes and ourselves, and all the memories we cherished from the trip. Some people at the table told me, their own stories of struggle, effort, and hope. For me, the most difficult part in some of my days are climbing mountain passes or cycling threw the rain. For others at the table, their version of climbing a mountain can be as simple as picking up a spoon, tying their shoelaces or moving from their bed to their wheelchair.
I often talk about how a warm shower or a dry bed is the greatest thing in the world after spending a couple of days in rain. They are common things that are so easily taken for granted. During my time on the road, I have come accross a huge number of people who take nothing for granted anymore. Something as simple as a full breath of air in their lungs is something they cherish. It has been a priviledge to meet the people at the front line of ALS, and its resounding impression has not been lost. These workers, volunteers, patients, and families are among the most determined, strong, and positive people I have ever met. When every little task in one's life is comparable to climbing to a mountain peak of thier own, these people face every challenge, no matter how bleak, with a strong courageous motivation. No mountain is too big, and that is how I know that its only a matter of time before we find a cure of this terrible disease.
After the office party, Roger, Amanda and I made our way to a bike shop. My back tire was cursed, I was sure of it, and therefore had to be replaced. A 36 spoke tire should afford me the extra strenght I needed to support the extra weight I was carrying. After a quick repair, we were back to Rogers home.
Downey and his father, Mr. Downey, arrived at Rogers home sometime in the afternoon and we said our goodbyes. For our second night in Calgary we would be staying, once again, with my cousin Nicole and her boyfriend Jeff. Roger and his family were great people and they will be amoung the cherished memories we will carry forever.
My cousin Nicole and Jeff were happy to see us again. It was funny how close I felt to Nicole and Jeff. They had been the only faces we had seen twice in the last month at different times, and I suppose it made me feel really happy. Downey was in great spirits too, I think a combination of seeing his father and seeing Nicole and Jeff were great mood lifters.
We had a nice supper, talked and watched a movie. I slept on the couch as there was only one bed. My sleep was fitful, but I did manage to get some precious rest.
When I finally made my way upstairs Roger and his family were already up. His wife had gone to work but his child had stayed home from school to come with Roger and I to the ALS Calgary office.
At around 11:30 am, Amanda, from the ALS office Calgary arrived to pick up our crew and head over to the office. When I arrived I was more than happy to find pizza after pizza waiting for all the workers, volunteers, families, and media people who were invited to the event. By some of the looks being cast in my direction, I could tell a couple of people looked doubtful whether or not I was one of the guys biking accross Canada due to the copious amounts of pizza I was shoving into my face, but I silenced any inner worry I had by reassuring myself that I was carbo loading, and therefore was performing a duty of utmost importance for the completion of our trip.
Downey did not make it to the ALS Calgary meeting. His father had driven to Calgary from Winnipeg to see Downey and spend some quality time, father and son. Some people from the ALS Calgary office were dissapointed that they could not meet Downey. They said he sounded like a very interresting fellow and a very animated one at that. I assured them that that just wasn't the case, and that if I made Downey seem like an interresting, nice, or decent fellow, it was only due to the creative liberty I take when I'm writting the blogs.
"He is ok at best, and after all, more pizza for us!" I said jokingly... yet seriously.
The meeting was great! Everyone present at the table shared stories. I was asked many times about the things we had seen on the trip, as well as the interesting people we had met. I recounted all the various breakdowns we had, both our bikes and ourselves, and all the memories we cherished from the trip. Some people at the table told me, their own stories of struggle, effort, and hope. For me, the most difficult part in some of my days are climbing mountain passes or cycling threw the rain. For others at the table, their version of climbing a mountain can be as simple as picking up a spoon, tying their shoelaces or moving from their bed to their wheelchair.
I often talk about how a warm shower or a dry bed is the greatest thing in the world after spending a couple of days in rain. They are common things that are so easily taken for granted. During my time on the road, I have come accross a huge number of people who take nothing for granted anymore. Something as simple as a full breath of air in their lungs is something they cherish. It has been a priviledge to meet the people at the front line of ALS, and its resounding impression has not been lost. These workers, volunteers, patients, and families are among the most determined, strong, and positive people I have ever met. When every little task in one's life is comparable to climbing to a mountain peak of thier own, these people face every challenge, no matter how bleak, with a strong courageous motivation. No mountain is too big, and that is how I know that its only a matter of time before we find a cure of this terrible disease.
After the office party, Roger, Amanda and I made our way to a bike shop. My back tire was cursed, I was sure of it, and therefore had to be replaced. A 36 spoke tire should afford me the extra strenght I needed to support the extra weight I was carrying. After a quick repair, we were back to Rogers home.
Downey and his father, Mr. Downey, arrived at Rogers home sometime in the afternoon and we said our goodbyes. For our second night in Calgary we would be staying, once again, with my cousin Nicole and her boyfriend Jeff. Roger and his family were great people and they will be amoung the cherished memories we will carry forever.
My cousin Nicole and Jeff were happy to see us again. It was funny how close I felt to Nicole and Jeff. They had been the only faces we had seen twice in the last month at different times, and I suppose it made me feel really happy. Downey was in great spirits too, I think a combination of seeing his father and seeing Nicole and Jeff were great mood lifters.
We had a nice supper, talked and watched a movie. I slept on the couch as there was only one bed. My sleep was fitful, but I did manage to get some precious rest.
Thursday, 7 July 2011
June 23: Red Deer to Calgary
I had to force myself out of bed. It would have been ever so easy to sleep in, but I could tell by the commotion that was going on upstairs that the Catelliers were already out and about.
My foot fell out of bed, and was followed by my leg, and then by my tired body. After I managed to stand up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, I headed upstairs into the morning light.
Doris Catellier busied herself in the kitchen making Downey and I another incredible meal. The Catellier kids were getting ready to head out for school and Ron was leaving for work. After the proper goodbyes to Ron and the kids, they were off. Downey and I were left with Dorris for breakfast.
Maybe French Canadian families are all very similar, but having breakfast with Doris made me feel as though I was back home having breakfast with my own mother. Dorris was so kind and concerned. She made sure we would be having a safe journey and asked all the questions a concerned mother would ask. When it was finally time to leave I found myself wanting to stay because it felt like home.
Downey and I were on the number 2 highway from Red Deer to Calgary for about ten minutes when my bike stared to break down. The first bike malfunction of the day was one of my rear spokes snapping. It turns out the extra weight from the food that had been given to us by the Marchands and Catelliers had been just a tad too much strain. Therefore, we found ourselves not only repairing our bikes, but also repacking bags and looking for ways to shed weight that wouldn't include leaving our precious "Pop Tarts" behind.
About half an hour after our first set of repairs came a blown out back tire. The back rear tire was punctured by a staple.
An hour after that repair came another broken spoke, after that another blown out back tire due to a pin (who throws this stuff on the highway?) and finally another broken spoke.
My back tire was now rolling in such a wavy uneasy way that I had to take off the back brake just to continue moving forward. With our repair kits becoming depleted and my spokes constantly snapping, I decided it would only be a matter of time before my back tire would become completly useless and I would have no choice but to thumb a ride. Time was not on my side, so I opted to leave Downey in the wake of my dusty trail and peddle as fast as I could to Calgary.
At some point in the day, the Alberta sky changed from burning hot sun to pelting hail. The change must have taken place within the span of half an hour, and ended just as fast. I was suprised at the speed of change in weather. It had not been like this since our journey between Lake Louise and High Beauty Creek, and that was in the heart of the Rockies. When the hail hit, I found myself on the highway with nothing but fields in sight, no bridges... no cover. There was no other option available to me, so I was forced to bike through the hail. All I could do was shrivel up into a tiny human squiggly ball and try to protect as much of myself as possible while mother nature pulverised me with penny-sized balls of ice. The quickness of the changes in wheather, and the change in the mood of our environment is proof enough to me that nature is a woman.
Downey was lucky enough to be near a farm-like building when the hail hit. He biked over to the house on the property, ran over to their front door and knocked. It was answered by a man in cowboy boots who had spent his share of years on this earth. Downey asked him if it would be alright if he grabbed his bike and waited out the foul weather in the farm's building near the highway. The man just looked at Downey blankly and without breaking the slightest smile or batting an eyelash said:
"You can stay in the shed. But if you steal anything... I'll kill you."
So Downey uneasily grabbed his bike and made his way to the shed. He mentality made note not to pick anything up in the shed or disturb any object regardless of its interest.
Downey did not know it yet, but this farm existed for a rather intersting reason. By impregnating horses, collecting the urine from pregnant horses, and then selling that urine for a profit to pharmaceutical companies, Downey had ended up on a PMU farm. Most interresting of all is the part of the farm that Downey ended up in. Of all places, Michael "the city slicker" Downey, ended up in the place where they artificially inseminate horses. Downey can't recal all of what he saw in that shed, nor does he want too, but by what I can gather about the tools they used in that shed, I don't think the temptation of theft would have come over anyone.
While Downey waited out the hail in the horse love shack, I continued to peddle. Downey and I got seperated by so many miles that we did not see each other until 11pm that night. I managed to push myself and my dilapitated bike to my final destination in Calgary. In the heart of the city was the home of Roger and his family.
Roger has been a number of things in his lifetime. He has been a long distance trucker, an ice road trucker, he has logged lumber and moved all kinds of cargo. He is a father, a husband and this year he was the ALS embasador at the annual ALS walk.
Roger was diagnosed with ALS about two years ago. He gets around in a wheelchair but his personality is in great shape. Roger is such a nice man with such a beautiful family that I was pained to hear that he was a rough riders fan. Its a shame, but I suppose nobody is perfect.
Roger and his wife got some great greek food for Downey and I. They asked me where Downey was and I told them I had no idea, the last time I saw him was hours ago before the hail storm hit. Of all the emotions I was feeling at that moment, I definatly did not feel disapointment that Downey would not be joining us. All I felt was excitment that there would be more food for me.
After supper, Roger's seven year old son decided he would try and teach me how to play Nintendo Wii. After spending the next half an hour losing game after game to a seven year old, I think I had learned a new level of humility and decided to retire my gaming career.
At around 11pm Downey rolled on in. After Roger and his wife gave Michael and I a couple of their specially blended drink called "Irish blueberry tea" Downey and I woosily retreated to our rooms an fell into a deep sleep.
My foot fell out of bed, and was followed by my leg, and then by my tired body. After I managed to stand up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, I headed upstairs into the morning light.
Doris Catellier busied herself in the kitchen making Downey and I another incredible meal. The Catellier kids were getting ready to head out for school and Ron was leaving for work. After the proper goodbyes to Ron and the kids, they were off. Downey and I were left with Dorris for breakfast.
Maybe French Canadian families are all very similar, but having breakfast with Doris made me feel as though I was back home having breakfast with my own mother. Dorris was so kind and concerned. She made sure we would be having a safe journey and asked all the questions a concerned mother would ask. When it was finally time to leave I found myself wanting to stay because it felt like home.
Downey and I were on the number 2 highway from Red Deer to Calgary for about ten minutes when my bike stared to break down. The first bike malfunction of the day was one of my rear spokes snapping. It turns out the extra weight from the food that had been given to us by the Marchands and Catelliers had been just a tad too much strain. Therefore, we found ourselves not only repairing our bikes, but also repacking bags and looking for ways to shed weight that wouldn't include leaving our precious "Pop Tarts" behind.
About half an hour after our first set of repairs came a blown out back tire. The back rear tire was punctured by a staple.
An hour after that repair came another broken spoke, after that another blown out back tire due to a pin (who throws this stuff on the highway?) and finally another broken spoke.
My back tire was now rolling in such a wavy uneasy way that I had to take off the back brake just to continue moving forward. With our repair kits becoming depleted and my spokes constantly snapping, I decided it would only be a matter of time before my back tire would become completly useless and I would have no choice but to thumb a ride. Time was not on my side, so I opted to leave Downey in the wake of my dusty trail and peddle as fast as I could to Calgary.
At some point in the day, the Alberta sky changed from burning hot sun to pelting hail. The change must have taken place within the span of half an hour, and ended just as fast. I was suprised at the speed of change in weather. It had not been like this since our journey between Lake Louise and High Beauty Creek, and that was in the heart of the Rockies. When the hail hit, I found myself on the highway with nothing but fields in sight, no bridges... no cover. There was no other option available to me, so I was forced to bike through the hail. All I could do was shrivel up into a tiny human squiggly ball and try to protect as much of myself as possible while mother nature pulverised me with penny-sized balls of ice. The quickness of the changes in wheather, and the change in the mood of our environment is proof enough to me that nature is a woman.
Downey was lucky enough to be near a farm-like building when the hail hit. He biked over to the house on the property, ran over to their front door and knocked. It was answered by a man in cowboy boots who had spent his share of years on this earth. Downey asked him if it would be alright if he grabbed his bike and waited out the foul weather in the farm's building near the highway. The man just looked at Downey blankly and without breaking the slightest smile or batting an eyelash said:
"You can stay in the shed. But if you steal anything... I'll kill you."
So Downey uneasily grabbed his bike and made his way to the shed. He mentality made note not to pick anything up in the shed or disturb any object regardless of its interest.
Downey did not know it yet, but this farm existed for a rather intersting reason. By impregnating horses, collecting the urine from pregnant horses, and then selling that urine for a profit to pharmaceutical companies, Downey had ended up on a PMU farm. Most interresting of all is the part of the farm that Downey ended up in. Of all places, Michael "the city slicker" Downey, ended up in the place where they artificially inseminate horses. Downey can't recal all of what he saw in that shed, nor does he want too, but by what I can gather about the tools they used in that shed, I don't think the temptation of theft would have come over anyone.
While Downey waited out the hail in the horse love shack, I continued to peddle. Downey and I got seperated by so many miles that we did not see each other until 11pm that night. I managed to push myself and my dilapitated bike to my final destination in Calgary. In the heart of the city was the home of Roger and his family.
Roger has been a number of things in his lifetime. He has been a long distance trucker, an ice road trucker, he has logged lumber and moved all kinds of cargo. He is a father, a husband and this year he was the ALS embasador at the annual ALS walk.
Roger was diagnosed with ALS about two years ago. He gets around in a wheelchair but his personality is in great shape. Roger is such a nice man with such a beautiful family that I was pained to hear that he was a rough riders fan. Its a shame, but I suppose nobody is perfect.
Roger and his wife got some great greek food for Downey and I. They asked me where Downey was and I told them I had no idea, the last time I saw him was hours ago before the hail storm hit. Of all the emotions I was feeling at that moment, I definatly did not feel disapointment that Downey would not be joining us. All I felt was excitment that there would be more food for me.
After supper, Roger's seven year old son decided he would try and teach me how to play Nintendo Wii. After spending the next half an hour losing game after game to a seven year old, I think I had learned a new level of humility and decided to retire my gaming career.
At around 11pm Downey rolled on in. After Roger and his wife gave Michael and I a couple of their specially blended drink called "Irish blueberry tea" Downey and I woosily retreated to our rooms an fell into a deep sleep.
June 22nd: Random Field to Red Deer
When I woke up, I didn't want to waste any time. Downey and I had two seperate families to visit in Red Deer and we could not have afforded to fall behind schedule.
We found ourselves once again eating at the greasy road side restaurant that we had eaten at the previous day. When we paid and left, I made myself a promise to eat healthier in the future. If my theory that an unhealty diet led to unhealthy thinking was true, I couldn't afford to eat like that again and jeopordise my motivation and determination.
I called our contact in Red Deer. Doris Catellier would be hosting us for the night in Red Deer and she was very excited to have us over. We also had another familly that wanted us over called the Marchands. The plan would be to get to Red Deer as early as possible, have supper with the Marchands, and sleep at the Catelliers.
When we arrived at the Marchand home, we were greeted by the Marchand sisters. Nadine and Chantal Marchand were really great people. They explained to me that their father was diagnosed with ALS some time ago and that he was unable to make it over to Red Deer to welcome us because of his condition. It was a shame we could not meet Mr. Marchand, but his daughters definitely gave us a huge reason to continue our journey. They were very positive and offered us great converstation as well as food. They also had a hot tub, and if my sore muscles could talk, they would have thanked them profusely as well.
At 8pm, we were off to our next host family. Ronald Catellier, our new host, picked up Downey and I and brought us over to their house. We said hello to the Catelliers, had a second supper (it was excellent) and then rested. Downey became aware of the fact that the Catelliers owned a xbox 360 and the game Call of Duty: Black Ops, and therefore we spent a large portion of the night playing "Zombies" on xbox. It was alot of fun.
The Catelliers offered both me and Downey our own rooms with very comfortable beds, we I turned in for the night I slept like I hadn't for a long time.
We found ourselves once again eating at the greasy road side restaurant that we had eaten at the previous day. When we paid and left, I made myself a promise to eat healthier in the future. If my theory that an unhealty diet led to unhealthy thinking was true, I couldn't afford to eat like that again and jeopordise my motivation and determination.
I called our contact in Red Deer. Doris Catellier would be hosting us for the night in Red Deer and she was very excited to have us over. We also had another familly that wanted us over called the Marchands. The plan would be to get to Red Deer as early as possible, have supper with the Marchands, and sleep at the Catelliers.
When we arrived at the Marchand home, we were greeted by the Marchand sisters. Nadine and Chantal Marchand were really great people. They explained to me that their father was diagnosed with ALS some time ago and that he was unable to make it over to Red Deer to welcome us because of his condition. It was a shame we could not meet Mr. Marchand, but his daughters definitely gave us a huge reason to continue our journey. They were very positive and offered us great converstation as well as food. They also had a hot tub, and if my sore muscles could talk, they would have thanked them profusely as well.
At 8pm, we were off to our next host family. Ronald Catellier, our new host, picked up Downey and I and brought us over to their house. We said hello to the Catelliers, had a second supper (it was excellent) and then rested. Downey became aware of the fact that the Catelliers owned a xbox 360 and the game Call of Duty: Black Ops, and therefore we spent a large portion of the night playing "Zombies" on xbox. It was alot of fun.
The Catelliers offered both me and Downey our own rooms with very comfortable beds, we I turned in for the night I slept like I hadn't for a long time.
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