June 2009
8 posts
A Dedication
Every morning before we started to ride, we dedicated that day’s riding to someone, usually a child who experienced cancer. The dedication always accompanied a touch, a tear, a word of encouragement and hope. I had a dedication, but never got a chance to share it, until now.
Before the 2009 Sears National Kids Cancer Ride started in Vancouver on 2009-06-13, I almost accidentally met a...
2009-06-21 Ottawa to Montreal Big Day
This morning, in the parking lot of Sears St. Laurent in Ottawa, I awoke to many things:
My sons Brandon and Josh with Josh’s girlfriend Stephanie
Their Mom Susan
My sweetheart France with her children Pénélope and Gabriel
Longtime friend John Ramcharan and his wife Shaliza (John plans to ride along to Montreal)
Friend, co-worker and volunteer Chris McCarthy
Friend and...
2009-06-15 Swift Current to Regina
This morning’s alarm sounded the time to step outside into the fresh air of a truck stop parking lot. The owner and staff opened especially for us. They served a very healthy breakfast, including monster bowls of rib-sticking oatmeal, yogourt, bagels, muffins, fruit, and we even snuck in a cup of coffee. I didn’t need the coffee, but I loved it like I needed it.
Today, our bodies...
Enjoy this interview with Roslyn Franken, author...
2009-06-14 Roger's Pass to Calgary
We awoke atop Roger’s Pass. On one side, a glacier. On the other, a glacier. What beauty, right here at home. I took a few photos, while fearing the impossibility of capturing a fraction of the scale and breath-taking beauty around us, beautiful and cold! We all dressed in our leg warmers, arm warmers, vest AND jacket, anticipating a frigid descent. We were told that because we hadn’t...
2009-06-13 Vancouver - It Begins...
Kitsilano Beach saw 36 unusual dippers today, 36 dippers wearing cycling gear, dipping their tires in the Pacific Ocean and toasting this defining moment for many. It defined a moment of beginning the ride across Canada to raise funds and awareness for childhood cancer research and support.
We observed a few moments of silence after which we each wrote a message on a banner telling what we wanted...
My Commitment
Meeting Juff Rushton and the other volunteers for the first time is itself an experience. I never before met a group of people who were so absolutely committed to a purpose. They work as if life depended on it, and I realized… a life does depend on it. Most have been touched by cancer, often in a child, sometimes their own child. They work because the life of their child depends on it.
Jeff...
Vancouver, a beautiful end of the Earth
Edmonton was the farthest west I ever travelled in Canada. Today I would venture to the Pacific coast.
France, The Most Beautiful Woman in the World, and my friend Rob Dubé took me to the airport on this very cool morning. France borrowed my Sears National Kids Cancer Ride jacket to ward off Ottawa’s subarctic summer. She parked her car while Rob helped me carry the gear inside. We parted...