Dec. 5-12 - A week in Review

Monday, December 5 (Day 104, Guelph) – Sunday, December 11 (Day 110, Parry Sound)

 Monday was a unique Relay day as we had our Guelph Relay Day entirely within the confines of the University. We had 12 Medal Bearers bravely face the cool, rainy conditions for the entire 2km Relay stretch of campus streets and pathways. The University was very welcoming and we had some incredibly enthusiastic Medal-Bearers who danced their way around campus in a cool drizzle. There was a very appropriate tie in with this event. Since May I have been in contact with a group of students who has been down to Peru on a volunteer mission. On the last day of their trip, a member of their group was playing in the surf when a wave hit him and knocked him down. Something this innocent has happened to most of us at one point or another, but for Dale, he landed awkwardly and suffered a severe spinal cord injury. He broke his neck and still remains in hospital, only recently being able to talk again. He has an incredible support group around him and several of the students were in attendance sporting t-shirts that they made in Drew’s honour that read “Eat. Sleep. Travel.”, a motto Drew lives by.

It seems there’s always some sort of excitement keeping us jumping on this Relay. Tuesday morning started with some excitement at the breakfast buffet. One of the heaters under the bacon tray got bumped and the table cloth caught on fire. Flames were starting to spread and lap up against the tray. A couple of the waitresses started to panic a little and look for a way to put it out before it got too big, but their attempts to wave at it with their rags were ineffective. Thankfully our Relay staff is full of quick thinking and quicker acting folks. Billy Pilon took a quick survey of the area and swiftly bounded to the next table to retrieve a pitcher of water. He deftly blanketed the blaze with what normally would be called “life giving water”, but in this case, it was used to kill the life in the fire. Flames extinguished, disaster averted, we carried on with our breakfast singing the praises of our hero Billy Pilon. Yes, it really is true that some accomplish more before breakfast than others do all day.

Another thing we’ve found along the way is that each End of Day celebration is only as good as the commitment and determination of the community planning team, and the community itself. We’ve been very fortunate to have found some quality people in our End of Day communities to champion the cause and work hard to create a fabulous event for our Relay and the members of their community. Orangeville is one of those communities. By 2:30pm, they had entirely closed down a section of the main street and had set up a huge covered stage as individual vendors has begun to set up their booths. The wafts of homemade chili, popcorn, and various international treats were enough to make anyone succumb to having 2 lunches....and some of us did. Performances by the Theatre Orangeville Youth Singers, Chanda's School of Dance, and the Orangeville Chorus of Sweet Adelines International preceded the arrival of Community Medal Bearer Brian Donato. To mark the Rick Hansen 25^th Anniversary Relay in Orangeville, the Town has funded and installed the "Hansen Lift" - a wheelchair lift that makes the Opera House stage far more accessible to everyone.

Another great stop we had was Sunday in Waubaushene where we visited The Benny Club. The Benny Club was started by Medal-Bearer Cindy Pearson as a tribute to her late son Benjamin. Benjamin was a thoughtful, friendly, good hearted kid who was always on the lookout for others. Several times he had mentioned to his mom that he wanted to open up a place where kids could gather to stay out of trouble and have fun. He had dreams of a youth centre in their small community that would serve kids of all ages and provide a safe haven for them to hang out and grow and be provided with activities. When Benny was 14 he was hit by a car while riding his bike. He was killed instantly. When his mom recovered his backpack from the police, he had the Real Estate section in it with a location circled for his Youth Centre. Unfortunately, Benny’s dreams were as lofty as the price tag of that property so his mom selected an alternative location and The Benny Club was born this past March. Over 30 kids showed up on the first night and they continue to meet on Tuesdays and Fridays in a caring, healthy environment that is inclusive for all.

Featured Medal-Bearers

Kevin and Heather Mills (from Newmarket, ran in Barrie).

Their story is among one of the many that starts as a fun filled day and ends in tragedy. While celebrating a family wedding on the beach in Cuba, Kevin Mills, age 28 at the time, was driven head first into the sand by a wave. Luckily, his new brother-in-law was able to pull him out of the water and to safety. Kevin broke his neck, sustaining an SCI, was diagnosed a quadriplegic and had no feeling or movement below the shoulders. Kevin and Heather are both Advanced Care Paramedics in Toronto and now have experienced the medical system as both providers and patients. They have learned through their experiences that you must seek out and strive to provide the best care possible for your loved ones. They found that care at an SCI Recovery Centre in California, called Project Walk. We would like to offer this specialized program to our community by starting a unique not-for-profit SCI recovery centre serving all of Ontario and beyond. They are in the grass roots stages of creating Walk it Off Spinal Cord Wellness Centre Inc. (WALK IT OFF), a not-for-profit organization, that will be located in York Region. Our centre will provide exercise-based recovery, education and support to those living with a SCI. Our aim is to improve quality of life and increase independence by maximizing recovery for clients who have sustained a SCI.

Heather and Kevin are currently involved in an Aviva Community Fund online Grant competition for funding. They would love your support. Please visit their website http://www.walkitoffrecovery.org/ and see how you can help by voting.

Gail Garland - Orillia

Gail wheeled into the first meeting point in Orillia with her family/fan club trailing her, and by the end of the meeting I was happy to be apart of her fan club too. Gail was in a baseball accident that put her in a wheelchair in 1991, she is currently 68 years old and is still very active in sports. After her injury she tried wheelchair basketball but it wasn’t until trying sledge hockey that Gail found her fit.

She played for the local team, until she was poached by another team in a higher division. She has played with many of the men on the national men’s Canadian sledge hockey team, stating she could have easily stayed playing with them, but they found her skill too intimidating. The best part is that she is a goalie and is known around the sledge hockey community as ‘Granny 007’ (one of the other medal bearers at the meeting recognized this name and couldn’t believe she was with us).  Granny 007 kept us all entertained with her stories and photos, and encouraged everyone to get out and try a new sport.

What Has Been Learned This Week?

Our EOD on Sunday was in Parry Sound at the Bobby Orr Hall of Fame. It was one of the more fun locations for the staff to visit because there were lots of interactive exhibits to play with and we need lots of stimulation or our minds wander sometimes. So we learned that the great Number 4 Bobby Orr, arguably the best defenceman to play the game of hockey is from Parry Sound, ON....AND he has his OWN Hall of Fame!

Photos of the Week

#4 Bobby Orr – One of the most famous goals scored in NHL history

Bubble Hockey – Nish vs Lingley

Men of the Deeps – Rick gave us all a hat from the Original Tour before we left. Mine said “Men of the Deeps” on it. No one knew what it meant.....until now! They are a Coal Miner’s Choir and they are playing in Parry Sound on March 23^rd, 2012.

Orangeville Honda Cake – An employee of Orangeville Honda (a very active community sponsor) made this cake!

We've been in Sudbury the last 4 nights and will make our way to "The Soo" this weekend. It was 8 degrees today in Sudbury and Espanola (very unseasonably warm for this time of year)...but weather reports are showing that tomorrow is allegedly going to be dipping down to -17 with the windchill!!! How does that happen overnight??? I guess we'll find out in the morning!

Goodnight all!

Jonesy

Insulation for Winter

Greetings Guests,

Wow, have I ever been slack! I really don't even have much of an excuse. I've had time to write more....but I have been selfishly using it for personal pleasure.....no not that kind!!! I've actually found some time for some workouts...we stayed at the Delta Kitchener for 5 nights and they had a terrific Fitness facility, including 3 squash courts. Now I hadn't played much squash since I left University. At Brock, I actually played a decent amount for a couple years there with some good friends and roommates, but that was a long time ago. When I moved to the US for grad school, it was all racquetball down south. So I got in on that scene, which, while appearing quite similar...is really quite different. It didn't take long to refresh my mind of the rules...but it took a little longer for my body to remember the movements. I was playing with some of the guys from the team who are actually pretty decent. I won a few here and there...but lost more often than not. It was great to just get that good sweat going though and the exhilaration of going all out for a ball. The competition is something I have been missing since leaving Vancouver and my soccer, softball, and beach volleyball teams behind.

This facility also had 2 bowling lanes, air hockey, ping pong, pool table, video games, and even a mini golf course....all in the basement of the hotel! We mostly stuck with the squash though. I had no idea that there was so much gluteus muscle work going on until after we were done and walking normally was no longer an option. I was moseying along like I had just finished a 2 week cattle drive, not to mention the tennis elbow and blisters on my hand.

I don't remember all these issues from when I was 21. Getting old is a real kick in the pants! It's also a real backhand to the metabolism. I've started to notice the beginnings of what older men battle with as a result of decreased exercise and a slower metabolism...the dreaded "spare tire". Thankfully mine is still only in its "training wheel" stages (no photographic evidence!) so I can make changes while I still have the ability to kick myself in the butt. While it seems like I do a lot of moving around throughout the day, I don't think I have been this sedentary before in my life. I've always had some sort of organized league to play in or buddies around for impromptu bike rides and runs. The consistency is just not there right now. I am committed to making it more of a priority moving forward though.

Something else that I need to make a priority is sleep....and I intend to do that now...

Goodnight All!

Jonesy

Day 92 - Jones Family Day on the Relay (Windsor to Chatham)

Salutations Relay Followers,

I had the very special opportunity on Day 92 to welcome both my mom and my dad to Windsor, not to visit or watch...but to WORK a day on the Relay! My Dad drove the Command car and my mom rode in the Motor Home and took pictures and danced. I was the Medal-Bearer escort that day so I got to ride a bike alongside them and we all traveled in the core convoy for the day.
It was so cool having them right in the middle of things, experiencing a full on amazing day of the Relay. It was a warm and sunny day and we had some amazing stops along the way. Lots of energized school children, plenty of jazzed up community members lining the streets, and some more of those incredible yellow jacketed Medal-Bearers to lead us along.

Our lunch stop was in the city council chambers of the small town of Lakeshore. Local eateries donated a delicious lunch for us while a choir of kids from a nearby elementary school sang us some new renditions of Christmas songs. They were so cute.

Both mom and dad had the times of their lives and even made some new friends along the way. I know they were a huge hit with my colleagues as several expressed just how "cool" and "hilarious", and "awesome" my parents are. Now I know they are pretty amazing...but I certainly didn't think it was that apparent to the outside world. haha :) Great job Mom and Dad! Love you guys!

It was also very "cool" of them to host the entire staff for a Saturday night of bowling at Bowlerama Royale when we got to London. It was a perfect opportunity for everyone to let loose a little and enjoy some friendly competition on the bowling lanes. Mom even became a bit of a "ringer" as she was brought in as a celebrity guest bowler a few times when someone needed a strike. It was like she hadn't missed a beat in the 25 years since she'd last thrown a ball.

Here's to cool, awesome, hilarious parents and having the opportunity to bring them to work with you!

Dad even went out and bought a brand new Nike track suit and new Nike shoes...gotta support the sponsors! Gotta admit, he looked pretty sharp!

Goodnight all,

Jonesy

Toronto Video

Hey Guys,

Check out this video from when we were in Toronto...more blogging to come soon. We hit my hometown of St. Thomas tomorrow evening! My mom will be a Medal-Bearer in Aylmer where she taught school for a number of years and then the Relay will be a part of the the St. Thomas Santa Claus parade. Its good to be back home!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPF3yc24KUc

Jonesy

Meet the Team

Hey Everyone,

We have rolled through Toronto and are now beginning our trek towards the Niagara Region where I will get to make a stop in St. Catharines and Brock University, my former home for 4 years. I have not been back since I graduated and I know that a lot has changed on campus, including a huge addition to the Physical Education and Recreation Centre where I spent about 93% of my time. I'm excited to  check it out and stop by to visit some of the staff.

I had an incredible Blast from the Past moment in Clarkston, just outside Mississauga, when while riding the bike, I hear someone yell out "Jonesy!" Not expecting to know anyone in the area, I stopped and right in front of me was a woman named Andrea who was a classmate of mine at Brock in the Recreation and Leisure Studies program. I hadn't seen her in over 11 years but she looked exactly the same as I remembered her, except she had 2 of her 3 kids in tow this time. haha She was aware that I was working with the Relay (thank you Facebook) and when she saw it was coming through town, she decided to come down on the off chance that I would be in the convoy. As it turns out, I was riding the bike for the first time in a month and the stars aligned. I love it when things like that happen!

One of our amazing Endurance Team Members just left our team after his 10 day stint. His name is Geordie McConnell and he is the founder of the Ottawa Triathlon Club and Ottawa Running Club. He was also involved with the original Man In Motion World Tour for a short time as a university student. He rode with Rick for 3 days locally and then flew out to BC to finish up the last 3 days as well. Geordie did an amazing job as a team member, had an incredible time interacting with all the Medal-Bearers, and created some memories that will last a lifetime. He also made a very generous donation to the Foundation on behalf of his Triathlon Club AND made a cool video of our on road operations that showcases some of the amazing, talented, and hard working Relay team members that I work with every day. Check it out here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmQa_rLj0e8

Oh, and I went to Whole Foods for dinner tonight and made myself a tasty collection of tantalizing treats to bring back to the room, including 6 different kinds of quinoa salad. Soooo goooood!!!

Goodnight all!

Jonesy

Ottawa Video

Hey Guys,

I know I've been super slack about posting of late, but we are now in Toronto and as you can imagine, it is the busiest part of the Relay. I've been takiong some photos along the way and trying to make some notes about some stories, but haven't had much time to post anything. I guess maybe I wasn't cut out for this blogging thing! hahaha  Maybe when Daylight Savings time hits here this weekend, I will use that extra hour to blog....but don't get your hopes up...I will probably sleep.

In the meantime, please enjoy this video of our trip to Ottawa.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2qELqPEHFE

Jonesy

The Rick Hansen Medal - Video

Hey All,

Well, we have finished up 2 weeks in Quebec and I have some pictures and a post to still write for that but in the meantime, please check out this video about the Rick Hansen Medal made for us by the Royal Canadian Mint where we will be visiting tomorrow in Ottawa!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eInRaHqbOX0&feature=player_embedded


Very cool stuff!

Jonesy

Quebec City - VIDEO...en francais

Bonjour mes amis!

Voila! La video de Quebec City en francais.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvKPlva1AMU&sns=fb


Bon soir.

Jonesy

Disclaimer - Je ne parle pas francais tres bien mais je comprende un petit peu.

Day 47 Woodstock, NB - Grand Sault/Grand Falls, NB

Good Evening My Beloved Blog Readers!

Well, I didn't think I was going to write tonight because it is now 12:52am but so much happened today that I just had to drop some notes for you all to check out.

I was afraid that our stretch of nice weather had left us and that winter had come early. While we were in Fredericton a couple days ago, it was bitter cold, windy, and rainy. Everyone had hauled out their winter gear and the grumbling and groaning about winter weather had begun. Weeeeeell, Stop the presses! Today was an incredible day!! Sunny, bright, cloud free, blue sky, 27 degree day...on October 9th in Woodstock, New Brunswick! So already we were off to a good start.

Okay, I lied, I'm too tired...I'll have to finish later.....Nighty night.

Okay I'm back....9 days LATER! Hahaha You had no idea it was that long, did you? Well, I apologize...but it was....(hint..I've already been in Quebec for over a week!...that blog will have to follow later.)

So heading out of New Bruncwick and into Quebec, I tried out a new job on the Relay. I was a "pilot". I drove ahead and marked the next 3 days of the Relay. This involves taking big yellow stickers and sticking them 250 metres apart on lamp posts, telephone poles, No Parking signs, traffic signals...or whatever we can find. We do this according to a very details mapping program that was created during the 2 hard drives that were mapped out by our Route Coordinators. It was a lot of driving...over 800km round trip resulting in an arrival back at the hotel around 11pm. This was on the night that the rest of that staff enjoyed a nicely prepared Thanksgiving Dinner at our hotel. Thanksfully I have a sweet boss who made me a plate and wrapped it up for when I got back. Thanks Deena! Then we are the pilots for the Relay for those days since we are familiar with everything after having down the recon mission. We lead the core convoy of vehicles throughout the day to make sure they stay on track and all Medal-Bearers are dropped in the correct places.

Well this day in New Brunswick had lots of cool stuff and since its 12:20am and I'm at risk of postponing posting this, I will give a quick rundown and include some pictures.

Visited Hartland, NB, hone of the World's Longest Covered Bridge at 1282 feet long. Found some Fisherman enjoying a lovely sunny morning on the water.

We had a Medal-Bearer in Perth-Andover who had a pet goat named Rocky who even came on the shuttle! GO ROCKY!

And our Last Medal-Bearer of the day in Grand-Sault/Grand Falls was Ron Turcotte. He was the jockey who rode the famous race horse Secretariat to the 1973 Triple Crown. For those of you who are uneducated in the world of horse racing. The Triple Crown means that a horse wins the 3 most prestigious races in the year...The Kentucky Derby, The Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes. It is a difficult task because they are quite different races and different lengths and horses typically aren't suited for all 3. Its so tough in fact that no horse has won the Triple Crown since 1978 when Affirmed accomplished the feat. Great job Ron! Ron got to carry the medal on the bridge that is named after him.

Our End of Day Celebration site was right by the Grand Falls and there is a zipline that crosses the gorge. They cut our staff a deal and we zipped across a couple times...after playing some mini-stick hockey with the kids of course.

Ohhhh yeah....ziplining harnesses are quite flattering for the gentlemen. I was walking a little taller around the ladies when they saw me descend down to the platform. :)  Sorry..but this is the only ziplining photo that was taken.

See you in Quebec in the coming days!

Jonesy

I'm BACK!!!

Soooo, for those of you who have been faithful followers of my Blog from the beginning, you have probably noticed that my once daily blog updates have become...oh....shall we say....a little less frequent... Well, this was not due to the fact that I was trampled by a moose in Corner Brook, or run over by coal miner in Sydney Mines, but rather I was caught up in the wheels of a Relay that operates and has needs 7 days a week for 20 hours a day. I was selfish and chose to sleep for those remaining 4 hours rather than blog and for that I apologize sincerely (okay, maybe 'sincerely' is not the right word).

At any rate, I did receive an earful from Momma Jones who was having a quiet period at the cottage and time that I failed to adequately fill with descriptive text for her to read was instead used to harass the wildlife with a camera lens thrust into their tiny faces. (I'm kidding, Mommy was very understanding and wished me all the best. She's lovely)

Well guess what! I have come to the decision that I simply cannot keep up the very ambitious schedule of daily updates. I will however attempt to keep up at least weekly.

In the meantime, please spend some time enjoying the following video clips that were put together by a fellow member of our team. Hopefully they will thrill and entertain and provide you with some context and fram of reference for some of the stories I've shared to date.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFxpzVq1imQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdnQs9K1B0A

By the way, there has been lots of really cool stuff happen since I last wrote and some more amazing stories and people. You really should have been there! Maybe I'll send you a t-shirt. That t-shirt would say "I know someone who did some cool stuff and things and told me about some of the stuff and things but then stopped telling me any of said previously aforementioned stuff and things for awhile but might start doing it again soon, maybe and all I got was this crummy t-shirt"
I'm still working on the exact wording.

Enjoy!

Jonesy

Day 20 - St. Peters to Port Hawkesbury

Sorry, its been another super long day and its 1am so this will be short.

Directions for an enjoyable day:

Step 1. Have lots of fun
Step 2. Meet lots of cool people
Step 3. Rinse
Step 4. Repeat

Look how excited these little future doctors/lawyers/teachers are!

Leo? Is that you? Where's Kate?

SHOWTIME!!!

Highland Dancers

Jonesy

Day 19 - Sydney to St. Peters

This was probably one of my favourite days of the Relay so far. As we left Sydney and made our way along Cape Breton Island, we are encountering many small towns. Those small towns have some incredible people and we got to meet a few of them today. First thing in the morning, we had a pretty powerful Meeting Point. We quite often ask our Medal-Bearers to share their stories of why they wanted to participate in the Relay, or why they were nominated by someone or why they did nominate someone as their Difference Maker. We made our way around the room and heard some pretty good stories from folks and then there were just 3 people left. We didn't know this at the time, but they all knew each other and had been through a lot with each other. They were husband and wife John and June, and John's best friend. We'll call the friend Kevin because I can't remember for sure what it was and I don't want to get out of bed to find my paperwork to double check....I know, I know...that's sheer laziness, but its after midnight and I'm tired and cozy. Anyway, names are not important, stories and friendships are. John and Kevin have been friends since they were born. They were introduced to each other in the first 6 months of their lives and have been close ever since (now in their mid 40's). Six years ago, John and June were in the process of building their dream house. John had their future all mapped out. He was an excellent craftsman, and a cabinet maker and had ambitions of going back to school to become a guidance counselor as he has a heart for helping people. All that changed when they went for a leisurely motorcycle ride together and were hit at full speed by a drunk driver. John, suffering serious injuries, immediately began calling for his wife. Against odds, he got up, found her and stood over her mangled unconscious body as the drunk driver stumbled up. "You killed my wife", he said. "My life is over, you just killed my wife!" Hearing this, the drunk driver got back in his car and took off. He attempted to conceal himself but in his condition, ended up smashing into 3 or 4 more cars and a house before evacuating his vehicle and runnign to hide in the woods. Thankfully this story has a somewhat less devastating conclusion in that June did survive the wreck. The driver was caught, but received nothing more than a mild sentence while both John and June were left with permanent scars and debilitating pain on a daily basis. John had ligament and tendon damage in his hands and arms and still suffers from severe neck and back pain in addition to regular headaches. Its time for Kevin to enter the story. Kevin, John's best friend, wanted to help. Since John was injured and unable to use his hands, Kevin set upon finishing building John and June's house that was in mid build. A pretty incredible act in itself, is made even more incredible by the fact that while doing this, Kevin was facing his own challenges as he was battling cancer. Slowly, the two of them, despite their pain and fatigue, and limited mobility, worked diligently together for short periods of time between rests, John possessing the knowledge and using Kevin's functioning hands, finished building that house.
John had to stop to compose himself several times while telling the story as the emotions are still very fresh and very raw. It is clear that he still very much bothered by the fact that both him and his wife are suffering everyday and the person that caused their injuries is still a regular in the bars around town. He is working very hard every day to move towards a level of acceptance and forgiveness and participation in the Relay was a small step in that direction as he was able to share what it with someone who has truly been a Difference Maker in his life for both him and his wife. I was able to speak with John privately afterwards and could feel the strength and resolve in him. He is planning to finally go back to school to get the courses he needs for his guidance counselor ticket and is very much looking forward to doing whatever he can to give back.

John and June...dating since 8th grade and still happy today!

In small town Nova Scotia, "Community" is everything. No one gets anywhere on their own and everyone pitches in where they can. In St.Peter's there is someone who is always stepping up to be that someone who aids or assists. A huge crowd showed up for a dual purpose function as the town was recognizing a local hero, Georgie, and dedicating a brand new recreation complex to him as part of him being selected as our final Medal-Bearer of the day. Georgie, owner of the local tavern and grill, has always been the first one to step up when someone needs help. He has given countless hours of his time and dollars to various causes and projects around the community. He has been an active coach in youth league baseball, and is a local hero as evidenced by the 2 different standing ovations he received during the ceremony. Sadly, Georgie as well has been attacked by cancer, his body riddled with bone cancer so badly that he has broken his femur and hip just during every day life. He can barely move himself and uses a wheelchair to get around, but in the 3 hours that I was chatting with him and interacting with him and watching him with others at the function, he was never without a smile, and never without a friend, neighbour, or grandchild close by. Yes, Georgie has found something special that even cancer cannot stop him from enjoying.

Georgie bringing it in!

Georgie with his family and friends

The Smile that made him a St. Peters icon!

Following the ceremony, the community hosted our entire team of 35+ people for a fabulous Nova Scotian deluxe dinner. The feast they put together was unbelieveable. HUGE lobsters, t-bone steaks, salads, rolls....and as much as you like....yes, including the lobsters!! What an absolute treat to have such a fun, relaxed atmosphere for dinner with warm, friendly, welcoming people. In St. Peter's hospitality knows no bounds!

YES! This actually exists...and no I did not try it.

Aww, now THESE are the ones I was looking for!

and I finally settled on my girl Loretta!

THANK YOU ST. PETERS!! YOU ROCK!!

Jonesy

Day 18 - Sydney Non-Event Day (with an event)

So today was officially slated to be a "day off" for everyone. Since there is no such thing as a "weekend" for the next 9 months, we try to take advantage of our off days to get some exercise in, relax, get away from the Relay, away from our work, and away from each other....but we haven't really had any of these types of days yet... and today was no exception.
Today, we decided to take an opportunity to "practice what we preach" by getting involved in the local community. Mike, our Relay Security Manager (and former RCMP member/current Professor) set up for the Relay team to spend a few hours at a local skateboard park. It would be a chance for us to interact with some youth while performing some community service. We went equipped with rubber gloves and garbage bags and took to the park to clean it up. There was garbage and crap all over. Big ditches full of food wrappers and cigarette packs, pop cans, coffee cups, and just about anything you could imagine...including 2 shopping carts! By the time we were finished, we had filled about 10 garbage bags full of trash, hosted a free BBQ for all the kids who were hanging out, and had the opportunity to share our messaging with a mostly attentive audience. The kids all helped to pitch in and pick up trash with us once they saw what we were doing.It was pretty cool. It was a crummy, rainy day with scattered periods of sunshine but what a great opportunity to make a difference for a group of youth....how big of a difference we made may never be known, but I guarantee that for some of them, we did more for them than simply clean up their park.

Jake, our quadriplegic host, thought he would get in on the action by wheeling down a ramp....Jake does silly stuff sometimes....and after 3 hours at the hospital and 5 stitches in his head, we all had a good laugh about it. Personally, I think he just wanted to get out of having to pick up trash!

Our whole clean up team with some of the local skaters.

Jonesy

Day 17 - Sydney, NS Event Day

We spent 4 nights at the Delta hotel in Sydney which was nice because we got to unload our gear and spread out a little. It also provided us some time to get out and visit in the community and explore a little. I took advantage of our Non-Relay day to go and get my first haircut since I left Vancouver. I visited a cute little place called Alma's Family Salon and when it was all said and done, I was charged $16. After recently making a very bad mistake in Vancouver and walking into the wrong place when I decided to "change it up a bit" for a haircut and being charged $90, this was a very pleasant surprise.
I had a lot of administrative work to get done on this day, so I was pulled off from working at the various events that we had going on. We did have several though and they were as follows:

1. An EMT where we had a Scuba Diver take the Medal down for a swim under Sydney Harbour

2. A trip to Louisburg, where we fired a cannon at the Fort. Photo credits to Bryn Isaac for capturirng what we were told was a 1 in 500 chance at getting the flame from the cannon fire which only lasts for a fraction of a second and is not even visible to the naked eye when it happens.

3. Membertou First Nations visit where we had 2 Medal-Bearers carry the Medal (an Elder and a youth), followed by a  4km walk for Parents Against Drugs and then a dance.

4. A trip to Mayfair Mall to set up some display items.

(No pics available...because who wants to see a mall?)


Jonesy

Day 16 - Sydney Mines to Sydney

Well, its been a couple days since my last post (Mom's not going to be liking this!) Its 1am on Day 19, but I need to play some catch up so I am going to get at least 1 day in before I forget too much of it.
Day 16 was our first day in Nove Scotia and our first day starting from a school. We intend to start from a school any time that we have a Relay day when school is in session. Rick is very focused on ensuring that the youth of today are made aware of his mission and vision as they will be the leaders of the future and will ultimately be the ones responsible for carrying on Rick's dream for healthy people to be living on a healthy planet within an inclusive society. Our first Medal-Bearer will be a student from the school and we'll host an assembly for all the students to attend and learn about Rick's story, his dream, and why he is doing this Relay.
Despite a wet and rainy day, it was exciting for all the team members to be able to go to a school and interact with the kids. We visited 4 schools on the day and had some incredible moments. An elementary school that we visited for 30 minutes was so excited for us to come. The students all came into the gym with their posters and banners they had made the day before. We got them all up and dancing as well, learning our routine that we perform at each Meeting Point. They had a blast and really enjoyed meeting our team and being able to see Sonny's cool hand cycle that he rode right into the gym. There is a video floating around somewhere of me at the front of the gym, trying to teach the moves to our warm up routine so we'll see if it surfaces later and I will add it......maybe. :)

Those are some hot dance moves!

Great Posters!

One Happy kid! This little guy was a hero with his classmates today!

INDEED!

Jonesy

Day 15 - Non Event Day

So we finally got on our 12:30am ferry and departed Newfoundland at 5:30am. We parked all our vehicles down below and headed upstairs to find our cabins on the 8th floor. They were small, with double bunk beds and a bathroom (complete with a shower)...but pretty nice actually. I'ts all I needed or wanted anyway and within seconds all 4 of us were passed out. I was assigned to a room full of snorers but being as tired as I was, I didn't care if I was assigned to share a room with a family of jackhammers. When my head hit the pillow, I was out cold. I woke up around 10:30am and decided to get up and scout out the situation on the boat. I did a quick tour of a couple floors and debated eating breakfast but passed it over as I am just about over the "powdered scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, toast" at this point (I know...its a little early to be "over" standard hotel breakfasts with 8.5 months to go. haha) I went up to the sundeck on the 10th floor and just relaxed in the sea breeze as we moved toward land. It was about another 90 minutes before we were skillfully guided through a narrow channel and into dock. It was neat to see the seaside landscape come into view and slowly become larger and clearer. Lighthouses, churches, cementaries, and quaint beachfront houses dotted the horizon.

The Interior of the ferry

Morning Sunshine hitting the Atlantic....thankfully we did not have to utilize that orange thing!

The ferry's satellites and Navigation systems behind the Helipad.

Ladies and Gentlemen.....Welcome to Sydney Mines! (Yes, I am still in the same clothes I wore all day yesterday and slept in...at least I was smart enough to pick comfy clothes!)

The rest of the day consisted of  readying our vehicles, preparing for meetings, and creating our plan for tomorrow's Relay day.

I just finished dinner a little while ago. I figured I would dive right into some local fare so I went with the Lobster poutine! Not as good as it sounds actually...maybe I'll just stick to whole lobster dinners from here on. :)

Good Night all!

Jonesy

Day 14 – Stephenville to Channel Port Aux Basques

Good evening from Channel Port Aux Basques, NL!! We just finished our last Relay day in Newfoundland and are currently waiting to board a ferry to Sydney, NS. Unfortunately that ferry was scheduled to leave at 12:30am, but was delayed to 2:30am and now as we sit here in a hotel room at midnight, the ferry that was due in at 11pnm has not even arrived in harbour yet. There is a 3 hour turnaround time so even if it gets here now, we won’t set sail until 3am. Apparently it is stuck out in the bay and unable to get in for some reason. They are telling us we are supposed to be waiting in line right now to hold our spot so part of the team went down to check it out and see what the “crowds” are like so we don’t lose our reservation. The rest of us are staying back to either sleep, get some admin work done (as I was doing earlier), or blog (as I am doing now!) We are getting conflicting words and information about whether we really need to be sitting in our parked cars for 3 hours to wait it out or whether we can stay in the hotel. I have a feeling that some are going to make it on and others are going to get left behind. It sounds like we are going to play it conservatively and head down now so we don’t miss out if in fact it does ever come in.....okay I spoke too soon as now it is 1 hour later and after packing up, we are right back in these holder rooms across from the ferry terminal. Apparently it is still too windy for the boat to dock. I have a sneaky suspicion this may not work out too well....but...stayed tuned for updates!! Our constant debating and indecision reminds me a little of the lyrics to this song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH21LEmfbQ

On to happier times....so today we started in Stephenville and went through several small towns such as Stephenville Crossing, St. George’s and finally on to Channel Port Aux Basques. We had several Boy Scouts participating today which was very cool. They were so animated and excited to talk about all the work they do with the Scouts and their efforts to plant trees to help the environment and how they raised salmon fry and eventually released them in the river. They talked about how they used to build those Cub Cars before they graduated to Scouts and then once in Scouts, they built Scout Trucks instead. One enterprising young fella built a Scout Truck that was a car carrier that carried all his previous Cub cars. They all had fun doing our little warm up routine.

Happy Scouts

In St. George’s, we had a very small Meeting Point; only 3 Medal-Bearers as the town in very small. We met at the arena and there was a 4 lane 5-pin bowling alley inside. The guy behind the counter kicked on the lanes for us and we rolled a few frames. Then he cut the lights and turned on GLOW IN THE DARK Bowling! So odd to think that that kind of thing exists in a town as small and rural as St. George’s.

The drive to Channel Port Aux Basques was a long-ish one. It was about an hour and a half but the scenery and landscape was incredible. I didn’t feel like I was still in Canada. It was dark green covered mountains with a low lying cloudy mist settling in. It was part Gorillas in the Mist type jungle and then if you look towards the water there was the White Cliffs of Dover towering over the ocean. I really probably should have stayed awake longer to enjoy it....especially since I was driving! (Just kidding Mother!! I’m being safe! J )

The first Relay Proposal...although I think they may be too young for marriage

Not these 2 lovebirds though! Hubby and wife sharing 35 years of marriage with a Big Smooch!

Okay, well, it’s 1:30am and there is no sign of the ferry coming in to dock so I think I’m going to try to catch some shut eye so I am not ruined tomorrow.

Good night all! See you in Nova Scotia!!

Jonesy

Day 13 - Corner Brook to Stephenville

YAAAAWN!!!! Mondays are still Mondays, even when you’re on the road and weekends are just another day. It was hard to climb out of my super comfy bed this morning, but it’s time to get back on the road for another Relay Day. This morning started with a community send off event at Margaret Bowater Park in Corner Brook. A lot of communities welcome us with refreshments and this morning was no different. We had a lovely spread of coffee, tea, juices, muffins, and pastries to get us going in the morning. We did some dancing with the Medal-Bearers and got everyone warmed up. We needed it too because it is cloudy and overcast today with the smell of rain in the air.

We are currently scootin’ along the Trans Canada Highway in Carrier Mode and just stopped at the only restaurant between Corner Brook and Stephenville.  The good people of the Pinchgut Lake Restaurant surprised us by buying us all lunch at their establishment. I had a grilled cheese sandwich and a delicious homemade turkey vegetable soup that Kayla and I split because we both wanted a taste but not a whole bowl. Isn’t it great when you are able to dine with people who like to do share plates? J You get to have a taste of several things...like a mini smorgasbord! Mmmmmm

Tomorrow is our last day on the Rock. It’s hard to believe that we are 2 weeks in already and finishing our first province. I am looking out the window of the motorhome as we boot along at 101km and just admiring how beautiful and remote it is. I was speaking with one of the police officers in Corner Brook and asked him, “So, is Corner Brook the 2^nd biggest city in Newfoundland after St. John’s?” And they replied, “Yep, sure is”.

“So how many people live here then?” I inquired.

“Ohhhh.....’bout 25,000 I suppose”. Hahaha The 2^nd largest city in Newfoundland has 10,000 fewer people than my hometown which I have always considered to be quite small. I guess that tells you a little about what Newfoundland is all about. Its small towns, community oriented people, and lots and lots of wilderness and outdoor activities....I suppose you could say it’s my kind of place. J

Only 17 Medal-Bearers today, but they were good ones. We had several Special Olympians in Stephenville today who were just terrific. One young lady named Brittany was a major camera diva. She was posing and mugging for that thing non stop. It was hilarious the poses she got into. You'd think she was on a runway in Milan.

                                                           Brittany showing off the pipes

Family Jump!

This was a discovery at our End of Day ceremony in Stephenville. I just had to include it as I found it to be rather bizzare. Who uses this? Port-a-potty for Lovers? True bonding experience....made for you and a friend?

Goodnight from Stephenville!

Jonesy