Day 7 - Gander to Grand Falls-Windsor

It’s my favourite day!!! No, not Tuesday...I have no special affinity for Tuesdays (aside from cheap movie night....which come to think of it, at $8.50 is still well above what most people pay for regular price). No, today is my favourite day because it’s a MISTY DAY!!! I’m on the bike again all day and it’s another gorgeous sunny day. I am currently typing this section while riding in Pace (pictures of all these vehicles are coming when I can get phone service again).

We started this morning with an EMT (Extraordinary Mode of Transport) of an airplane (fitting for Gander as you learned yesterday). We sent up a Medal-Bearer pilot along with a member of our Relay staff to snap some pictures.

                                                        Corey about to take that puppy up!

                                                       The Medal several thousand feet in the air!

We just finished a really fun trip through Glenwood....

Okay, so clearly I did not finish this post while on the motor home as it is now midnight on Wednesday as I am finally getting a chance to finish it up.

Now I can’t really remember what happened....even in Glenwood where I apparently had a really fun time. Haha We did have a lovely lunch provided for us down in a park which was very welcomed. It was WINDY I remember that! We had some very cool Medal-Bearers as well. Oh yes, Glenwood....I remember now...we had lots of very excited kids eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Relay. Here's Deena with a few little ones as they look down the road, waiting for us to come around the corner...

                                                 Even better than the Ice Cream Truck!

We had some cool folkls participate in Grand Falls-Windsor as well. The one’s I will focus on are the Chicoine Family. (Who are from Quebec but participated in GF-W)

They are a Mother and Father and 6 kids (4 girls and 2 boys) and they are all traveling together right across Canada and back across the United States and finally returning back to Vancouver in February 2012. The thing that makes them unique is that they are RUNNING across as a family. They are doing it as a relay type format where they switch on and off so that one person is always running. They call it the Marathon of Health and they are doing it to raise awareness for living a healthy lifestyle and to bring attention and information about how to improve your health through fitness and exercise. They are also raising money for KidSport and Right to Play which are organizations who work to get youth involved in organized sport who may otherwise face barriers such as financial constraints. The  whole concept and idea is really cool, but when you think about traveling in those close of quarters with that many people for so long and putting the strains on your body of covering off over 100km a day plus interviews and media stories and special events and all the logistics and planning and injuries that go on, it’s hard to imagine it being too easy of a task. But every one of them had a huge smile on their face and were very excited to talk about their venture and they all seemed genuinely happy and proud and supportive of each other at the half way point of their trip. It’s pretty remarkable that a family that size would not only have the physical ability to pull off such a feat, but also the dedication to pull it off (The kids are all young adults at that point in their lives where they are finding themselves and their interests and typically would be venturing out to do their own thing.) I find it pretty amazing that they all decided they wanted to put their individual lives on hold and share in their father’s dream and participate as a family together. That’s what families are supposed to be all about heart warming to see how passionate all the children are towards helping to achieve that goal. Check out their story at http://marathonofhealth.com/

Goodnight all!

Jonesy

Day 6 - Non Event Day (Gander)

So Day 6 was our first "Non Event Day". This means that we do not move the Relay forward at all. We stayed in Gander for the day and used it have some meetings with the home office back home via conference call, to catch up on some adminstrative work, and to do some review and make changes to our operations after seeing the first 5 days in action.....oh and some were fortunate to use it as a tourist day or a golfing day....and no, I was not part of that "some". I had a very productive day though.

I made a home delivery of a uniform and chatted with a Medal-Bearer for Day 7. For the most part, we issue uniforms at the Meeting Point, but some of our Medal-Bearers are wheelchair users and it is not very easy or convenient for them to change into their uniform at the venue. When we learn of someone who requires their uniform in advance, we either will mail it to them or if timing is tight, we will arrange for a personal delivery. I have made several of these personal deliveries and it can be a very experience to meet someone at their home or work and see how appreciative they are to have a member of the Relay staff pull up in front of their house. You really get to hear some of their story during those brief interactions and then when you see them the next day, you've got that connection and can call them out by name again when you see them. It really helps to make the experience that much more personal and meaningful.

I even made a new friend when I rolled up to John's house one afternoon and saw his cute little dog sitting on the porch. I was traveling with Deena (my boss lady) and she said, "Oh there's a dog, this one's all you". I took one look at this dog and saw the sappy, lazy, disinterested look on its face and said, "Oh Deena, that dog wouldn't take the energy to stand up if there was a piece of bacon 3 feet away". So I got out and headed towards the door (Those of you who read a lot and are good at picking up "foreshadowing" probably know where this is going. Not 3 seconds after I exited my vehicle, that hound had bolted from its spot, torn down the ramp and was at full leash extension barking and going crazy. I stopped dead in my tracks and looked at Deena (still safely sitting in the car) who had a part frightened, part worried, and part hysterically laughing look on her face. John had heard this commotion and had wheeled outside at this point to attempt to calm his effective guard dog. I introduced myself from behind a railing and he said, "Well, if you trust me, you can put your hand down in front of her and she won't bite". So how do I stand there and basically say, "I don't trust you" to one of our Medal-Bearers by not befriending his loving "best friend". So I came around the corner, bent down, and let this snarling, spitting, teeth bearing dog get to within 2 inches of my favourite hand (rightie) and as soon as I did, "Maggie" became putty in my hands. She was sooo excited to see me, began licking me, nuzzling me, and just wanting to be pet and played with. She was so friendly once she approved of me and saw that John was cool with me. So, if I learned a moral of the story in this situation, I suppose it would be, "Trusting people isn't always easy (and you may lose a hand), but it can be very rewarding.

Oh, and I even found some time to hit up JJ's Car Wash to get a new spit shine and wax on my Honda Pilot. We'll be rolling out of Gander looking slick in the morning!

Jonesy

Day 5 - Glovertown to Gander

Day 5 – Glovertown to Gander

As someone who likes to wear many hats, I am very fortunate to be able to fill a wide variety of roles on the Relay to keep things interesting. Just prior to leaving for the East Coast, I acquired my Class 4 Driver’s License. This means that by the power vested in the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, I am fully qualified to drive up to 25 passengers on a bus! Anyone want to be my passenger?? I have 1 day experience! Okay, so it’s not really a full day, but I drove the Relay shuttle bus for the first time in Gambo, NL for about a total of 6km. Didn’t have even ONE accident and only forgot to close the doors twice (but no one fell off) ;)

The very small town/village/hamlet of Gambo is a shining example of small town living. It’s not for everyone certainly, but it’s where community means something and the people are what make the town what it is. Everyone knows everyone and they look out for each other. Both the Mayor and his wife were Medal-Bearers that were nominated by the community for all the volunteering and hard work they do. The mayor has held his position for 26 years. The Relay entered Gambo on a day when the town was in mourning. An accident had just taken the lives of two of their residents and though the mayor and a few others were at our event and hosting a very nice homemade lunch with sandwiches and soups for all of our staff and the community who came out to celebrate and recognize their town’s Difference Makers, the mayor was confident that at that very time, someone was at the house of the grieving family providing support and delivering meals and aiding in any way they could. As a guest, we were welcomed unconditionally and you couldn’t help but feel a little sense of “Mayberry” all around you. I’ve spent the last 7 years living in large cities where you sometimes go weeks without seeing a neighbour and even when you do, you don’t know their name became everyone just stares at the floor or watches the numbers in the elevator when you take a ride together. It was quite refreshing and reassuring to know that places like Gambo, Newfoundland still exist.

Day 5 ended in Gander, NL, a small place that is home to Gander International airport. Gander was formerly used as an important refuelling point for transatlantic aircraft, and, to this day, is a preferred stopping point for transatlantic aircraft that need to land because of on-board medical or security emergencies. My grandad was stationed here in Gander during WWII and was here when my mom was born. He finally made it home to see her when she was 3 months old. Gander Airport also played a very important role during the early hours of September 11, 2001 when 39 transatlantic flights bound for the US were directed to land when Transport Canada and the FAA closed North American air space.
Well, there’s your history lesson on Gander! Hope you learned something!

Jonesy

Day 4 - Clarenville - Glovertown

Rick has left the Relay for the time being and has returned home to his positions running the Foundation, being a husband and most importantly serving as a father to 3 young ladies. We had some fantastic early momentum and we know that it will just continue to build as we move through the rest of Newfoundland.
I had the opportunity to be at the Glovertown Arena for their Meeting Point experience and I met two very funny and outgoing young men (Russell, and Josh). I will add a picture below that I took with them, but I have no service on my Blackberry through these rural parts, so I cannot access my pictures just yet.
Josh is a young guy who is just hilarious and a huge ham with pretty much no use for shyness or nervousness. He is 22 years old but looks much younger. A few years back, he fell and suffered a serious head injury. He slipped into a coma for several months and the prognosis was not very good. Doctors reported to his mother that if he came out of the coma, he would most likely be in a vegetative state. He came out of the coma and the side effects were quite remarkable. It seems that now he is just always happy. He is always cracking jokes, entertaining, and be the centre of attention. He says what he thinks, and what he thinks is pretty random and funny. We had a short drive to our community stop and things were a little too quiet on the shuttle for him so he took it upon himself to entertain the fellow Medal-Bearers with his own renditions of a couple Hank Williams Jr songs. Then  we had just enough for a little of the B-52's Love Shack! "Love Shack Baaaaa---baaaaaaaaayyyyyyy!"
Russell was our last Medal-Bearer of the day and he was very excited to be a part of everything. I was riding "Misty" for this segment and got to escort Russell through his last segment and into our End of Day celebration at the Ball field where a Community Planning Team from Glovertown had a really nice BBQ set up for the residents and Relay Team. Russell got to run through a corridor that everyone created and received high fives as he stood in front of the gathered crowd, proudly wearing the Rick Hansen Medal and smiling brightly as the crowd clapped. Its moments like that where we as the Relay staff get to come out of our focused "operational mode" and become human again and just enjoy the experience and realize how special this Relay is to so many people. It brings it full circle and we are re-energized after a long day and excited to get up and do it all over again with a new group of Medal-Bearers in  new community. If you are not already a "Fan" of Rick Hansen on Facebook, I would encourage you to become one and read some of the posts that people have been posting after their Medal-Bearer experience and those who are still yet to come. I usually try to do this just before going to bed. It really makes it easier to get up early the next morning! :)
 So 25 years ago, Rick's team played a softball game against the town of Glovertown.We were made aware of this during our planning and our team managed to arrange to do the same thing again. So, while the BBQ was going on, a team of local residents took the field against our Relay staff for a friendly competition and camaraderie. The Relay team struck first with 2 runs in the first inning, but that was quickly answered in the bottom half as the locals posted a 3 spot of their own. From there the game remained tight with neither team managing for than a 1 or 2 run lead. We hit the 7th and final inning in a dead lock at 7-7. Extra innings lurked in the air, but after a long day, I guess our Relay team decided that 7 innings were going to be enough. We struck early and often in the 7th inning, posting 4 runs before recording an out. When all was said in done, the Relay team walked away with a 14-8 victory in a game that was much closer than the score may indicate. It was so fantastic of the residents of Glovertown to host us for a BBQ and a softball game. What a great way to end a long, hot day with some incredible people. THANK YOU SO MUCH GLOVERTOWN!
(Again, check back for pictures once I get service again).

Jonesy

Day 3 Mt.Pearl, NL to Clarenville, NL

Today is our first Moving Day. I have been at the Holiday Inn, St. John’s for 9 nights now, but tonight we will be in Clarenville for the night. It’s just before 3pm right now and I am typing this while sitting on what we call “Pace”. Our Pace vehicle does just what its name indicates...it keep the pace of the Relay. It is a completely retrofitted RV that also functions as our media vehicle. We have a window cut out in the back where we take pictures of the Medal-Bearers completing their Medal exchange and doing their segment. I have been rostered to ride “Misty” today (our Medal-Bearer escort bicycle). I got another good workout today with some stiff headwinds and decent hills......and then the rains came! The first day of rain we’ve seen here. It wasn’t too bad though. Living in Vancouver, we’re quite used to getting wet on the bike.

I think this may be a great day to introduce you all to our Endurance Athlete for the first month of the Relay. Our Endurance team is made up incredible individuals (and a couple of my buddies from North Vancouver who are....well...okay ;) The Endurance athletes will travel with us as a member of the Relay staff for anywhere from a week to a month. They will cover off longer distances between communities until we get to our next Medal-Bearer segment. Typically they will run, wheel, or ride between 5 and 40km per day. Our first Endurance athlete is a pretty cool guy by the name of Sonny Davis. Sonny is a super chill, easy going, hard wheeling guy originally from Calgary who now lives in Kelowna. Traveling in a handcycle, Sonny was part of his own cross Canada adventure last summer called the Marathon of Freedom in support of those with Muscular Dystrophy. Sonny has quite the sense of humour and because he uses a wheelchair to get around most of the time, he has dubbed himself Sonny & Chair. On his helmet, it reads, “I Got U Babe”. (The older crowd will get the reference there...the younger crowd can Google it. J ) Sonny will be with us until Charlottetown, covering over 300km for us while wearing the Rick Hansen Medal.

Sitting on the Pace vehicle. I'm getting some work done and Sonny is chillin' with the Medal. (within 3 minutes of taking a nap actually)

The Mighty Misty Riders (myself on the left and Hank on the right) and flanking Sonny and Medal-Bearer Phil (A recent Cancer survivor) just before he starts his segment.

Sonny thanking all the RCMP officers who escorted us the last couple days. (The guy on the left spent most of teh day laughing at me and teasing me from his car while I biked in the pouriung rain...but in  funny way. haha) Great job fellas! Thanks for the support!

Today is the last day that Rick will be traveling with the Relay until we get to Halifax. He made it out to all of our Meeting Points and community stops to shake hands, take pictures with the Medal-Bearers, and leave them with some inspiring words and a thank you for all the incredible things they do and for being a part of our Relay. Today is also Rick’s BIRTHDAY! All of the communities that we went through were aware of this and each one had some kind of cake available. I am happy to report that I maintained my impervious willpower and left it all alone. This Relay is being used to get in shape....and that shape is not ROUND!

Well, it’s time to sign off for today as we are about 5 minutes outside of Clarenville and its time for me to suit up again and get back on Misty for our last segment of the day. It feels kind of good to have my Blog entry done so early. I am looking forward to getting to bed at a decent hour tonight and playing a little catch up!

(*So much for that last statement....things are never as easy as they seem. haha It is now well past midnight and I'm just now getting a chance to load this up!)

Check out these pictures of some cool wines I found in Clarenville at the gas station. I should have got them just to try...but the last thing I need is more stuff to tote around. haha

FUNKY PUFFIN

MOOSE JOOSE!!! (Look how suave that Moose is!)

Goodnight all!

Jonesy

Day 2 - St. John's to Mt. Pearl

Good Evening!

Day 2 is in the books and it was another beauty out there. The wind picked up a bit, but the sun was shining bright trying to rival the smiles on all of our Medal-Bearer faces. Today we had some pretty amazing Meeting Points. I should probably explain a little about what a Meeting Point is first though. All of our selected Medal-Bearers are sent an email telling them where to meet our Relay staff. Our Hosts and Shuttle Drivers begin their Relay experience with an introduction and briefing session at one of these Meeting Points. Typically these will take place at a school, a community centre, a city hall, or some other community building that we have identified as being able to host a short meeting. Obviously we are looking to find locations that are fully accessible and can accommodate a good number of people as Medal-Bearers are encouraged to bring their family and friends. I thought I would share a couple stories from two of these Meeting Points that I attended.

McDonald's Activation - We have two primary sponsors on the Relay. They are McDonald's and Nike. These are the same two sponsors who supported Rick 25 years ago on the original Man In Motion World Tour and they have continued to be friends of the Foundation all these years. Nike supplies all of our Medal-Bearers with a pretty sweet Running outfit to wear during their segment. It consists of a bright yellow jacket, navy blue pants, and a blue and yellow touque (this item will be much more appreciated in January when we're feeling the bite of a -35C Moosejaw morning than it is on a 27C sunny August afternoon). So today we had a Meeting Point at a McDonald's restaurant and all the employees had signs that said 'We're With You Rick" (The McDonald's motto from 25 years ago). Ronald made an appearance as MC...one of the opnly mascots that talks...he's actually kinda creepy looking up close and I'm surprised so many kids wanted their picture taken with him. I was never afraid of clowns as a kid, but now that I'm grown up (well....let's not kid ourselves...now that I'm older), I can see their point. There was a display set up showing the Rick Hansen Medal alongside a pair of Rick's actual gloves that he wheeled with 25 years ago. (Did I take a picture of such a cool artifact for you...of course not...I'm not in full on "Blogger mode" just yet so I don't clue into these things...but I did get some pictures from McDonald's! Anyway, Rick made an appearance and said a few words and all the Medal-Bearers were very excited to shake his hand, share a few words, and have their pictures taken with him (take a backseat now Ronny..Rick is in the house!) An incredibly cool moment occurred though when McDonald's Canada pulled out a giant cheque...with an even bigger number written on it...a $2million donation to the Rick Hansen Foundation!! Wow! Not bad for Day 2 of a Relay that is designed as a celebration and awareness vehicle. Thank you McDonald's! In addition, Newfoundland hometown hero Brad Gushue (2006 Olympic Gold Medal Winner for Canada in Curling) was a Medal-Bearer at this Meeting Point (We drove on Brad Gushue Highway to get there too!)

Gloves from Rick's original Man In Motion World Tour

Wow! Not a bad start! Thank you McDonald's!

Mt. Pearl City Hall - At this Meeting Point we were given access to Council's chambers so all the Medal-Bearers could sit in big leather chairs and pretend they were knights at King Arthur's Round Table.....or city counselor's for the community of Mt. Pearl if they preferred I suppose. Well as part of the check in process, we ask to see a piece of identification to verify that they are in fact the Medal-Bearer they state they are. Well an elderly gentlemen strolled in to check in and when asked for his ID, he was taken aback a little and  said, "Wow, its been a loooong time since I was asked for ID in this building", our lovely host Kayla, being the quick witted young lady she is snappily replied, "Oh, why's that, are you the Mayor or something?", and gave a laugh. At this point, another Medal-Bearer who had been checking out his surroundings a little made a discovery on the wall and replied, "Well, if he hasn't got ID, maybe you'd accept this picture?" The three of them all turned around and yes....it appeared that this gentlemen was in fact the former long standing mayor and had a large portrait proudly displayed on the wall in City Chambers! haha. Relenting, Kayla made the executive decision to let this one slide by without showing ID. Naturally, I swiftly reprimanded her as wall hangings do not classify as "government issued" just because they were...well....issued by....uhhhhh....the municipal government. ;)

Wow, I CANNOT continue to make these things so long...I won't last! Don't worry, its only because this is all so new to me! :) I'm like...a "blogger" and stuff! WOO HOO!! and check it out.....PICTURES!!! (I write that without at all testing to see if I can actually figure out how to add a picture...but I'm going to attempt it right now. If you see a picture below (or anywhere for that matter) then we are making progress. We took a picture of Rick with Brad Gushue...but it was on a real camera (instead of my Blackberry), and well...downloading those requires a cord and some real technical savviness.....which I have used all mine up just getting this far. :)

Good Night from St. John's! Tomorrow....its off to Clarenville!

Oh, and I added some pictures to my Day 1 post as well.....learning stuff is fun! :)

Jonesy

Day 1 - Cape Spear, NL to St. John's NL

WOW! What an incredible day! Day 1 of the Rick Hansen 25th Anniversary Relay is officially in the books! We were up early this morning...well early for me anyway (6am) and in Cape Spear by 7:30am where the Start of Day stage, video board, news trucks, and several technicians and production folks had already been hard at work for hours. The weather was overcast, windy, and very cool. We even had a few light raindrops fall, but nothing could dampen the spirits of everyone who has looked forward to this day for so long.

With Ainsley and Heather getting all the final set up stuff organized

The day began with some videos playing of Rick's original Man In Motion World Tour as the public arrived on shuttles from downtown. When the official program started, the crowd was fairly intimate but what theu lacked in numbers, they more than made up for in energy and enthusiasm. You could tell that they knew they were going to be a part of history in the making. Short speeches by local and provincial politicians as well as some local folks from the original tour were interspersed with great performaces by a young group of Irish Dancers and a performance by the Irish Descendants, a very talented, well known, and award winning Newfoundland band. The Man In Motion himself, Rick Hansen, then took to the microphone and gave an inspirational send off before wheeling off stage and passing the Rick Hansen Medal to the first Medal-Bearer of the day, a young man of 14 years named Jacob from right here in St. John's.

Check out this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkMfUJdX53E&feature=player_embedded


My role on the Relay today was to ride the mountain bike which has been affectionately named "Misty". As one of two Misty riders, it is my job to ride ahead and brief the Medal-Bearers just before their big moment to carry the Medal. Some are very relaxed, others are quite excited, and some are very nervous that they will forget something or mess something up. Really, its pretty fool proof, and it was my job today to ensure they felt as relaxed, comfortable, and as knowledgeable as possible before their big moment. It was a GORGEOUS SUNNY day from the instant we left Cape Spear. We were very fortunate to have such a fabulous day to kick things off. I ended up riding Misty every kilometre that we covered today including some pretty decent hills coming out of Cape Spear. All told, we covered just over 25km today and had 56 Medal-Bearers carry the Medal. I think it is pretty safe to say that I had one of the best jobs going today. I got to be outside, riding a bike on a beautiful sunny day, and meet 56 super cool, amazing Difference Makers, watching them all have the time of their lives....and I get to do it all over again tomorrow (although in a different role).

                                         (Steph, Josh, PARKA (Parks Canada Beaver), Yours truly
                                                                 SONNY DAVIS (Our Endurance Team Member)

Day 1 ended with a short End of Day ceremony at MUN (Memorial University of Newfoundland) where  all the Medal-Bearers were invited to attend, meet Rick and have pictures taken. Some even had Rick autograph their Nike Uniform Jackets (Yes, each Medal-Bearer is presented with a fabulous Nike Running Jacket and pants and a touque to wear during their segment. (touques optional today!)

Well, its 12:44am now and I NEED to get some sleep before another full day tomorrow so sorry, no time to post pictures today. I promise to load some up when I get some more time.

Until tomorrow....

Jonesy

Introduction

Greetings! Welcome to my very first blogging attempt. I figured that I would use this forum to attempt to keep all my family, friends, and Rick Hansen fans up to date on the 25th Anniversary Relay, and my adventures, experiences, and interactions with all the incredible Medal-Bearers I am sure to meet along the way. I am hoping to be able to find time to create some quality posts, complete with photos and videos, and lots of clever, witty comments...emotional, touching stories...humourous happenings...and quotable quotes. There's no doubt there will be plenty of all of those over our 9 month (273 day) journey.

The first few posts will be rather sparse and lacking any sort of "pizzazz" or pictures while I figure this whole thing out. They will get better as I learn and as I hopefully find more time once the Relay settles in a bit. It has been several days of long hours as we get the final preparations in place for Wednesday's Relay Launch in Cape Spear, NL. I look forward to trying my best to create a lasting memory of this incredible event that will hopefully once again unite a nation, inspire Canadians to be Difference Makers in their own way, and help to make a healthier, more accessible, and more inclusive society for all of us.

I hope you enjoy keeping up with the Relay both on my blog here, and on the Official Relay website http://www.rickhansenrelay.com/. You can also learn more about Rick and the Foundation at http://www.rickhansen.com/

Thanks!

Jonesy