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

Day 12 - Corner Brook Non-Event Day

HOORAY! A “Non Event” Day.  These are supposed to be days for rest, relaxation, exercise, sightseeing, and just general maintenance days for laundry or getting away from the Relay. That mean it’s going to be a short blog day as well. I need my rest! We always manage to squeeze in a little work though. I used this opportunity to go for a nice long run. I went out with a coworker, Kelly, to find some fun areas for a little jaunt. We started in a trail by the hotel which led us to a park and up another trail. Then we hit a pipeline that looked to go right uphill. Kelly had a bit of a pained look on her face at first, but she was a trooper and followed me up this hot, dusty, gravel trail alongside this big wooden pipeline with several holes in it, resulting in cooling sprinkler showers the whole way. It was uphill the whole way out....which meant it was downhill the whole way back... We definitely earned our downhill!

Other members of the team went back to the Ziplining place for some high adrenaline fun, while others made the trek back to Gros Morne National Park for some hiking, boat tours, and wildlife sightings. It was another beauty afternoon so Mike (our Security Commander) and I decided to hit the links for a round of golf. We were paired up with a couple of locals for the front 9 who were quite fun to play with. The short one, Owen, was the talkative joke teller one, while the tall one, Steve, was the strong silent type....sort of a reverse Penn and Teller team. Owen had a knack for recognizing every bad shot we made (and there were a few) and pointing out where it landed with the smallest of chuckles, “Oop, Ditch!” or “Ohh, Pond! Hehe” He was pretty hilarious. I called him out on it about the 6^th hole and said, “So Mike, pretty much if you hit a shot and Owen doesn’t say anything, you know you’re in good shape.” At this point, Steve, came out of his shell and chuckled, “Hehe It didn’t take them long to figure you out, eh?” Good guys for sure though. They left us at the turn and Mike and I cruised through the back 9 pretty quickly. Then it was back to the hotel for another parking lot BBQ and some prep for Monday’s Relay day from Corner Brook to Stephenville.

Blomidon Golf Course, Corner Brook, NL

Here's the shorter guy we played with, Owen....oh, and naturally I am the taller fella!

Hope you all enjoyed your Labour Day Long Weekend!

Jonesy

Day 11 - Corner Brook Event Day

Saturday was an “Event Day”. The Community Planning Team set up some activities for the community and staff to come out and have some fun. Unfortunately, it was Labour Day weekend and as is tradition, Newfoundlanders head out of town for a final weekend at their cabins. Attendance was sparse, but those that did show up were spirited and ready for fun. We had our final two Medal-Bearers from Day 10 (sisters Mandy and Megan) arrive as well. There was a wheelchair basketball court set up, Zumba instruction, and a fun run. Zumba is a new exercise craze that is similar to an old school aerobics type class but with funky new dance moves to music that is strongly African themed with good drum beats.  An instructor led us through the routine for 4 different songs and we got a real good warm up in before starting the fun run (a little jaunt around the parking lot).

We wrapped up the Event stuff just before noon and then it was back to work. Meetings in the afternoon and uniform inventory to make sure we are still tracking well in terms of sizes. It appears that Newfoundlanders are skewing more towards the larger sizes presently which has caused some initial concern that we may run out of the larger sizes before reaching BC. We may have to put in an order for some additional units, especially seeing as the colder weather is coming and people will want to be layering up.

Saturday evening we had a full team meeting followed by a slide show of our first 10 days on the road and a team dinner. The meal was catered by the hotel and was actually quite good. Protein choices of chicken, salmon, roast pork, and roast beef provided plenty of options. A pleasant surprise to the affair was fresh homemade Yorkshire puddings! YUM!!!

Following dinner, our Director had arranged for a little entertainment. A proclaimed “self taught” comedian (I didn’t realize there were classes you could take. I missed out on that major when I was selecting University programs), came and gave us a little show. He was a local Corner Brooker who had worked in hospital administration for a number of years and then retired to be a local comedian and “Screecher”. Now for those of you who have never been to Newfoundland, you may not have ever heard of Screech. Screech is a Jamaican rum that has become the official drink of Newfoundland and in order to become an honourary Newfoundlander, you must be “Screeched in”. There is a big long story to the history of how Screech came to be...but I am not going to get into that here. I’m sure you could Google it though if the yearning, nagging urge to know gets too strong. Getting Screeched in involves learning to speak some key Newfoundland phrases, becoming educated in some traditions, and then kissing a cod and throwing back a shot of Screech. When your screech in is complete, you are presented with a certificate. I was fortunate enough to have been “Screeched in” in St. John’s when I first arrived on The Rock and then “Screeched out” now as I am preparing to leave this fine province. That’s right Ma, I’ve got TWO certificates for you to proudly display in my scrapbook!!

The Screech!

KISS ME BABY!!!

Following the Team dinner, a number of folks hit the town to take in the Corner Brook social scene, but for a former Southerner, the first Saturday in September holds something much more important to me. It’s the kickoff of the NCAA football season! I spent my evening watching football, and teaching my Limey roommate the rules of the game.  Despite looking sloppy in the 1^st quarter and going down 17-0 to East Carolina, my South Carolina Gamecocks picked it up on offense and limited the mistakes to take a 56-31 victory to open the season. Here’s to a great season!

GO COCKS!!!

Jonesy

Day 10 - Deer Lake to Corner Brook

Another “Misty” day and another beautiful, sunny day in Newfoundland! How did we get so lucky in these 2 weeks since I’ve arrived? We just left out of Deer Lake this morning after having 6 awesome Medal-Bearers. They brought out quite the little crowd to see us off as well. I discovered that the father of 2 of the Medal-Bearers was the cousin of Shaun Manual – my high school computer teacher and basketball coach from back in St. Thomas, Ontario. It really is a small world!

One of the Deer Lake Medal-Bearers from yesterday, “Junior”, came back this morning to give us a proper send off with a healthy selection of frozen moose meat. He produced 2 bags full of moose sausages, moose steaks, and even a big moose roast! Stay tuned for info about the Relay Team Parking Lot BBQ in Corner Brook! We’re leaving this moose meat out to thaw...

Just finished going through one of the most beautiful communities. It’s called Steady Brook “Ski capital of Newfoundland”. They had a huge contingent (well, huge for Steady Brook I’m sure) of folks awaiting our arrival at the Fire Hall. Just a quick 4 Medal-Bearers looping around what is essentially the only residential street in Steady Brook, but with the mountains in the background and the water right there, it made for a very picturesque scene. Did I get any pictures of this.....? Of course not! I told you, I’m new to this whole blogging thing and I forget I need to have my camera in my hip holster at all times to capture the shots that capture your attention. I’ll see if I can borrow some from my colleagues though.

STEADY BROOK!!

Just past Steady Brook, we had another EMT (Extraordinary Mode of Transport). We've already had a rower in St. John's and pilot in Gander take the Medal for rides, and here, just outside Steady Brook, the Medal was taken for a zipline ride by Medal-Bearer Ernesto! Through the trees, over a waterfall, and down through the mountains, over 9 different zip lines, Ernesto carried the Medal for his EMT segment. Bryn, our media guru and staff photographer made the trek as well to document the action. I believe some more of the staff may take another trip out here on the weekend for some fun.

The Zip Line execution team

Our arrival in Corner Brook was welcomed for a couple reasons. First, it is the largest city we’ve seen since leaving St. John’s (and its really still not that big), and secondly, because it is the weekend and we have 2 Non-Relay days ahead to spend catching up on emails, planning, and some relaxation. We’re staying at a very cool hotel called the Glynmill Inn. We were supposed to be staying in a different hotel, but about 3 months ago it burned down, so we moved to this one and it is beautiful. On the exterior, it looks like an old stone castle, on the inside it has been made to look very comfortable and homey. The rooms have the most amazingly comfortable beds. It’s fantastic to be able to sleep on these for 3 nights. It does make getting up tough to do, but when the weather is as beautiful as it has been, you can’t sleep away your days.

These are some 'Adirondak Loungers' by the water in Corner Brook following a successful day

Soooo, back to that moose meat BBQ I referenced above.... We travel with a Weber Grill on our 5 ton supply truck, so we hauled it down and fired it up and started slapping on some moose meat. I don’t think anyone has had moose meat before so we were all “game” to give it a try. There was plenty to go around, especially with all the salads we had made and in true potluck fashion, we had quite the feast in no time. We got the tunes pumping off the back of Pace, kicked on some spot lights, tossed the football around the parking lot, and had a really great Friday night together. The moose roast was pretty good. It was very similar to a roast of beef in texture but a slightly different taste. The sausages, however, were terrific. He made them with a little spice and they were so good!

Moose are all over Newfoundland and they are quite dangerous to those driving on the highways. There are more than 700 moose/vehicle collisions each year in Newfoundland, causing several serious injuries and even deaths.

 I was scanning the highway pretty good when we were in “moose territory”. I spotted one dead one on the side of the road, but no living specimens. A co-worker who had driven out early the other morning actually encountered 8 moose on her 2 hour drive, including a couple babies with their mother. They are magnificent creatures, but due to their size and ability to dismantle a vehicle, quite nerve wracking to see on the side of the road when you’re driving. So stay alert out there!

Off to bed for now....we have an “Event Day” in Corner Brook tomorrow...should be fun!

Jonesy