July 10

Tuesday, July 10th, 2007

Early in my day’s blade, I had a scary flashback of the encounter with the dreaded wild rabbit in New Brunswick. I could see a little bunny off in the distance sitting at the side of the road waiting for me to get closer. I could feel him eying me up and down. I just knew he was looking for my vulnerability and would strike as soon as I was within striking distance. But this time I was ready for the beast. when I was within earshot, I let out a loud ‘ARGH’ and caught him off guard. I wasn’t about to be made a fool of by another vicious rabbit. Score: Rich 1 – Bunnies 1.

With the wind at my back and a new set of wheels on my skates, I started the day off as best as could be expected. With only 80 km to the Soo, I had 55 of them under my belt before I stopped for lunch in Echo Bay. I wolfed down my leftover butter chicken and closed my eyes for half an hour before heading out again. Just as I was leaving Echo Bay, the shiny flash of money caught my attention. Unfortunately it wasn’t real money. It was a giant Loonie. You can’t go past a giant coin like this and not take a picture that makes it look like you’re lifting it above your head! You’ll see what I mean in the photo section.

While I was taking the picture, a couple of guys came out of a near by restaurant to see what I was up to. We got chatting with Will and Matt and found out that they are cycling across Canada for MS. Now here’s the kicker. These guys were both from Kingston! Talk about a small world. Two great guys from my home town out on a worth cause of their own. Good luck guys. (www.WillsRide.ca)

Not long after leaving the Loonie, I could see a car pulled over to the side of the road ahead of me. I had received a call from CTV letting me know that they were sending someone out to meet me. But as I approached, I could tell that this car was not from CTV. And yet the guys that got out of the car were clearly a film crew. I quickly found out that they were from the SooNews (www.soonews.ca). Who am I to turn down media attention?! So I gladly stopped for an interview and a few shots of me skating. As I was finishing up with this crew, the CTV vehicle pulled up. It was a mini media frenzy on the side of the Trans Canada! When I was finally done all the interviews and the crews were satisfied they had all the footage they needed, I set my sights on Sault Ste. Marie.

The wind continued but was now blowing clouds overhead. A sprinkle of rain threatened to release more, but it was holding off for now. As I was approaching the city limits my attention was grabbed by something on the right side of the road. It was a person who seemed to be almost lurking behind the guard rail. Just as I rolled up to him, he popped up and started snapping photos. The Paparazzi!! Oh wait, I’m not Lindsay Lohan or Paris Hilton. It must just be another reporter. And it was. This time it was the Sault Star newspaper wanting a few words. I didn’t have far to go, so I was quite willing to take another short break before finishing.

The Soo isn’t a huge city, so it didn’t take me long to get downtown and out through the North end. As I was rolling up the Great Northern Rd, I saw a familiar landmark. It was Swiss Chalet! Three years ago, Crystal and I packed up our lives in Ontario and headed out West. On our first night of traveling, we made it to Sault Ste. Marie around dinner time. And for those who know Crystal will understand that it’s almost impossible to drive past a Swiss Chalet without her wanting to stop for food. Well, here I was staring at restaurant we ate at when we came through here so long ago. It’s weird the things you remember.

The KOA campground just north of the city was kind enough to donate a night for us. We’ve had pretty good luck with campgrounds lately. It’s pretty nice being able to shower so often! I’m sure my parents appreciate that, too.

After checking in, we drove back into town where Brody’s Bar and Grill had offered to feed us for dinner. Although it was pretty quiet in the restaurant, the manager was very grateful to have us and even made a significant donation himself. Thanks to everyone at Brody’s!

I couldn’t come through the Soo and not snap a few pictures of Roberta Bondar and me with various wildlife statues. I don’t know what it is about statues, but I just have to get pictures with them.

I’ve always known that a lot of people cycle across Canada every year. But it’s been truly amazing just to see how many are out there. Today alone, I saw 5 people on similar ventures. It really re-enforces my gladness that I chose to rollerblade. I wanted to do something different that would catch peoples interest, and I think that’s exactly what I’m doing.

From Sudbury to here has been relatively flat ground. I’m pretty sure that I’ll be facing serious hills from now until Manitoba. And I will likely have very limited internet access. So please be patient if my journal is not updated regularly. The plan is to be in Thunder Bay by July 18 or 19. It’s about 700km form here, but I’m not sure if I’ll be covering 100km every day. We’ll see what tomorrow has in store.

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July 9

Monday, July 9th, 2007

This morning I started from the most suitable location in Spanish. Richard Street. Seriously, how perfect is that?!

I’m sure I could stretch today’s journal into another long chapter, but I won’t. Apparently I have a way with words and can make watching paint dry sound exciting. However, today will go down as one of the most uneventful days on the road. The first 50 km went by quickly and before I knew it, it was lunch time and we were in Blind River. There wasn’t a whole lot to see other than trees between Spanish and Blind River.

The afternoon started off with some excitement, though! I got stung by a bee! I’m not too sure what else to tell you about that. The little bugger got me on my left forearm while I was skating. But I didn’t lose a stride. Just let out a silent curse and kept on rolling.

During my afternoon break, I received an e-mail from someone in Sault Ste. Marie. Without me knowing, a Soo newspaper had printed an article about me. I was excited to hear this. I need the media to start promoting me prior to arriving in their city. That way the public is aware that I’m coming. It’s been tough getting the proper exposure without an experience publicist to help us. But I think we’ve done pretty darn good so far. Well, the person that e-mailed me just let me know that the Soo paper had printed that I will be the first person across Canada on rollerblades. He wanted to know why I had told the paper this since he was aware that I wasn’t the first. This is a great example of the way the media will skew a story to make it better news. I replied to him letting him know that I have not spoken to that newspaper nor have I ever claimed to be the first person to make this trip. It’s a shame that reporters don’t take the time to do the proper research to get accurate information. This is how rumors start and controversy begins. But at the same time, I’m sure a little controversy would get me a bit more publicity. Just kidding. I’d love more exposure, but I hope reporters will do their homework. I know a Sudbury newspaper also ran an article about me today with false information, as well. Their inaccuracy, however, was not regarding me. They had mentioned other individuals in the article but gave details that were not factual. That’s as much as I’ll say for now.

There was a light breeze in the afternoon, but nothing serious. I crossed paths with Rich Aucoin who is cycling across Canada for childhood cancer. Seemed like a great guy. All the best, Rich. I was getting pretty close to the end of the day when I heard a loud horn which was obviously coming from a trucker behind me. Usually they’ll give a little toot as the roll by, but this guy held the horn down at least 15 seconds before even reaching the RV. I looked over my shoulder to see what he was honking at. There was no oncoming traffic so he had all the space and time in the world to go around. but for whatever reason, he was not happy that I was there. He continued on the horn as he sped past me and waved a universal salute to me. Needless to say, it was not a friendly salute. I was pretty shocked since the truckers have been really accepting of me on the roads. But just like all the other inconsiderate jerks I’ve encountered (which have been very few), I shrugged it off as best I could.

Everything else went smooth until the last 10 km. I struggled to get to my finish point for some reason. I’m not sure if I was just getting tired, or maybe I was hungry. Whatever the case, it took every ounce of energy I had to reach Pine Crest campground in Thessalon, Ontario. Thanks for the campsite, Pine Crest. Another appreciated donation. The campground is nestled on Lake Huron with a great sandy beach which I took full advantage of. The water was brisk, but exhilarating. It felt amazing after my 105 kilometer day.

I ended the evening with a nice long phone call with Crystal. We chat via e-mail often, but it was nice to hear her voice. I can’t wait to get home to see her. At one point, we were considering arranging a flight for her to come meet me somewhere along the way. But I think the logistics are too difficult. Unfortunately it’ll still be another couple months before I get to see her beautiful face in person again. Miss ya, babe.

NEW PHOTOS ARE UP!

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July 8

Monday, July 9th, 2007

I left Sudbury with a big smile on my face. I’m really glad I took the time to back track to the city. At one point people were telling me to either skip Sudbury, or just drive back to it and skate from there. But me being me, I refused to take the easy way out. After all, people who fight cancer can’t take any shortcuts. So we headed back to the highway and back toward Espanola. But this time I wasn’t stopping in Espanola. I was heading for Sault Ste. Marie.

And early morning e-mail from CBC radio in Sudbury lead to a roadside interview about 20 km out of town. Erik White had head about me and took the time to drive out to meet me on the side of the highway even though it was Sunday. He recorded the interview and then made an unusual request. He wanted to capture the sound of my wheels as I was skating. It’s a good thing I was wearing my rain skates because my dry skates hardly make any noise at all. It wasn’t raining at the moment, but the sky was threatening. After one attempt of me skating past the micro phone, we thought it would be better if I held the recorder and skated with it. I dangled the micro phone down near my ankles and skated up the road about 20 meters. As if skating on the highway isn’t difficult enough, now I was concentrating on not kicking the device hanging between my legs. The micro phone, that is. But it seemed to work out and Erik went on his way.

I was about half way back to Espanola when my life flashed before my eyes. The traffic seemed unusually thick for a Sunday morning, but maybe people were on their way back from a weekend getaway. I was surprised to see so many transports on the road, too. The truckers are typically great with respect to giving me a lot of extra room. But one particular trucker today didn’t seem to care that I was on a narrow shoulder. Perhaps he was bitter about having to work on a Sunday, or maybe he just didn’t care about why I was there. When he snuck past the RV he came up so tight to me that I had to stop my stride and was almost forced into the gravel. If I hadn’t had my arms tucked down by my sides, the truck may have taken one off. I could almost feel the metal from the truck shaving the hairs off my arms. I don’t understand why he did it, but it scared the daylights out of me. That was by far my closest call with a vehicle to this day.

Something about this road felt familiar. I was having another deja vu. And for good reason. Just like when I went to Halifax, I had skated along this road just the day before. Although something felt a little bit different than I remember. But what was it? Was it the weather? No. Was it because I was going in the other direction? No. I know! This time I’m not hungry! What relevance does this have to anything, you may be asking. Well, it just so happens that today was the first day since I began this journey on May 5th that I swallowed a bug. This was not your ordinary little bug. It was a mammoth horse fly! I don’t know why I swallowed a fly, but I didn’t die! This sucker was so big that I literally choked on it and gagged. I had to stop and signal for my dad to bring me a bottle of water (because I’ve heard water goes well with insects). I coughed and spat for a few minutes before I felt that I had sucked enough of the nutrients out of the fly that I could continue on.

I arrived back at the outskirts of Espanola where I was greeted by my entourage of Goodman’s. Keith, Penny, Amy and Emma were all at the side of the road waiting for me. This was the first time I’ve met Amy (Kim’s sister) and her baby, Emma. While I ate lunch and had my afternoon power nap, Keith and Penny wandered around the Esso gas station collecting donations on my behalf. I woke up to find that they had brought in nearly $200! Fantastic! Thanks guys! And thank you to the Esso gas station for the donation of water and fuel. Much needed and appreciated.

Overall, I made incredible time today. It was after 9am when I got on the road and I had completed 101 km by the time I stopped skating at 5:30 pm. We were fortunate to have another campsite donated to us just outside of Spanish, Ontario. We pulled into Waterfalls Lodge just before a severe thunder storm opened up above us. Since moving to Vancouver, I haven’t experienced the crazy thunder and lightening storms that Ontario frequently gets throughout the summer. I almost miss them! This one produced some great visual effects and some huge rain drops. Hopefully I’ll wake up in a dry bed tomorrow!

Earlier today, someone asked me if I thought rollerblading was harder than running or biking. That’s a loaded question. Of course I’m biased to rollerblading. So personally I’d have to say it is harder. When you’re blading, you constantly have to be aware of the tiniest cracks and variations in the pavement in front of you. And when you’re going up a hill, you don’t have the luxury of changing gears. Runners and cyclists can both travel on gravel if need be. Sure, blading is faster than running, but I’m pretty sure that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s easier. That’s just my two cents, though.

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July 7

Monday, July 9th, 2007

My escort from the Espanola Police arrived promptly in front of the Goodman’s house and waited for me to strap on my blades. Keith presented me with a sacred Ojibiwan gift. He gave me a braided strand of Sweet Grass which is believed to bring good spirits in and provide protection and safety on your travels. Thank you, Keith. I snapped a few pictures with Keith and Penny before heading out of town towards the Trans Canada Highway. The officer left us at the crossroads and I started towards Sudbury. This was the first time I’d taken a stride on the TCH since leaving it in Riviere Du Loop, Quebec. I hadn’t gone very far before the rain started. But I can’t complain because I haven’t had to skate in the rain all day in a long time. Plus, it wasn’t windy, so my pace was still about 20 km/hr. It was also nice having some confidence in the road conditions. If highway 6 was skateable, the TCH must be good. And in fact, I was even treated to the occasional extra-wide paved shoulder.

Everything, except the rain, seemed to be going my way and before I knew it, I was in Sudbury. It was only about 1 o’clock and I wasn’t supposed to be at the Boston Pizza until 6:30 pm. So we decided to stop by anyway just to drop off some posters and let them know we were in town. What we weren’t expecting was to be invited to stay for lunch. Sounded like a good idea to me! After all, we won’t be seeing another BP until we hit Thunder Bay. I’ll be having withdrawl.

After lunch we ran a few errands and then headed over to my friend’s house. I was fortunate to get in touch with Alex, whom I went to University with, and her husband Tim via Facebook not too long ago. When Alex heard I was coming through Sudbury, She was more than willing to have my parents and I stay with her. And we were more than happy to accept the offer! It’s been years since I’d seen Alex so it was really nice to chat again.

Pretty soon it was time to head back to Boston Pizza where the real excitement began. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Sudbury store, but this visit will go down as one of the best so far. I had barely got my laptop setup for the slideshow when the media started to arrive. The Northern Life newspaper, The Sudbury Star, Channel 10 News and CTV all showed up to catch a glimpse of yours truly. It was a phenomenal experience. It was more like a press conference than an interview. But the media wasn’t even the best part of the night. The owners and managers of the restaurant went above and beyond the call of duty. Actually, the entire staff was incredible. I’ve been to a few Boston Pizza Locations where the staff didn’t seem to know who I was or what I was doing. But every single employee here was well informed and very excited to have me. Thank you to everyone who was working to help make tonight a success. A special thanks to the management team Rosa, Clint, Matt and Vanessa. Just a quick note about Clint. He was really playing with fire to ensure tonight went without a glitch. He walked a thin line and I hope I was worth it. Why was Clint risking so much, and what was he risking? Well, he came in on his day off, which also happened to be the same day he got engaged, to make sure things ran smoothly at the restaurant. Clint, you’re a brave man for abandoning your new fiancee for me. I don’t think I’d have the guts to do that, but I’m flattered! The staff pulled out all the tricks for me. They presented me with a giant novelty check, they made announcements on the loud speaker in the restaurant, but the icing on the cake was having Lionel the Mascot walking around the store collecting donations. Another special thanks to Danyka for making the hot, stuffy sacrifice of being Lionel and for letting me try on the mascots head! And yes, there are pictures to come. Many people over the course of the evening opened up to me with personal stories of their encounters with cancer. But perhaps the most memorable for me was one particular cook who was not scheduled to work but asked to come in just to meet me. To be able to provide a bit of hope for people like him and his girlfriend, who has stage 3 cancer, makes my entire journey worth every minute.

I don’t know how they were able to manage it, but the entire staff gathered in front of the restaurant where we all posed for a group photo. I’m not sure who was watching the tables or cooking the meals, but it made for an awesome picture and a great finale to the night. After that, we headed back to Alex and Tim’s house where we had another opportunity to chat before I headed for bed.

It was an incredible, unforgettable and unexpected evening in Sudbury and helped raise nearly $500 for the Skate For Hope. The next major stop will be Sault Saint Marie in a few days. I should be there by Tuesday night. Does anyone have any connections for me in the Soo? I don’t know a soul there and could use as much help as possible. The ball is rolling well now and I hope I can keep the momentum through the rest of Northern Ontario.

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July 6

Saturday, July 7th, 2007

Yup, Northern Ontario was starting out just as I thought it would. With lots of mosquitoes. As I sit here typing with one hand and scratching with the other, I can’t help but look behind me at the ground I’ve covered in this huge province already. Here I am in Espanola, and just last night I was sleeping on Manitoulin Island.

Having the beach front campsite last night made for a spectacular view of the thunder storm that rolled across the water. I laid in bed watching the flashes and listening to the distant rumbles Until they faded into my dreams. It was a very serene evening.

This morning I had been asked to stop at the radio station in Little Current which was only 10 km up the road. After a quick visit and an unexpected interview with the local newspaper, The Expositor, I headed out of town and over the swing bridge towards the mainland. I can’t remember ever seeing a swing bridge before, but it was pretty cool to see it pivot around when boats need to get through. Almost the second I was across the bridge I was suddenly skating on a huge paved shoulder. It’s been a long time since I’ve had such a luxury, but it was fairly short-lived. A few kilometers down the road I saw a car pulled over waiting for me to approach. When I reached them, the woman greeted me with a “Hi Rich! How’s it going today?” It took me a second but then I realized I had just met this woman the day before in Manitowaning. It was Dawn Kerr from the Information center. And she was accompanied by her daughter. I twas nice to see them again and they surprised me with a fantastic early morning donation. What a great way to start the day and finish Manitoulin Island.

Even though I was beginning to face some rolling hills, it was impossible to ignore the beauty all around me. The rocks, the hills and the clear lakes all combined to create a landscape that can’t be duplicated.

The incredible visual stimuli seemed to compliment the audible stimulus being emitted from my Ipod. But I got into a situation where I was being exposed to a bit more culture than I had anticipated. They say listening to Classical music helps to improve your IQ. Well, my IQ must have gone up a couple points today because I couldn’t escape the sound. I was only a quarter of the way up a fairly long hill when my Ipod managed to find some Tchaikovsky. I guess I still have some classical music left on there from my university studying days. Well, when I’m going up a steep hill, my arms are pumping pretty fiercely. So I couldn’t break my stride to reach behind my back and change the song. My daily dose of classical music was being poured into my ears whether I liked it or not. It wasn’t that bad, though. Just unexpected.

The pristine landscape continued on, as I imagine it will for the remainder of Ontario, and gave us a very scenic setting for our lunch break. We stopped and ate in a little village called Whitefish Falls. And the Falls didn’t disappoint. Everything just seems so peaceful and clean. It’s hard not to go trigger-happy with the camera when you have so much around you.

One thing I’ve found humourous in almost every part of the country so far is the egocentrism. People constantly warn me about ‘the big hill just outside of town’. But no one seems to realize that I’ve rollerbladed almost 4500 kilometers. Do you not think that somewhere in the past 2 months I may have encountered a hill just as big as this one? It’s pretty funny that people tend to only think about the treacherous roads in their area. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the heads up about what’s coming up. But trust me when I say it will be tough to surprise me at this point.

I started to get a bit uncomfortable as the road conditions deteriorated rapidly. All of a sudden I had no shoulder, terrible pavement, a lot of traffic and winding roads. We did our best to let traffic pass, but even our best efforts aren’t good enough for horrible drivers. As we came over a small hill and around a bend, I could see a line of cars coming towards me. My dad could also see the vehicles. So he did as we always do when it’s not safe for cars to pass us. With 4-ways flashing, he pulled out further into the lane to block cars from getting around and held his arm out the window to also signal that it was not clear to pass. But some people are just too impatient or just completely clueless. I think this one woman in particular was a bit of both. She pulled out to get by us and got far enough past that I could see her in my peripheral. It caught me completely off guard because I knew there was oncoming traffic. So I wasn’t expecting to see anyone coming up beside me. I glanced over my shoulder in confusion and curiosity since I knew the driver definitely didn’t have time to get by me. I could see the panic in her eyes as she was trying to compute the situation. A normal person with regular reflexes would have hit the brakes and pulled in gently behind the RV and waited for another opportunity to pass. But this woman’s instinct was to slow her car slightly and pull even further to her left putting herself on the gravel shoulder of the oncoming lane. At this point I was in complete awe. Part of me felt bad because she was trying to get past me. But another part of me just shook my head in disbelief with the stupidity and lack of patience that some people display.

Not long after this mind-boggling experience, I pulled over to let a line of cars pass. But one car stopped behind me. The occupants of the car got out carrying a piece of cardboard. As they walked up to me, I could see the cardboard had “Go Rich!” written on it. I was only minutes out of Espanola, so this had to be Penny and Keith. Sure enough, it was. Penny and Keith are the parents of Kim (you may remember Kim who I mentioned in my journal the same day I arrived at my cottage near Lansdowne). They wanted to come out to cheer me on as I rolled into Espanola. They welcomed us into their home where they even arranged to have the local newspaper meet me. And after my interview, Keith fired off some delicious chicken breasts on the barbecue for dinner. The entire meal was amazing. Especially the blueberry crisp for dessert! Thanks guys!

So here I sit, scratching the mosquito bites on my ankles and trying to ignore their terrorizing hum. I’m looking forward to tomorrow even though the forecast is rain. I think Sudbury should be fun.

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July 5

Friday, July 6th, 2007

I was looking forward to sleeping in this morning. I knew we wouldn’t be catching the Chi-Cheemaun ferry until 11:30, so I planned to sleep until about 9 or 10. You can imagine my surprise when I was jolted out of a deep sleep by my Dad yelling “Get up! We gotta go!” I was in a whirlwind of emotions. I was tired, confused and angry. He had just spoke to the Ferry officials and they were making a special exception to get us on the 11:30 ferry, but we had to get there by 9 am in order to ensure a spot for us on the boat. Good thing our campsite was only 3 km from the docks.

I didn’t bother taping my ankles since I had such a short distance to blade. I even skipped breakfast since I knew we’d be sitting at the pier for a couple of hours. And then we received another surprise. Too many surprises this early in the morning can’t be good for the heart. The Ferry Official we had been talking to, Ian, had waived the entire fee for the crossing. Now we can justify eating at a restaurant for breakfast! The dockside restaurant we ate at was delicious and all the servers even knew who I was. Apparently they had either heard me on the radio or been told by the restaurant owner.

Once on board, we had a couple hours to sit and relax. There’s wasn’t much to look at since a thick fog was blanketing the water. I was starting to get a bit bored and even resorted to snapping photos of my own feet to amuse myself. Then I was brought out of my daze by an announcement over the loud speaker. “Would Rich Ralph please report to the cafeteria.” What was this all about? My parents were both beside me, so I knew they hadn’t made the announcement. When I arrived in the cafeteria, I came face-to-face with Captain Kerry Adams. He was the captain of the ferry and had heard about me. He took me aside to chat for a bit before making another announcement over the loud speaker for anyone wishing to donate to come see me. Within seconds, people were literally lining up to meet me! It was like a receiving line at a wedding. Except everyone was handing me cash! Unbelievably, I collected nearly $300 in a very short period. After the flurry of people died down, Captain Adams threw me another curve ball. “How would you like to steer the ship?” he asked. That’s like asking my dad if he’d like a bowl of ice cream! There was no question. So my parents and I followed Kerry up to the Bridge where we met the rest of the crew. I had the rare opportunity to see how the ferry is operated and even stand behind the wheel for a few minutes. As excited as I was, I know that this will forever be my Dad’s highlight of the trip. He was as giddy as a school girl the entire time we were on board the Chi-Cheemaun.

The fog was starting to lift as we pulled into the harbour on Manitoulin Island. It was after 1:00, so we decided to have lunch in a little restaurant immediately as we got off the boat. It doesn’t get much better than some fresh fish and chips at a dockside restaurant on a warm summer afternoon. I wasn’t in much of a hurry because Espanlola was just over 100 km away and I didn’t have to be there until later tomorrow. So any distance I covered today would be bonus. When I finally started skating, the wind was pushing me along the highway at blistering rates. In no time, I was 30 km down the road in Manitowaning. We stopped briefly for a break at the information center on the edge of town. The women in the center were so enthusiastic about me that they instantly made a phone call and had me on the air with the only Island radio station, 100.7 fm. Big Mike was the DJ and gave me a fantastic interview.

The next 25 km was the polar opposite of what I had just bladed through. The wind was shifting and hitting me hard in the chest. It was a long, non-enjoyable stretch to Sheguiandah, but I finished strong and positive. Just before reaching my destination, an ambulance passed me in the opposite direction and flashed his lights while giving me a big thumbs up. I love getting encouragement from officials with flashing lights! And to make it even better, a police officer passed me shortly after and did the exact same thing.

I was only minutes away from the campground where we were planning to stay at for the night when another police pulled up beside me with lights flashing and stopped directly in front of me. At first I thought maybe he was going to offer an escort the rest of the way, but that didn’t seem right. We weren’t near any major towns. I rolled up to his window and jokingly said “Am I being arrested?” He must not have liked the comment because he pulled his gun on me and I was face down with a boot on the back of my neck in less than 2 seconds. Actually, that never happened. He stuck his arm out the window and shook my hand. This was the same cop that had just passed me in the opposite direction. He had turned around because he had heard me on the radio and wanted to make a donation. Thanks, Constable Mack. I hope I meet more officers like you.

I finally rolled to my finish point at Green Acres Campground in Sheguiandah. This town is advertised to be 9500 years old! Incredible. Green Acres was a beautiful campground right on the water and they donated a lakeside site for us for the night. This was definitely one of the nicest campsites I’ve been to. We could walk out of the RV door and directly onto a soft, sandy beach. And to top it all off, the owners also bought us dinner at their restaurant. Green Acres is the place to be!

This is such a beautiful area of Canada that is seemingly undiscovered by the general population. I’ve been to the typical cottage country where everyone in the GTA fights traffic to get to. But this part of Ontario puts it all to shame. Tomorrow I’ll be in Espanola. Let the Hills of Northern Ontario begin.

NEW PHOTOS ARE UP!

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July 4

Wednesday, July 4th, 2007

A quick note to the avid readers, followers and lurkers. Can you believe that I’m finally up to date on my journal! If all I had to do was rollerblade and write about it, it wouldn’t be so hard to keep on top of things. Just a heads up for the next couple weeks, as I head into Northern Ontario and even Manitoba, my internet reception could be limited. I will continue writing my journal, but I may only be able to upload it occasionally. So if you notice a few days with no updates, now you know why. Hopefully it won’t be an issue.

The slapping sound of rain on the roof woke me up around 5:30 this morning. I still had morning vision, but I tried to quickly check to make sure I wasn’t sleeping in a puddles. Everything looked fine so I tried to catch a bit more shut-eye. It was still raining when I got up for breakfast, but it was starting to taper off. I wasn’t concerned, though, because I hadn’t skated in the rain in a long time. Other than some strong winds, I’ve been pretty spoiled by the good weather. I think the horseshoe strapped to the front of our motor home has really had an effect. And today was another good example. When I stepped onto the asphalt to start skating, the rain completely stopped.

Maybe it’s the horseshoe, maybe it’s because today is the 4th of July, or maybe it’s because today is my brother-in-law’s birthday, but the elements are falling in my favour right now. I’m not sure if I’m more excited that Greg is now 30, or that I’ll be in Northern Ontario tomorrow, but I’m in a pretty good mood.

I had the pleasure to have one of the most memorable police escorts today. It was one I’ll never forget because it was one of the shortest in terms of distance, but one of the longest in terms of time. I couldn’t go too fast because of the slippery, wet roads, but I think the officer also under estimated my potential speed. I’m not complaining, though. It was nice to cruise through Owen Sound at a casual pace. I could also tell that Mix 106 had aired my interview from the night before because pedestrians on the streets were acknowledging me. On my way through the city and even on the way out of town, I accepted several hand-off donations.

I was about half way to Wiarton when my Dad pulled me over for a radio interview. But this was a special interview. It was my first call from a Vancouver station! And not just any station. It was the The Kid Carson show with Nira and Amy on The Beat 94.5. It was a pretty good interview and I know a lot of people heard it because I instantly had some e-mails from friends back home. While I was on the phone with The Beat, a vehicle stopped on the road and the driver came up to talk to me. My dad had to keep her occupied until I was off the call. He explained to me that before we had left this morning, he had gone into Tim Horton’s for a tea and been chatting with a gentleman about my adventures. The woman now standing in front of me was that man’s wife. When he had told her about me, she immediately hopped in her car and headed out to hunt me down. She finally caught up to us on Highway 6 going into Wiarton. She was very enthusiastic and happy to meet me. It’s always amazing to have people come out of their way and track me down to meet me. Noreen and Diane are pro’s at that by now!

While we were chatting, another car stopped and a young woman got out and walked towards us. at this point I was thinking “I’m in the middle of no where and this is the busiest I’ve been in weeks!” But I recognize this girl. It was Tara from the Owen Sound Sun Times. She wanted to meet up with me again today for a couple more questions and some action shots.

I was finally able to continue on my way and made it to Wiarton in the late morning. If you’re from Ontario, you know Wiarton for the groundhog, Willie. Well, I couldn’t pass up the chance to meet another celebrity. So we took a break in the village and headed over to the complex where Willie is kept. It wasn’t quite as exciting as meeting Walter Gretzky because Willie was sleeping in a dark tube. I could barely see him. But the town itself was very nice with gorgeous bluffs overhanging the water. I did manage to snap a couple pictures of a statue of Willie as well as a monument for the former Willies. Apparently there have been 2 other Wiarton Willie’s prior to the current.

Not too far out of Wiarton I had another brush with death. What start out as a harmless donation nearly ended in catastrophe. A mother and son came up beside me from behind and the boy had his arm out the window to hand me some money. They over shot me slightly so I tried to speed up to take the donation from him. As I crept closer, I realized the mother had started slowing down to compensate and then started to ease towards the gravel shoulder. I glanced over my shoulder to evaluate the situation and check for other cars coming from behind. In a split second I turned my head back to the front to see the car almost at a dead stop inches in front of me! but my cat-like reflexes allowed me to jump to the right missing the back end of the car and skid through the soft shoulder. Dangerous situation averted.

The farm land along the Bruce Peninsula was very scenic. The conditions weren’t perfect, but they were good enough that I was able to enjoy my surroundings. I wish I could say the same for my parents. Every time I talked to them, they complained about the horse flies that were getting into the van. And then something happened that hasn’t happened to me since I was on Newfoundland. I noticed a police car coming towards me. As soon as he saw me, he threw his flashing lights on and gave me a big Don Cherry-style thumb’s up. It’s always nice to have the support of the officials.

Not long after my encounter with the law, I could see a few people standing at the side of the road off in the distance. As I approached, it was obvious that they had cameras and were aiming them at me. My guess was they had passed me and found a place to stop so they could get out of their car to grab a photo. But when I stopped I was amazed to hear that these women had heard me on the radio this morning and had been waiting for hours in a little restaurant in the village of Mar for me to come skating by! It was very flattering to know that they had taken so much time out of their day just to see me.

I was starting to get discouraged when the pavement became extremely rough. It was bad enough that my entire body was starting to ache. Fortunately it only lasted about 15 km before improving near the Bruce Peninsula National Park. As my mood improved and the feeling gradually came back to my feet, I skated passed a little store where I heard a few people begin to clap when they saw me. I looked over and saw another familiar face. Earlier today when we were in Wiarton, I had met a family who told me they had seen me skating through Toronto near their house. They were pretty impressed to run into me again in Wiarton. It was late in the day, and here they were again up in the Bruce Peninsula National Park cheering me as I rolled by them for the 3rd time.

I reached my goal today just before the Tobermory Ferry and completed nearly 110 km! We were lucky enough to have the Tobermory Village Campground donate a night for us so we can catch the ferry tomorrow. Time to indulge in the luxury of a hot shower. But not too hot because I got a slight sunburn on my left shoulder today 🙁 I’m mad at myself because I’ve been really good with wearing sunscreen twice a day. Not sure what happened today. But it’s definitely not the worst burn I’ve ever had. I’ll just have to be a bit more careful. Silly Rich.

I’ll ‘possibly’ make it to Little Current tomorrow and Espanola for sure on Friday. Then off to Sudbury to see the Big Nickel and of course the Boston Pizza on Saturday night!

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July 3

Wednesday, July 4th, 2007

Having recently been exposed to the vast amounts of food at a typical Reid meal, I woke up this morning with visions of eggs, bacon, french toast, pancakes, waffles, fresh fruit and omlettes dancing in my head. But when I realized all the Reids’ had left for work before I was even up, a little piece of me died inside. Guess I’ll have to settle for a bagel and an orange. I can’t really complain, though. Adam and his family provided me with an amazing barbecue a couple nights ago and now they had taken us in for another night before we headed towards the great white North.

The drive to Angus where I left off the last night was about as exciting as it sounds. I’d never been up this way, so it was nice to see the countryside. The blade from Angus to Collingwood was pretty nice. Good roads with a light tail wind, but no shoulder. I was in Collingwood a few years ago for New Years with Crystal and a bunch of friends, but I’ve never been in the summer. It’s really a beautiful area and seems to have a lot to offer in the summer. The local ski hills looked to have a lot of hiking and biking trails. We stopped for lunch just on the far side of town and got a phone call from A-Channel television in Barrie. They were sending a reporter all the way to Collingwood to see me! So I did a quick interview for the camera and then headed out of town. The reporter also drove ahead of us a few kilometers to get some action shots too.

A big Thank You to Chris and the Canadian Tire Gas Bar in Collingwood for the free fill up (and the junk food for my dad). Believe it or not, this is only the 3rd time we have had a tank of gas donated to us. I can’t remember if I mentioned before, but Phil Egan and the Canadian Tire Gas Bar in Kingston also donated a tank. Is this the start of a theme? Will Canadian Tire set me up the rest of the way?! Sure would be nice. Right now we’re spending at least $40 a day on fuel.

We hadn’t been holding up traffic at all even though the highway was only 2 lanes. Everyone was pleasant and seemed to have no trouble sneaking past us. But on the way into Meaford, that all changed. I could hear the low rumbling of a large vehicle coming up behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and saw a large Coach bus slowing down behind our RV. Whenever a transport or bus comes up behind me, I’ll hug the side of the road as best as possible and slow down to allow them to pass with ease. This time, I watched in front of me for a break in oncoming traffic and then signaled to the bus driver that it was OK to pass. The driver responded to me with a blank stare. I tried pointing at her and waving my arm for her to get around me. No response. What the heck was she doing? My dad had the RV almost completely off the road on the gravel shoulder and I was making it very obvious that I wanted her to go by. There was no car coming towards us, but she just continued to cruise behind the motor home. And just like that, her opportunity passed. A thick line of cars was coming towards us and now there was no time for her to get through. With a huff and a shrug, I turned and started skating again as if she wasn’t there. I told my dad that it’s not our problem now. She had all the time in the world to pass us but chose not to for whatever reason. I knew there was a line of traffic collecting behind the ridiculous bus driver, but there was nothing I could do. So when I finally got to the next village of Meaford, I was able to pull over into a turn lane and allow the entire line to pass. I was expecting all the cars that had been waiting to be upset with the delay, but I actually got a lot of friendly honks and waves as they continued on.

Meaford is about 30 km East of Owen Sound (yeah, I’ve never heard of it either), but they do have a weekly newspaper called the Meaford Express and they were happy to interview me and snap a photo for their next issue. Up to this point today, I’d been following along the water’s edge of the Georgian Bay. But when I left Meaford, I took a hard left and headed directly east to Owen Sound. The road along the water had been very flat and easy skating. But locals in Meaford warned me that the next 30 km would be exceptionally hilly and difficult.

I guess the Meafordites haven’t seen the Rockies, because I’m not too sure what hills they were warning me about. But I flew through the last 30 kilometers and stopped at Boston Pizza in Owen Sound giving me 100 km on the day. A reporter from the Owen Sound Sun Times as well as one from Mix 106.5 fm met me at Boston Pizza. So I fired off a couple interviews before going into the restaurant where the Owner, Trevor, treated us to dinner. It was a Tuesday night, so unfortunately Boston Pizza wasn’t very busy. I would have liked to give the store a bit more publicity. But Trevor was an awesome guy and willing to do whatever he could to help.

Tonight I’m determined not to fall asleep on the keyboard. So after a nice little chat with Crystal, I turned in early. Well, as early as I could. It was still almost midnight by the time I was done. It was nice chatting to Crystal because we’re both feeling a bit disconnected. Our schedules are tough to find time to talk. Miss ya, babe!

Watch out, Sudbury! I’ll be in town Saturday night at Boston Pizza! Be ready for me!

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July 2

Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007

The blade today was pretty quiet. I was expecting a lot more traffic since it was the holiday Monday, but it wasn’t too bad. Just steady. I didn’t get started until around 9:30 because we had misplaced an important address book and had to drive back to Becky’s to find it. But alas, we were able to continue our trip. So on I pushed into the head wind through Richmond Hill, Aurora and New Market. My only thought at this point was that I just can’t catch a break with the wind. What ever happened to the Prevailing Westerlies? I’ve now skated in every direction and had a head wind every time! But it’s almost comical now. The Wind Gods are playing games with me, and I’m starting to find it amusing. Although, now that I think about it, I wasn’t laughing at the time. Unless you consider laughter to be the same thing as cursing.

I stopped in Bradford for lunch and had a chance to meet up with an old friend and former roommate in University, Carla. It’s been a few years since I last saw her, so it was nice to catch up. We didn’t have too much time because I still had a lot of distance to cover, but she assured me that she would come to Boston Pizza in Barrie tonight so we could talk more. And a big Thank You to the Bradford Carla’s and their donations! Also, a pre-congrats goes out to Fonz for the upcoming wedding.

I put my head down and headed into the wind again. The next thing I knew, I had gone past Innisfil, through Barrie, out Dunlop Street and was now approaching Angus. It was just after 6pm when I decided to call it a day and head back to the good ‘ol Boston Pizza. You’d think I’d be getting bored of the menu, but they have a surprisingly big selection. Although pizza is probably my favorite since I love leftovers, their pastas and sandwiches are great, too. Listen to me ramble. You’d think I was a spokes person for them. Watch out Howie Mandel, I’m gonna be the next face of BP!

Adam and his parents and brother, Ryan, all came out to see me one last time before I start on the last couple months of my trip. Carla also showed up, as she said she would, with a couple friends. If anyone saw the newspaper article in the Toronto Sun, you’re aware that Adam always looks up to me with great admiration and love. In fact, if you take a look at the picture from that article, you may even question just how much he does love me. Well, he re-enforced his desire towards me with a very masculine gesture tonight. He baked me some delicious cookies. Don’t get me wrong, the cookies are amazing! Possibly some of the best cookies I’ve ever tasted. But Adam, I’m happily involved with Crystal. Her and I are both looking forward to my return to Vancouver.

We gladly accepted the Reid’s invitation to come back to their place for the night since we were only a few minutes up the road. I’m not to sure when I’ll have a chance to have a nice hot shower, so I had to jump at this offer. It’s pretty late now as I’m working hard to get the journals up to date. But when fd;ojdknmfnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn nnnnnnnnnnn nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn nnnnnnnn nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
Ok, that was just funny. I litteraly fell asleep on the keyboard and woke up an hour later to see that on my screen. I figure I should leave it there since it’s now part of today’s occurances.

Tomorrow I’ll be at Boston Pizza in Owen Sound at 7 pm. Looking forward to it because I’ve never been to that city.

Back to sleep.

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July 1

Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007

This morning I seemed to have an extra glide to my stride. Maybe it was because I was well rested, or maybe because I only had 35 km to cover today. Whatever it was, it felt great. I started at Hurontario and headed south to Queen Street. In the first 2 kilometers of the day, I had 2 cars drive up beside me and offer drive-by donations. This is definitely my favorite way to accept donations. It doesn’t get any better than cruising along at 20 km/h and grabbing a bill out of someone else’s hand from inside a moving car. The best part of the donation today were the reactions of the contributors. Instead of the typical “Good work”, or “Keep it up” comment, both of these people surprised me with “Thank You!” I’m usually the one thanking them for the money, but this time they thanked me. It was humbling but gratifying moment. It really gave me a sense of pride for what I was doing. It made me reflect on my efforts from a different perspective. People really are grateful for what I’m doing even though in my mind all I’m doing is rollerblading. To me, it’s the people who donate that need to be thanked. I’m just the guy collecting it all!

A little ditty about Jack and Diane. Two Canadian kids growing up in the heart land. Well, it’s not quite the same as the John Mellencamp song, but Diane and Jack showed up unexpectedly again. This time they escorted me through Brampton and all the way to Woodbridge. Because the distance I had to skate today was short, I wasn’t planning on taking any breaks, but then some more unexpected visitors entered the scene. Paul, Sylvia and Victoria Di Domizio showed up with camera in hand to see me in action. Crystal will be happy to see the pictures I have with her little sister, Victoria. After a brief stop to chat with everyone, I continued on along highway 7 until I reached Yonge Street where I turned North and stopped for the day in Richmond Hill.

On the way back to Becky’s house for a shower, Barry called me to let me know that he had done a bit more digging in Brantford and managed to get a few local businesses to donate a couple hundred dollars each! I can’t emphasize enough how lucky I was to stumble across Barry in St. Mary’s a few days earlier.

I had a little bit of time at my sisters house to work on the website a bit and try to get caught up on the journals. Yes, I’m slacking. I know. But I’m getting closer. Before long, we were heading out the door and up the 400 to Innisfil for the first annual See The End Reid-Ralph Barbecue Bonanza. Adam’s parents invited us over for an afternoon and evening of relaxation, food and fireworks. Does Canada Day get any better than that?! I walked around to the back yard where I was caught off guard by about 20 of Adam’s relatives who immediately started applauding. It was kind of cute, but unnecessary. I was just coming for the free food and beer!

All kidding aside, it was amazing to meet all of Adam’s family. Aunts, Uncles and cousins from far and wide had converged in a single gathering point in Innisfil for this one glorious evening. And the only time I felt at all uncomfortable was when I had mentioned to Aunt Nancy that we had stayed in Cambridge for a night. I was pretty sure the Skate For Hope was over at that moment because I had visions of her breaking my knees. Originally I had no plans to go through Cambridge, which I really didn’t. But when I arrive in Kitchener, we ended up sleeping at Tina and Chris’ place in the North-West area of town. But my fear of Aunt Nancy was short lived. Adam and Nancy pulled me aside and presented me with my most cherished gift received on this trip. It was a very simple, but extremely sentimental Canadian pin. I won’t go into all the details, but it is something I will hold onto with great honour.

The barbecue was also a last opportunity for me to see many of my friends before heading north and on with my journey. So it was really nice to have Jeff, Laura, Eugene, Amanda, and Ryan all there to share in the festivities.

It wouldn’t be Canada Day without some pyrotechnics. And Adam’s family would have nothing but the best. Growing up as a kid, I can remember spending this long weekend at my cottage with little sparklers and being amazed. Well, Adam’s family showed me how you’re supposed to celebrate. The show lasted quite a while with some amazing displays. At one point, we even seemed to be having a head-to-head competition with the neighbors fireworks. Theirs may have lasted longer, but ours was definitely more impressive.

It was getting late and we had to drive back to Maple. So we snapped a few last pictures with friends and family before making the trek back down the 400 to Rutherford. The plan for tomorrow is to get up past Barrie and then drive back to the Boston Pizza near Molson Park for another little reception. Hopefully the wind will shift and won’t be coming straight out of the north while I’m heading up Yonge Street.

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