Edmonton, Alberta to Golden, British Columbia

191 Days on the Road!

Journal Entry for: Sunday, August 27 – Sunday, September 3, 2000

Week 27

Total Miles Cycled to Date: 16,804 km (10,373 miles)

Community to Community: Edmonton, Alberta to Golden, BRITISH COLUMBIA!!

Weather for the Week: This week’s weather was brrrrrr…. reminiscent of our first week of cycling back in February…The temperature dropped down to 5 degrees C and we found ourselves pulling out our woolly sweaters, rain coats and fleece blankets. We loved breathing in the fresh Rocky Mountain air all week but…wherefore art thou summer temperatures??

Media Successes:

6 Newspaper Interviews (Total to date: 122 newspaper interviews)
6 Television Interviews (Total to date: 50 television interviews)
3 Radio Interviews (Total to date: 41 radio interviews)
1 Kindness Conference (Total to date: 11 kindness conferences)

Wilma’s Reflections From the Road

“Riding through the Rocky Mountains to Banff and Lake Louise sure is an experience of a lifetime; what a great time I had this past week. I even managed to get some quality time by myself, hiking up to Lake Louise. As I was sitting in the sun with the most spectacular view in front of me, my thoughts reflected on the tour, our team and our purpose. We are almost home and I thought about how hard it is to stay in the moment these days and as I reflected, a funny metaphor jumped into my mind.

For me, it feels like our team at this time has fallen into a dream state with the spirit already being back in Vancouver but the bodies still following the routine we have developed; there is only one exception to this in my point of view - which is biased - but I think it is Brock. Being faced with so many decisions, big ones and day-to-day ones, I don’t know exactly how he manages to ride, to go to the papers, to phone in for radio interviews, to look so good on TV (!!), to say the important parts and thank sponsors, to give people the opportunity to become part of the kindness tour by giving groceries, campsites or dinners (and also having to get rejected numerous times). To communicate with all of us to let us know what is going on in a passionate, but gentle way, even though he has just ridden the whole day and is probably way more tired than I am. To show such dedication and commitment to make this world a kinder place deserves in my eyes, a lot more than a standing ovation. Not to talk about all the presentations at the Kindness Conferences where Brock shares stories from his life and heart and no matter if it’s the first or one hundredth time he’s shared his story, his enthusiasm emanates and creates ripples.

Here I am writing about all of those incredible accomplishments that really spread the message of kindness but I also have to confess that I am often the first one that doesn’t agree with some of his decisions and I will share my opinion quite assertively, especially when it means having to cycle further than we originally planned.

I think it is safe to say that we all have been pushed to grow at the speed of light on this trip and we will probably really cherish all our experiences way more, after the tour is long finished, but I know for me that the tour could never have had the impact without Brock’s endless efforts and encouraging words. Often I don’t show how much they really mean - I take them for granted - but upon reflection I realized in what a wonderful way he touches people’s lives.

For all the amazing gifts you bring to this world, Brock, for all the strength and courage you have shown on this trip, I want to thank you. I really know in my heart that you are the greatest and whomever you touch becomes the greatest as well.”

Many Acts of Kindness…

·        Special thanks to Hans von Bloedau at The Coast Edmonton Plaza Hotel for

gifting us with hotel rooms, as well as the wonderful meeting space for our

Edmonton Kindness Conference. Your staff was extremely helpful as we were

setting up for our event. We appreciate your support so much!

·        Stephen Roughley, the General Manager of the Calgary Marriott, was so

wonderful to connect with. He was away on holidays when we arrived at his

property, but his thoughtfulness was evident when he arranged to have fruit

baskets and the bottled water sent up to our rooms. What a wonderful surprise!

Thank you so much Stephen.

·        Nick, the owner of Sweet Li’l Lou’s Fresh Food Eatery treated us to the most

delicious meals when we cycled through Red Deer. They already knew about our

tour when we cycled into town as they had seen the Canada AM interview weeks

prior! A great connection.

·        To the amazing Nadene Rogers and the incredible Kathleen O’ Reilly for

organizing our Calgary Kindness Conference. We loved the music, the welcome

flags, the clowns and the yummy treats! We thank everyone for their incredibly

generous donations and for supporting our tour by buying our books and t-shirts.

You are both so special.

·        Thanks to Erin who joined us in Lake Louise – she’ll be traveling and cycling

with us for the week and she brought a container full of her famous chocolate chip

cookies for us to munch on. Yum! We love having Erin’s great energy with us on the

tour.

·        We didn’t know how to reassemble Erin’s mountain bike when we took it out of

its shipping box, so Brock managed to find Shawn – a chef and a bike mechanic - at

the Mountain Restaurant in Lake Louise. His boss let him leave his duties in the

kitchen to help us with Erin’s bike - wow! Thanks Shawn - and Shawn’s boss - for

your much-needed help (we certainly aren’t the most mechanically gifted cycling team

on the road…).

·        To Becky, the Manager at Laggan’s Mountain Bakery and Delicatessen in Lake

Louise for donating the bags of fresh bagels to our journey. Morning bagels taste

exceptionally delicious when toasted over the campfire! What a treat.

·        We camped in beautiful Lake Louise under the stars – special thanks to Parks

Canada. We ate el fresco, roasted marshmallows and enjoyed hot showers. We love

staying in the hotel rooms on the weekends, but we also loved this time to reconnect

with Mother Nature. Heavenly.

Simple Acts of Kindness Can Make All the Difference

“I worked in a Nursing Home in Unionville, Ontario. I gave a thank you card to the

receptionist thanking her for the extra work she had done. Later, she walked up to me

and told me that she had her resignation letter in her drawer and after she received

  my note, she tore it up.”

Jaima from the

Edmonton Kindness Conference

 “We Can Be Kind” – sung by Perry Dickison of Vancouver 
  and written by David Freidman of New York

So many things we can’t control
So many hurts that happen everyday
So many heartaches that pierce the soul
So much pain that won’t ever go away

How do we make it better?
How do we see it through?
What can we do when there’s nothing we can do?

We can be kind
We can take care of each other
We can remember that deep down inside 
We all need the same thing

And maybe we’ll find
If we are there for each other
That together we’ll weather
Whatever tomorrow may bring

And it’s not enough to talk about it
Not enough to share a song
You and I must walk about it
You and I, do or die
We’ve got to try to get along

We can be kind
We can take care of each other
We can remember that deep down inside 
We all need the same thing

And maybe we’ll find
If we are there for each other
That together we’ll weather
Whatever tomorrow may bring

 If you would like to order a copy of Perry’s CD “Borrowed Time” for $20,

 send me an email and I would be happy to mail his CD to you. It’s just beautiful!