Winnipeg, Manitoba to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

177 Days on the Road!

Journal Entry for: Sunday, August 13 – Sunday, August 20, 2000

Week 25

Total Miles Cycled to Date: 15,560 km (9,605 miles)

Community to Community: Winnipeg, Manitoba to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Weather for the Week: Brock and Wilma continued to push hard against the headwinds - past the golden wheat fields and beneath the sunny skies - but on the last cycling day, Saskatoon sent out a strong tailwind to welcome them into the city. What a sweet reward for all of their hard work!

Media Successes:

9 Newspaper Interviews (Total to date: 111 newspaper interviews)
3 Television Interviews (Total to date: 38 television interviews)
4 Radio Interviews (Total to date: 36 radio interviews)
3 Speaking Engagements (Total to date: 24 speaking engagements)

Chris’ Reflections From the Road

“A wayward cyclist stops at a farm in the middle of the night looking for a place to sleep. He is offered a flashlight, sleeping bag and a roof over his head. When morning arrives and summons for breakfast come, he is gone… he’s taken the sleeping bag and flashlight. We met the family that relayed to us this story of unappreciated kindness, yet still they give.

The other morning, in Jensen, Saskatchewan, Wilma went into the post office looking for a library with internet access. She met Donna Torwalt who kindly offered the use of her family’s unlimited access at their farm. Dave, who was tending to the many duties of a farmer, and Allison (their daughter), who was woken especially for our arrival, warmly greeted us at the door. We were ushered to the computer, coffee was prepared and we explained the journey that we are undertaking (Wilma had not mentioned the cycling trip when the offer of internet use was given). We were just finishing up when Dave returned from his chores and stated that lunch was being prepared and we were to partake in the feast. Donna and Allison requested a couple of our shirts and when they paid, more money was given than was necessary. Before leaving we were also given a big bag of homegrown produce and farm fresh eggs, not to mention, hugs and beautiful smiles. Despite the fact that this family was taken advantage of at one time, they continue to reach out with unrestrained kindness.

I have come to understand that most people are truly kind and simply enjoy the opportunity to demonstrate it. Every day I am astounded how so many people give so freely. Often, the ones with the least share the most. There is a flip side to giving that has become a valuable lesson to me though: receiving.

I’m a person who would rather be on the giving end. I don’t like to rely on others or impose myself on them, preferring to be self-sufficient. With people like the Torwalts, not to mention the countless others whom we’ve met, I have come to truly appreciate and accept the kindness others have offered. Simple actions, yet amazing when received! I am reminded that gratitude of the act is just as important as the action. The kindness is remembered long after because people are grateful for it, at that time in their lives. That is the power of kindness. That is how lives are changed. It is this new-found appreciation of the act of kindness that will remind me of the people that we’ve met and what we’ve received, long after this trip is over.”

Brock’s Reflections From the Road

“It was so great to wake up with the wind at our backs – the day started out with fifty very easy miles. The next fifty weren’t quite as nice as the wind changed, but I was very happy as it was cool and the roads had great shoulders. My body has lots of aches and pains – it will be good to get back to Vancouver for my body’s sake. I have swollen feet, a sore left ankle, an infected left shin from my cut (that I didn’t think needed stitches), sore knees and thighs (it’s very hard to get up and down the stairs), bleeding hemorrhoids, a blistered bottom, a sore groin bone, a painful sciatic nerve at my right hip, a back that has gone out of alignment, a sprained right thumb, a stiff neck, and eyes full of dead bugs. Other than that, I’m totally fine…and nothing is potentially journey-ending.

I would like to talk about our wonderful road team. I am very proud of our team for their incredible 7-month commitment and for being able to put up with the discomforts and challenges of living in very tight quarters. We are all very different – that is one of the beauties of life, and this can also make things tough. Some people like the city, some like the country; some people prefer apples to oranges; there is no right or wrong. It is about acceptance, letting go and realizing that we may not like certain things that people do, but we do love the person who is doing those things. Often that is true about myself too – I need to face those things in myself that I don’t like if I want to grow. I recently wrote:

“I want to work hard on my faults,

but be easy on myself when I falter.”

I thought about each team member today:

Wilma – At times I just pedal along watching in amazement as Wilma’s legs go around and around. By the end of the tour, she will have ridden over 13,000 long, and sometimes brutal, kilometers and all because she wants to live in a kinder world. Wilma is truly an inspiration.

Janine – I’ve never met anyone with such an incredible work ethic and such a great attitude. She’s not only willing to volunteer but she’s also willing to pay out of her own pocket when she is working on a project she believes in. To me, Janine is the glue that’s held us all together.

Chris – What a commitment he’s made to the success of this journey. He doesn’t always enjoy cooking (especially in a tiny camper), fixing bicycles and driving, but regardless, he’s doing it all. The other day I was being interviewed by a newspaper editor and I told him to visit our website. He did and he was really impressed. I stood there proudly thinking of Chris and all of the work that he did to help bring the site together.

Jonathan – If someone asked me what the highlight of the trip has been, I would definitely say it was when Jonathan came back after being away for two weeks during the journey. He surprised us with an 11-minute video he put together that captured the feelings of our Cycling for Kindness journey. His great work moved me deeply.

Winnie – She is unconditional love and she has the kindest, most gentle spirit.”

Many Acts of Kindness…(and more and more people to thank each week!!)

We met the kindest folks in Russell, Manitoba. Ivy, the Manager at the local IGA, gifted us with $40 of groceries and Banner Bakery next door donated 6 loaves of fresh-baked brown bread. The women at the Russell Regional Library were so sweet and helpful. They were going to close the library and go for coffee and asked if we wanted to be locked in so that we could continue to work! How’s that for trust?
Amongst brightly painted walls in Nat’s Blue Room Restaurant, we enjoyed a delicious dinner as we watched ourselves on the 6:00 news. Nat, the owner, is such a vibrant woman! She said, “So many people took care of my son when he was traveling around Australia – come and have dinner!” Thanks to the girls at Foam Lake Tourism for offering us a free camping spot for the night. A beautiful and serene evening.
The Colonsay, Saskatchewan Co-op gave us a $50 gift certificate that we happily used to fill our tank with gas (and we admit that we treated ourselves to a bit of ice cream). The staff at the Colonsay swimming pool stayed open later than usual so that we could swim and shower. Many thanks!
We had so much fun at Shelly and Curtis Fedrau’s daycare in Saskatoon! We loved all of the gifts and the kindness-themed paintings and we had a ball visiting and playing with all of the moms and kids. Special thanks to Natalie and Darlene at “The Berry Barn” for sending over the Saskatoon berry tarts for our snack time. Delicious!!
To the wonderful Glen Grambo at Don’s Photo in Saskatoon for developing our slide film for free. What a great contribution to our tour and our slide show presentation. Thank you so much.
Lionel’s sis Wanda in Saskatoon took us home and made us a delicious meal with the help of Nancy, her friend and landlord. We laughed and laughed during dinner (and told Lionel stories) and relaxed and relaxed after dinner, with our fruit flan (Brock, really…3 helpings of dessert??)
We were so lucky to have connected with Rev. Lorraine Trout and her “Centre for Positive Living”. The church donated $100 to our journey and kind-hearted people all over Saskatoon will now be wearing our tour t-shirts and quoting Brock’s little thoughts! Thank you all for your support. Special thanks to Brock’s eight aunts and cousins who came for the presentation; some of the relatives drove for 2 hours to be at church for 11am. We were so touched…
Wow! The beautiful Delta Bessborough Hotel was our home for the weekend. And what a home it was…A stunning property right on the Saskatchewan River with the friendliest of staff. Thank you so much to Gloria Erickson and the General Manager, Andrew Turnbill for making our stay such a wonderful one!
Our Saskatoon hosts Bev “Little Fry” and “What a Guy” Don Fry were simply the best! They took us out for dinner for the best fish and chips in town and surprised us with an ice cream cake that was decorated with a cyclist and the words, “Returning the Kindness” written on top. We were completely blown away! We powered through Folkfest as a family (8 pavilions in 6 hours??) and we spent our time with Bev and Don laughing heartily. And if all that wasn’t enough, they also gave us an $800 donation – unbelievable... Thank you so much for your many kindnesses this weekend, Bev and Don! You are the greatest.

How’s This For Synchronicity?

As Rev. Lorraine stood at the podium on Sunday introducing Brock, she described the

history of their relationship, even though this was the first time they had ever met in

  person. We were amazed by their connectedness.

Years ago, Rev. Lorraine went to a weekend seminar and each person was asked to

bring a symbol, something which would help decorate the dining area for their final

dinner. She and a friend created a lovable heart shaped character out of pipe

cleaners and cloth, complete with a smiley face on the front. Sometime later, her

friend phoned Rev. Lorraine and said, “I just picked up a book by Brock Tully called

‘The Great Gift’ and the heart-shaped character in his book looks exactly like the

one we created!” Rev. Lorraine then bought one of Brock’s “Reflections” books and

had it in her home for years, reading and reflecting on the many thoughts and simple

  wisdoms.

Months ago, I had been given a telephone directory for the “Science of Mind”

churches, and I was trying to book Brock some speaking engagements. After phoning

several Ministers and receiving no calls back, I was growing discouraged. I decided to

put the directory away and focus on arranging other speaking engagements for

Brock. One day I decided to pull out the directory again - I took a deep breath and

called Rev. Lorraine’s church in Saskatoon. When she realized that Brock was our

‘Spokes’ Person, she was excited beyond words! She explained that she had his books

and that she and her congregation would be thrilled to have us at their church.

On Sunday, we arrived early to set up for the presentation and the church was

decorated with smiley faces everywhere: happy helium balloons, the little

heart-shaped character on the lectern, round yellow candles grinning ear to ear.

When Brock went to hug Rev. Lorraine, she realized that they were definitely

spiritually connected… Out of the many bowties that Brock owns, he had chosen to

wear his smiley face tie this Sunday! And those of you who know Brock, know that

the smiley face is his “trademark” - and it’s Rev. Lorraine’s too. She pulled out her

smiley face wallet to pay for the books and Brock signed her books complete with

  the smiley face that has always been a part of his signature.

And if that wasn’t enough, during the service we sat down to listen to the

“Inspirational Song” for the week. Rev. Lorraine said that once she had booked Brock

to speak at the church, she knew that she wanted to play this particular song. She

went on to tell us that this singer would be coming to their church the following

month to perform this song that reminded her of Brock and the tour. As the piano

intro rang through the church, the song was none other than: “We Can Be Kind” -

the song we have been playing all over North America and at every one of our

speaking engagements. In our CD player at the back of the room, the same song

  (although sung by another songwriter) was waiting to be played.

Serendipity? Certainly. Goose bumps? Absolutely.

Things I’ve Been Wondering…

When I get home, will I be able to wake up without a very cheery Brock knocking

  on my bedroom window at 6am?

When I get home and I’m in the passenger seat of a car and we drive by cyclists,

will I hang my head out the window, cheer them on loudly and say to the driver

  of the car, “You have to honk when you pass them - it’s a rule”?


When I get home, and I see a Wal-Mart store, will I start chanting “Wally, Wally!”

and veer into the parking lot and then excitedly run in to use the washroom?

When I get home, will I wake up in the middle of the night, groggily walk outside my

  house and pee in front of the door?

  When I get home, will I only shower on weekends?

When I get home, will I wander to the nearest 5-star hotel every Friday and wonder

why I can’t check in? (“Could you please just check again under Tully…Brock Tully?

  Ok, how about Cycling for Kindness?”)

When I get home, will I get panicky if I don’t see Chris and Jonathan’s tired little faces

  first thing when I wake up?


When I get home, will a day go by that I don’t use the word ‘kindness’?

  I wonder...