Idle on the Island? - NOT - Cruising the Countryside and Carousing in C-Town

a shot of the interview with CBC reporter Kerry yesterday afternoon 

SNM Tour Day #61

What an absolutely glorious day on the island! It was sunny and very warm for this time of year and this little trio bathed in it and appreciated it greatly!!

Before I get started with the daily blog, I must relate a very funny story.  Sue from Calgary emailed me to tell me that she had just finished a work-out at her climbing gym and was in the women's change room when she suddenly came face-to-face with me - staring right at her!! It's true - had you all fooled, here you thought I was in PEI on this so called tour, when really I am still back in Calgary lurking around in gym dressing rooms. Well........... it seems the MIAW (Mental Illness Awareness Week) 2010 campaign is not only getting Canada Post stamps made, they are putting up their posters (which includes my face and story) in washrooms and the like - potty humour? awareness in a can?? all I can say is FLUSH MENTAL ILLNESS AWAY, SHOWER OFF YOUR WORRIES, SCRUB AWAY STRESS, DRY OFF and FEEL REALLY GOOD.

We got off to an early start, cycling like a wildfire to Wood Islands where we will leave PEI tomorrow.  We decided to put in the mileage early today, to leave the rest of the day and all morning tomorrow to enjoy Charlottetown before dropping off Leanne and picking up Eric.

Our drive back to the city was interrupted by many stops for sightseeing and photos, the country side is full of little gems and surprises and we enjoyed it immensely. Clearly the piece that CBC had done had aired as the number of encouraging honks was double or triple the "normal" rate.  It seemed like everyone was honking at us (but all good, I think....)

Thereafter a bit of cleaning up - clothes and hair and then played the tourist and wandered all around the historic waterfront of Charlottetown.  We had met up with Pat last night and caught up on her life, veteran's affairs and upcoming retirement plans etc. We shared a wonderful seafood supper at a restaurant well known by the locals which specialized in oysters.  Normally I rarely indulge, but when in Rome...... I think by the end of the East Coast swing of this tour we will have had enough seafood to tide us over for quite a few months, if not years (if it sounds like I'm griping, I am certainly not - eating freshly caught fish is a wonderful treat and a distinct advantage of this part of the country, and we love it!)

Tour Day Sponsor - Boehringer Ingelheim - thanks again for the support with the tour

Random Quotes of the Day

You cannot always have happiness, but you can always give happiness

Author unknown

There can be no transforming of darkness into light and of apathy into movement without emotion

Author Unknown

A photograph is usually looked at, seldom looked into

Ansel Adams

Tomorrow we are in another province (again) - WOW!!

last day with Leanne, last flower photo I will post (sorry Monique)

Charing in Charlottetown

SNM TOUR Day #60

Given that we did extra mileage yesterday, we weren't quite sure what the plan for the day was.  We knew we didn't need to get up before dawn, so we enjoyed a longer sleep, which was probably needed after our lobster feast of last night. When we finally got a call to be in Charlottetown at 3 pm, we were packed up and I was riding in a hurry.  It was warm, overcast and the winds were very gusty making this literally a whirlwind trip into the city.

Today we decided to really push for media attention, so spent the morning sending off phone calls and emails to all major media sources (again).  In some cities, getting media has been relatively straightforward, in other centres it has been a battle.  Here in Charlottetown it was a bit of a challenge to start but with a bit of persistence and "standing our ground", I was interviewed by CBC TV, The Guardian (newspaper) and a local radio station.  It is interesting that in the media's eyes, a cross Canada tour seems to be a weekly phenomena and unless there is something very unique you are instantly slotted into "just another tour across Canada raising money for (fill in the blank) cancer". So I must quickly state that mine is NOT a fundraising tour, that I am a family physician raising awareness etc etc. and push, push, push.  As this IS an awareness to action campaign we are willing to keep this aspect up no matter what we are up against and for the most part, once we build some rapport, the reporter realizes the professionalism and seriousness of intent of this tour and everything carries on from there. (Sorry for the long-winded diatribe, but I've not blogged about this very important aspect of what we are doing on a day to day basis, so it is time).

Have been getting a few emails from folks back in Calgary and this is always very, very encouraging.  Thanks so much to everyone who has written, it means very much to Monique and myself!!


As it turns out, we will be in PEI for a full day tomorrow and hopefully will see the full results of the media work done today as well as further enjoy the city of Charlottetown and surrounding area. 

Tour Day Sponsor is Robert Hobbs once again, thanks so very much!

Random Quotes of the Day

It is such a secret place, the land of tears
Antoine de Saint-Exupery


Let him who would enjoy a good future waste none of his present
Roger Babson


It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer
Albert Einstein

P.O.W.ering into P.E.R.fect P.E.I

SNM TOUR DAY #59
Another landmark day - well past 6000 kms now, we have now completed 7 provinces!! Goodbye to NB and thanks again to Debby and Larry especially for making our stay in the province a lot more special - the timing was perfect!

This morning it started raining exactly when the alarm clock went off - ?coincidence or bad omen.  Started running in the rain, but it soon sputtered out and stopped.  The humidity was 100% (maybe more if this is possibe) and when I finished my run I was absolutely soaken wet.  Thankfully the temperature was very mild and it continued this way throughout the cloudy, wet ride.

We passed by Shediac and the largest lobster in the world, so naturally had to stop and take at least some pictures.  At this point, it was quite windy and a bit cool and wet, so I was not in the mood to stay around too long as it was difficult to know what lay ahead of us.  As the day wore on, the winds shifted all over the place, but the temperature slowly inched up and once it stopped raining, it very slowly cleared.

We hit the Confederation Bridge at noon and just kept going.  Unfortunately I was unable to cycle or run across the bridge (it is ILLEGAL and with cameras everywhere, we were told any attempt would be stopped, so I behaved myself and didn't make the attempt (darn!!) The sun actually started to shine and the roller coaster ride up to the north Coast of the island was actually quite pleasant albeit longer than anticipated, the total for the day being well above 160 kms.  The hills on the island are many, with a lot of steep short ascents and very quick descents.

Ah PEI....... This will be the third time we will have been to this island, the first time we went with our kids and had a glorious time camping on Cavendish beach in gorgeous sunny, hot weather.  The second trip was with Mom J. and a great visit with Pat and Laurie but we had miserable weather - wet, cold and very windy.  We checked out Cavendish beach on this second trip and only stepped out of the car for a few minutes as it was just that miserable.  So third time lucky?? YES - when we arrived to the coast line, it was sunny, unseasonably warm and we were in heaven.  Leanne went on a bike ride and we walked along the beach and it was glorious to soak it in for even a short time!  Thereafter we indulged ourselves with a lobster feast and all is very very well on the island.

Hopefully we will get a little media going again after being shut out in Moncton.  The talk last night was with a small, "but mighty" group and it went well.  We had a very good discussion period and the exchange and interaction was very positive.  When I give presentations, I am also always wanting to learn from others and this was an evening in which I did.

Tour Sponsor of the day is Larry Jacobson from Barjac Construction, thanks so much!

Random quotes of the Day

Illness is the most heeded of doctors: to goodness and wisdom we only make promises; pain we obey
Marcel Proust

I've seen and met angels wearing the disguise of ordinary people living ordinary lives
Tracy Chapman

What does Hopewell do? - HOPEWELL ROCKS!!

SNM TOUR Day #58
Just a short blog today

A day off the road for me (running and cycling), but it seemed like we still spent the day on the road touring around the country side.  We were supposed to be coming into Moncton today, but due to good mileage yesterday we arrived earlier than expected. Of course because I wasn't running or cycling today it was a very nice, warm sunny day, with the forecast for rain every day for the next week.  Our timing seems a bit off, oh well, maybe all the meteorologists are wrong.................

We got up leisurely and drove out to Hopewell Rocks. We didn't sit on the dock of the bay but we did spend time "watchin' the tides rolling in".  This is a very special place and the science behind the tidal shifts is fascinating.  Thereafter we toured around some more and at present we are getting ready for the evening medical education event in downtown Moncton.  Our multi-faceted media attempts were all but over shadowed by the New Brunswick provincial elections occurring today.  Will likely have no luck tomorrow either given that election results will dominate the local news.  Our timing seems a bit off, oh well, maybe all the politicians are wrong......

Tour Day Sponsor - Marion Gorzyca, thanks so very much for your kind support!

Random Quotes of the day

If there be a hell upon earth, it is to be found in a melanchoy man's heart
Robert Burton

How reluctantly the mind consents to reality
Norman Douglas

FYI
New Brunswick Quiz Winner is the one and only Yvette Courcelles with only a single error
Keep up the great work, the prize is in the mail......

Moving into Marvelous Moncton

SNM TOUR Day #57

While still dark, we got an early start out of Fredericton.  I ran across a pedestrian bridge and all along the river on a smaller road to get out of town. Quite a pleasant run to start the day.  Similarly cycled along a smaller road until we connected to the Trans Canada, then stayed along the highway the rest of the way to Moncton. 

Some days when the wind is at your back, you sort of feel like you are cheating just a little bit. Well today I absolutely did not feel I cheated even for a minute.  There was a head wind the entire day, not that it was that strong, but it was a bit of a fight all day long. When the 160+ km day was complete, I felt like I had put in a good, solid day "at the office".  The summer is still fighting to hang on, although there definitely was a bit of a Autumn chill in the air today despite the sunshine (yes we saw some glorious sun for at least some of the day)

Now if you've been following my blog, you will have read about the various bird and animal sightings that we've had since the start of the tour.  Well is it a coincidence that when my sister the ecologist/botanist is with us, we would see a consistent array? We saw flocks of geese on several occasions, many ducks, more than the usual sightings of great blue herons and our second moose, in all its splendour!

 

I met and cycled briefly with Shawn and Lisanne this morning.  They started their cross Canada trek in August and were making their way to Halifax, being a week or so away from finishing off their journey.  The typical conversation between cyclists such as us....... where did you start and what day are you on? how is your bike holding up? how many flats have you had? how many close calls have you had?  how have the people been that you've met? how's your blog going?  what have you seen in the ditches?..............  We talk almost in abbreviations and what must sound like code to someone listening, the vernacular of the road. People who have common shared experiences such as this need only a grin or a nod to perfectly describe hours and hours, days and days of time. I wish Lisanne and Shawn all the best over the last leg of their long journey.  

 

Tour Sponsor- Canada Diagnostics Centres, thanks again for all of your encouragement and support

Random Quotes of the Day

I have two doctors, my left leg and my right

G.M. Trevelyan

In solitude, where we are least alone

George Gordon

Home is a shelter from storms - all sorts of storms.

William Bennett

I'll post a flower a day while Leanne is with us - Monique will certainly not complain about it, if it were up to her I'd be posting nothing but flowers each and every day.

Free Day in Fredericton

SNM Tour Day #56

Just a short blog today.

A day off the road is a day to enjoy and explore, and so we did.  We tried to sleep in at least a bit, but were eventually lured downstairs by coffee and a home made waffle extravaganza breakfast.  Thereafter we got a great little walking tour of the historic neighborhood, Arts and Cultural district of Fredericton, the waterfront and the markets.  I must say that Larry has been an amazing host and has really given us a great sense of Fredericton and New Brunswick. I love this city!

Thereafter we picked up Leanne (my sister) at the airport as she will accompanying us for the next 6 days on this Eastern leg of the tour. Despite living in Montreal for quite a number of years, this is the furthest East that she has ever been in Canada, so together we will all break new ground!!  She quickly got a feel for the Sunshine Beast and we will be raring to go bright (hopefully bright or at least not pouring rain) and early tomorrow morning.

We had a great lunch at the famous Lunar Rogue and then toured around King's Landing, a historic settlement close to Fredericton. This was a fascinating walk into the past and even more importantly a chance to buy a home made apple pie at their apple festival.  

Again a huge thanks to Larry (and his side kick aka daughter Heidi) who were very gracious hosts and tour guides for our little troupe. I must say that on my last blog I thanked Larry and Anne (his wife).  I will still thank Anne although we will never meet her in person, Larry has been doing it all solo, and doing a great job I must say.

Random Quotes of the Day

Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.
Chinese Proverb

May the holes in your net be no larger than the fish in it

Irish Blessing

Fffffffffflowing into Fredericton

SNM Tour Day #55

They said there was a 100% chance of rain today - they were CORRECT.

Rain and rain it did - all day long.  The run was actually reasonable, hilly and wet, but reasonable.  Once I got on the bike, I either miscalculated the wind and temperature or I have to give in and accept that it is not summer any longer.  I got wet and chilled and had to stop and change into the heavy rain gear (which I have not worn as yet in the 54 days leading up to today). In my fortified and water tight gear, I was able to complete the day without much problem, puttering into the city before lunch.  The only other saving grace apart from the effectiveness of the heavy rain gear was that the mileage today was very light.  If you've been following the blog you will know that we had put in extra mileage in the last few days so were ahead of schedule, which certainly paid off today.  A short day on the road, seventh day in a row without a break, was just about enough.

Tomorrow is a rest day off the road - I need it!  We were hoping for more media interest but it seems the provincial elections here have completely taken over (so we've been told).  The CFL coming to Moncton is also very big news in these parts which is very interesting. I had an excellent radio interview from a station in St. John, and there is a lot of correspondence sent for here as well as in Moncton, so hopefully some of this will materialize as stories on air or in print.  

Tour Day Sponsors are Debby and Rod Fischer.  I must tell you that Debby is a Sports Hall of Famer out here in New Brunswick and is exceedingly well known and respected in the the Canadian speed skating world.  She has always been extremely supportive of my artistic pursuits and has really come through on the East Coast, making a few very helpful connections for us.  Thanks so, so much for all the support and encouragement for this tour and over all the years we've known each other.  I've got a speed skating song somewhere within me and when I write it, I will dedicate it to you!!

Thanks to Larry and Anne for your generous hospitality.  Monique is in heaven with your beautiful gardens and yard. It is great to have a home for even a few days to dry off, clean up, and regroup for the final push to the East Coast.

Random Quotes of the Day

For the happiest life, rigorously plan your days, leave your nights open to chance.

Mignon Mclaughlin

“I believe sports is one of the best places you can learn about yourself. Sports puts you head-to-head with the demons you face, and you have to deal with it — right then and there.”
Speed skater Apollo Ohno

I wish I had a river that I could skate away on.......
Joni Mitchell

Just-the-trick in Nackawic

Our internet connection is very ssssssssssllllllllllllooooooooooowwwwwwwww today so only posted a few photos

Our hearts go out to everyone in Newfoundland after Hurricane Igor

SNM Tour Day #54
Cool but sunny all day, gotta love this fall weather in the Maritimes.

Nice hilly run out of Perth-Andover.  Weren't sure how far we were going to go today given that we remain a bit ahead of schedule.  The cycling was again nice and invigorating with many long ascents and descents throughout the day.  The winds were mostly favourable and all in all, a good day was had by all.  We decided to stop near Nackawic and King's Landing and should have a relatively short day tomorrow into Fredericton - likely in a bit of rain.  Can't complain, we've had quite reasonable weather for a nice stretch now and it has made the journey so much more enjoyable.

The highlight of the day was watching a beautiful red fox run along side me in the ditch.  Bikes are quiet, so we were side by side for awhile. When he turned and spotted me, he ran faster and eventually turned and ran away from the highway and over the side of the ditch and was gone.  (I need Cheryl to interpret this one!)

What's NEW in New Brunswick - Part II (can't believe I didn't mention these yesterday....)

• Tim Hortons popping up all over the place - no Second Cup, no Starbucks, only T.H.

• IRVING instantly "takes over", the other players remain but the biggest stations, flags and signs are all now under the "I of the East Coast" (I think I just made that up, it's kinda catchy)  

New Brunswick Quiz of the Day

We seemed to pass a lot of signs today with very grandiose claims.  See if you can answer the following NB trivia questions

1. Grand Falls / Grand Sault is famous for
a) its gorge and falls which are really quite grand
b) having the most Tim Horton's restaurants per capita in the world
c) having the second highest natural water falls in North America (second only to Niagra Falls)
d) its three casinos

2. Florenceville Bristol bills itself as
a) birth place of Florence Nightingale
b) "French Fry Capital of the World"
c) Canada's largest community of Germans (outside of Germany)
d) "The friendliest village in New Brunswick"

3. Hartland claims to have
a) the largest collection of antique dolls in America
b) the first female mayor in Canada
c) the longest covered bridge in the world
d) been the birthplace of the wrestling world's illustrious Hart family

4. Woodstock claims to be
a) the "real and only Woodstock"
b) birthplace of Woody Allen's mother, Rebecca Greenberg
c) the home of Canada's only Potato museum
d) New Brunswick's first town

5. Nackawic is home of the world's largest
a) hammer
b) nail
c) chain saw
d) chisel
e) axe

Tour Sponsor of the Day is Brian Hunter - thanks again, good luck on the quiz today!

Random Quotes of the Day 

There is an itch in runners
Arnold Hano
(and I'm certainly trying to scratch it lately!!)

Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it
Buddha

Hey, what's new?......NEW BRUNSWICK - Pushing into Perth-Andover

SNM Tour Day #53

Poured all night long, stopped just before we got up - a good sign. We left La Belle Province this am and headed into NB.  Nice hilly run under a dramatic cloudy sunrise. Cycled across the border (where is the "real" New Brunswick sign?), through Edmundston and Grand Falls and eventually into the little village of Perth-Andover, now almost a half day ahead of schedule. They are forecasting a bit of rain in a few days so we figured we would get in extra mileage when we could. 

The weather was unseasonably warm, well above 20 degrees, and the day varied from cloudy to sunny, from calm to very gusty.  The terrain was quite hilly with very long ascents and descents; I got a good work out today getting in over 150 kms. 

So what's NEW.........?

• A new province - that's BC,AB,SK,MB,ON,QC done! woohoo!!

• A fantastic highway - a consistent beautiful large paved shoulder (pot hole and rut free) as soon as we crossed the border - gotta love it!  

• a new provincial flag, and a lot more NB licence plates

• more and more Fall colours in the foliage

• A noticeable surge of encouragement from so many drivers - cars and trucks alike.  It is exceedingly strange, but as soon as we crossed the border it all started (again). 

So what's NOT NEW....?

• Still a huge French influence seen (everywhere), can't tell we actually left Quebec from signs and town names etc.

• Saw another black bra on the road side (if you recall, we had seen one back in BC - some things seemingly never change)

•  a lot of litter in the ditches of the highway, again. Seeing more water, pop and juice containers and once again seeing beer cans and bottles (the Quebecois apparently drink their beer and keep the containers as there were the fewest to see on the Quebec highways, as well Quebec probably had the cleanest ditches of all the provinces so far - now if they could just fix their actual roads!)

Tour Day Sponsor - Lorraine and Colin Cook. Thanks so very much for your kind support and generosity!

Random Quotes of the Day

Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another

Gilbert Keith Chesterton

There's only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self

Aldous Huxley

A new wound makes all the old ones ache again

Mignon McLaughlin

Une autre belle journee au Quebec a Notre-Dame-du-Lac

 

SNM Tour Day #52

Nice run through dairies and farmland to start the day.  The morning began sunny and deceivingly warm - which later shifted to cloudy, gusty and rather cool.  We followed the waterfront, meandering from time to time through small farming villages and occasional marinas.  At Riviere-du-Loup we turned inland and the geography changed abruptly from gently rolling prairies to hilly terrain, rock and coniferous forests.  We were again on the Trans Canada (la Trans Canadienne) and the trucking traffic was intense - how quickly we forgot after following la Route Verte and not seeing any traffic at all for periods of time. We ended the day very close to the Quebec border and tomorrow we will be in New Brunswick!

Along the road , in the ditches, there were numerous apple trees chuck full of ripe fruit. For those who don't know (the vast majority I'm sure), the main part of my surname Jablon (pronounced Yabloyn) translates to "apple" in Polish. 
Now I also must tell you that I absolutely LOVE apples (love may not be strong enough, "cannot live without" may be closer) and generally eat at least one a day,each and every day, regardless of whether I'm at home or traveling.  These "wild" apple trees were like manna from heaven and I could have filled a few bags even if someone in the RV wouldn't have kept honking the horn to keep going. My legs got scratched up miserably from all the waist high weeds, but nevertheless I collected enough to keep me going for awhile - they were tart and delicious!  

We also stopped at an award-winning cheese factory (La Fromagerie le Detour) and collected some cheeses for this evening's banquet elegant dans la roulotte (supper in the RV - doesn't everything sound so much more sophisticated and exotic in French?) 

It's been a few days without any media. The message keeps getting out to inquisitive individuals en route, but Quebec has been "quiet" otherwise. This will all change drastically when we enter New Brunswick, the media machine is in full gear and we are getting numerous requests already.

Tour Sponsor of the Day is Dr. David Todd - thanks Dave for the support and encouragement. 

VINGT MERVEILLEUSES THINGS ABOUT QUEBEC

20. That it's still an integral part of Canada

19. SAQ

18. Bars & Bistros

17. Gites & Auberges

16. Les Canadiens

15. The Fall colours

14. Le Fleuve St Laurent

13. The abundance of Artisans

12. Les Fromageries

11. Monique can speak French to everyone!

10. Old Quebec City

9. Montreal Jazz Festival

8. Maple Syrup

7. STOP Signs are merely a "suggestion"

6. La ROUTE VERTE

5. Just for Laughs Festival

4. Old Montreal

3. Montreal

2. Poutine

1. Vive la difference!!

Random quotes of the Day

There is nothing in the world so much admired as a man (person) who knows how to bear unhappiness with courage
Author unknown

The most important thing about goals is having one
Geoffrey F. Abert

Reactiver-Ou Riviere-Ouelle, Right On

SNM Tour Day #51
After Day #50 looooong (but amazingly insightful) blog - this one will be a lot shorter

Beautiful run out of Quebec City just after sunrise, all along the waterfront.  

Again I have to say that through the actual city, la Route Verte paths are fantastic, well designed, well marked 2 lanes for cycling and 1 for walking or running with Porta Potties every few km. Outside of the city there is one lane for cycling, again well chosen for scenery and less traffic. What more could you ask for - why doesn't every city in every province have such a well designed and developed system which entices people to get active and use them (and they do!)

Again, we passed a variety of farmland and went through the most interesting towns.  I was especially enamoured by the little town of  Saint-Jean-Port-Joli which is a veritable hot bed for sculptures.  Every artist who does any sculpture in the province seemed to have a shop in this town and I could have easily spent the day going from store to store and gallery to gallery (unfortunately Monique wouldn't let me).  Of course there were many interesting homesteads, still road side stands selling corn, pumpkins and apples mostly and a Catholic church or large white cross around every corner.

We met up with a large group of cyclists going "Coast to Coast" for Children's cancer research, supported by Sears.  There are 3 groups of cyclists which are all riding simultaneously, and each group "leap frogs" ahead while they sleep so that the distance is covered - each group doing a third of the total distance.  Rode with them for a while and joined them for lunch - a great bunch, an extremely well organized operation on a mission. I wish them all the best on their great ride - and may they raise piles of money for kid's cancer research!!

If you believe in fate - maybe a great future connection made with Catherine who is a coordinator working in the mental health world who is looking to organize rides for mental health awareness/stigma - really.....  we'll be talking!

Tour Day Sponsor Boehringer Ingelheim - Thanks again!

Random Quotes of the Day

Real happiness is cheap enough, yet how dearly we pay for its counterfeit.
Hosea Ballou


Inside myself is a place where I live all alone, and that's where I renew my springs that never dry up
Pearl Buck


Silence is the true friend that never betrays
Confucius