Halted in Halifax, Happy in this little Heavenly Haven

POST SNM Tour Day #4
the tour has gone to the birds (seagulls to be exact)

Just a short blog today (as he goes on a prolonged diatribe.....). In Halifax for the day. Unfortunately event initially scheduled for this evening was canceled due to a budget freeze related to the Biovail / Valeant merger. This is really unfortunate as this weakens the awareness campaign in this region of the country, but it is completely out of our hands.  I have a presentation in Truro early tomorrow a.m. so needed to stay put, catch up and enjoy the Maritimes.  We are staying with Bob and Barb (another B+B, yikes!) and already have been treated to great Maritime hospitality. Thanks Susan for this great connection. Barb is originally from Calgary, Bob from this area so we were catching up on things both East and West!

Went for a run yesterday and wondered how I ever made it across the country. Legs felt like lead weights and were surprisingly stiff and sore - probably after all the hours of sitting and driving since the tour ended.  Today will be better - I've had a sufficient break so need to get back at some regular schedule even if it is just a fraction of what I was doing just a week ago.  

          

I must say that I am disappointed that none of the Alberta newspapers have picked up the story of the successful completion of this tour.  A press release was sent and we have not heard back on anything.  I have talks planned in Edmonton and Calgary when we are back, so there is still plenty of time to pursue, but I was hoping that the "local" press would have some interest in this tour which originated in Calgary.  We'll keep trying to get the word out there - this is the time of year that SAD starts setting in, so media interest and attention could not be more timely!


Here's the last bit of thanks carried over from the last few days of blogging. I really want to especially thank everyone who really went out of their way to champion this tour.  Some of you were MY heroes and MY inspiration!  Some contributed so much at critical parts of the tour while others have not stopped contributing throughout. Some of the contributions were small but very timely, sometimes it's the little things that count so much.  Others were immense, completely unexpected and amazing!  I will mention no names, lest I offend anyone for not mentioning them.  The uniqueness of this group of people is that they gave of their time and energy with "no strings attached".  There really are still people out there who are kind, generous, supportive, hard-working and choose to remain "behind the scenes" and anonymous. To all these true friends a great big thank you! The success of the tour was because of your efforts and my life has been forever changed because of you.
  

Tour Day Sponsors are Evan, Camille, Charmaine and Sullivan Strong of Calgary - thanks again so much for the encouragement and very very generous support.


Random Quotes of the Day about depression (in this season of SAD)

Depression is the inability to construct a future.
Rollo May


Hiding in my room, safe within my womb,
I touch no one and no one touches me.
I am a rock,
I am an island.
And a rock feels no pain.
And an island never cries.
Paul Simon
From song I Am a Rock


I have studiously tried to avoid ever using the word 'madness' to describe my condition. Now and again, the word slips out, but I hate it. 'Madness' is too glamorous a term to convey what happens to most people who are losing their minds. That word is too exciting, too literary, too interesting in its connotations, to convey the boredom, the slowness, the dreariness, the dampness of depression.
Elizabeth Wurtzel
From Book Prozac Nation


That's the thing about depression: A human being can survive almost anything, as long as she sees the end in sight. But depression is so insidious, and it compounds daily, that it's impossible to ever see the end. The fog is like a cage without a key.
Elizabeth Wurtzel
From Book Prozac Nation




If depression is creeping up and must be faced, learn something about the nature of the beast: You may escape without a mauling.
Dr. R. W. Shepherd

Hoofing it to Halifax

Post SNM Tour Day #3

We're back on the mainland and bound for Halifax today. It's starting to sink in that we are truly heading home.  The Fall colors are increasingly spectacular - unseasonably late, but great for us!

A quick "Letter to the Editor" of the St John's Telegram this a.m. (about the Mile 0 / Terry Fox monument issue) and then more driving, photos, waiting at construction sites and reworking the presentations to include some of the more recent pictures and to capture the fact that the road road has been completed etc.

Further thanks today...
 

Monique especially wants to thank all the "drivers of the tour" who gave her a break here and there and allowed her to do all the work that continuously needed to be done.  Gabrielle, Lin, Tom, Barb, Byrnes, Les, Leanne, Eric, Joe and Marc all deserve mention.

To all the cyclists who rode along for an hour or for days. I know we don't know the names of absolutely everyone involved but thanks to all  - especially

David, Les and Joe (multiple times), Warren, Tristan, Gabrielle, James (multiple times), Goeff, Justine (twice), Wayne, Franky/Francois, Bob, Sean and the various groups we met along the way.

To everyone who ran along with me, hey wait......that was only one person - the one and only Leslie Dort deserves special recognition here and rightly so!

To everyone who was there to witness the beginning of the tour at Mile 0 - Rob and Susan Derkitt and friends, Sandy Foss and her mom, Erika and Rhys, this was a very special time and it was great to have you there.

To all the corporate sponsors of the tour - all the support was critical to ensure that this tour would proceed and accomplish its mission with dignity and professionalism. So many people were very impressed and commented on how we presented ourselves - from the correspondence and website to the presentation hand-outs and banners, to the clothing and the bikes and support vehicle.  All this was possible only with significant financial backing and to all the companies involved, we are greatly appreciative.

To all the individuals who were Day Sponsors, you were the ones keeping "the tour on the road".  We have hopefully acknowledged every one of you and can't thank you enough.  To all the other individuals who supported in any way they could - absolutely everything helped and allowed us the freedom to pursue this tour in the manner that a National campaign should be managed.

To all the individuals and families who billeted us, we are eternally grateful.  Many were people who were friends of friends and really didn't know us at all.  I can say that Monique and I now have great friends in every province across this country.  WOW - this is one area that we really didn't know what we were getting into - but I can honestly say that the Canadians we have met, have lived up to our country's reputation of being kind, generous, open and friendly people.  It was a privilege to be a small part of people's lives and we didn't take it for granted.

As I still have quite a few presentations left, I will save my comments about the venues and event hosts until I am officially done.

Tour Day Sponsors are Evan, Camille, Charmaine and Sullivan Strong of Calgary - thanks again so much for the encouragement and very very generous support.

Random Quotes of the Day

Yesterday is history.  Tomorrow is a mystery.  And today?  Today is a gift. That's why we call it the "present"

Babatunde Olatunji

We came from away, we leave today, we shed a tear and that's OK, what can we say, a thanks and goodbye from Monique and dr j

Photos to be posted later today - driving, talking, singing and blogging is possible...downloading pictures, driving, talking, singing, blogging and driving is downright dangerous so I refuse to do it!

(well maybe just one or two for now.......)

Post SNM Tour Day #2

Leaving Newfoundland.....

Spent a nice stretch of time in Newfoundland/Labrador and now we will cross from Dildo to Port Aux Basque and be on a ferry heading off the island before the day is done.  What can I say about Newfoundland? This is the best kept secret in Canada! The landscape, the ocean views, and most of all the friendliness of the people of this province are unparalleled.  We are main-landers, come "from away" and yet we were treated so very well by so many people and families - this is the Newfoundland way and one which has slowly been eroded in the bigger urban centres of our own "peaceful and friendly" country. A shame.

We cannot say enough about the hospitality and support we received here in Newfoundland.  How well the people and province coped with the destruction of Hurricane Igor was amazing.  It is an absolute tragedy that so many islanders have been forced to be away from their family and land to work in places as far away as Fort McMurray Alberta. In honor of this province I had a meal of Fisherman's Brewis last night - cod, hard tack, scrunchions and molasses.  We will return some day - although I may never do the brewis again (sorry)!

A late addition to the blog - after I posted and before we left Nfld we met up with Melissa for one last goodbye. Of course how could we leave without just a bit more hospitality - a nice lunch/supper "for the road".  Thanks so much for everything. I tell you, some single 25 year old (or so) guy could be a very, very lucky man some day.......

a very rare shot of me out of SNM gear (by the way)
and thanks to Noreen's cousin Helen (almost like an aunt to Melissa) for the Apricot raisin cake - it will definitely be appreciated in the RV on the long way back - YUM!

Some more thanks are in order

To all my "informal board" members a great big thanks. 

You must understand that they were "asked" to be a part of "an idea" which we were trying to formalize - a difficult, if not impossible task.  

Tom - for the driving, all the quotes, the encouragement, the critiques and the openness and acceptance of it all

Joe - for everything over a lot of years. If Les is going to heaven because she is married to you, you are at least going to purgatory for putting up with me.

Les - for all the scientific reviews and background work, driving and being part of the road work through one of the most demanding parts of the tour

Rob and Dorte - for all the critical and candid words of advice and wisdom and for helping hold down the fort back in Calgary.  All the little things meant a lot!

Gab and Eric - if I say any more, people will start to think I'm just making it up, you have both contributed in so many different ways

Blair - your insight and professional wisdom was critical in defining the mission and message of the tour, your contribution early on was the foundation on which the whole tour was built.

(and honorary member David)- more about him later

A huge thanks to Corey Brennan of Green Acre Designs who did all the graphics design for the tour - media, web, correspondence, merchandise, RV etc., etc.  He was professional, immensely creative, open to our needs and suggestions, very available and extremely efficient.  More than all this he is an easy going,  great guy and one which we would work with again any day.  If anyone has any need for the best graphics designer in the country - look him up, you will not be disappointed.

A few more thanks tomorrow....... 

Tour Day Sponsors are Evan, Camille, Charmaine and Sullivan Strong of Calgary - thanks again so much for the encouragement and very very generous support.

(Not so) Random quotes of the day about Newfoundland and Labrador

"The place where land, water and sky
embrace like old friends." Newfoundland & Labrador Travel Guide

"The far east of the western world."
Where To Go, Newfoundland & Labrador Travel Guide

"A land with thousands of miles of coastline, endless forest,
and ancient mountains. Western Newfoundland runs from
Port aux Basques to the top of the Great Northern Peninsula." Western Region, Newfoundland & Labrador Travel Guide

"Our destination is the scenic coastal waters off
St. Anthony, Newfoundland - Iceberg Alley.
This area has the largest concentration of icebergs in
Newfoundland and is one of the best locations in
North America for whale watching. " Northland Discovery Tours

"Come enjoy the scenery and dance your cares away
with the friendly folk of the Festival Coast." Festival Coast

"...the original Red Indians of North America. Central Newfoundland
has several historic sites where you can learn more of these
remarkable indigenous people." Central Region, Newfoundland & Labrador Travel Guide 

After Mile ZERO, the next day's in DILDO

If the George House - Inn by the Bay wasn't made precisely for the SAD no more Tour. (no edits on this picture - this is really the colors in the setting sun!)

POST SNM Tour Day 1

really?? .........well what would you call it??

After a celebratory evening out with Marc, Colette and our wonderful hosts Monique and Dave, life got back to normal - if you call "normal" doing a presentation and driving to the next town.  There will be no real normal for another few weeks, the time it will take to drive back to Calgary. And even then, my guess is that our lives will be far from normal (stay tuned, this sentence will make a lot more sense very soon).  Having said all that, I am looking forward to the next few weeks which should allow some introspection and distillation of the last few months that we have passed through. 

We said very early morning goodbyes to Colette and Marc who flew back to Winnipeg, via Ottawa to get in a quick visit with their son Patrick.  As I have said repeatedly, they were such a great help and such a steady, calm presence to have on this tour.  We wish we could have provided them with better weather but I think they got a great taste of Newfoundland - the vast and varied geography and the great people.  We will miss them greatly on the drive back, thanks so much to both of them for being a part of this tour - particularly during the culmination of the running/cycling leg. 

We also left the beautiful new home of Monique and Dave and must thank them greatly for their generosity and welcoming spirit.  They had hosted another Cross Canada tour earlier in the summer - Wayne Stremel, a Canada Post employee who cycled across the country raising funds for the Canada Post Foundation who is committed to mental illness initiatives and is a main sponsor of the MIAW campaign.  Dave and Monique have direct connections with Canada Post and this was a very special tour for them to support.  So their home in Newfoundland has now been listed as "THE Canadian Tour Stop Destination" and they live up to the billing.  It was interesting listening to Marc, Monique and Monique trying to make all the connections between friends and families living in Ste Agathe and surrounding areas. You can move to Newfoundland, have a sister in Australia etc etc - but connect the dots and is still this is a very very small world sometimes!! Thanks Dave and Monique for your openness, kindness, genuine interest and support of the tour.

The presentation today in St John's was at the Health Science Centre which is on the Memorial University Campus Complex.  It was a very good turn out and we had a lot of time for open discussion about a number of topics including mental illness stigma and difficulties accessing mental health services.  During the talk I caught myself having to change from the present to the past tense, ie I am no longer running and cycling across the country, I HAVE ran and cycled across the country. So I now need to revamp all my presentations with this in mind.  I probably will now incorporate some of the photographs taken on the tour as well as add some more stories and anecdotes.  This should probably extend the running time (pardon the pun) of the presentation an hour or so (to all the venues which are waiting for me to arrive to speak - JUST KIDDING - there will be no presentation longer than 4 hours, you have my word on this)

The issue of the "success" of the tour was brought up today.  Initially my own board, as well as some of the sponsors demanded that I define what success of the tour would look like.  I have a very well thought out and detailed answer to this very question but maybe one member of today's audience got it right.  I hope I am quoting him correctly when he said - "Even if you touch only one person and because of this it saves their life, then your tour is a success".  I may never know if this has happened already or will happen in the future.  Mental illness can be challenged and recovery is possible - I stand as living proof of this.  If this tour, or my own story has even planted a tiny seed that may someday grow to give someone the courage to seek help or the inspiration to make small positive changes to their life or the will to live another day - then all the efforts of the past months will have been more than worth it.

There are so many people to thank at this point in time. I'll acknowledge people over the next few days in this blog.   

Monique deserves so much credit for how smoothly things went and will continue to go.  If I am the dreamer, she's the CEO, CFO and Manager of all the rest.  She has taken these many roles on unselfishly and with a dedication and competence that is unmatched.  None of this would have happened without her skills and unwavering committment to the mission of this tour.  I owe her everything and I love her dearly.  Living in such close quarters as an RV for months (and not being retired or on vacation) is a challenge to any couple.  I can say that through it all we've only learnt a little more about each other and have a deeper love for each other. 

I must thank Gabrielle and Eric so much for their understanding, support and hours and hours of hands on help.  How many frustrating moments we all spent trying to figure out web / IT / cell phone/ social media things.  How many times they patiently gave opinions on graphics ideas, mission statements, logistical dilemmas etc.  They have both become intelligent, responsible adults and we were able to depend on them as peers/colleagues in many of the critical decisions.  Monique and I are very proud of their involvement in this tour and in our lives.  I am grateful for their acceptance of my "coming out of the mental illness closet" and becoming a public figure in this regard.  They are great kids! Thanks also to their significant others Jen and James who have been so supportive and helpful.

More thanks are in order tomorrow - stay tuned.

Tour Day Sponsors are Evan, Camille, Charmaine and Sullivan Strong of Calgary - thanks so much for the encouragement and very very generous support.

Random Quote of the Day

One of the greatest labor-saving inventions of today is tomorrow

Vincent Foss

Silence is a source of great strength

Lao Tzu

(and on that note - shhhhhhh and a good night to all!!)

3,2,1..........ZERO! whew, I guess I can safely say, I am SAD no more!!

SNM Tour Day #78

WE DID IT!!

(no I didn't get arrested - just my big brother!)

With a police escort, we cruised into St John's downtown this morning in no time. The final 16 kms seemed to pass by like a blur. We started in a bit of sun which quickly clouded and fogged over and the rest of the day was shrouded in a mysterious fog.  With no wind and no rain, there were no complaints - couldn't have asked for a better way to end the tour.

We passed Mile 1 Centre (formerly known as Mile 1 Stadium).  Then we stopped at Mile 0 at City Hall for some quick photos and video. Then onward to the Terry Fox monument which was Terry's Mile 0.  I stopped there and did a "speech" on video - which will be used for media locally and nationally and for the SNM video that Byrnes is compiling.  Monique had a big cry and it was a very emotional time for both of us.  We headed over to the Harbour Side Park where there was access to the actual ocean and I dipped my tire (well actually the entire bottom half of my bike when a wave came in off the rocks) in the Atlantic Ocean. 

Ocean to ocean - 7600 kms or so of running and riding has been completed.  The goal has been accomplished.  The dream has been realized.  With Monique by my side, Marc and Colette close by and so, so many people with us in spirit we successfully completed the run/cycle part of the SAD no more Canadian Tour 2010!!

I have much thanks to give - we have a long drive ahead of us, so a lot of time to contemplate,  summarize and say what needs to be said.  I have learnt a great deal about a lot of things.  As an educator, I may have learnt more than I taught over all the miles.  I have learnt so much about Canada and Canadians, about mental illness and stigma, about Monique and about myself.  

My life will never be the same.  You cannot do something like this without being touched and changed.  Again I will ponder and blog about this in the days to come.  First it's time to CELEBRATE!!

Tour Day Sponsor is AJ and Evelyn Malik - thanks so very much for the generous support now and throughout the years. 

Quotes of the day

We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams.

Roald Dahl

 
The thing about performance, even if it’s only an illusion, is that it is a celebration of the fact that we do contain within ourselves infinite possibilities.

Sydney Smith

and thanks so very much to our very gracious hosts Monique and Dave (we'll be with them for a few more days yet, so a bit more to come)

    

Tomorrow we'll be done at Mile 1, and we'll shed a tear - oh, oh, oh at Mile Zero 000

SNM Tour Day #77

As predicted this was an absolutely miserable wet, extremely windy day.  Given that we pushed hard yesterday to do extra mileage, we were well ahead of the game.  The weather report literally said "wind gusting to 50 km, gusting to 70 km, gusting to 90 km".  On the run I did go head on into winds while going uphill and I was nearly stopped in my tracks. I just kept moving my feet, refusing to stop or walk and eventually completed the run, soaken wet (with sweat) and hoping/praying/begging the road to change direction even a little as I knew cycling against this head wind would be impossible.  As it did repeatedly all tour, nature and geography were kind when I needed it and I was able to complete the morning on the outskirts of St John's as planned - wet (now from rain) and feeling that even this short mileage gave me an honest, good hard workout.  

Today on the highway we met Wayne Morris, who stopped me to chat.  He had suffered a brain tumour and abscess and was disabled for two years. He told me that he walked/ran across the province of Newfoundland in 1981 and in his life he had met Rick Hansen, Terry Fox's parents, among others who had trekked across the country over the years.  It was very interesting to meet him and hear some of his stories - I wish him all the best.

 

Thanks again to Vanessa from Arnold's Cove for her generosity.  We wish her all the best in the future - and who knows when our paths may meet again out west!  

How Vanessa looks so fresh and we looked so rough this morning is beyond me!

Tomorrow we will do the ceremonial 16 km ride along the outskirts of the city, into downtown. The final destination will likely be threefold, let me explain.  While in Victoria - Mile 0 is well known, well demarcated and well represented with a mile 0 placard and Terry Fox statue...St John's is the polar opposite.  Where the Trans Canada Highway officially ends depends on who you talk to (and even the locals aren't quite sure it seems). There is a "Mile 1" - which is a brand new arena complex.  There is also the end of the Trans Canada at the St John's City Hall on New Gower St - which is essentially right next to "Mile 1".  Both these locations are a few blocks from the ocean in essentially an industrial harbour area which is not at all friendly to the public.  A bit farther down there actually is a exceedingly modest (I'm being kind) Mile 0 monument to Terry Fox which is unmarked from the road, hidden in a tiny grassy area (not a park) just off a nondescript parking lot of the Port Authority Building.  This is also completely fenced off by barbed wire to the ocean - so I would absolutely be unable to access the water here (was obviously quite different when Terry started here 30 years ago).  Close by, there is an actual Harbourside Park which has statues of dogs and memorial placards and most importantly some access albeit extremely limited and tricky to the actual Atlantic Ocean - this is where I will dip my bike tire if I don't kill myself pulling off this manoeuver.  So to summarize, we will cycle in (hopefully with police escort) starting at 10:00 tomorrow am from exit 41A (connection between the TCH and Pitts Memorial Drive) and doing photo-ops at 4 different locations (all of which are sort of the official end of the SAD no more Tour).  We are not trying to extend the ending, it's just St John's - go figure!!

Tour Day Sponsors are Evan, Camille, Charmaine and Sullivan Strong of Calgary - thanks so much for the encouragement and very very generous support.

Random Quotes of the Day

A goal without a plan is just a wish

Larry Elder 

I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.

Jimmy Dean

If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere.

Frank A Clark

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.

Winston Churchill

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.

C.S. Lewis

It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.

Edmund Hillary 

Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul.  Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.

Pamela Vaull Starr

 

So after 2 years of planning, almost 3 months on the road and 7600 km of running and cycling - we make a little bit of history tomorrow in St John's Newfoundland - WOOOHOOO!!!!

gusting up to 90 km an hour - really...............

By Jove, we're sleeping in Arnold's Cove - In two dawns we'll be in St John's!!

This is what we arrived to last evening

Or if you looked in the opposite direction

Either way - paradise!!

SNM Tour Day #76

and here's the same view today  in the early morning fog.

A beautifully sunny day - ALL DAY!! (this has been a rarity for the past few weeks).  We were warned that it would be hilly and hilly it was - ALL DAY!! Had two steep ascents during the run which was a bit of a prelude to how the day would be.  The cycle was a good solid work out and we put in as much mileage as possible today as the weather forecast calls for heavy rains and big winds for Saturday and Sunday. So we pushed onward today and ended off the day with only 40 some odd km left to St. John's.  We have a full day to do this - so no matter how bad the weather is tomorrow, we will make it to the outskirts of the city so we can do the ceremonial ride in to complete the tour on Sunday morning at "Mile 0" (the other Mile 0). We have a videographer all set up and hopefully the media (and maybe even a police escort through the city - we'll see.....)

We are sooooooooooooo close to finishing things off at this point.  Nothing can stop us at this point, even if I have to crawl the last 40 km, it will be done!!

Marc and Colette have been absolutely great to have in this final push to the coast - supportive, helpful, laid back and always there when you need them.  A great big thanks to Vanessa who billeted us in Arnold's Cove this evening.  Talking with her, there were so many similar stories and a few people that we both know etc.  She was a very gracious host, a delight to meet and we were treated to a great meal and conversation.  

I got to play a little 12 string guitar (I haven't touched my own guitar for months) and a little piano - felt very, very good. I have a few songs kicking around in my head in the last week or so and I'm sure that I will have an artistic outburst when this tour is finally complete and I can let this expression out.  For now, it's still all about SAD no more - running, cycling (not much more), speaking still lots and lots more!

Tour Day Sponsor is Brian Hunter - thanks so much again.

(Not so) Random Quotes of the Day (as the end is in sight)

In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.

Abraham Lincoln


I do the very best I know how - the very best I can; and I mean to keep on doing so until the end.

Abraham Lincoln

I desire so to conduct the affairs of this administration that if at the end... I have lost every other friend on earth, I shall at least have one friend left, and that friend shall be down inside of me.

Abraham Lincoln

Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning. 

Winston Churchill

We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.  

T.S. Eliot