This morning we held a News Event in Victoria BC at mile 0 of the Trans Canada Highway.

We were accompanied by a Local Lions Club Member from the Victoria  China Town Lions Richard Silver.

Richard stood proudly with us as a part of the Team that is forming across Canada to make a Miracle.

The Media was present and took many photo and Video shots of our 4 heroes. We then proceeded from this lovely venue on the waterfront to the Legislature Buildings for some photo ops then a mad dash to catch the 3:00 pm ferry to the mainland.

It is time for me to admit that I was the first to scratch the new trailer when I was maneuvering a very tight turn along our route in traffic. The final result was that I lost the battle with the light post with a sign hanging out into our traffic lane and the awning was ripped. In true red green fashion I offered to make it good as new with the requisite roll of duct tape that all of us do it yourself carry in our tool boxes.

Charlie was ecstatic that He had something up on me because he thought that if he held that story over my head he would be immune from me writing any stories about him on this blog.

Now too me that price was far too high to bear so I am doing the only thing I can do to keep the upper hand and thus control over Charlie. Trust me this is a good position to hold over Charlie.

I wont tell the story about the mirror though but when I get home to the Hangar Rats not to be confused with the Lab Rats who are Walking again I have a doozer of a story to tell. PS If you pm me your email with a 20 dollar donation to Wheel to Walk I may be convinced to tell you the story if you promise not to tell. Trust me it is worth the 20 bucks.

Later on today we had another humorous incident. You have to remember that for the next 91 days we all have to get along and that is the rule we will live by and the other rule is we must go home friends. (Charlie`s Quote)

Well this doesn`t stop the banter, teasing and practical jokes.

When we came across on the ferry we had to load the trikes into the trailer and then once on the mainland we had to offload the trikes and continue to the Vancouver city hall. However there was Antigone load them up to cross the tunnel small complication.

A Tunnel.  Bicycles are not allowed to drive through the tunnel and that includes our athletes special hand cycles. Soo000 we had to once again load and unload the 4 trikes.

We stopped on a side street just past the tunnel and when Less a previous athletic guy who sustained a permanent spinal cord injury was mounting on his trike at the side of the street he had a minor mishap.

Less just got back from an Alaska cruise with his wife Teressa and we think he may have indulged a little too much at the dinner table and I must make it clear that I’m not implying here that he got fat, he didn`t well not too fat anyway.

Les wasn`t having a good day because just before this incident he had a fall on the ferry transferring chairs because the wheel brakes on his chair didn`t hold. This allowed the chair to roll dropping Less onto the ground.

Well on this next transfer there was a highway,a ditch with about 3 or 4 feet of water flowed along it`s shoulders and Les had to transfer chairs.

Well he should have fixed the wheelchair brakes because as I worked in the trailer I heard a very loud expletive and an even louder splash.

I immediately assumed the worst and rushed out to help. Les was sitting in his racing trike and the wheelchair was submerged in about 4 feet of water.

I went fishing for the chair with my toe from a road shoulder bank that was almost vertical. All I had holding me back from the same fate as Less` wheelchair. The water was chocolate brown.

Well you should have heard the banter at Les`expense.

I I made the transfer I spotted the emergency washroom commode necessary for people in a chair when there are no wheelchair accessible washrooms are available. I couldn`t resist the temptation and a Les`expense I told him he should do the Cross Canada Tour on the commode and make it a real challenge. I paused fora moment thinking and then suggested that we could maybe call it Tracks Across Canada.

Less being the good sport he is and a true gentleman he is took it in stride.

We enjoyb each other`s company, yes we do have our differences in opinion but at the en of each day we are friends with a common goal.

We do watch that our antics don`t offend anyone but the humour is infectious at times and I know that by the time we all arrive in St John`s NFLD we will have bonded as true friends only can. 

We will all have the satisfaction of knowing that our Incredible Journey as simple messengers telling about the Miracle being born at McMaster Medical Services will have a very significant and profound affect on millions of spinal cord injury patients allowing them to walk again `Just like the Rats`.

Jim Anderson Road Manager, wheel to Walk Canada 905 869 6125