After a memorable News Event in Vermillion we moved on to our next stop which was Lloydminister Alberta.

The days have been long for us and a lot has happened on the road. There have been repairs to the hand cycles, adjustments to the brakes and the occasional flat tire to repair.

We did start out on our journey with a number of spare parts but those have been diminished and tubes have become in short supply. We thought we would be able to buy tires and tubes on the road but this has proven to be difficult due to the speciality nature of the tires and high pressure racing tubes we are using.

It has at times become necessary for us to patch holes in tubes until a suitable source could be found.
The roads have been brutal on our tires and the extreme vibration shakes everything loose and we are constantly tightening up mirrors and other accessory items. The bikes themselves have been bulletproof requiring only chain oiling and the normal derailer adjustments.

Driving across Canada as a support vehicle and shield for the bikes takes a toll on the equipment being used. The one Van has required constant adjustment to the wheelchair lift probably due to the vibration from wake up bumps on the shoulder and the broken condition of the paved shoulder.

We also had a flat tire on the trailer that I was able to plug myself once I pulled the nail out. But overall equipment problems have really been minimal.

As we approached our next stop things were different on the road. We had more people honking and stopping us to give encouragement as well as ask how to donate and the mood of the fab 4 was very upbeat.

We were travelling at least 100 km per day and some days when we took advantage of the tail wind we covered 130 km.

The Prairies were starting to grow on all of us and we travelled along in awe of the immense grain fields and large number of oil and gas wells dotting the country side. The flat land and gently rolling country side was a sharp contrast to the Rockies we had just travelled through and the guys really moaned when they encountered any kind of small grade. Remember these are the same guys that had just days earlier conquered the Rockies and Kicking Horse Pass.

It became evident to us that Canada was a special place of many changing landscapes and indescribable beauty and the people that make up Canada openly welcomed us to their towns and communities with open hearts and huge social conscience.

Our next scheduled news event was in Lloydminister a town rich in local culture and history.
We were welcomed by the Mayor Ken Baker who came out to meet us with an extended hand and very warm welcome to his town.

We had a wonderful meeting with the Mayor and talked about his community and the history and economy of the area.

Ken was typical Western Farmer in his attitude, mannerisms and friendly demeanor. You just felt at home in his town with his encouragement and kind words and conversation came easy.

While we were there it appeared to be tax payment time and people were coming and going and all seemed to know the Mayor well and he greeted them cheerfully and by name.

We were most impressed my Ken and his sense of community and caring.

Ken mentioned one member of the community that had lived outside in a more rural area. this gentleman was in an auto accident on his way home and is now in a wheelchair.

We asked Ken to tell this gentleman about us and to direct him to our web site so that he too would have hope and be a messenger like us.

We also had the pleasure to sign up two new young messengers Jamya Willment age 4 and Brandon Willment age 10 and I have included photos of them talking with us, inspecting the bikes and getting involved. It is the messengers like these that endear us the most and we all take the time to listen to their questions and provide the answers they deserve.Thanks guys for becoming a part of our busy day.

We would like to thank Ken for the wonderful Mugs he presented us with as well as the pins.

A special thanks for becoming a messenger and promoting our cause so that so many can benefit and have the hope to walk again.

Lloydminister is a beautiful city with a down home friendly atmosphere and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay there.

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Next stop on our journey was North Battleford where we were greeted and welcomed by Mayor Julian Sadlowski. Julian came out to greet us and sat down on the floor of our trailer in the doorway and immediately engaged in some warm western conversation.

Julian was straight forward and down home friendly and got right into the story telling about his town as only a proud resident could. As we asked questions we discovered that the friendly, modest man greeting us was multitalented and had an interest in the local history of North Battleford and had written several books about the history of the area and the Natives that lived in the area.

Julian also had a soft side and had also written children’s colouring books which he was very proud of.

While we chatted and basked in his down home unabashed hospitality the local press arrived for an interview of our group. We were at first quite surprised at his mode of transportation but after considering the current price of gas we felt he might be on to something as he needed no gas at all and his cost for tires was at least half of that on the guy’s wheel chairs and one third the cost of our hand cycles. He rode up on a unicycle. We were surprised at first then interested in his choice of travel.

We all had a great conversation and thoroughly enjoyed the meeting we had. Mayor Sadlowski also had a surprise for us and made a generous donation to Wheel to Walk Canada on behalf of his family. It is interesting that it was made on behalf of his family because we have discovered on this journey the importance of family, the love family provides and the support umbrella having a loving family around you provides. It was fitting that such a wonderful man as Mayor Julian Sadlowski provided us with the example of giving as a family or on behalf of the family because he obviously placed family first.

On this trip we the six messengers have also become like family to each other. There can be no secrets and nothing to hide from each other when we have all toiled so hard together. We have our differences but like family we have learned tolerancce for each other and have worked them out.

Like family we can discuss our goals and plan together how to achieve them and also like family when our goals or expectations cannot be met we have learned to rely on each other to get us through.

It is interesting to know that Mayor Julian Sadlowski spoke lovingly about his wife who encountered a medical problem some time ago and required surgery on her spine to repair an anomaly.

Unfortunately the procedure did not go well for her and she has not been able to walk since.
Having met her husband and experiencing his sense of family we know that she is in good hands with his care and love and we wish Mayor Julian Sadlowski and his wife the best and our prayers go out to the family so that our Canadian Doctors can come to a speedy conclusion on their clinical lab trials so that people like her can have the hope to walk again.

While in North Battleford Charlie was driving the Van because he is a very independent guy and he knows he drives better that we all do at least that is what he tells us.

Well I have to report to you that Charlie parked the trailer a little too close to the curb and got tangled up with a sign and the awning. If you remember I had the same misfortune in Victoria but my case was a little different as I was trying to make a very sharp turn onto another street at the time and was watching my trailer wheels and the curb but didn’t see that sign sneak up overhead and rip a very small tear on the awning.

Charlie wouldn’t let me live this down and I actually had to confess on this blog that I did it to get peace from Charlie.

Well in Lloydminister Charlie showed me how straight he could park that big trailer along a straight curb and unfortunately that same mirror I used tricked him into watching his tires on the trailer and the sign jumped out and really tore the awning. Now this time the sign really had a hold on the situation and if Charlie moved forward the awning just wedged itself tighter against the sign because the back of the trailer was higher.

I being Charlie’s friend offered immediately to help so I jumped out of the Van and immediately took a number of damming photos that clearly show that the trailer was parked close to the Curb, straight and yes the tear in the awning was very evident. I also had the presence of mind to get a picture of the driver because a picture is worth a thousand words. And did he ever look guilty.

So now I stand by my position that I did make a little tear in the awning but it was Charlie who destroyed it and there are no photos of my very, very small tear. At least this is my story and I’m sticking to it since I am now in possession of some very damning photo evidence.

To put things in perspective when I teased Charlie about the Town coming after him for the sign (which was already bent when we arrived) His position was the town should repair the awning because the sign was too low and too close to the curb. Charlie’s perspective is always different than ours.

The picture to the right says it all. Look at the look of guilt on this man’s face.

Both towns did not disappoint and we basked in the knowledge that our message was being spread by very dedicated, caring and socially conscious men. I’d like to thank both Mayors for their warm welcome, their attention during our delivery of our message and for becoming involved in making this miracle happen through their and their communities efforts.

As I have reported in past blogs we have had daily encounters with people who have someone close to them in a chair.

Sometimes these encounters are most bizarre and could only have happened if all the pegs on the board lined up in sequence to make it happen.

It is always most gratifying when we do have these special meetings to see the look of hope in the eyes of the recipient of our message knowing that today we made a difference in somebody’s life.