Journal - Sea to Sea
Part Four

Shirley's Little Miracles

My choice to ride/walk to the Coquihalla Summit with Ottawa's Alex. He turns out to be the most generous and patient person you could ask for, helping everyone who had a flat tire, including me that day.

A fellow cyclist worried that I did not have full gloves to ride down from the Coquihalla Summit. Ed from Kamloops handed me his spare pair of gloves.

I am truly thankful that I have been hosted in homes in BC,AB,SK, 5 in total.

In Banff,3 group members had lost and then found 3 important items.

Sister Mary and husband George picked me up at Beasant June 16 for family reunion in Saskatchewan. Searching for friend Veronica from Glenaron, I phoned her sister in Red Deer to discouver she was in Saskatoon hospital for major surgery. For weeks I had anticipated Veronica hosting me at her brother's in Carlyle June 20th, but instead we had a good visit in the City's hospital.

After leaving Besant, we stopped at Smitty's on Hwy for supper. Then drove onto Moose Jaw to visit niece. Suddenly I realized I didn't have my money pouch and I left it in the washroom at Smitty's. George rushed us back and the servers had it at the counter, all in tack.

Leaving Kenora June 28th and heading for Sioux Narrows (road to Caliper Lake was flooded), after climbing a hill I bungeed my orange jacket to my rat trap. After 5-10kms a truck comes along and asks if I had lost anything off my bike. I looked back and sure enough I had lost my orange jacket. I told the driver and he held it out to me. Naturally my money purse and phone numbes were in the pocket!!

Thanks friends for your prayers!

The Henhouse - by Sally

It sat behind the cottage at Ralph Anderson's on the Lake of the Woods. After weeks of wet tents the knotty pine walls, the carpeted floor was sheer luxury. Not only that, it had a real bed and futon.

The couples occupied the three bedrooms in the main complex, others sleeping on the floor in the living/dining room, a few back to their tents. But the special guest house was so inviting, peaceful and quiet,except for the call of the loon on the lake.

Little did we know, it was to be our last night with Marilyn who occupied our only bed, nursing a fast swelling hand. The next day a visit to the hospital confirmed two broken bones. Sadly home to Ottawa she went.

Noreen and Donna managed to find a space on the floor amidst our bags. Jean and I slept on the futon but paid a price for that. After neatly laying out my book, headlamp, clothes for tomorrow, Jean and I "made up" the bed. Everything went flying. I lamenated loud and long when my headlamp, totally disappeared to the point everyone was tucked in ready to go to sleep, then a laughing, exhausted person said "just go to sleep".

The whole visit was a beautiful interlude, eating our dinner on the deck, watching the sunset, having pots of tea and popcorn prepared by our generous host Ralph Anderson - enjoying the Ontario cottage life. But best of all,was the dry, mosquito-free henhouse.

go to - Part Five

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