Nov 16th, 2003 'The Finale'
The last few days of our trip blurred together until only the thought of us drenched in the Pacific remained in focus. Each kilometer covered brought us closer to our native stomping grounds (and our more sensible 5 or 10km running routes). A full day on Friday (the 14th) took us right into the centre of Langley and set us up for a short 40km jaunt on Saturday to the ferries. We spent our last night in the motorhome on the 13th and slept in familiar beds at our mom's on the 14th and 15th. It would have been quite easy to sleep-in and call things finished at this point seeing as how we had technically made it home, and not to mention that the weather reports suggested that our last two days on the road would be very wet and very windy. We enjoyed the comforts of being in a home and reconnecting with loved ones; however, neither of us felt entirely at ease in these comforts after having been away for such a while and also because we knew that we weren't finished just yet. We set off at a more sensible hour on the 15th on our way towards Tsawwassen and the ferry to Vancouver Island. The wind began to stir as Wes made his way onto the dyke that runs along Boundary Bay in Delta. It was the 15th of June when we left the Atlantic behind us and now, five months later, we came upon the Pacific. Steady rain came and joined the wind just as Wes' friend, Jason, showed up and joined him. It was before dinnertime when, wet-to-the-bone, Wes and Jason reached the goal for the day and we all headed for shelter.

A much-anticipated day, Sunday the 16th of November, was here at last. This, of course, was the final day of our adventure. As a throwback to our time in Quebec, it was Wes, Kelly, and I (Dano) that started the day together. A complimentary 7AM ferry ride (thanks BC Ferries) shuttled us smoothly across the Georgia Strait to Vancouver Island. The low-key morning was dominated by pretty serious rain and grey skies as Wes made his way towards the Greater Victoria city limits. He was looking quite soggy (picture very wet dog) and yet resoundingly confident when the first camera crew showed up just after noon to capture our intrepid traveler on film. With this pit stop out of the way we pressed on until we reached the 'Welcome to Victoria' sign just passed Elk Lake. Here we took another quick break from the rain and then Wes was off again and disappeared down the hill leading towards downtown. Just after he faded from sight, a convoy of cars showed up full of our friends and family. We all shared a spirited greeting on the side of the busy highway on this true west coast day (wet and windy). We realized that one thing that was missing in this whole equation was Wes, so we all made our way further down the road to get ahead of him and reconvene as a group. We were more than 30 strong as we waited outside of a Starbucks for Wes to appear. The weather did little to dampen our spirits and a buzz was certainly in the air. Soon Wes came into sight and cameras were readied as we all left our shelter under the roof to meet him. I don't know if it was seeing friends and family for the first time together or if it may have been the Venti mocha on an empty stomach that got Wes buzzing, but emotions started swirling just under his rain drenched surface. After a good many hugs and photos, Wes set off on the last leg of his run across Canada with less than 4km to go.

The Mile '0' marker is at the south tip of Vancouver Island on a bluff high above the ocean in Beacon Hill Park. We all regrouped together one final time at the marker that also represented the finish line. Old and new family and friends were there. The media was there. Bottles of champagne (some good, some Baby Duck) and air-horns were also close at hand. It was certainly not ideal spectator weather, but the driving wind and rain was alive and raw- perfect for the end of a long adventure! I left all the commotion behind and ran back to meet my bro so we could share the last segment of our journey together. We were on opposite sides of the road when we crossed paths and we were both so much in the groove that we almost missed one another- fortunately we didn't! Instead we spent a few minutes chatting and reflecting beneath some large trees in the park before we headed together towards the finish. And so it was just before 3pm on November 16, 2003 that Wes and I ran together passed the Mile '0' marker through showers of champagne and the blasting of air-horns to successfully complete our coast-to-coast journey across Canada. The boisterous support and encouragement of everyone in attendance assured that welled up emotions were able to flow freely at this point. After doing a quick interview, Wes raced across the street and headed towards the water. I did my best to keep up with him to be a part of our long awaited plunge into the Pacific. We immersed ourselves in the water to officially mark the end of our trip as the waves crashed around us with exclamation. We all retreated from the stormy weather to a nearby house for some warmth and shelter and, of course, food and visiting. Wes and I were so grateful that such a great group had made the trip and endured the elements to be a part of this day with us.

Ten days have passed since we finished and that feels like just a moment and yet an eternity ago. Both Wes and I are still shaking off the culture shock and trying to settle into the clean slate that was waiting for us at home. The freedom we both have is exciting and daunting as we try to quickly ground ourselves. One thing that is certain, although the memories and experiences will likely continue to evolve, is that we have had the great fortune of doing something that is very unique. We have banked a wealth of distinct encounters and new relationships. We have had considerable time to reflect on our lives and do our best to calibrate them so that things that truly matter are put at the forefront. We have taken a chunk of time that is seldom afforded to two individuals in this hectic world and fortified a bond that is raw and real…and forever. We have learned (or been reminded) that being yourself and doing everything in your power to make every encounter a positive one yields amazing results. So grab the reigns and steer your life in the direction you want it to go, dole out hugs freely, and work on your smile lines. Thanks so much for being a part of our adventure! The support and encouragement we received along the way will remain an essential part of the overall success of the CanadaRun. We are busy editing video from the trip that we will be posting on the website, so be sure to check in again. Take care and thank you…

Nov 13th, 2003
We have been getting spoiled with just how amazing the mornings have been recently. The moon was out in force again when we got going today and it lit all the peaks around us aglow. We felt a similar element of remoteness and majesty in this deep moonlit valley along the Coquihalla as we had experienced when we went through Rogers Pass (on a smaller scale, however). By early morning we had already passed through Hope and the Coastal Mountains began to open up as we entered the Fraser Valley. Almost instantly it felt as though we had left winter behind us and were emerging on a gorgeous fall day. Things became more and more familiar to us throughout the day as we met up with the Fraser River and passed by Bridal Falls. Evening rolled around right on schedule and we rounded the last bend before Chilliwack. A road parallel to the highway appeared and sitting there on the shoulder was Barb (our Suburban), piloted by our dad. Together we made our way towards central Chilliwack and soon several people came out to join us or greet us as we made our way through the friendly community. We began the day isolated in the mountains and 71km later found ourselves happily back in civilization.

Nov 12th, 2003
Wes set off under the bright moonlight and worked his way up towards the Coquihalla toll booth and the summit just beyond. We had tried ahead of time to see if we could get the $10 toll waived, but we were told that the chances of that happening were zero (we were also assured that the toll attendant would likely be bitter and void of humour, so don't expect a smile- that is not included in your toll…). Wes did the limbo under a closed gate as we passed the cheerless toll booth and we continued on our way. A little further up the road we came to the 1244m summit of the Coquihalla and then began the descent that takes us all the way to the sea. At this point I caught Wes sucking in a deep breath of mountain air and I could tell he was savouring it thoughtfully. A tinge of sorrow hung in the air as it dawned on us that this was our last full day away from civilization and soon this adventure would be over. Fortunately this moment passed as the thought of an impending hot shower helped to dispel any unduly romantic notions about life on the road. We carried on and after lunch we were joined by our third road guest in as many days. Our dad, who has been faithfully involved with our journey, had flown out to Calgary to pick up the Suburban and trailer (we shamelessly deserted them in exchange for our motorhome) and was on his way back towards Vancouver. His trip was a bit more exciting than it needed to be as both of the trailer tires went flat on him within 100km of one another. He didn't puncture them on anything, they were just so worn that they no longer were willing to hold any air. It is funny (in a cruel kind of way) that I have had no problems with the tires in five months and my neglect unraveled in just half a day of driving for my poor dad. He shortly left on his way again and Wes and I were left to spend a last night wandering in the wild together.

Nov 11th, 2003
It was a civilized 8:30AM when we began to stir in our warm beds this morning. Today is our last rest day before our five day push to Victoria and we savoured the long sleep. Time constraints are such that we still need to cover roughly 40km today, so 'rest' is somewhat figurative and 'deep breath' is probably more appropriate. We spent the morning running around doing one final stock up (and a desperate attack on the frozen pipes- to some success). Above, the sky was manic as snow, rain, and hail threatened and fell from the black clouds that were battling with the sunshine. It was close to 1:00 before we headed the 4km north of Merritt to where we had left off yesterday. I dropped Wes off and then found a 'No U-Turn, Emergency Vehicles Only' break in the highway and flagrantly broke the law. I guess most people that drive the Coquihalla or the Merritt to Kamloops road probably know which way they are going and don't need a place to turn around. But, if you did need to -as I did- it is a 50km drive towards Kamloops (that is a 100km detour, if you're willing…) before you are legally allowed to turn around. I would call this a significant short-coming.

Wes plodded his way up the Coquihalla, while I struggled to find safe places to pull over. One of our stops had us precariously perched on a narrow shoulder, high above the valley. If you could do something about the traffic, this would be a lovely spot to build a home with a big deck looking out on the valley and ridges beyond… Wes was quickly on his way again and I lingered for just long enough for a familiar car to pull up behind me. Guess who?!? Mom and Reg!!! Laden with a basket of goodies and a cooler full of food and drink for dinner, they had made the 3 hour drive to pay us an unexpected, but very welcomed visit. We chatted for a bit before we drove ahead to catch up with Wes. Reg stayed back and mom hid herself so Wes was unaware of them when he came in for a break. After a few minutes of our usual banter, an opportunity arose for mom to interject from where she was hidden. Much to Wes' confusion, she appeared. We spent the next few hours happily entertaining (a very rare treat for us), while still trying to cover some distance. Wes went on his way again and when he reappeared for dinner he was noticeably unnerved. A highly aggressive coyote (which is highly unusual) had stalked Wes for several kilometers, twice actually trying to attack him. It certainly would be a shame, so close to the finish and all, to have Wes mauled and eaten by a scrawny little scavenger. Wes was half amused and three quarters on edge as he ate amongst the good company. With still some distance yet to go, we bid a big thanks and farewell to our guests. They drove the R.V. ahead of us so Wes and I could go together into the wild darkness. There were no signs of any killer little animals for the rest of the night, so we just trudged along under the moonlight, watching as jet-streams lit up like blazing comets passing through the crisp night sky.

Nov 10th, 2003
Seemingly right on cue, snowflakes began streaming out of the sky just as Wes took his first steps this morning. The system didn't have much in the way of endurance and soon fizzled out, leaving Wes with 2-3cm of fluffy cushioning on the road's shoulder. The temperature started to rise and soon this cushioning became a shoe-soaking, soupy mess. A car pulled up just as Wes was coming in to make a shoe pit stop and out came the Loptsons (old friends from when we lived up north), with pizza in hand. The damp cold and the passing semi's may have cut the visit a bit short, but we certainly enjoyed this encounter from out of our past. We crested the Clapperton Creek Summit (the highest one left in our path- 1445m) and made our way down the 19km hill into Merritt. We were guided by the warm, half-light of the moon (technically speaking, the road guided us and the moon just cast some light on everything…) as we descended into the serene Nicola Valley.

Nov 9th, 2003
It was gorgeous out when we got going this morning. The very bright, very full (I think) moon was casting its light across the sky and shimmering brightly off the river beside us. The air was crisp and pure. Near us, a local rooster was giving his full cock-a-doodle approval of this good morning. We too, felt a desire to give an 'its good to be alive' yodel, but seeing as daylight was still an hour away, it seemed that the rooster was getting a little ahead of himself. Then it came to us: he accidentally got set back two hours when we switched to daylight savings a few weeks back… The moonlight melted into the early morning glow as Wes pushed towards Kamloops. As we approached the city it dawned on us that one week from today we will be FINISHED!!!!! Aye carumba!!! That seems hard to believe. At this point we both thought that this journey would continue indefinitely. I wonder if our bodies will keep moving for a while after we're finished- like after spending a fair amount of time on a boat. Wes might become a pacer: to and fro in perpetual motion. Anyways, we rounded the bend onto the #5 highway west of Kamloops and started on the last stretch towards the coast. Our schedule is still quite tight and sleep has been cut short lately, so we unfortunately had to skip a visit with some friends from long ago (16 years ago actually) that we passed by in Kamloops. One great thing that has come from this trip is the number of long dormant relationships that have been re-established. Soon our pavement pilgrimage will be over and we will be able to nurture relationships new and old.

Nov 8th, 2003
Wes met me at one of the local Tim Horton's on his way through Salmon Arm this morning. Usually this pit-stop gets the day off to a good start, but today we got waylaid. I was told that the sour cream glazed Timbits would be ready in six minutes, so I decided to wait for these ultra fresh guys. The wait ended up being more than 20 minutes and by then, Wes had already hit the road again. Unfortunately we lost some time, but for my patience I was given far more Timbits than we needed or, in hindsight, should have eaten. About 15km and many, many Timbits later, we turned off the dangerous, winding highway and spent the rest of the day meandering passed vineyards and friendly dogs on a very pleasant back road. The warmth in the air seemed to thaw Wes out just enough to make him aware of the aches throughout his body. Once again, thanks vitamin 'I' (Ibuprofen). The day waned and the darkness came to this valley swiftly and deeply, much like our sleep.

Nov 7th, 2003
The past couple of days have seemed quite low-key; maybe it's because we're familiar with the surroundings, or perhaps we are just focused on the fast approaching finish line. Regardless, I'm left here to scan my inventory-deprived memory bank for something other than filler- I value our network ratings too much (have they slipped any lower?!?) to waste your time with inane banter. Ah ha, here we go…I just remembered something somewhat interesting! This morning we got up at 4AM and found ourselves plugged into a little generator that had, during the night, run out of gas. We were nestled up against a very rustic cabin in the woods with an impressive collection of beer cans and cigarette packages strewn everywhere. We felt a little sluggish, but if memory serves us correctly, the beer and cigarettes had not been consumed by either of us. Where were we and how did we end up here? Well, Wes was befriended by a man named Jim during the last portion of his run yesterday and he had insisted that we come back to his place for a beer, or to at least plug in our camper for the night. We had a little visit and remarked at his seemingly very different way of life (a one-room cabin plumbed with spring water from the side of the mountain, an outhouse, and no electricity), and then we retired to bed. His hospitality was gracious and unlooked-for; however, this encounter added yet another textured piece to the patch-work quilt we have woven along our journey.

Nov 6th, 2003
We were up before the bars closed this morning, chasing after the light. The sun rises and sets on us early, here in the mountainous eastern reaches of the Pacific Time zone. Wes cruised passed Revelstoke on his way to 46km before lunch; while I tried to maximize the short time we had in the town and the brief window of cellular coverage. The rest of the day was pretty low key so I thought I would mix things up and tell you a joke that we heard in Saskatchewan. Here goes…

A cattle farmer looked out on his herd one day and realized that he had to do something about his ageing breeding bull. The old bull had served the farmer well, but the farmer no longer felt that he would be able to manage the large herd of lovely bovines. More concerning for the farmer was that the next oldest bull did not appear quite mature enough to replace the old one. Unbeknownst to the farmer, the old bull and this younger bull had already spoken at length about this issue and had agreed that in the new breeding season they would share the duty. In this way, the new bull would be eased into service as the old bull eased out. One evening the farmer ended up at the bar feeling heavy with his unsolved burden. A neighbour pulled up beside him and they talked at length about his problem. It turns out that the neighbour had a very frisky, very massive bull that he could lend the farmer for the season. And so that was that. One afternoon, as the old and young bull eagerly awaited the upcoming breeding season, a cattle truck backed up to the pasture. The gates swung open and a massive, snorting bull came raging out. The herd was whipped into an uncertain frenzy and the old and young bull exchanged confused glances. Suddenly the young bull started snorting and aggressively pawed the dirt. The old bull raced over to the young one and tried to calm him. He said, "Are you crazy? That guy will pulverize you. What are you doing?!!" The young bull replied, "I'm not challenging him; I just want him to know that I'm a bull!"

Nov 5th, 2003
Seeing as today is a rest day, we slept in and leisurely drifted through the morning. While Wes was taking some time to rest his body, I thought I would address some of our motorhome woes. Back on Nov 2nd, I discovered that all our drainage pipes were frozen and I decided, perhaps unwisely, to leave that battle for another day. Today, upon further inspection, I was tempted to leave it for yet another day. The exit pipes (the motorhome's, not ours), for both the grey and black water, were totally frozen and we tried unsuccessfully to thaw them out. The sink is now backed up as the water refuses to drain down into the blocked tanks and pipes. Fortunately, the water pump stopped working at some point in the night, so no more water can come out of the taps to increase the existing pools. No water also means that the toilet won't flush, but seeing as the bathroom/shower is already somewhat flooded with grey water that has come back up the shower drain, we aren't venturing in there anyways. With very sub-zero temperatures lingering, our options seem limited to finding a heated garage or taking a long southward drive. In the meantime, however, we have exhausted virtually all of our kitchenware and heaped it in a precarious pile in and about the sink. Meal planning is simple: eat and drink what you can out of the box, with your hands if you can. Upon reflection, this episode appears to be something that we devised out of boredom. Regardless, Wes proved his wisdom when he left our mutual disaster zone and instead put in 32km in the fresh trouble-free mountain air.

Nov 4th, 2003
After a later night than normal, we were a little slow to get going this morning. It was clear and cold again as Wes headed out, although we don't really have any clue what the temperature has been lately. We are thankful that it is dry; the cold he can bundle up against. The crisp air made the gargantuan peaks stand out resoundingly around us against the clear blue sky. We passed into Glacier National Park and rolled our watches back an hour as we joined Pacific Time. With the clocks adjusted, it was now time for lunch and we excitedly cranked up the oven to indulge in some frozen pre-made pizzas.

Light failed in the early evening and the vastness seemed to swell around us as we climbed into Rogers Pass. I have left Wes out on the road by himself for most of the way from Calgary, but for both of our comfort, I joined him now in the darkness. We were able to shake off the discomfort quickly and savour the remoteness of where we found ourselves. The moon was hidden behind the towering peaks on our left, but cast a warm light on the tops of the mountains to our right. Traffic was quite light and the silence was penetrating. It is difficult to convey how it felt to wander in the midst of this rugged area under moonlight. The stars were glittering sharply above as the mountains seemed to close in on us. It wasn't unlike Frodo and Sam traveling together through Middle-earth in 'The Lord of the Rings.' We were both entirely awestruck. Wes and I have done many adventurous things, but this was a rush…totally exhilarating.

To step it up a notch, the dark snowsheds appeared before us; Wes caught his breath for just long enough to watch some semi's come barreling in and out of these particularly dark tunnels. There was space enough for him to pass through without any incident, but his heart was certainly beating aggressively. I passed through the last tunnel ahead of him in the RV and then pulled out the video camera to watch him come out behind me. It turns out that this was the only snowshed that didn't have a raised ledge for him to walk along and it left Wes somewhat more vulnerable. I saw his blinking lights come frantically towards me as the bright lights of a semi began to engulf the tunnel. He safely popped out just before the semi roared by him. I was vividly reminded of the movie 'Stand by Me' when the train nearly ran the boys off of the train bridge. Exciting stuff!!! We were just west of the summit of Rogers Pass when tired bodies and bone chilling cold got the better of us and we retreated to our beds for the night.

Nov 3rd, 2003
If Wes had wheels, today would have been an easy day for him. He spent the majority of the day winding his way down… and down… the Kicking Horse Pass. The shallow snow on the shoulder provided some cushioning for him as he let himself coast down towards the valley. As I was also coasting downhill in 'Katinka' (our motorhome), I was thinking to myself that nothing too exciting has happened to us in the past few days. It has been beautiful, yes, and we have seen plenty of wildlife, but we have certainly been lacking some good, wholesome adventure. I pondered this further as I sat idling in a construction line-up. A few different ideas came to mind…and then I ran out of gas. Perfect!! These sorts of avoidable and dimwitted mishaps are always the start of great adventures! So, feeling like an all-star, I coasted onto the shoulder and went to chat with one of the construction workers. This potentially long-winded story was cut remarkably short when the woman I spoke with (she didn't tell me her name, but she was the first aid attendant- Cheryl or Shelly, I think) reached into the bed of her pick-up and gave me a full jerry-can. I can't recall a smoother or more perfectly choreographed ending to one of my adventures. I don't actually know if this qualifies as an adventure, seeing as it ended up being more convenient than stopping for gas in the first place (and cheaper…). I brought some hot chocolate and cookies to her and the 'lady of the flag' (I don't like 'flag-person') as a humble thank-you, and then was on my way again. In self-defense, we got barely more than 300km on a full tank from our new support vehicle and we both expected to make it comfortably into Golden, just 10km down the road.

The Kicking Horse Pass quickly opened up into the Columbia River valley below and upon the town of Golden. As we came up to the first set of businesses, we found ourselves in the midst of a herd of bighorn sheep. This not-so-savvy herd of 20 was causing traffic mayhem as they darted, or wandered, back and forth across the highway. They seemed far more concerned with ramming heads, sniffing one-another, urinating, or feeding from their moms, than with the oncoming cars and trucks. With natural instincts as dull as these, we don't suppose we will see this herd again. We did see a gigantic bald eagle flying along the river as Wes worked his way passed Golden for a solid 69km on the day. He was joined on the last leg by Karen, a long-time friend of ours. I know that he appreciated having a companion in the darkness, especially a new companion. They finished up just after 8:00 pm and we headed back to Karen's place for a nice little visit with her and her husband Mike (and their new baby, Adam).

Nov 2nd, 2003
The cold morning air was so fresh and pure that it felt like it was drawing out all our impurities. If this pure mountain air was what they used in those briefly-trendy oxygen bars, I think they may have caught on. The low moon was casting a silhouette of jagged peaks towards us from the south, revealing the numerous fresh animal tracks that ran across the snow-dusted road. Fiery hues set the mountain peaks ablaze- as we had hoped for- as the light crept across the morning sky. We were certainly doing our best to take in everything around us. Wes jogged through the morning as we neared Lake Louise. While he was busy with that, I set off to find a sani-dump for the dark grey water (grey and black if you will) from our R.V. After going through the steps a few times in my mind to avoid any mishaps, I took off the outlet valve-cover to discover that things were backed up, err…actually frozen solid. I know that I have witnessed plugged drains before, but never quite like this. I put the cover back on and decided to leave this battle for another day. We pushed through Lake Louise before enjoying what would be our last meal in Alberta on this trip. Just a few kilometers beyond where we had stopped for lunch, a long awaited sign appeared before us… 'Welcome to British Columbia'!!!! Understandably, Wes lingered here for a bit to savour, or perhaps ponder this milestone along his journey. After nearly five months away, our journey has led us back again to the 'left-coast'.

Nov 1st, 2003
The shear peaks around Canmore were veiled in clouds this morning as we made our way through the town. The local Tim Horton's was not so easily concealed, however, and Wes made a brave dash down the steep embankment from the highway, through the deep snow to reach it. These particular sour cream glazed Timbits tasted all the better for his effort. The sky began to clear in the early afternoon- just in time to reveal the truly awesome scenery surrounding Banff. We made a quick pit stop in the townsite of Banff to get a temporary national park 'work' permit for our time in Banff and Yoho National Parks, and also to pick up some warmer gear for Wes (yes, it is still cold). As we were leaving from the town, we watched as two large Elk battled against one-another on the side of the road. We have both seen this type of thing in Banff before, but it still seems somewhat odd to have to make way for large wild animals in the middle of a busy town. Wes continued to push westward towards Lake Louise as the light began to fail in the early evening. At this point we decided to leave the highway and join the quieter 1A that would also lead us to Lake Louise. This is the scenic back route and, fittingly, we quickly came upon some deer grazing in the snow. As darkness took a stronger hold, Wes noticed a large Elk lying very near the road, lazily chewing its cud. We were startled by it, but the Elk seemed entirely unconcerned. As the darkness grew very thick around us, Wes began to wonder if some other less friendly animals, namely bears, would be more interested in him. So for peace of mind (both of us) I drove slowly beside Wes for the last 10km of the day. With survival fears somewhat lessened, we were able to enjoy the clear night with the flecks of frozen moisture dancing around us like snow.

Oct 31th, 2003
A forecasted high of -7C was not the most encouraging bit of news we had for today. It did not seem to knock Wes off track at all, however, and he just bundled up appropriately. The crisp air made the blue sky and white mountains stand out with captivating sharpness- it was easy to be drawn towards them. On he pushed, alone (it was cold out!), as the wind picked up and swirled wisps of snow all around him. A trucker passed him at one point and let out the most terrifically obnoxious honk. The honk didn't fade until the truck itself had disappeared over the hills. Fortunately the shoulders of the road were all plowed and made it relatively easy going for Wes as he worked his way into the mountains. He managed to put in 61km despite a later start as well as the less-than-optimal temperatures. We drove to Dead Man's Flats and plugged into a gas station for the night. And so ends our Halloween... or does it?! Warm and happily dreaming, I woke up to find Wes stirring about the RV. The coffee was brewing and when I grudgingly opened my eyes, I saw that Wes was dressed for the day and almost ready to set off. Maybe it was just because I was very fond of my warm bed, but it did not feel like we had slept through the night. Wes had woken up to the alarm on his phone and waited until the snooze alarm sounded 10 minutes later before getting up. Now, however, he cursed (plural) as he suddenly discovered that it was actually only 11:00pm on Friday night and his phone had rung because it had been called by two separate friends- well past our bed-time. It took until he woke up in the morning before he found it as amusing as I did.

Oct 30th, 2003
I am doing my best to conceal the total giddiness that is flowing through me. The only reason I have to keep it under wraps right now is out of fairness to Wes, who is currently outside. You see… it is -19C out there and inside our swanky new digs, the furnace vent is warming my feet. Courtesy of the good folks at Fraserway RV (and Phil- thanks buddy), we have a motorhome for the last leg of our journey and we really couldn't be more excited. You can probably understand our excitement somewhat, but here are some of the pros; separate beds (no more elbows in one-another's side/head etc.),a coffee maker, space to change or dance or strut, a table to sit at and gloat, a real fridge, heat and hot water, and oh yeah…a bathroom!!!!!!

Sitting here on this Halloween morning, the glow of the dawn is just coming up on the majestic Rockies in front of us- things are good. We have had a tremendously productive and busy few days in Calgary and we are officially on our way again. When I last updated you, it was 25C out at that point, so yes, the weather has changed. Calgary got whooped with its first real snow storm on Tuesday night and, unfortunately, no Chinook came to save the day. The traffic nightmare that it caused made getting around the city a real hassle. However, this nasty weather certainly allowed us to play the sympathy card and helped to attract media to our event. A radio interview with CBC and then T.V. interviews with CTV, Global, and Shaw made Wednesday a busy day. Later in the evening, we joined a running group for a scenic winter jaunt along the Bow River.

Originally we were planning to start moving again on Thursday morning, but after revealing in our 15 minutes of fame for most of Wednesday, we realized that we still had a few things to do before we could leave. Correction, we had endless things to do. Over the three days that we were in Cow Town, we spent considerable time at the Sole Custom Footbeds office, trying to cross everything off our list. In between our racing around, we visited with some friends and also our brother, Mike, who flew out to spend some time with us. Soon, our aggressive November 15th planned arrival in Victoria began to loom even larger as the light faded on Thursday- and we still weren't on the move. We quickly wrapped everything up and joined the masses in the painfully slow traffic heading westwards towards COP (Calgary Olympic Park) to pick up were we had left off. Wes put in a quick 15km before we headed to a nearby building to plug in our new power-hungry support vehicle for the night. Having done everything productive that we could think of and squeezing it into three days, we were gone from Calgary. We have now only to focus on the nearly 1000km to cover in just over two weeks…

Oct 26th, 2003
When we went to sleep last night we weren't sure if the clocks were going back an hour. We decided that we would leave it up to Wes' cell phone to figure it out for us (the system would adjust accordingly, we surmised) and set the alarm for 4AM. It did its thing and we happily hopped out into the 14C air feeling pretty rested. We listened to the radio as we ate breakfast and, of course, learned that it was only just after 3AM. It certainly gave us a good jump on the day as we headed for the east side of Calgary. For some reason or another, as the mountains drew nearer, we started to squabble a fair bit. It seems that our overflow pressure-release valve wasn't working and there was some built up steam (24 hours a day of either one of us is a lot). Looking at the calendar, we probably were overdue for a brotherly tussle in a wheat field. Instead we did some chirping at one another as the excess steam vented. Fortunately, that passed, and we were able to enjoy the view of the mountains and the appearing skyline as we worked towards the city in the 25C heat. As the evening rolled in, the headwind surfaced again and bathed us in warm, hair-dryer-like air. We decided to call it a day at 68km- with the city limits just beyond us- and gaily (like screaming school-boys and girls actually) we headed to our friends house with the thought of showers and real beds dancing in our heads.

Oct 25th, 2003
Recently, our 'rest' days have been used to bank some extra, leisurely kilometers. So after sleeping in somewhat, Wes started his way up the long hill that we had stopped at the bottom of yesterday. He crested it, and there in the distance, low and behold…MOUNTAINS!!!!! Not just any mountains, either. These big jagged bad boys (or girls) just happen to be The Rockies and as such, the boundary of the long reaching Prairie was now finally in sight. The cold start to the day gave way to warmer and warmer temperatures and, taa-daa…no wind! It is a rest day, remember and the wind was certainly in need of a break after all the overtime it has put in lately. Wes still put in the equivalent of about three laps around Stanley Park, 31km, which will make our stroll into Calgary on Monday that much more of a stroll. As we prepared to hop into the back of the car for the night, it dawned on us that this was going to be our last night sleeping in Barb. We are staying with friends in Calgary starting tomorrow and then we have a motor home, courtesy of Fraserway RV, for the last leg of the trip. With this sweet, sweet thought in mind we easily slipped into sleep.

Oct 24th, 2003
I asked Wes if anything particularly exciting happened to him today, and he just mumbled something about the darn wind. Unfortunately, that didn't really help to trigger anything distinct about this specific Friday in October, especially considering that the wind has been mentioned a lot lately. So as I sit wondering what to write, it seems to me that a short update may be in order after yesterday's long-winded one. So today, as creativity is in short supply, I'll do a Coles Notes version for everyone's benefit (mine too). Here goes; wind, oil rigs, oil wells, oil related equipment, so many cattle that I would call them schools rather than herds, pick-up trucks and more pick-up trucks, and lots of cowboy hats. Yes, we are in Alberta. At times I saw Wes fighting the wind and when his foot came off the ground for his next step, his leg would literally get pushed backwards. Every direction he tried to walk in (or we tried to pee in) was met with a headwind- here, there is no such thing as a tailwind. The good news is that tomorrow is a rest day and this last stretch has gone by quickly, despite the wind. A friendly exchange with some entertaining American gentlemen doing some geese hunting ended the day on an 'up' note.

Oct 23rd, 2003
With Calgary only four travel days away, Wes got right down to business working the kilometers off. While he was doing that, I was getting a talking to from a rather matter of fact officer. The first thing he said was "what am I standing on?" I thought to myself; feet, shoes, ground, pavement. When I looked down, there was some blue ribbon under his feet so I decided to go with that as my guess. Wrong! It was a yellow line and he informed me that yellow equals no parking. So apparently I was not only parked 'dangerously' but illegally as well. I found out very early on this trip that it really is hard to find reserved, handicapped, designated, or special-event-vehicle parking on the highway and I am left to make a judgment call when I pull over. When I asked this officer how I should best park in the future, he suggested using some flares. After doing some in depth financial analysis, I decided that using our food budget to buy 20 flares a day may not be a good judgment call in itself. Suddenly I was missing the friendly officers that had been watching over us earlier and bringing us hot chocolate (thanks Rob, what up O.P.P!).

When I caught up to Wes, the wind was toying with him. These dangerously strong side-winds were forcing him to stagger like a drunk and I worried that the officer might show up and make him walk the white (not yellow) line. This darn wind was so strong that it was slowing truck traffic down to a crawl as their trailers swerved frantically behind them. I tried to get Wes to help me with a little water and wind experiment, but he declined (see October 18th). As he got going again the wind shifted so that it was once again a headwind, and now some very nasty clouds were getting blown towards us. I think that this is the point in the day when I decided to stay in the car and read my book. Bundled up in the car I was soon joined by a friendly man from Medicine Hat that had something to offer to us. He had seen Wes blinking in the dark last night and his company, LED Innovations, make reflective vests with LED's embedded into them. Bill kindly gave us one that he insured would make Wes far more visible in the darkness. Judging by the clouds gathering, the vest might be put to use before lunch.

Oh boy, this update is already getting long and we aren't at lunch yet…hope I'm not boring anyone. We found a covered picnic area in the town of Tilley, but the biting wind made it not altogether fun to prepare food. After lunch we had some fun however, as the mud in the parking lot was as slick as ice. We did some sideways laps around the horse-shoe pits in the Suburban, before getting stuck trying to get up the exit road. There was so much mud everywhere that the tires on the trailer weren't spinning anymore, it was just dragging. Our shoes were caked with literally an inch of mud on the bottom. Now Barb really needs a wash. The weather passed and Wes was off again into the afternoon. Another not-so-friendly individual pulled up in his pick-up and decided to let me know his thoughts about me being parked facing the wrong direction on a farm road. I should have offered him a Yellow Pages to sit on to help him feel like a bigger man. With the nasty weather and crusty parking militia behind us, we continued just passed Brooks on the day. An amazing lightning storm was going on to the north of us, lighting up the late evening sky and illuminating the puffy white clouds in that part of the horizon. I went to meet Wes as he finished the last leg of the day and I was overcome by the most hideous smell that I have ever endured. When I got to Wes, I was retching and his eyes were bugging out of his head. We think that it was an open sewage lagoon next to the road, but it was dark and we didn't want to know. There was a skunk dead on the side of the road and I don't think that he was roadkill, but instead was overcome by this truly terrible smell. I need to take back what I said yesterday about Wes' socks and the whole 'gas city' thing, because after this, I no longer fear any unpleasant odour he may produce (I don't always smell like roses either, I know).

Oct 22nd, 2003
Wes quickly worked his way into Medicine Hat and, you guessed it, we found ourselves in a Tim Horton's shortly thereafter. While Wes continued his way through 'The Gas City'- I do think they have met their match in Wes, if it is gas that we are talking about- I was able to convince the nice folks at the Travelodge to let us use their facilities to get clean. I went and collected Wes from where he was and low and behold, plenty of soap and a couple of razors later, we emerged less dirty. Feeling remarkably better, although somewhat unfamiliar with this whole clean thing, we were on our way again. For a short period in the afternoon Wes actually had the wind at his back, which was a very welcomed change. He plodded along throughout the day as the Calgary distance signs began to look better and better. As we both recall from our drive out to the east, this section of the prairies was pretty dull and according to the map there are very few communities in the area to break up the doldrums. Perhaps this is why the day seemed to drag on towards the end. Thankfully the end came and we drove down a farm road to park for the night. A skunk scurried away close to where we were planning to pull over and as we had no desire to get involved with the little guy/girl we continued further. When we were at last getting ready for bed, Wes removed his socks and all fear of the skunk or any other smell in the universe disappeared. This was the second day he had worn these socks in a row and let me just say that I will do everything in my power to never, ever let him run out of clean socks again. Ever!

Oct 21st, 2003
The westerly wind, our persistent companion of late, rattled us around throughout the night as it pummeled poor Barb (our Suburban). When we finally opened our bedroom door (aka tailgate) at 4AM, we weren't really sure what month it was. The wind was Hawaii-warm (like when you first step off the plane into the open-air airport on Oahu) and it was already 21C. This helped to explain why we both woke up in pools of sweat. I know that I have said it before, but we are very thankful for the absurdly good weather we have been enjoying. Scantily clad for this summer-like day, Wes was on the move well before 5AM. The Northern Lights were dancing all along the north horizon while the bright sliver of the moon and crisp stars filled the rest of the sky. As the light of dawn overwhelmed the darkness, it revealed the beautiful, rolling ranchland that was all around us. Wes and I were both tempted to do some grazing ourselves- it was just that inviting. However, a sign on one section of fence warned to 'keep back and observe the buffalo from your car'…we didn't see any, but we decided against grazing on their turf. By mid-morning we moseyed across the provincial line and into Alberta! This mental victory kept Wes going strong throughout the 28C heat of the day. He pushed to the east side of Medicine Hat by late evening. In the hopes of bringing ourselves back to a socially acceptable level of cleanliness, we tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to cap this beautiful day off by wrangling ourselves a free hotel stay. I guess fresher smelling days will have to wait…

Oct 20th, 2003
The map showed that we would be on a two-lane undivided highway for most of today, but it turned out that crews were just completing another two lanes to make it into a divided highway. Wes was flattered that this new road had been built for his usage and accepted this kind gesture graciously. For 39km, he had a freshly paved, two-lane road all to himself (it isn't open to traffic yet) and I had a perfect rollerblading surface to glide beside him. We were spurred on throughout the day by numerous friendly and familiar honks and enthusiastic waves from passing cars. As evening began settling in we came upon yet another herd of cows and we tried, as we generally do, to get their attention and maybe some sort of reaction by doing our best cow calls at them. This large herd seemed agitated by us and then they suddenly started stampeding. Apparently we had struck the right note, or so we thought. Actually, two frisky horses had raced into the herd and started really stirring things up (chasing after calves, etc.). The horses stopped for a minute and stood side-by-side staring at Wes and me. They looked like two slightly devious brothers and were probably thinking something similar as we stood side-by-side staring back at them. Quickly they galloped away through the scenic, rolling pasture, content with the kafuffle they had caused. So too did we canter away into the warm, windy night for a record smashing 70.6km on the day.

Oct 19th, 2003
After what was Wes' longest five day stretch yet, 318km, we had no problem sleeping in until mid-morning on this rest day. We found ourselves just west of the small community of Gull Lake and as it was Sunday, we knew that very little would be open in the town. So right away we went about entertaining ourselves. Three antelope came surprisingly close to the car first thing in the morning which, of course, led to a quick foot pursuit in which Wes was not the victor. After breakfast, we headed straight towards one of the huge wind mills perched on the other side of the valley. We were able to walk right around a couple of them and ogle at their size. Even standing next to them it was hard to believe that they are almost 30 stories high. This area is quite cool in that there are still hundreds of oil rigs scattered in the fields of the valley, but perched up on the hills are these 26 shiny new wind mills that hopefully represent the clean future of energy generation. Later in the day we were chatting with a young guy from Gull Lake and he gave us a pretty scientific explanation of why the region (and the whole of southern Saskatchewan for that matter) experiences such strong winds. He offers, "It is quite simple, really. Alberta blows and Manitoba sucks." Well, if you think about it that would certainly explain the prevailing westerly.

Oct 18th, 2003
The warm glow of the moon was pleasantly accompanied by a very warm wind this morning. Instead of doing our desperate crawl into the front seats to turn on the car and the heat, as we have been doing lately, this morning we casually strolled outside and stretched before working our way to the front. Without having to wait for the car to warm us up, we were able to quickly get ready and roll up to the Swift Current Tim Horton's at 4:35AM. Wes happily filled himself with an XL serving of one of society's gut-rotting drugs of choice (I'm one to speak as I sit beside him stuffing myself full of Timbits…). I think my aversion to coffee developed after being yelled at by one-too-many post-coffee breath, high school teachers. Anyways, high on sugar, caffeine, and a dash of self-righteousness (Wes on the caffeine and me on that even nastier thing), we marched westwards into the early morning darkness.

Very early on in the day we could see large towers in the distance and suspected, correctly, that they were wind mills. So what, you say. Our guess was that there would only be wind mills if there was wind, and quite frankly, the wind was getting a little tiresome after just two days of it. Although the wind didn't pick up until late morning, our intelligent hypothesis (wind mills built in windy places) was indeed correct. By lunch time, the wind was blowing with a fury. On the menu today- pasta with a chicken cream sauce and plenty of wind-blown dust and dirt. We even did a little experiment involving water and the wind. Wes stood downwind across the road from me and I poured water out of a jug upwind from him. Just as I suspected, the pour sap got soaked! I keep doing my best to show him that there is great humour to be found in the wind, but for some reason, he just can't see it. You would think a sprinkle of water would be welcomed on this particular October 18th, as the mercury soared to a sizzling 28C, providing irrefutable evidence, much to the chagrin of snow lovers like us, that global warming is the hottest trend going.

Oct 17th, 2003
The wind that blew yesterday seemed like only a warm-up for what was in store today for our intrepid foot-powered traveler. I can honestly say that the dynamics of this trip would have changed if we had been forced to deal with these 50+kph headwinds on a regular basis, because - they put Wes into a right foul mood. I found his irritability really quite amusing and that didn't help, as he surely couldn't see anything funny about the wind or his mood. That is of course, until he started to nearly get hit with the tumbleweed that was coming at him on a regular basis, like a scene out of an old western or a Roadrunner cartoon. He finally broke down and laughed at the futility of both fighting the wind, and being upset by it. Seeing how the tumbleweed was able to get him out of his funk, I put a couple big ones in the trailer and am planning to hit him with them the next time he is pissy to see if he snaps out of it. Anyways, Wes still put in a solid 62km despite all the grumbling and we finished just west of Swift Current- very little stands between us and Alberta now! Yet another great sunset went down on this beautiful 20C day (Can you believe that, Oct. 17 and we were in shorts on the Prairies…this place rules!!!!). Better yet is that it is supposed to reach 23C tomorrow...woohoo!

Oct 16th, 2003
It is cold outside, it is cold inside, it is really early and the alarm will not leave us alone. Somehow Wes' pilot light hasn't gone out during the night and he is able to light the inner fire that keeps pushing him onwards. I'm having trouble just rolling onto my side because I am uncomfortable lying on my back. Wes goes through his morning routine that involves taping all the pieces of his body together for the day. When dawn breaks, we are in scenic rolling hills and the golden hue of the rising sun is still as breath-taking as the first time I can remember seeing a sunrise. Head-down and head-strong, Wes really pushed hard this morning.

We were both amused throughout the day by the really wacky combinations of trailers that people seem to tow in this area. A pick-up would be towing a trailer that in turn would be towing another car. Another pick-up would be towing a large, awkward piece of farm equipment and then a boat off of that. Why make two trips when you can make one I guess, but these loads look a little frightening sometimes. The infamous Prairie wind really picked up in the afternoon and blew with enough vigor to probably lift up Marilyn Monroe and her dress. Wes walked with a sideways lean that would make 'Dorf' proud. The migrating Canadian Geese seemed to be having their problems as well, as their 'V' formations were literally being blown sideways as they laboured above us. Wes and I think that we are now able to identify male versus female flocks of geese as the females tend to fly south while the males just don't seem to have a clue or be willing to follow anyone else's lead. That's coming from a guy who has done more than countless U-turns since this trip began.

Oct 15th, 2003
It has been 4 months to the day since Wes started his run and when we emerged from our cocoons this morning we saw a celebration waiting for us in the sky (there really weren't any other people up to enjoy it so I feel that it was for our benefit). It was, of course, the Northern Lights and they were sweeping in a captivating dance across the early morning sky. Wes was certainly deserving of some spectacle this morning as it was -7C out and his all important seat heater wasn't in the mood to warm his rear over breakfast. He bundled up appropriately and without any grumbling he was off into the cold. We were quickly into Moose Jaw, just in time to stock up on fresh Timbits. For some things I have a memory like an elephant and I still remember vividly that the last time we got 20 Timbits the score was something like Wes 14 to my 6. With that in mind, I struck quickly as Wes was tending to his XL triple triple and probably finished up even with him as he came on strong in the end when I began to focus on driving.

The sunrise was amazing as all the contours of the morning clouds were dramatically defined in vibrant colours across the sky. It certainly looked like it was going to shape up to be a great day, but we were forgetting the old saying "red at morn, sailors be warn". For the second day in a row I left Wes for a fair chunk of the later morning while I went and food shopped and ran around Moose Jaw. I went into an IGA and came out 25 minutes later to see that the sky was darkening, rain was beginning to fall, and to the west where Wes was (look at that alliteration!!!), the sky was absolutely menacing. I quickly drove in his direction as the rain turned into huge wet snowflakes and the temperature dropped about 5 degrees. By the time I caught up to him, the ground was white and he was too. This little storm seemed to have a sense of humour about my bad timing as the snow stopped falling right as I got to him and the temperature started climbing again. The rest of the day was uneventful, as large puffy white clouds drifted around us peacefully. The landscape began to change as the day wore on and scenic rolling hills soon surrounded us with hay and straw bails filling the fields. Wes finished the day 65km from where he began and his quiet resolve is becoming more impressive to me daily.

Oct 14th, 2003
Wes was surprisingly functional this morning as he got right to work drowning his misery over our abbreviated sleep and the sub-zero temperatures outside with bulk quantities of coffee. I went about it my own way and hung out in a fog for the majority of the day. I did some running around in the Queen's City (Regina) in the morning while Wes just plodded along through the cold towards Moose Jaw. A problem that has been nagging us throughout the Prairies was heightened today due to the high traffic on the road between Regina and Moose Jaw. You see, with very few trees, no bushes, and certainly no trace of a hill to hide behind, trying to take an uninterrupted pee in the Prairies is all but impossible. Even if you make a trek away from the highway, you still look like a guy peeing in a field a small trek from the highway. To make matters worse, the wind seemed to be blowing in the wrong direction regardless of which way we were facing. We just about gave up, but realized that doesn't work too well either. As the lights of Moose Jaw came up in front of us and the mercury started really dropping we were eager to cast the shadow of our eyelids on this long, and as described above, frustrating day.

Oct 13th, 2003
It is Thanksgiving and fittingly, we got to spend it in Canada's harvest-land. Wes and I lazily slept off the indecent amount of food that we had consumed last night and woke up to a warm and sunny Prairie day. After poking around in the morning, we went with mom and Reg to explore the farm. We frolicked in the huge, golden rounds of straw and hay like we were little kids (or just foolish city-slickers). After taking turns rolling the bails over one another, we hopped onto the ATV and roared through the fields chasing after the countless gophers strolling about -no one got hurt so don't call PETA on us please. We then moved down to the valley and mingled with the curious and verbose cows. Ah yes, what a fun way to spend a rest day. There really is something refreshing and grounding about spending some (if only a little) time on a farm. Local farmers must roll their eyes when they see these types of shenanigans. My guess is that we city-folk look equally as puzzled and amused with the farm environment as Crocodile Dundee was with the bidet in a New York City hotel bathroom. Spending the holiday with family (a whole lot of newly acquired family at that) and friends was really a nice treat for the two of us. It gave us a boost and made us feel closer to home that is for sure.

Unfortunately we had to get a move on before we got too comfortable in this setting. So we headed from eastern Saskatchewan back west towards Regina where we had left off the day before. We made a pit stop in Indian Head along the way with some more newly-acquired family. We enjoyed a little visit and discovered that they had been at work on our behalf before we arrived. It seems that the concept of us sleeping in our car on a cold prairie night was enough for them to have already taken it upon themselves to have arranged a free hotel room for us in Regina for the night! How cool is that?!! Thanks Dave…I'll see you at Red Mountain (thanks too, Diana, for the super tasty cinnamon buns -we opted to eat them instead of throwing them ;-). When we rolled up to the Super 8 Motel at 12:40AM we both knew that the coffee maker in the room would be the only way to get Wes going 4 hours later.

Oct 12th, 2003
It was chilly this morning, but we were ready. Wes and I headed off for what was to be our last jaunt together (at least on this leg of his journey). Thankfully there was no wind.

Today is the day that the CanadaRun team-of-three becomes a twosome again. As night turned to a morning glow, Wes and I shared our thoughts, the beauty of the surroundings, and the togetherness created by the solitude. Together we watched for McDonald's 'Fries Surprises' containers littered beside the road (it's amazing how many have not been checked for a prize). As lunch grew near, Dano and I drove off towards the Regina Airport.

What can I say…Wes and Dano; thanks for letting me be a part of your adventure. The reality and the magnitude of the task that you have undertaken sure goes to one's very heart. It has been a slice. You've come a long way together and I sense it has prepared you well for the mountains and the weather that will test you in the weeks to come. Good luck, good health, good spirits and be safe out there……LOVE YOU

Oct 11th, 2003
The day started with a bright moon and a surprisingly warm feeling 4 C. The highway was absolutely deserted. It must have been the moonlight, Wes was flying.

Throughout the day we were treated to an armada of cumulus clouds streaking across the sky. The unfortunate downside was that with the wind-chill, we were having to contend with -5C to -10C conditions. The wind was in our face all day. Dano and I took to walking just in front of Wes to block the wind. He was slip-streaming us and said he could feel the difference in effort on his part.

We had a great lunch at the Indian Head Coffee Shop and Bakery. After lunch we headed back to the road speculating as to when we would meet up with two very special people. Minutes before 2pm, almost exactly when we guessed they would arrive, Wes and I saw a red pick-up stop beside Barb at a pullout about 750m ahead. Within minutes Dee (Wes' mom) and Reg joined us out on the road. It was a heartfelt greeting and reunion for all. The next hour was spent chatting, telling jokes and discussing Wes' safety.

Dee and Reg headed off to a family gathering. The boys would be returning to Rocanville to a Thanksgiving feast at Reg's sister's farm tomorrow and a day of R&R.

We stopped just west of McLean, 38km from Regina.

Oct 10th, 2003
I never knew that it could be so warm in early Oct. in Saskatchewan at 4 AM. We were on the road by 5AM, but not before insuring that Dano was awake and aware we were off. There was no moon to bathe the fields in the soft yellow glow that we had become so use to. 5:30, 6:00, 6:30…hot tea sure would be nice. "Are you hungry Wes, I sure am?" "Yes, so am I. WHERE is Dano?"…6:35, 6:40AM…beep, beep as he drives by with a sleepy grin and does a power slide at the next turnabout ( Tasha hates power slides). 9.7km, the longest first walk yet, a very productive start to the day. The rest of the day was quite un-eventful. Wes is getting stronger every day, fewer aches and pains. Total distance traveled today...62.7km.

Oct 9th, 2003
This morning began at an hour that would make most people shudder…4:00am. We gained an hour when we crossed into Saskatchewan yesterday and decided to keep on our previous schedule to maximize the light of the day. Remarkably, it wasn't that painful, perhaps because we were in bed at just after 8:00 the night before. We are in big sky country or as they say here 'land of living skies' and we were treated to dancing clouds for much of the day, which helped to distract us from the flat horizon. This set up an amazing sunset that went through countless stages of jaw-dropping goodness while the very big moon rose seemingly right on cue behind us, just after the sun was down. Thanks to the early start, we finished a full day just after darkness and retired to our luxurious barracks.

Oct 8th, 2003
Well, as promised, we made a grand entrance into Saskatchewan today. Our brief sojourn through Manitoba worked out better than we could have hoped for, especially considering that it is October (the Prairies do have a reputation for not so cozy weather we hear). Last night the wind was so balmy that it was comical. A quick storm rolled through and the two minute burst of wind and rain seemed entirely tropical. Daytime highs have climbed consistently towards 30 C and we were treated to several days in a row without seeing a single cloud. We have passed countless fields of gold, seen breathtaking colours in the turning trees, and watched sunrises and sunsets that seem to constantly out-perform those from the day before. Picturesque valleys (little ones, yes) appear out of nowhere on the flat looking landscape and give subtle, yet rich texture to the endless sea of fields. Big white-tailed deer (they look like white-rump deer to me) gather in numbers in the valleys and bounce quickly across the fields at the sight of us. Needless to say, our crossing of Manitoba has been sweet and refreshingly short when compared to the never-ending-abyss that was Ontario. So even though the 'welcome' centre for Saskatchewan was boarded up tightly with the parking lot gates snarled shut for the season, we welcomed ourselves and gaily pranced one step closer to the west.

Oct 7th, 2003
Well, after a ten day 'sabbatical' in sunny Vancouver for the end of September and a weeks worth of writers block, I (Dano) have emerged from my new lodgings in the trailer (formerly a sheep trailer if you can recall) to join Wes again and our dad. Although the unseasonably hot weather we are enjoying is more than we could ask for, we have even better news! We (The Canada Run Association) are now officially a registered charity!!! We are thrilled about this as it has been a long time coming. So if you have been wondering just how you are going to rack up some tax credits this year, go to our donations page and give generously.

The Canada Run Association guarantees 100% satisfaction and eternal happiness to all donors.