The Incredible kindness of others

Hi folks, Lucas here again.  A quick update on our progress.  We are still making our way west, having left Rossland on Saturday.  We had a pretty good (though busy) time in Rossland.  We had a great and very successful pot luck dinner on Thursday night, where we had a chance to make some powerpoints and show some friends what we have been learning.  We also made a quick movie while we were in town about what our trip is all about.  We have posted it on the website www.youth4sustainability.com  so please check it out and vote on it ( we would forever be grateful).  We headed up a wet and cold pass when we left Rossland, and personally I was quite sad to leave my family, friends, and community behind.  Everyone in the group was really supportive and it helped me through the tough time. 

Kristi, Garrett and I started getting quite cold as we got to the summit of the first pass.  We stopped in at the cabin at Nancy Greene Provincial Park to make a quick tea and warm up.  Then we headed out again (Justin and Viera left earlier in the morning and had gotten ahead).  We were stopped on the side of the highway on the second pass when a car stopped and told us a cougar had run across the road ust ahead of us.  I think I had just told Kristi and Garrett a little earlier that they had nothing to fear about bears, it was cougars that make us locals a little nervous, in hoping to comfort them.  I thought the majestic cat would be long gone, but a minute or two later we looked up the road to see the cat running across the highway back onto our side of the road.  Suddenly my tough lumberjack/woodsman meme didn’t quite feel so reassuring.  We rode on for a couple nervous minutes, right by the side of the road were he ran by we saw his tracks, and he was a fair sized guy.  We watched the deep brush beside the road pretty quickly as we rode by.  It sure was neat to see such an amazing creature though,  I have only been lucky enough to see them a handful of times in the woods, and the first time for Kristi and Garrett, unfortunately we had no time to snap a picture as we only saw it for a few brief moments and our minds were quite focused on more important matters.

We ended up staying with an amazing couple who were the grandparents of a good friend of mine in Christina Lake, John and Jean.  They were so generous and so understanding, it was really great to spend the night with them.  Meanwhile Justin and Viera stayed in Grand Forks with a pastor and his wife, Brett and Diana.

The next morning Justin and Viera went to church with Brett, Diana and there amazing two kids, while Kristi, Garrett and I caught up.  John rode behind us as a chase car for a good amount of time in the morning and provided us with a good amount of security.

When we caught up to Justin and Viera they were at Brett and Diana’s house.  The first thing Brett did when we were introduced was offer me a big bowl of soup with I gladly accepted.  As a group we decided that it was too far to the next town especially with the weather as horrible as it has been, and the days getting shorter.

Brett and Diana were quick to offer up their home to us, and we were happy to be able to stay with them.  That night we all made a whole bunch of pizzas in the church as Brett practiced for a play, and we had a great pizza feast (though we went a little overboard, making about 12 pizzas).  That night we stayed up late playing a board game with Brett and talking about things way too deep for human beings to understand.

In the morning we rode off towards Midway after a great breakfast courtesy of Brett and Diana. 

One of the big events of the day was the group finally getting snowed on,  we were very cold and very wet, so a stop at the bakery in Greenwood was very much needed, where we met a man named Jonathan; a man whose life goal is to give a blanket to those who need a lift up in life.  He is travelling through Canada right now and it is possible we will meet him again in Portland Oregon.  We were wet, cold, and in need of a life, but of course we couldn’t take a blanket on our bikes; room is far too precious as it is.  So instead he told us to close our eyes and gave us M&M’s telling us we made the world colourful just like these little chocolate candies.  He was yet another interesting character.

We got into Midway in the afternoon, and  by chance ran into a lady named Amanda who was just locking up a church.  She had her two boys with her,  and after talking with her a few minutes she let us stay in the church.  It turns out it is no longer a church but a place where people can come to find free things: clothes, furniture, toys, or a good meal.

She stayed for dinner and we really enjoyed her company as well as the company of her new boys.  The church has a wood stove which is helping dry our soggy clothes.

What I really wanted to write this blog about, and what can’t really come across just in the surface stories of the people we meet, is the true kindness that people have shown for us.  When we are warm, or cold, or just need a lift, people have consistently shown us the amazing and heart warming gift of kindness.  It gives me an amazing feeling inside to see people take complete strangers into their homes and help them in a time of need.  I (and everyone in this group) cannot wait to pay it forward in whatever way I can.  I would hope to encourage you to help someone, anyone, around you.  It is an amazing feeling.  To those that have helped, and I am speaking all across our journey, and before it,  Thank you so so much for your generosity.  When you receive as much as we have, you know that words can never be enough to show how much we appreciate what you have done.  Please know that probably greater than any thanks we can give is the heartfelt desire we have to give on to others when we can.  Please feel happy and content in that, and once again, thank you so much for everything you have done,

Lucas and the PEDAL team.