July 9
We left the perfectly crescent shaped beach at Pancake Bay and followed the no longer rugged shore of Lake Superior south toward Sault Ste. Marie. It took us around Batchawana Bay where we found long flat stretches of sandy beaches and calm, quiet inlets. Good news for the riders- they like flat. But don't look now . . . dum da dum dum. Oh yeah,then there was "Mile High Hill".
We were invited to visit Club 84, a clubhouse that is part of the Canadian Mental Health Association in Sault Ste. Marie. Parking an RV downtown anywhere can sometimes be a challenge but we lucked out when we came around behind their building. Not only did we find metered street parking but we also found a whole bunch of the members outside enjoying the sunny weather. What a nice greeting. Club 84 was born in 1984 and Don has been a member almost since the begining.
"People assume too much about mental illness." said Don. "They assume what they hear from people and what they see in the media is the way it is. It isn't. "
He expressed what all of the members feel. "Club 84 is a place where we can feel good about ourselves."
Here at Club 84 a diagnosis or label is not important. "You are not a schizophrenic. You are are person who happens to have a mental illness. You are not defined by an illness."
The Soo is my home town. I remember Mile High Hill. Never actually biked it, but I have walked up it once or twice. Pancake Bay is my favorite beach; a wee bit chilly in the water though.
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