Somewhere on Hwy 9 between Hanna and Youngstown, Alberta

Saturday, June 6, 2009
The morning brought more of the same weather we've experienced for a few days – more cold , more overcast skies, more threats of rain and more wind, and more wind, and more strong headwinds. Somewhere along the road – as beautiful and striking as this part of the country is, it all pretty much looks the same - Lindsay and I pulled over to wait for Mel. Coming from the other direction we noticed a cyclist laden with side packs, traveling on his own. Curious, he approached the RV and we greeted him. Thien is a nursing student at George Brown College and Ryerson University in Toronto and is riding across Canada to Jasper and “we’ll see how it goes. Maybe down through the mountains to Mexico. I’ll be back in time for school.”
“So why did you pick mental health?” he asked. We gave him the short version. “I come from a culture where no one talks about these issues – it’s swept under the table.”
So we told him the good news: that 80% of people with a diagnosable mental illness who seek help are able to recover and return to being able to lead a full and contributing life. The trick is to raise awareness about mental health in all cultures and to reduce the stigma so people are able to speak up and seek the treatments that are available.
As we were talking a car passed us,came to an abrupt stop, backed up to where we were talking and out lept the driver. “Hey Little Man” he addressed Thien. “we meet again." Thien introduced us to “Newfie” who had been his host last night. "I saw you all here, I thought it was a fruit stand or something.” Newfie told us that Thien had needed a place to stay last night and he offered his place. Today they are both headed west - different modes of transportation.
You sure meet some interesting people on the road.

Drumheller - Hoodoo country

Thursday June 4

Today, for the first time on The Ride, Mel is riding on his own. What a difference. There is no one to talk to, joke with, admire the sights with, point out pot holes, urge you on. This is where the mental toughness kicks in. Lindsay volunteered to be Mel's riding partner for a while today. And what a great job she did.
With mountains shrinking behind us, the grassland stretches on forever. Land of the big sky. And the big wind, head wind. The only hills go down and then up in this landscape – coulees - wide, eroded river valleys. Some are very striking to look at. Exposed layers of sediment - some in different colours, eroded over eons result in some beautiful geographic formations. Lindsay and I had an opportunity to view some hoodoos up close.
We were at a pull-over when a truck driver stopped to check his brakes before descending into the valley where Drumheller is located. He came over to ask about the striking design on the RV which was created by Twist. "I drive these roads a lot and I know you have seen some beautiful country." he remarked. We agreed. "That has to be good for your mental health" he observed. And he's right. It's important to good mental health to maintain a balance, to engage in enjoyable activities, to allow yourself to appreciate things in the moment.

Potential Place

Wednesday June 3

It was a short walk from our Sandman Hotel to Potential Place on 10th Ave. SW. We were invited for lunch and a tour by my cousin Gord Young. He is the executive director of Potential Place, a clubhouse for people with serious mental illness such as schizophrenia and bipolar. We learned it is part of the Clubhouse Society, an international movement that believes that men and women with mental illness (the "members") have the right to a life which includes access to meaningful, gainful employment, a decent place to live, a supportive community, opportunities for education and recreation in their communities,
“Everybody here has a mental illness but that’s not what is important. We don’t talk about the illness or the symptoms. Everyone is focused on recovery and moving on” explained Gord. “People come when they are ready”.
Potential Place is there to help. It is a transitional place for people with mental illness between hospital stays and programs and independent living. It is a place where all the members contribute to the work and organization of the clubhouse. It provides opportunities to upgrade or learn new skills, provides work experience and social contact, it’s “somewhere to be needed, wanted and expected every day.”
Potential Place also owns and operates several residential apartments for members. This is a real community we learned. Should a member become ill and require hospitalization, other members will look after their apartment, make sure there are groceries when they come home.
We were invited to sit in on one of the work groups as they were planning a BBQ.Evident everywhere was good humour, team work and caring.
Lunch was good too.

Check it out: www.potentialplace.org

Calgary Event

Tuesday June 2

Blue and silver balloons bounced and swayed in the wind on the banks of the Bow River, Harmony the CMHA mascot dispensed hugs and waves and the smell of burgers on the BBQ greeted participants attending the Calgary Event. Our MC, Shay Code, none the worse for his injury, introduced Mel as he rode into the gathering in Bowness Park. Mel and Lindsay and I were honoured to be “white hated” by Marge Goodmanson of Tourism Calgary - a fifty year tradition of western hospitality that actually has, dare I say it?, a connection to a certain unmentionable city somewhere east of Winnipeg.
Both Mel and Lindsay spoke to an attentive crowd. Judy Martin, Executive Director of the CMHA in Calgary introduced Charlotte, the mother of a consumer survivor. Charlotte spoke eloquently and from the heart giving listeners an idea of the difficulties faced by family members dealing with the mental illness of a loved one. The formal part of the program culminated in a cheque presentation.
Karen Ho and her committee members led an amazing fundraising campaign that collected almost $20,000 in donations for the CMHA Calgary Branch. That deserves a big “Ya hoo!”

Riding into Calgary

Monday June 1

Eight individual Open Road Riders gathered in a parking lot just off the Trans Canada - Ross Manning, Shane Korpan, Judy Martin, Quentin Sinclair, Mike Roberts, Thomas Mo, Jeff Hergert and Shay Code. Some riders came with lots of biking experience, some came with colourful riding outfits, but all came with energy, determination and enthusiasm. The test was to ride 110 km from Canmore to downtown Calgary – the goal was to time the arrival to meet the welcoming group at the square in Eau Claire .The riders loaded up on Gatorade, water and snacks to fuel them in their quest, then they were off.

Day 15 of The Ride and Mel has had riding partners for every day so far – a definite advantage for sure. Today was the largest group – a posse. Lindsay and I were glad to welcome Bonnie Lee Morris as an addition to our support team.

Despite challenging terrain – Scott Hill – and headwinds the riders made great time spinning their way to Calgary. Fortunately the only injury was the result of a “tip over”. Shay was brave about it and sucked up the pain he felt.

On their arrival in Calgary the riders were met with an enthusiastic and loud welcome by a wonderful group from Xerox and the CMHA Calgary branch.

The Ride and a link to Mel’s website and blog have been up on the home page of CMHA Calgary Region website since May 8, and since then, there have been 2,941 home page views by 2,517 unique visitors. This is reaching people who are looking for more information about how to get help and more information about mental health and mental illness. Awareness works and together we can make a difference in the lives of people living with mental illness.

Canmore

Sunday May 31
Carol has spent hours downloading pictures and updating the blog, and the comments from our followers have been wonderful and inspiring as we pedalled through the mountains. I thought I would give her a break and do this one myself. Just as we had to say good bye to Tom and Gio and Mark in Kamloops after our first 5 days of the Ride, it was time to say good bye to Harry Erskine who pulled me along for the next 5 days from Kamloops, British Columbia to Canmore, Alberta. Harry and I go back many years having enjoyed mountain climbs in Africa and Mexico and a dog sledding excursion in Algonquin Park, not to mention a long standing business relationship. Having a chance to ride with him through the Rogers Pass and the Kicking Horse Pass in the Rockies was special for both of us. Harry's personal fund raising campaign for the Ride For Mental Health is the benchmark at this time. Hopefully with Harry setting the bar high, others will take up the challenge. Thanks Harry, your support means alot.
Although farewells are always a little emotional after a tough, physically challenging goal is achieved, I was looking forward to Monday when we would greet 8 enthusiastic riders in Canmore who would form the new Open Road team as would make our way to Calgary.
We weren't sure what to expect in terms of riding experience when everyone arrived in Canmore early on Monday morning. There were all forms of cycling attire - from Jeff's pink leotards to Thomas' knee length bright orange riding pants, to the 'Pro's' who were prepared for anything. After welcoming everyone, I stressed safety as the number one priority and after close to 6 hours of effort the whole team pulled in together to Eau Clair in Calgary and were greeted by an enthusiastic group of supporters from Xerox and the Canadian Mental Health Association. A great effort by the riders and a great effort by the organisers resulted in a great achievement by all.
I have been spoiled by the wonderful support along the way. To this point I had not ridden a single Kilometre without friends and supporters out in front pulling me along. It's been an amazing start to the Ride For Mental Health.

Banff

Saturday May 30

The Trans Canada Highway out of Field went up, waaaaaay up - 10 miles up in fact. A little bump as Gio called them, Ten Mile Hill leads the way through Kicking Horse Pass and out of BC! Big milestone.
On our way down the Bow Valley toward Banff, we took a little side trip to beautiful Lake Louise. Not so surprising, there was still ice on the lake and needless to say, a chill in the air despite the clear sunny day.
Our RV of Awareness continues to attract attention -even at 100 km an hour down the highway. Often we receive honks and waves and not always because of my driving. People read the graphics and honk in support. Yeah, well same to you buddy.
There are many potential dangers to the safety of the bike riders on the route - there's speeding vehicles, slippery or gravelly road conditions, the threat of charging wild animals and of course, the dreaded Texas gates. What is a Texas gate ask the uninitiated. It's a series or metal bars embedded in the surface of a road to prevent cattle from escaping. Bikes do not travel easily over these things.Lucky Mel got a chance to inspect one up close . . . and not on purpose.
One of the goals for Harry on his time on the road with Mel was to see some wildlife along the route. I didn't want to mention it, but maybe the bear bells jingling on the handlebars scared them off. Nonetheless, today their patience was rewarded. Just inside the townsite of Banff they spotted a small family of elk.