Day 5. Olalla to Kelowna...around 99.7km

Today we woke up to thunderstorm warnings, light rain, and headwind. We had breakfast and drove back to where I finished yesterday’s ride.

Today’s ride would go from a little town called Olalla to Kelowna, BC. The trip stats are included in this link. Top speed was over 60 clicks today (glad my bike didn’t fail me)!  My legs felt like complete garbage this morning for the first 20 mins or so, but I kept plugging away and eventually they got under me! I learned something today….don’t end my ride at a hill because climbing it first thing in the AM is not the way to get my legs warmed up. All in all it was a pretty decent day…We had a little rain, a little wind, and a few uphill/downhill gradients. I’m happy I make it to Kelowna, BC but I am bummed I have to stop riding for so many days. I will have to do some light cycling to keep the legs loose until July 3rd.

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/67875819?country=ca&lang=en&measure=metric&fb_action_ids=10151093803070127&fb_action_types=endoapp%3Atrack&fb_source=timeline_og

I am going to spend the few rest days we have, before we head to Vernon, BC July 3rd, doing laundry and trying to tackle media. I am trying to think of ways to get people involved in this ride across Canada and keep the donations rolling in. www.pdcycle.com is where you can donate, but getting people there is a challenge. Right now I feel like I am cycling down a single road and unless we run into someone at a reststop, nobody else knows what we are even trying to do. The money we raise in each Parkinson Society district stays in that district, but I need to get the media on board to let people know that!

My dad called me today and mentioned the Pro Oil Change Sponsorship program is setup for Parkinson’s Cycle of Hope. This means people can raise money for Parkinson’s research simply by getting work that they already need done. This is how it works:

At the end of each month, Pro Oil Change tallies all the purchases for which customers have said they want a portion to go to Parkinson’s Cycle of Hope. Pro Oil donates 13% of those purchases directly to the recipient.

This is a nationwide program, so that means you can do this at any Pro Oil Location!!!

Here is another email that I want to include because it helps keep me positive!

Hi Cory, I just read your event about biking from Vancouver to Halifax to raise money for Parkinson’s disease.  My dad also has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s and it is a daily struggle but I too am so proud in him at how positive he is and I truly feel that he is my hero.  First I would like to say thank you for doing such an amazing feat to raise money for such a great cause, also I would definitely offer my house to you along the way if need be.  I live in Barrie Ontario, I don’t know what route you will be taking but you are welcome to stay with my family and me.

Good luck!

We don’t have people to stay with for every spot we need to stay, so I greatly appreciate when people come out and offer their homes to us! Elyse and I are fine with sleeping at campsites but that does nothing for my cause. We want to be staying with people who have been affected by Parkinson’s in some way personally, a friend of a friend, or a family member because sharing stories is one way we can try to connect people together. I can sleep in a tent…I actually like sleeping in tents BUT right now I consider it a waste of an opportunity.

Here is a quote that I read today and really like:

There is always someone faster; there will always be someone slower. There is always someone with more natural gifts or more experience; there will always be someone with less. There is always someone with better equipment or newer clothing; there is always someone not as well equipped or dressed. And you know what? None of it matters. Just carry your own load as best you can. (I believe these words are from Peter Schuurman or Peter Slofstra)

Welp, Rest days in Kelowna until July 3^rd. I probably won’t blog until then! 

June 29th….Day 4 just west of Princeton, BC to Olalla, BC (90km)

Breakfast of champions...

 I hate oatmeal but the strawberries from Loraine are amazing!! Elyse and I spent the morning cleaning up the van, organizing what clothes need to head to a laundry mat, and updating blogs etc.

you can actually see the salt building up from sweating so much...I can't remember if I posted this already but oh well.

I didn’t start biking until the afternoon, but I managed to squeak in 90km in 3h 46mins . I still can’t figure out how to upload the previous day’s trip stats; however, you can view this link to see how today went and the last part of yesterday! It was great ride because it was mostly downhill and there were lots of animals and scenery to keep me busy. The wind is super weird between the mountains, as it is always swirling and coming from a different direction...lots of head and crosswinds today!

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/67656564

I cycled until about 7pm and then drove towards Penticton to try and find a campsite before dark. All the campsites have jacked their prices up for Canada day….lowest price was something like $40 before tax and they were charging for showers, wifi, and anything else they could!! Elyse and I were rattled and hungry, so we grabbed a spot to sleep and headed out for something to eat, since we couldn’t find a grocery store in the small towns between Princeton and Penticton. 

According to schedule we are only supposed to be in Princeton right now and then bike to Penticton tomorrow, but I am feeling good so I think I am going to bike from Olalla to Kelowna tomorrow. The trip is 101km according to mapquest, so I should be able to meet up with some buddies in Kelowna for Canada day.

Unfortunately, we don’t have anyone to stay with that has been affected by Parkinson’s disease until July 2^nd in Vernon, so Elyse and I are going to wait it out in Kelowna, where we can stay with my buddy Mark Veriker (it will be a good chance to let the legs recover and get some laundry done).

I want to include an email I received from someone who I think about a lot when I am cycling. I wish I could erase the pain this person is feeling: 

I got pretty shook up when I read this email because this is exactly why I am doing this ride. Getting media attention and donations along the journey have been difficult and discouraging at times; however, I can only hope that my ride is giving people hope of a better future, a future free of Parkinson's disease. 

Hi Cory

I want to wish you a great trip and thank you for doing your cycle of hope.
It was a year last Friday that I was diagnosed ..I am having a hard time admitting it  to myself. there is only 2 people in my family I have told..maybe your ride will help me get out of this denial . I will be following you on your journey.
Take care of  yourself

I cry every time I read this quote, but I also read this quote everyday. There never used to be a cure for cancer, but Terry Fox believed in miracles. I have to believe & hope a cure for Parkinson's disease is around the corner.

“I'm not a dreamer, and I'm not saying this will initiate any kind of definitive answer or cure to cancer, but I believe in miracles. I have to.”  Terry Fox

June 28th Day 3-Hope to Manning Park (70km )

Today was supposed to be one of those days where mental and physical strength is needed. I have talked to several cyclists who have said this part of the ride is probably the toughest. I have been mentally preparing for the biggest mountain in the world, but thankfully that is not the case. Elyse and I drove down highway 3 from Princeton towards Vancouver on our trip out here and the mountains looked a little frightening; however, I didn’t expect to come from training in Sarnia and Windsor, ON and just breeze through the mountains, so I was ready for some pain. Barry cooked us some perfect blueberry pancakes and sent us on our way with a healthy, homemade smoothie for the ride!

This is a tree in Barry's front yard. He has engineered a plan to pull himself up 120 feet into that tree...he doesn't know what he will do (maybe read a book he says), but anyone who knows Barry, knows he loves to use his skills to bring life to his creativity. 

This is the beautiful view of his back yard! I only wish I live in such a serene location..

I kept the gear I carried to virtually me, the bike, and some water bottles, because I am fortunate enough to have Elyse there with the support van. Climbing this definitely was not easy, but I didn’t really have any trouble with it. The biggest downfall was that my cycling computer’s date was full part way through the ride, so I resorted do using my cellphone app to track my progress and unfortunately it doesn’t track altitude. Regardless today was a great ride and I don’t feel too bad at all. Elyse had a bad day of driving…she was pretty rattled after this scene, but I was just glad that she was safe, and we were able to get the car back on the road (no cellphone service in Manning Park and absolutely nothing around for miles). The car was just bottomed out on the soft shoulder but that is like 2 feet from flipping down a cliff

 I am a slow cyclist but I make up for it with being able to ride long hours. I made it 32km outside of Princeton, which was actually further than my Manning Park plan. I figured there was no point to stop in Manning when it was going to pour rain there. We are staying at a little camp in Princeton and I can hear the river running by as I type this final blog update. I’m sleepy and I need to stretch…I have to drive back towards Manning Park to make up the 32km but I am well ahead of schedule and there is a ton of downhill on tomorrow. It is a pretty sketchy road to cycle on from Manning to Princeton. There is a brutal bike lane and the cars don’t seem to give me any room. I have to say I have been very impressed with the respect that drivers are giving me; up until now, I have felt very safe. 

Sweating a little salt eh!

Picture of bike lane

 Camp for the night

June 27th Day 2: Abbotsford to Hope around 75 km

We woke up around 7am and had breakfast with Loraine and Paul. Paul looked over our route and gave us tips of how I could stay safe. We decided to use the number 7 highway and it was a good choice. Loraine added a secret touch to her peanut butter and it was fantastic. I am a peanut butter nut and I am happy I learned a new trick. Loraine claims she isn’t a good sandwich maker but everyone knows the key to making a sandwich is just to have someone else make it-It was awesome Loraine!!!

I cycled to Hope and Elyse was able to get the Hope Standard to take a photo of me biking to help spread awareness in their town…our first newspaper article since Sarnia…Thank You Hope Standard!!!!

We drove over to the Home of Barry and Joan Mansfield, because they were kind enough to willingly host us. When Elyse and I arrived, we met Barry in the front yard of his house….this guy is a blast!!! He has a great sense of humour and loves to chat! Barry keeps very busy and it seems like there isn’t anything he hasn’t done…cycled over 1000 miles per week, sailed, loved to paraglide, played tennis, and more! His stories were very entertaining and he can even cook! Barry hooked us up with a shower and a great pasta dinner, showed Elyse and I the Othello Tunnels where Rambo’s First Blood Movie was shot,  then we spent the evening socializing.

One thing that we were talking about is that many people just think of Parkinson’s as the shaking disease; however, there are many more symptoms than that and it affects every person differently. Some people have tremors, some people may “freeze” where they literally can’t make the movement they want to do. Another thing we talked about was how not having a sense of smell seems to be a common similarity between some people with Parkinson’s. The one thing I had never heard of was people with PD having hallucinations. Apparently, some people will have a common hallucination….maybe it is a weird smell, or maybe it is that they think there is another person in the room from time to time….regardless my point it Parkinson’s is more than just a shake.

Parkinson’s affects every individual differently…within one day, and from day to day, Parkinson’s decides how severe it wants to affect people.  Unfortunately, we can only hope a cure comes soon! 

June 26th Day 1-Vancouver to Abbotsford. Around 75km

We woke up this morning around 7am and Mrs. Tupper had all kinds of breakfast goodies ready for us, and she packed us a huge lunch! 

Revolution Bicycle Shop and Wawanosh Watercraft (Sarnia) hooked me up with a IBIKE computer that I have used to log the trip so far, but unfortunately the software package isn't cooperating with me so I can't retrieve the data to upload it to the computer...I will figure it out and post when I can

Elyse and I drove to the UBC campus to meet Chris Oliver on NW Marine dr so I could dip my tire in the Pacific before we headed to Abbotsford. Chris and I made great time through the heart of Vancouver because the bike lanes are amazing in this city. The only things slowing us down today were the red lights! We cycled about 40km and then met Elyse. Chris turned back because he had to cycle home and I continued on to Abbotsford.

I didn’t really get lost today, because I knew exactly where I was supposed to go, but construction sort of killed my time by keeping me nice and confused. Eventually I worked my way through the construction, the Poco Trail (which was gravel in lots of areas), bridges, and highway ramps. I was now in Abbotsford, BC.

We were greeted in Abbotsford by two awesome individuals, David and Betty. These folks welcomed us into their home with hot tea and buns, a shower, and then took us for sushi! It didn’t take me long to realize David and Betty were lifelong learners, and that I could learn a great deal from them.

 One thing David mentioned that really stuck with me is that everyone is going to deal with Parkinson’s in their own way, and that is to be respected; however, support groups and learning as much about Parkinson’s as they can seems to be a good way for them. 

Here is a valuable resource that David emailed me...I look forward to reading it!

http://www.parkinson.bc.ca/site_assets/www.parkinson.bc.ca/images/dynamic/Canadian%20Guidelines%20on%20Parkinson's%20Disease%20Media%20Release.pdf

http://www.parkinson.bc.ca/site_assets/www.parkinson.bc.ca/images/dynamic/Clinical%20Guidelines%20Executive%20Summary%20-%20June%202012.pdf

http://www.parkinson.bc.ca/site_assets/www.parkinson.bc.ca/images/dynamic/Clinical%20Guidelines%20-%20Complete%20Report%20June%202012.pdf

http://www.parkinson.bc.ca/site_assets/www.parkinson.bc.ca/images/dynamic/Clinical%20Guidelines%20-%20Quick%20Reference%20-%20June%202012.pdf

You may also wish to visit a new mini-site set up for the guidelines: www.parkinsonclinicalguidelines.ca

The Abbotsford Parkinson Support Group came together to donate $100 to Parkinson’s Cycle of Hope and Betty presented it to me on behalf of the group! Thank you Abbotsford!!!!!

I don’t know what it is like to live with Parkinson’s, but I do know what it is like to live with someone who does, and I feel it seems to be very common for people to not want to openly discuss that they have Parkinson’s disease. Betty spoke of a doctor who was a key speaker at a conference they went to, and he seemed very open about PD but he still hadn’t told his family or staff. There are small support groups available but seeking them seems to be a very difficult emotional process.

A friend once told me, “You can’t force someone into doing something they don’t truly want to do. Show them what is available and let them decide what works for them. Be there for them, no matter what they choose to do.”

Parkinson’s isn’t like cancer where you are going to die if you don’t seek the treatments to stop it. There is no cure and I get upset when I see people struggling with Parkinson’s disease. I know my dad finds it difficult to see people who are struggling worse than he is with PD. Parkinson’s is scary in the fact that it can smother who you used to be.

After dinner with David and Betty, I stayed with Loraine and Paul. We talked about my dad and then they shared stories with me. I am the kind of guy who likes to talk to everyone, and I believe talking to strangers is the only way you make friends. I had a great time spending time with Loraine and Paul. They set up a guest suite in their condo and I think I had the best sleep of my life there.