From Smithers to Mouse Mountain

We arrived at Lady Kathryn Elementary School in Smithers BC just after lunch time. The school was easy to find since it is right along the highway on the west side of Smithers. My memory tells me this is the school that the teacher requested we add a bit to our presentation about bicycle safety. Since we were very cautious while travelling on the highway this was a good fit and we continued to talk about bicycle safety for the rest of the tour.

The school presentations were something I looked forward to each day. I think Alan and Helen did too!

Every presentation was about 25 minutes long and during that time we would read stories and poems, talk about being safe and ask them about sounds they might hear while travelling along the highway. Then we would act out Robert Munsch's book "ZOOM" This story is about a girl in a wheelchair who needs a new wheel chair and how she goes about getting a new wheelchair. We enjoyed acting it out and hope you enjoy listening to the master himself reading it to you.

After our presentation we got on our bikes and proceeded down the highway to our overnight stop. Somewhere along this stretch of highway was "Hungry Hill" known by the locals for its long slow gradual climb. I think this is the hill that Alan was racing a semi truck up the hill. Near the top of the hill Alan was going 8km per hour and the truck crept pass him at an blinding speed of 10km per hour. Perhaps if Alan had one more banana at lunch he would have be able to pass the truck!

We ended up in Topley BC at the Whispering Pines Motel. No campground close "moteling it" was the next option - one that I was OK with but the pure campers in our team would have been quite happy to sleep in a field but the lure of a hot and cold running shower was enough to get then inside for the night.

The next morning it was foggy and not safe to journey down the highway with logging trucks passing by. However within 90 minutes the sun was shining and Alan took off down the road.

Meanwhile Helen and I made a surprise visit to the Topley Elementary School. The school is just 100 metres down the highway from the motel and we had an extra autographed Munsch Book. Oh yea - I forgot to mention - at each school we had an autographed Robert Munsch book to give the students. We also gave the teachers a cool resource book that Ruth Ford had acquired for us. I went and asked the principal if we could do the presentation and within 45 minutes we were in the gym talking to the entire student body; all 45 kids!

Back in the van to catch up with Alan and continue with the bike relay and we were getting excited about our next school stop - Mouse Mountain in Fraser Lake. This is the school we added when Lilly asked us to come to her school. When we said we were able to come to her school we also asked if she could tell us the story about how their school got the name Mouse Mountain. We were in for a TREAT!

After we did our presentation, Connie Sutherland a elder with the Carrier First Nation told the student s the legend of Mouse Mountain. This tale is a good as any Grimm's Brothers fairy tale I have heard WOW!


We also received a furry mouse plush toy that is a school mascot and I think it may soon be near Alan's grandson, Sach, when he snuggles in for the night.

Spirit bears and Bannock as a fast food

Three bicycle riders does not make for an easy relay. Last year we used an overlap system of riding bikes and moving the car ahead that worked but was a little confusing. I remember at one stop thinking it was my turn to move the car and if I had done that the last rider would have wondered where the heck the car had gone.

This year we used a simpler system. On the first day Helen and Alan were the bike riders and David was going the van moving and logistics. This worked very well and allowed the riders to enjoy the ride with logistics taken care of. Later in the day David would ride his bike back to meet Helen and ride with her and that started "Munsch miles". The system worked so good that we decided to ride farther than Terrace BC and keep going to Kitwanga. Alan and Helen keep riding in almost equal 20 km intervals and David rode the last interval into Kitwanga. At the end of this interval 5 km from Kitwanga Helen and David saw a rare sight. They were able to see a spirit bear. This white coat bear are rare and we were delighted to have this experience on our trip. The bear was busy eating berries along the creek until it disappeared into the bush.

The campground at Kitwanga was nice and we recommend it to all. We had a surprising early morning wake up call when the van alarm went off at 4am. We were still learning about the van and the alarm going off tested our ability to find a key while still in deep sleep!

At 6 am the forest mill across the street started up so it was time to get up and start our day too!

Since we were not scheduled to read at the Kitwanga School until Wednesday we decided to ride ahead and then travel back to the school the next morning. So our bike relay began again and we rode to Smithers and stayed over night at Telkwa Provincial Park. Another nice place to stay.

The next morning we drove back to Kitwanga and did our first school presentation at the Kitwanga Elementary School.

Thanks to the students for being our first group. We were a little nervous and messed up up a little but we were deeply honoured to be allowed to interact with the students and staff. David also wanted to join the grade seven basketball team because the loops were low enough for him to "dunk the ball".

After Kitwanga we jumped back in the van and drive up the highway over miles we had already cycled to Lady Kathryn School in Smithers. But first we had to stop along the highway and stuff ourselves with "hot off the grill" bannock served with honey and jam. It was a treat!!

From Camrose to Prince Rupert, BC

On Friday, August 31st we packed the van with our camping gear, three bicycles, our literacy presentation material and headed away from Camrose to Prince Rupert. Our goal was to travel as far as McBride BC, camp for the night and carry on the Smithers for another camping experience before arriving in Prince Rupert on Sunday.

The drive to McBride was uneventful but the day ended in showers and upon arriving at McBride things were a little wet. Helen was still game to set up tents to start the camping experience but I prefer my camping "dry" so thanks to the Camrose and Area Adult Learning Council we stayed the night in the McBride Motel.

Saturday morning we drove to Prince George and stopped in to say Hi to friends who own the Stride and Guide Store in Prince George. After a short visit, with enough time to buy an anniversary gift for Helen (34 years), we jumped in the van and drove to Smithers. We wanted to travel the entire route in daylight hours so we could see the highway shoulders. This would help us later to know where the highway was not as safe to ride which allows us to us "Munsch Miles" More about Munsch miles later but quickly it's a term we use for miles that we accumulate for overlapped miles in the relay.

At the Smithers campground we unload everything and set up our tents, cooked supper and rested. Soon the van signage, provided by Windwood Signs, has people stopping by to see what we are doing. This was great because it helped us know that we would have to change the date of our first school visit. Our first school was Kitwanga but their first day of school was only one hour so we would need to delay our presentation one day. With the help of our visitor who knew the school principal's name and phone number (how's that for service) and we were able to make the needed change.

The next morning we had our second campsite visitor, Lilly. Lilly is the librarian at Mouse Mountain School in Fraser Lake. She wondered if Robert Munsch was in the van with us since she knows he is capable of showing up at any school and entertaining the students. We said he was not with us, but when we explained what we were doing she invited us to her school. She is a very determined woman and we were curious about the school's name and as luck would have it we were able to change our schedule to accommodate the visit.

After breaking up camp we headed for Prince Rupert and a night of seafood before starting the bike relay home.
Our night in the Prince Rupert Campground was "WET" and my spirits were as damp as everything around us - not a great way to start but we did expect rain in Prince Rupert.

Helen was the brightest spot of the morning as she was ready, willing, and able to start riding from the edge of Prince Rupert. So the bike relay began.

Munsch a Bunch of Miles for Literacy

Two weeks past past since the three amigos returned from the two week bicycle tour across BC and Alberta.

Now we have time to write about our experience and share it with the many people who helped along the way; the schools, our sponsors, our financial contributors, Robert Munsch and friends who encouraged us to make the trip.

Thanks for all your support and encouragement.

The first person we need to thank is Richard Rexinger and the staff at Camrose Chrysler. Richard provided a Chrysler van for us to travel in from Camrose, Alberta to Prince Rupert, BC and return. Was it ever nice! We had enough room for all our gear and three bikes.

Another great sponsor was 98.1 CAMFM radio. We were able to call in every morning and give an update while on tour. Thanks Bruce, and the "Dog's Breakfast" for taking our calls. Funny story about one of our calls later in the blog.

Camrose Booster was another important sponsor. No surprise as they understand the importance of literacy - if people have trouble reading then the Camroe Booster newspaper is in trouble.

Also thanks to the Camrose Morning News for providing space for us to have a daily running total of the funds raised and the miles travelled. Our fund raising target was$15,000 and we managed close to $9000.00 if all pledges come in.

OK - now on with the stories.

The three bicycle riders are Alan Ford, Helen Samm and David Samm. Each has travelled a few miles on bicycles and this was their second long distant trip together. Last fall they went from Camrose, Alberta to Winnipeg, Manitoba for the same literacy cause. That experience was great and we now call it Chapter One: The prairies.

This year 2007 is Chapter Two: The Mountains
The next post will start the journey.