Thursday 7 June 2012

July 7th, 2010


4 more days to go before my cousin’s wedding in Toronto…


We rode down to Excalibur first thing in the morning to inquire about chain and sprockets; they didn’t have any in stock.  They said they could order one right now and have it in by tomorrow mid morning.  This will be cutting it close to my cousin’s wedding on the 10th, but not to worry; we factored in an extra day in case of an emergency.  If we leave Thunder Bay tomorrow afternoon, we should be in Toronto the day before the wedding. 


To save time, the owner allowed me to park my bike overnight at the back of the store where I had everything prepped for installation when the part comes in.  Lesson learned: Do not cut corners!



In the meantime, Amanda and I spent the day checking out a few sights in town while I rode pillion.  In the background lies the Sleeping Giant, a formation of mesas and sills that resembles a giant sleeping on its back. 
 


The Terry Fox Memorial



In 1980, with one leg having been amputated, he embarked on a cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for cancer research.



The cancer eventually spread to his lungs and was forced to end his run here in Thunder Bay.  He passed away nine months later.  He is considered a national hero by many.



We considered asking the owner of Old Iron if we could sleep in the warehouse again, but thought that might be asking for too much.  We decided to try the homeless shelter instead.  The people working knew us from yesterday, but we went through all the formalities of registering, going over the rules, and getting the grand tour. 


Amanda and I were placed in the youth quarters, separated in single gender dorms of course. 



We volunteered to help wash the dishes and clean tables after supper was served



Whoops, almost forgot to take the quintessential ADV food shot.



 Staying at the homeless shelter was such a humbling experience.  We met some people who’ve lived a very hard life; some by choice, some by a streak of bad luck. 


A place of refuge.

In a world where dog eats dog.

There is always hope.  



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