High River

Saturday 7th June
Crowsnest to Pincher Creek/High River
We awoke to dark clouds. Helen was leaving to-day and heading back home. She had been cooking my meals and generally seeing that I was all together. I'll miss her but I did not expect to have the support she gave me as, remember, this was to have beeen an unsupported Bike Ride with my friend Penny - who is this minute languishing in hospital in Inverness waiting to hear when she can have her pacemaker fitted - not a solo, and I do miss her so very much. The rain came down and who was in the kayak on top of the truck? You've guessed it - Becky!! She was filming me in the pouring rain on top of the truck!!!. What an amazing girl. Now I can't remember whether I told you this or not but Penny and I had planned to follow the route that Canadian cyclist Janice Kenyon had taken in 2004 and written a book about it called Bike Ride With A Twist. She was 66yrs at the time and to-day in her home at High River she would be celebrating her 70th birthday. I had been in touch with Janice throughout and, although High River was not on the route, she suggested we put the bike in Becky's van and head North to join the party. Janice has written and has had several books published and at the moment is writing a novel. The party was.in full swing when we arrived and Becky wanted to film Janice meeting me for the first time. After she did the filming we met all the guests. The first guest I met was Barbara who was Scottish and came out to Canada when she was in her 20's. We talked for a while and she said "I don't suppose you will have heard of a small town called Dalbeattie." "Of course" I said "I lived there for 20yrs". Well, believe it or not, Barbara was born there and lived round the corner from my home until she went to Canada. This is happening all the time - like Ian in the Bike Shop in Nelson - Amazing. We had a great time at the party, good food and wine and fell into bed in the small hours.