On the Road from Clearwater, BC Yellowhead Highway 5, 12/8/09

Friend (Joe): Hey, where you at now Peace Rider?

Peace Rider: Well, rolled into Clearwater after dark on Friday evening. Keith McNeill put me up at the Wells Gray Inn. West of here is Wells Gray Park. Pretty cool, eh?

F: How cool? And who's Keith?

PR: COLD, getting down to 20 below C at night, about zero F. Winter is here, but I'm under a hard rood until I hit the road for Kamloops later today.

Keith is the editor for the local paper, The Times. He interviewed me yesterday about Ride for the Planet. I had a wonderful opportunity to speak about the inspiration, in spirit motivation, that set me off on this journey.

F: Okay, inspiration and perspiration go together.

PR: Something like that, how did you know?

F: Been there, done that.

PR: How about a Christmas story from on the road?

F: Go!

PR You will recall me saying the Way of Peace is the Way of Love, right?

F: Yes, of course, but refresh my memory a bit..

PR Okay! Love is too often misunderstood. We have ignored for too long this simple but profound Way of Peace message: overcome evil with good, hatred with love and falsehood with truth. It was Jesus' message after all, passed down through the ages by other gifted teachers..

The Love of which He spoke is that which seeks the highest good of the other whether human or of other living things with no thought for itself. Love works. Nothing else will because we are all One. Separation is an illusion. This kind of Love was and is the inspiration, in spirit, motivation for this ride.

We are like waves on the ocean awaking to the realization that we are connected to an awesome vastness we cannot fully understand from a view point that is limited by our minds alone.

He understood all things are connected at a level beyond the physical. It is why he said "turn the other cheek," He knew what is given returns to the self because of our connectedness, violence for violence, love for Love's sake.

"Forgive them, they know not what they do." They did not understand and we do not understand completely yet, The Way to Peace, is through The Way of Love. This He demonstrated through an act of selfless sacrifice. It has rung loudly and repeatedly through the ages, a clarion call, pointing the way to peace on Earth and peace with the earth.

F: You had a Christmas story from the road?

PR: I checked into the Sandman Motel a few days ago in Blue River and posted a blog from the local library as you will recall?

F: Yes, I do.

PR: I had a tourist brochure with a map on it that showed the location of the library which said open from 6 until 8 PM. Fine! It wasn't far from the Motel. I had inquired. They had computers the public could use.. I had time to fix dinner and dry my wet things beforehand. There was no rush to leave, I thought. By the time I did, it was a few minutes before 6 and plenty dark. I put on my reflective vest for the first time, turned my rear flasher light on, set my front light to pulsate and away I went. My bicycle was lit up like a Christmas tree freed from its usual load.

When I arrived the posted sign on the library door said open from 4 to 7 PM. I had only an hour to write. Hmm, maybe not a bad thing I thought It would force me to be brief. Only the volunteer librarian was there when I arrived. Ev wanted to know what I was doing. We had a wonderful conversation. I told her where to look on the web for my blog. She did just that reading about my ride from the December posting in Valemount. In the meantime, Karsten came in to use one of the two computers and sat down. He overheard me telling Ev about my air mattress woes. He said he had an old foam mattress I could have and would go get it. I thanked him and said I could sure use it. I wasn't quite sure how but it couldn't hurt I thought. It did help as an underlayment.

Karsten returned with the foam mattress after using the computer I was on and left. Another woman that came in to use a second computer had also left but not before we had a lively conversation about forests and bark beetle infestations. How she knew so much I wasn't certain. It takes three weeks of 40 below to kill them and that wasn't happening now with the climate warming she said. The BC government was also not doing any controlled burns as they had done before to save money.

Ev was clearly moved by what she read and our conversation.. She took $25.00 from the library till as I got ready to leave, wrote an IOU for the money and handed it to me. Use it to pay for your expenses she said. She insisted, take it, please it makes me feel good to help, don't say any more I'll start crying.

I accepted. It would help me. I understood to accept was to honor a gift given selflessly.

What's your name I asked. "Ev," she said, "that's enough. I work at a local truck stop. It opens at 6 AM. Come over and I'll have a big breakfast for you."

That got me up early, I didn't have to fix anything. I could get an early start.

A conversation with the motel manager the night before while he was changing oil had persuaded me to leave my studded tires on. "They never get the forecast right, around here," he said. Sure enough, a 60 percent chance of snow flurries in the forecast turned into the real thing when I walked over to the truck stop for breakfast. It tapered off later but not before leaving the roads and shoulders slick and snow covered. Help from unexpected places in a time of need.

"What will you have," she asked after I sat down. A mound of pancakes, two eggs, bacon, hot chocolate and orange juice arrived in no time. Grease, energy for the road was what I needed. I was stuffed. A far cry and welcome change from the usual oatmeal and granola fare. She said "no, you don't owe me anything," when I got up to leave. "I'll pray for you," she said.

On my way out of town I stopped again at the truck stop where she worked. She saw me but didn't come out. I understood. I left a small candy cane from the motel on the window sill. Adieu!

The Way to Peace, the Way of Love, PR