Sunny small breeze from west favourable day for riding

It is tradition to read your posts to Arvid , as time permits, while he rides. 

We sensed the presence of our redeemer, healer and protector.

​

Just had some time to catch up on some posts.

• Coming into Calgary we received a very kind and enthusiastic welcome by founding board member and supporter of MCF Canada, Maureen Kehler!

Arvid told us two hours ago that, “Black Angus flee in his presence.”

True story, we just witnessed this phenomena!

We had a good day minus the two flat tires and strong winds and rain squalls east of Calgary.

The clock ticks over for Arvid at 4pm Halifax time, marking the end of day 2 of the ride. Here are the stats:

Distance: 405km (942km total)
Sleep Time: 150 minutes
Riding Speed: 22.5km/h
Distance to Pacer: 1h 51m ahead

From Psalm 33:11,

But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.

It’s got a swimming pool but just for small birds after a rain. It’s got a restaurant but just for the ravins. BYOB is “bring your own bed”. Bathroom does have a toilet but no running water. It’s got an incredible parking lot. 

Such is the life of the road crew while getting hopefully 3 hours of sleep. Wouldn’t give this up for almost anything else today!  Ed

GO ARVID!!!

Grandparents and grandchildren must all wear sunscreen before going outside to play!

I (Paul) just got off the phone with Arvid. He is doing well and in good spirits. Yesterday was a difficult day, though he had good conditions and was still able to put a good amount of mileage on. He is still in some pain, but is glad that they are on the road and the journey is underway. They took off his bandages today (as you can see from the photos below), and the wounds are clearly healing. Today’s mileage will be significantly lower (roughly 380-390km), and that reflects the amount of climbing and the fatigue setting in. He had some difficulty with food yesterday, but some of it has stabilized. It always takes a bit of time for his metabolism to kick in and just realize that this is the new reality. We are looking forward to hearing more from the crew now that the mountains are (almost) behind them, and cell reception should improve. If you’re ever confused about who is speaking, look directly under the blog title. There will be “Follow Crew,” “Leapfrog Crew,” or “Paul Loewen.”

The end of the mountains are in sight! Arvid has made his way through Banff and Canmore this morning, and has 82km to go until he arrives at the edge of Calgary. The weather there is cold, with a slight headwind. Pray that the wind would be favourable in the prairies – it can be the difference between 300 and 500km in a single day.

We made up Kicking Horse last night. Had coffee at the 5 star roadway Canmore. Look out Saskatchewan here he comes!

Nothing better than a hill on a rainy Tuesday morning to get Arvid off his seat. 

Crew gets to see Avid in action hour after hour…hill after hill. Seeing Arvid make into Golden today was an inspiring athletic performance​

​

Arvid enjoying a bird bath in his creative privacy stall at the back of the van.