May 1, 2008 - Yahoo the start of another month!!!! There are so many moose here, we learned that there were 3 standing 50 feet from our camp last night and another just up the road 100 yards. I'm guessing that the horses may be getting a bit used to their presence. Had a visit with Garth and Chris and watched them turn their animals out of the barn. What an event this was. He has a steer, named Moo, that exits the barn in a quick way, because he is afraid of getting bugged by the horse beside him, then he stands outside the door and waits till he gets brushed and gets his bell on. Then when this ritual is complete he waddles his 1 ton body down to the pasture and bucks and kicks when all the other horses are let out of the barn. Last night one of the young girls that has her horse at Garth's wanted to walk Champagne down to the pasture and asked if she could ride bareback. I told her that I don't think that Champagne has ever been rode bareback so she jumped on her and she acted like she's always done it. What a great horse. We headed into Terrace Bay and stopped for quite awhile to catch up on phone calls and emails, which I haven't been able to do for a few days due to a lack of service, therefore we got a later start on the road. Rhonda's husband Ed has been so great with keeping ahead of us by phone and contacting the OPP along the way to inform them of our location. He bought us a cb radio so that we could talk to the truckers. Well, Rhonda has this thing down to a great science. She talks to the truckers and informs them of our location and they are very interested and grateful. Rhonda also talks to Diane on another radio and me on a handheld GPS, so Rhonda is a busy 'communications' gal. We had a couple of people stop on the road that were from Indian Head, Saskatchewan, Byron and Nellie Goodwill their daughter, Kirsten is on Team Saskatchewan Aboriginal Girls Hockey Team and they were in the finals in Sault Ste Marie and they were on their way back home from it. They were excited to see/hear about Giddy Up For Wishes, as they saw me on t.v. at the beginning of the ride. Nellie is a teacher at Peepeekisis School there and is going to work at getting the kids involved in some fundraising, and have some sort of meet and greet with a presentation when I arrive in Indian Head. I look forward to getting there. Champagne worked very hard today as she had 3 very large hills to climb. The Rossport hill was 8 kms long and the other two were just a little less than that distance. The scenery was spectacular at the top of these hills. Rhonda and I stopped for a photo while Diane screeched and protested about stopping on the hill, which had very little to no shoulders. We trailered back to Rossport where we spent the night at Dave and Debbie Iddison's place right on the shores of Superior. We had a tour of a Tug O' The North tug boat as it was getting ready to haul a barge out to a train wreck salvage sight, which happened in January of this year. I really love being on the water and especially this place, as it reminds me of the east coast. Dave and Debbie served us up a great bbq meal which consisted of the traditional 'moose sausage' and we had many laughs around the table. We were parked 50 feet from a very busy train track and the horses just stood there whenever a train went by. This went on through the night, so I would only guess that they are quite used to trains.

May 2, 2008 - Got up early to watch the tug boat pull the barge out to sea. It's a beautiful morning with the sun shining and nice temperatures. I would love to have many mornings like this sitting on a dock having tea. It's so beautiful and relaxing being on the water like this. We then went inside and had a wonderful breakfast at Dave and Debbie's and then headed out. Got to our starting point only to realize that we were very low on fuel. Too much looking at the beautiful scenery and not at the gas gauge, I suppose. Haha We drove into Nipigon to get fuelled up (well sort of, as Rhonda and I had to wait on the side of the road till Diane brought a jerry can with diesel first, before we could head in to fuel up) and then we headed back to start the ride and realized that we have saddle and horseshoeing issues. So there we were on the side of the road pulling a very very worn and broken shoe. I was hoping that this job would hold off till Thunder Bay, but we thought we had better get Coco tended to right away. Coco's is the most crucial as she has worn them pretty much off. David Blouin sure does good farrier work. Nice to see that they would wear them off long before losing any. I look forward to getting off this section of the Trans Canada where the shoulders are slim, lots of rock, winding curves and many hills, and now we have run into construction that has forced the traffic down to one lane. It's been a long stretch but I believe we're nearing the end of it. They say that the terrain after Nipigon starts to flatten out a bit and the shoulders, generally, are a bit wider. All of these fuel, horseshoe and saddle issues ate up a lot of our time. I guess we're not supposed to be on the road today. We drove into Nipigon, (cell coverage is restricted to mainly the towns around here) to make some calls. A gentleman, Jim Salo, stopped us and gave us a donation. He told us about his daughter who had received a wish to Disneyland many years ago and is doing well today. Still battling her heart condition, but he tells us she has such a beautiful outlook on everything. He heard about our dilemma and got on the phone and made some calls. In no time he had a farrier lined up for us who came in from Dorion. Terry Schaaf and his wife came to the rescue. He put shoes on Coco and donated his services. So very generous! Sounds like they're good friends with our Saturday night stayover, so we'll get to visit with them there. I made a call and lined up another farrier to do the other horses when I arrive in Thunder Bay (only 100 kms from Nipigon). The weather had been dropping all day today and by evening it started raining. They're calling for some rain turning to snow for tomorrow. I hope that it's rideable weather and not whiteouts, otherwise I'll be a bit behind. Our overnight stop is at Joyce Tinsley's place right on the highway across from the Husky station. Unfortunately, we are unable to meet Joyce as she is out of town for a few days, but she generously opened her farm up to us. We'll use the Husky station for our bathroom/shower needs as we still do not have water in our trailer. Hoping to get that fixed when I arrive in Thunder Bay. Another gentleman, Jeff Lewis, stopped by on his way down to Sudbury to talk about Giddy Up For Wishes. He told me about his lifelong dream/plan to ride his two horses from Newfoundland to Bella Coola. A trip that he is determined to take in 4-5 years. He shared this very strong passion with me, and I was happy to hear his determination as I can certainly understand. I look forward to hearing about is ride in the future.

May 3, 2008 - I woke up several times through the night to hear the steady, often heavy rain and strong winds shaking the trailer. When we finally got out of bed we saw that it had turned to strong winds and snow. We thought we would wait out the weather as the visibility on the roads were not good. There were a few people that drove to try and find us on the highway and then decided to stop in at the trailers to have a visit and make a donation. We got caught up on more paperwork & computer work. The horses had shelter from the weather, so they were fine. We've been monitoring the weight of the horses and they're all doing great. They eat as much hay as they'd like as well as their supplement of Tizz Whiz. They're in great shape. At 4:30 p.m. the snow quit so we decided to head out. I was so excited, you would have thought that it was my first day in the saddle. I guess 2 days off is too much for me. We trailered back to our starting point and rode into Nipigon. Had a great ride. These late day rides are a real nice change. The weather was still cool and windy but when the wind got bad, especially at the top of a hill, I put Coco behind the trailer and it cut the wind for us. At one point we came out from behind the trailer and Coco halted immediately as there in the ditch was a dead moose. She walked ever so carefully passed it and carried on. Again, I say, thank goodness that was the horse that I was on while encountering this, as not much bothers her. While riding, Rhonda radioed me to tell me that someone wanted to make a donation on the road. I motioned to Diane to stop and dismounted. When I turned around, there to my surprise, was a transport truck & trailer with their 4 ways on and more in behind as well as other vehicles, still moving, but nearly to a crawl. I asked Rhonda if it was the transport that wanted to make the donation, (I really didn't think that it could have been), and she said yes. I ran up to this HUGE truck and couldn't see the driver, so the window rolled down and a voice hollered 'jump up on the running board', I did and still couldn't see (joys of being vertically challenged) and then another voice 'jump up to the next one' I did and much to my surprise there was a young blond girl behind the wheel. She reached over and gave me money and a huge smile. I'm sure my teeth filled smile blinded her. I jumped down and squeeled as I looked at the vehicles behind her. Hats off to this lady......she made her world stop, and those behind her, for just a moment to make a BIG difference. She made my day, I ran to Rhonda's and Diane's truck and we shrieked (as girls do) and hugged out of pure excitement. A difference is being made!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I will never ever forget this lady trucker........Thank you blond lady in that Manitoulin Trucking rig! And a BIG thank you to all of you people who have taken the time to donate in whatever way you can. YOU ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE FOR THESE CHILDREN. THANK YOU. You know, sometimes when things are not going the way that we think they should, there is always a reason. While we were complaining about not being able to ride due to the weather, a plan was in process to have the beautiful experience that we had. We drove to our overnight stay in Dorion at the picturesque horse farm of Terry Pawluk and Denise Ham. We're definitely back in horse country. We arrived late, but Denise still had a great meal with homemade buns and homemade brownies. I must say, it's a good thing that I'm getting the exercise that I am otherwise I'd be gaining a lot of weight with all of this great food that's being fed to us. There was talk in the evening about Terry possibly riding with me tomorrow. I sure hope so, it would be nice to have the company on the road again.

I would like to make a mention about a couple named Larry & Charlene Skinkle from Lazy S Tack in Sault Ste Marie who donated some Stirrup Straights. Very much appreciated as my feet and legs feel much better now. Thanks.

May 4, 2008 - Got up this morning to a great breakfast prepared by Denise. Happy to see that Terry was getting his horse ready to ride with me for the day. So nice to have some company on the road. We left to pick up where we left off yesterday and started the ride. Had a few people stop along the road, one young girl who I met in Marathon stopped on her way back from horse lessons in Thunder Bay. She informed me that she is gathering pledges in hopes of winning one of the free weeks at horse camp. Terry rode 35 kms to his road and then I switched horses and carried on another 15 kms before ending it for the day. Terry's horse did really well, but Rapper would not allow her to pass him, so he had to ride behind the whole time. We were greeted back at Magic Hills with another phenomenal supper. That Denise is a machine, she can cook, bake, work outside the home, keep house and raise 2 boys and a
14 month old little girl. Rhonda and Diane left after supper to drive to Thunder Bay to catch a plane in the morning. I was saddened to see them go, as we had a great week together and 2 weeks with Rhonda. It's always tough to see drivers leave as they've all been sooooo wonderful, but I have more to look forward to. Went to bed early to get a good night's sleep. Looking forward to the day off tomorrow.

May 5, 2008 - Slept in this morning....another long sleep. I sure seem to need that at the end of the week. Tended to the horses, they all are very happy as this is a great horse farm. Turned them out and they ran around kicking up their hooves. Did some basic house cleaning and laundry....end of the week stuff and waited for the new drivers to arrive. Jim and Sherry Knight arrived at 2:30 p.m. and Danny Paschke arrived at 5:00 p.m. So nice to see them. Danny flew into Thunder Bay and Jim and Sherry drove in from their Cottage in Apsley (Peterborough area) on their way to Calgary. Buck and Marlene came over and we all had a great visit. They brought us some hay and filled the back of the trucks and the tack room of the horse trailer. Such generous people all the way through. The horses enjoyed their day and then were brought in for the night. Ed, a reporter for the local paper, came out to do an interview and take some pictures. He seemed very interested in Giddy Up For Wishes and will be promoting it long after we leave. Marlene is also helping to promote us in a very big way as well. Another great meal cooked by Denise, ran through the details with Jim, Sherry and Danny and then off to a fairly early bed. Will be picking up where we left off on Sunday and off to Thunder Bay to meet media at Donna Barritt's place.

May 6, 2008 - Got an early start this morning as I had a media phone interview at 0700 hrs. Briefed the new crew as to what the days would be like and then we headed off to Buck and Marlene's, to see their horses. Marlene is a mail lady for Canada Post and she took 280 of our Giddy Up For Wishes flyers and put them in mailboxes. That was such a helpful idea and we got 2 donations because of it before we even started. Buck and Marlene have some beautiful horses also. While on the trail I received a phone call from a gentleman named Kimball Ford, from Guelph Ontario. I have heard about this gentleman along most of my ride, as two years ago he had a plan to ride his horse from Guelph to Vancouver to raise money for therapeutic riding. He slept under the stars nightly (except for the nights that people put him up), but was unable to complete his ride due to an illness in his family. He made it as far as Ignace, Ontario. He stayed at a lot of the same places that I did. It was an honour to receive a call from him, he made the call to wish me good luck. He told me that this trip would change my life forever, as I believe that it already has. I hope that he keeps in touch with me as I have so many questions for him and would love to hear about his trip in detail. Danny drove the truck and horse trailer, Jim the truck and R.V. and Sherry drove their van and kept driving up ahead to take pictures and videos. She also went on ahead and dropped off flyers at truck stops. We had to be at our stopover place in Thunder Bay for 4:00 p.m. to meet the media so we were 6 kms short of our destination, so we trailered and will start from that point tomorrow as this is the place where the Terry Fox Monument is. I see a lot of signs that tribute Terry Fox and they call this stretch 'The Courage Highway'. He made it as far as where the monument is. It's so moving to travel this highway and think about him doing his journey. We arrived at North Superior Morgans Stables owned by Donna Barritt. A really nice place nestled in the trees. My horses have some nice overnight stalls. Tomorrow I have a Farrier coming out to shoe Daisy and Rapper at 0900 hrs as well as a Veterinarian to do vet checks on all horses. We will be leaving Lake Superior tomorrow, I will miss the view as I have been following it for several weeks. What a huge lake! Off to Raith tomorrow!

May 7, 2008 - Woke up to the steady pouring of rain, which pelted us all night long. Things are pretty soggy out, but looks like it’s slowing down. The Vet from Slate River Veterinary Services came at 0900 hrs. I received a great report on all the horses and a comment that the horses are in such great shape. Coco had a slight bit of swelling on her back leg, but nothing to be concerned about. She was ridden yesterday and showed no sign of slowing down, so I will wrap her legs after riding, to prevent any more swelling. At the end of the day we noticed that the swelling had all gone down. He mentioned that he couldn’t believe the shape that she was in, especially as a 20 year old. I was thankful to get veterinary services on such short notice. The Farrier arrived after the vet finished and began reshoeing Rapper. Luke Farmer is a great farrier, and I am so thankful for his short notice service as well. He checked all the horses, put shoes on Rapper, front shoes and Equi-Pak (to help cushion the hooves from the asphalt and gravel) on Coco and Equi-Pak on Champagne. We’re still moving at a full trot so this will really help. I was so very happy to receive the farrier services from Luke at no charge. This was a great donation, to help us with keeping the monies in the fund and minimize costs. Thanks to Luke! We said good bye to Donna and left her little Morgan paradise at 11:30 and rode to the Terry Fox Monument. What an incredibly moving time this was for us all. I have thought a lot of this young man during my route, knowing that he travelled the same roads that I did and he did it on foot. So many people along the route remember his journey and have so many stories that seeing this monument of him, brought tears. Jim, Sherry, Danny and I spent some time reflecting here. We carried on the ride from the west side of Thunder Bay to Raith. There were still a lot of hills, no shoulders and what there was for shoulders was all asphalt and the traffic was intense. Tough riding day for us all. Champagne slowed herself a bit, but is still a machine. I’m hearing that the terrain levels out with better shoulders past Raith. Jim and Danny were a bit concerned with the lack of shoulders and the busy traffic. We all pay such close attention to safety, that I think we all feel comfort in that. Sherry is an excellent photographer and she is doing some great P.R. as she drives ahead and informs people prior to our arrival. We arrived at Shabaqua Appaloosas & Trail Rides at Hel’s ½ Acre Ranch owned and operated by a most amazing gentleman named Harry Lasn. He is an individual that I could spend days talking to, as he has a lifetime of stories. Sherry was enthralled with him and told stories just as good as he could. He invited us into his home and we all had a wonderful visit late into the evening. His place is so very picturesque and sits right on the river. We were in the barn and Danny walked out at sundown and spotted a fox right in the barnyard and took a picture, it was not scared at all. Off to Upsala tomorrow, with better roads, I’m sure.

May 8, 2008 - Got up to a frosty morning at Harry's. Ice on the water buckets. We loaded up the horses and headed to the local motel for showers and a bite to eat. We were met there by Harry Lasn to have a coffee and bid him farewell, till the next time. Rapper started the day and rode to Upsala. We encountered a few moose, but thank goodness they didn't peek their heads out till after Rapper and I rode by. Jim saw them as he was the back pilot vehicle. The road is much better now. Wide shoulders, soft gravel and the traffic was great today. No hills and long stretches. Rapper clipped his back foot a few times with his other foot as he was trotting so I stopped to bandage it up. This worked well and prevented him from doing it again. Sherry is doing such a great job with alerting people ahead of time. This exposure brought a few more donations on the road. I sure hope that people spread the word all around our country about this so that we can raise the money that we're looking to raise. Children from all over Canada will be benefiting from the dollars raised from Giddy Up For Wishes. A campground in Upsala offered to open up their sani-dump for us as we needed to empty. We pulled out the hose and realized that there was not an adapter on it, so the seal wasn't the greatest. We finally got it sealed up and then it was time for the 'other' water. I then passed off the 'black water job' to Danny who so very eager to take on the task. We had so much fun watching him as he tied his shirt around his nose and mouth and then positioned the hose, the bucket and his hands and body for the drainage of the dreaded black water. This was probably the most fun we've had this week, Danny's a
great sport. He said that it was all of his years growing up and cleaning stalls that made this job a pure joy. We pulled up to our overnight stay which was the community hall and outdoor arena. A great sand arena at this time of year, and the horses loved it in there. They rolled immediately as they got in there. Upsala has a population of 200 people and many of their towns people came to see the horses. All of the kids sat on the rails around the arena and watched the horses. I took one child at a time in to meet and pet them. There were many incredible photos taken of the horses by the townspeople. One family is already making plans to build corrals so they can purchase a horse. It was great spending time with all of them, as they just loved them, real big horse lovers here. They are such wonderful people and so very friendly. We visited till dark and then played some cards in the trailer. Off to English River tomorrow.

May 9, 2008 - Got up to find that Coco had been kicked in her hock and a graze a little higher on the same leg. Just a cut but she had a bit of swelling. My guess is Champagne did it as she is in her heat cycle fairly heavy right now and a little irritable with the other horses. I bandaged Coco up and she'll have a few days off to rest that foot. I have been spending some one on one time with Daisy and had a talk with her telling her that she needed to step up to the plate. So I decided she seemed to be in a good state of mind so I saddled her up today and Sherry saddled up Champagne and we went for 15 kms. The ride went really well and Daisy did awesome. I put Daisy away and then continued with Champagne to English River. It was a beautiful afternoon and evening. We arrived at the home and business of English River Outfitters, owned by Ron & Fran Syncox, which was our overnight stay. Unfortunately they were at a trade show in Thunder Bay and wouldn't be back until Sunday, so we were unable to meet them. What a great place this is, situated on Umber Lake, so serene with the sounds of the loons. We walked the horses down to the lake for drinks and it was just so peaceful, the horses loved it. We had heated and very clean washhouses at our disposal. Jim has fallen in love with Rapper, Sherry is getting really attached to Champagne and Danny just seems to love them all. We had a great bbq and an early night as we have a long day tomorrow to Ignace. While I was riding today, I was reflecting on my ride, thus far, and realized just how beautiful this province is. I have to say that I am a little disappointed with all of the garbage that I see on the side of the road and probably the biggest litter are the plastic bottles full of urine. I just wish that drivers would reconsider before tossing out their garbage and leave our beautiful country as pristine as it is and should remain. I am so proud to be Canadian for the freedom the beauty and to be a part of the great people that inhabit this paradise. I just want the respect to be given to our nation, the respect that it deserves. Oooooh I'm feeling like a proud Canadian today.

A special little hello to my children, my husband and my unborn third grandchild ..... Sarah just called to tell me that she is pregnant with her second. I'm sooooo thrilled.

May 10, 2008 - We left English River at 10:30 this a.m. I saddled up Daisy for another ride. She went on her own and was very relaxed, we had such a great ride.
She did half the ride and then I switched to Rapper who continued to Ignace. What a steady Eddy he continues to be. The roads have long stretches, wide shoulders with soft gravel and the traffic was good. Just started getting many transport convoys nearing the end of the day. Jim and Danny have such a great driving system going. They sure look out for the safety of all of us. The horses are definitely slowing their pace a bit as compared to the trip up until now. This is good, as I need these horses to endure the rest of the trip, which I know that they will. I've been waiting for them to slow down their pace so this is a welcomed change. After tomorrow's ride, I will be exactly half way through my trip. Hey Mr. Jim Lauder, you will lose your bet, I assure you!! We arrived into Ignace at 4:30 and we were met by a few members of the Lions club that presented us with a cheque. The weather today was good and cool. I am so very thankful for these cool temperatures, because it's totally holding off the bugs. I really hope to have a very short encounter with them, and hopefully closer to Winnipeg, as I can ride hard and fast and outrun them.

Excerpt from Sherry: "I am overwhelmed with the spiritiual insight that I have gained through this journey and I thank Martha for the opportunity."

May 11, 2008 - Happy Mother’s Day to all mother’s and mother-to-be’s out there. Got phone calls from all my kids today, so nice. A great milestone was reached today. This is exactly the ½ way point for this trip. I have done 37 days in the saddle (not counting days off). It’s been great! The second ½ will be a whole lot flatter and a lot less winding. Well at least after I hit the Manitoba border. Daisy and Rapper split the day to Borups Corners. They did a lot less trotting today, but this was nice. Good shoulders most of the way, though the traffic, especially the transport trailers were in abundance. Sundays appear to be busy truck traffic days. This part of the ride, reminded me a lot of back home in the trees. Made me a little homesick for sure. Jim and Sherry left after we got to Borups Cors. As they are heading to see their children and grandchildren in Calgary. Danny will spend the night and then drive to Thunder Bay to catch the plane back to Calgary tomorrow morning. The next drivers will fly in tomorrow and pick up the truck at the airport and head here for a week. The two drivers are my nephew Francois who lives in Banff and my husband, Ken. It was really sad to see Jim and Sherry drive off, as we are great friends and we had so much fun together. Jim also did a terrific driving job. I think that he is dreaming of being a truck driver now. Danny and I were met by our hosts and followed them to their place in Dinorwic. Cal and Shannon Doudiet and their two daughters Caitlin and Amy, welcomed us to their horse farm. What a beautiful place they have, right by Jackfish Lake. The horses are happy to be able to run in some fields. They served us up a delicious supper and the girls showed us their excellent riding skills. Both wonderful riders. They were so happy to have us stay with them that I found their enthusiasm very touching. They told a few locals and they came to meet us and give donations. I was offered a very nice bath, so very relaxing. What a great way to start my day off. These people are so very nice, I’m happy that I’m staying here for two nights, as 1 just wouldn’t be enough. Danny is off tomorrow, I also am disappointed to see him go. What a great sport he is and so very helpful all the time. A wonderful sense of humour which sure makes the time fly. The four of us spent more time laughing than we did not. They were all so moved by this experience, I’m happy to have all these drivers participate and be touched by Giddy Up For Wishes.

Excerpt from Danny: There are not many things in life that are a sweet ride, but this is one of them.

Donating my heart and soul to this charitable excursion has been an experience I know everyone would benefit from. I'd like to thank Martha and my mom (Debbie Miller) for introducing this opportunity to me. 'Yee ha' to all that made this happen.


 
    

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