Day 93 August 7, 2011 Day off in Thunder Bay
8 Aug
An afternoon with Terry Fox
We arrived at the Terry Fox monument at around 11:30am and found that a number of people from the local Prostate Cancer Canada group were already there. They were all decked out in their Prostate Cancer Canada t-shirts and we spent some time introducing ourselves and chatting.
The mayor of Thunder Bay, Keith Hobbs, arrived shortly after sporting his PCC tie. We all slowly gravitated towards the monument, talking about the run, and about the Thunder Bay PCC chapter.
At around noon, with the PCC support group, Mayor Hobbs, Ryan, Kathleen and Marg, Thunder Bay TV, and a number of others who happened to be at the monument, Mike got up and called everyone together and pretty soon I found myself up on the ledge with all eyes on me. I briefly introduced myself, told them why I was doing this run, and talked about how excited I was to be in Thunder Bay and what it meant to me to be at the Terry Fox monument.
When I had finished talking I hopped down off the ledge and Mayor Hobbs presented me with the key to the city of Thunder Bay. Then Steve, a member of the PCC support group who has been with them for 17 years, made a brief speech about my run and what it means to him. It was very moving.
At the beginning of my run at Cape Spear (3 months ago today), I had collected some of the water from the Atlantic in three water bottles. The idea had come from Terry Fox who had done the same, and was planning to keep the water as a memento once he had finished the run. I collected 3, one to pour in the Pacific when I arrived, one to keep, and the 3rd to pour on the Terry Fox monument as my tribute to him. So after Steve’s words I scaled the monument and found it a lot more emotional than I was expecting as I poured the water over his legs.
That essentially ended the official part of the visit and I spent a while talking with the members of the PCC group, Mayor Hobbs, and some of the other people who just happened to be at the monument. Thunder Bay TV was there and after a brief interview in front of the monument she had me change into my running gear so she could get some footage of me actually running.
The view from the monument includes the Sleeping Giant, the point of a peninsula that can be seen in the bay and looks like a man lying in the lake. There are a number of stories and folklore surrounding the Sleeping Giant and I’m told it is one of Canada’s Natural Wonders. Mayor Hobbs invited us back to City Hall later that day and when we arrived he presented me with a painting of the Sleeping Giant from off the wall in his office. Again, so awesome!
After leaving his office we did managed to finally find the spot where Terry Fox actually finished. It’s a small white stake in the ground along the highway that identifies the spot he stopped and the mile he stopped at.
The rest of the day was spent as we spend most rest days, getting groceries, dumping our septic tank, filling with gas, and updating our blog/Facebook/Twitter. Along the way we saw another black bear and two coyotes along the highway.
One of the best “rest days” we’ve had so far! Tomorrow it’s back to running as I cross back into Central Time!
