Follow Ramesh's Journey

Cows, horses, fields, and bales of hay – sounds like the prairies doesn’t it? I thought so too until I began climbing the first hill of the day. Today the team progressed around Lake Simcoe to the number 7 highway, which will lead us to Peterborough and Ottawa when we roll out after our time in Toronto.

Because of road regulations and heavy traffic, today is as close as we’re going to get to Toronto. I have to say that I felt quite excited to see a sign indicating that we were only 127 km away from Canada’s largest city.

The Cycle to Walk campaign has travelled nearly 5000 km to get here, and we are excited! To know that the team has progressed this far brings a real sense of accomplishment to us out here on the road. The halfway point of this campaign is well behind us, but we still have a long way to go.
The team is overnighting in the Orillia area, as Rotarians Reid and Mary Asselstine have opened their home to us. Reid is the past Rotary District 7010 governor, and he and Mary are heavily involved in Rotary programs. The Asselstines have even travelled to India to participate in polio immunization drives. We were treated to a wonderful meal and will all sleep in comfortable beds tonight. Thanks so much, Reid and Mary, for being great hosts and for allowing us to stay with you in your home.
Today I would like to highlight the hard work of Bertha Ayers. Bertha took an early retirement from the Yukon Department of Education in Whitehorse to join the Cycle to Walk road team. Bertha wears a smile each day, and has an incredible amount of energy (after large quantities of coffee, that is). You will generally find Bertha driving the motor home, counting donation dollars, doing laundry, and cooking meals. Bertha also shops for groceries and sells Cycle to Walk merchandise. Along with all that, she performs countless other tasks and miracles

Thank you, Bertha, for all that you do. It’s a pleasure working with someone who gives so much of herself to help others. Your hard work has been a big part in getting us this far. You’re a great asset to the team, and a great Cycle to Walk mom for us all (Even Doug)!