Past Tours: Tours 2008Rising Tide Tour
October 28, 2008 And the winners are... Peanut Butter Purchases and the Performance at Leo Hayes High School As the sun sets over the skyline of Saint John New Brunswick, the Rising Tide Tour 2008 comes to a close. Although we only had one well equipped odometer on tour (which somehow managed to reset itself multiple times) we believe the Rising Tide can provide stunning and accurate statistics about our two month experience. Here are some wonderful numbers we felt that YOU, yes YOU, just HAD to know: Number of provinces visited: 2 Number of days on the road: 48 Number of flat tires on tour: 15 Number of flat tires in one day: 6! Longest number of days gone without showering: 7 Number of people who snored loudly: 4 Number of times we played bladiator: 1 Number of times Kevin wanted to play bladiator: 10 Number of bikes crushed by large trucks: 2 Number of jars of peanut butter eaten: 70 Number of hurricane warnings while on tour: 2 Number of row boat trips: 7 Number of alternative transportation suggestion listed by Suzy News: uncountable Number of kilometers biked between cities: 1,338 km Number of those which were done on a lumpy tire: 100km Largest audience performed to: 750 people! (Leo Hayes in Fredericton) Total audience: 4,163 Signing off and sending love to the wonderful, whimsical women and men that we met along our travels. Thanks for the support, the yurts, the houses, the food, the warmth, the friendship the laughs, the sharing, the excitement, the enthusiasm, the inspiration and most of all the world changing. Be the change. Julie and Leah for the Rising Tide Tour 2008 *** October 23, 2008 Recycling as confusing as poutine Chorus: I was told we'd cruise the maritimes on our bikes And share a play Far and wide! Now I wish I could go for another ride With Otesha's Rising Tide. We sailed all the way 'round the coast-- How I wish I were on Otesha now! Our clothes were sweaty and covered in dirt And unbearable odours filled the yurt Inspire 'em all... Our schedule was always busy and packed-- How I wish I were on Otesha now! Our bikes were never long in park and we'd keep on going in the rain and dark Inspire 'em all... We crossed over into New Brunswick-- How I wish I were on Otesha now! The road was flat and the potholes mean and recycling as confusing as the poutine Inspire 'em all... Turning south to Fredericton-- How I wish I were on Otesha now! Our panniers were full of Frenchy's and gorp and the rest was owned by Irving Corp. Inspire 'em all... Now Triple H was quite the show-- How I wish I were on Otesha now! A splendid day without a moment of doubt Despite only having 2 people come out Inspire 'em both... A hundred K got us to Saint John-- How I wish I were on Otesha now! The sun had already set on the day And the gale force winds nearly blew us away Inspire 'em all... Our first impression of the city was dim-- How I wish I were on Otesha now! Bikes were run over by a truck And it seemed we were running out of luck Inspire 'em all... Big whoop, we still had one last play-- How I wish I were on Otesha now! Our lines stayed fresh with something new And we danced around the kitchen--cockadoodle do. Inspire 'em all... So here we sit at our final retreat-- How I wish I were on Otesha now! After 2 months now we're parting ways But the memories will last 'til the end of our days. Inspire 'em all... *** October 21, 2008 Magic... The twinkle in one's eye the unstoppable laughter shared between beautiful people the way a seed put into the ground sprouts leaves and grows into a plant, sometimes as big as a pumpkin the fire that warms the body, soul and heart a feeling of serene contentment around others a smile, a sigh, a desire to reach out and touch one another a community of people working together to reach a common goal, learn about similar things, change the world I'm forever seeking magic in a world that makes very little sense to me. I'm here to find it, as the wind blows on my face while racing down a hill As we stop for lunch, through a beautiful path to arrive at the ocean front of flat stones As we dance to the beat of an African drum As we listen to a story about a rock or a bike I would like to convince myself and others that there's more to life then a 9-5 job a shiny new television and a hot body We need to create magic to get people excited about doing something different we need to create magic to create change We have been able to experience quite alot of magic in the past couple weeks. Just to touch on a few that are sticking out in my memory right now. We had the opportunity to stay in a beautiful yurt in the forest in Wolfville during our mid-tour retreat. This is a large tent kind of like a tee-pee but with a round frame. www.lfy.com Alex and Selene and their beautiful baby Yara were able to pass on masses of interesting and useful information on the construction of yurts and sustainable wood harvesting. We visited the Just Us Fair Trade coffee museum just outside of Wolfville. We were able to see exactly where the coffee and chocolate we have been happily consuming these last two months comes from. We were able to participate in the absolutely inspiring Move Your World conference, about 20km outside of Windsor, NS Which was a great opportunity to connect and hear opinions from youth all over the world. We all left with inspiration and high hopes, which was a relief after the unknown extra 20kms we had to ride uphill in the dark. We had magic dancing in the kitchen of the susty house in Sackville. More recently we have had five absolutely incredible performances in Fredericton. We also put on a great day of workshops at the YMCA in Fredericton. With the intimate audience we had it was a great chance for us to learn from and teach each other as a group. We shared our stories and we able to do some positive reflecting on the tour so far with Kendra, an Otesha alumni now living in Fredericton. It was a great day of laughter, jokes, and warm fuzzy memories. It is pretty exciting to think some of experiences may soon be recorded in a book. It has been an absolutely wonderful, incredibly busy past couple weeks. A lot of us are having a hard time believing the tour will be coming to a close in only 5 short days. I hope you all have the chance to experience some magic in your lives, because we certainly have. peace and bicycle grease otesha rising tides tour 2008 *** October 8, 2008 As one might imagine, there are many long stretches of road along a 2000km bike tour. As one might also imagine, many of those kilometers are filled with laughter, but also with songs. Some new songs, some old songs and some entirely made up songs. Here's one of our own creations, enjoy! Oh the year was 2008-- Chorus: The Otesha staff they searched the land-- Chorus At the start of fall we headed east-- Chorus Training week flew by like a spinning clock-- How I wish I were on Otesha now! We learned great things from many a talk And parted ways with Across the Rock Inspire 'em all... Chorus From there we set off on the road-- How I wish I were on Otesha now! The trailers were ready to be towed And our bungees held down quite the load Inspire 'em all... Chorus *** October 3, 2008 It's been a wild ride. We can't wait for another great month! Peace and paved shoulders, *** September 26, 2008 After performing in Shelburne to the eager young minds of the Environment Club, we bid adieu to the library and our gracious host, Joanne, who ever so generously camped out with us overnight, before we headed out to Barrington Passage. After 42-kilometre ride we would be met with a day off! Barrington Passage is a beautiful area surrounded by water and amazing scenery. The group split and ventured to an organic coffee shop, a natural health store, and toured around the shoreline and enjoyed the beaches! After a great dinner and much-needed sleep we geared up for Argyle Pubnico! A breathtaking ride to the Musee Acadie in Pubnico made 50 kilometres seem like nothing at all! Upon arrival we were greeted by Bernice and Reale D'entrement who ran the Acadian Museum! We received a great tour and homemade jam as well as a personal lesson in lobster net making from the eight-year champion himself! We camped on the lawn and enjoyed each other's company with some pretty hilarious story writing. The next morning we performed at Ecole Pubnico-Ouest and facilitated some really great workshops for the grade four, five and six classes, before making our way to Yarmouth. Arriving in Yarmouth was a small feat to most of the Rising Tiders! What a great feeling to travel from one side of the province to the other! Although there was no performance to gear up for, Yarmouth was wonderful nonetheless. We were met at the beautiful Beacon United Church by our great host, Luis. The kitchen was huge and so was the amount of vegan lasagne we cooked! After a great dinner and some delicious homemade pumpkin pie, the group rested, preparing for the long ride the next day. We pedaled eighty kilometres to Weymouth amid strong (but sunny) head winds. We are currently at the high school working on the play and workshops! We have a performance tomorrow and then head off to Digby. We can't wait to see what's in store there! Peace and Pedals! *** September 18th, 2008
And with a flurry we were off to Bedford, our first performance, and a great start to our tour. The daily cycling distances started small, but soon we were heading out of the Halifax Regional Municipality and onto the beautiful South Shore of Nova Scotia!
Next up, Reed and her parents hosted us in Chester Basin where we were rewarded by solar showers in their beautifully renovated post-and-beam barn house. It was also in Chester that fellow tour member, Sarah, decided to bid us adieu. We will miss you Sarah, and wish you the best of luck in all your adventures! The next day we learned that outdoor performances rock our smelly cycling socks, and the Mahone Bay Waldorf School showed us how to rise to the occasion! Under the boughs of a sturdy maple, we performed for a diverse and inquisitive crowd of students, teachers, and parents. Then they fed us a delicious homemade lunch, complete with homemade Jersey butter! That very same day, the Lunenburg Academy took us in for one performance, two workshops, and two solid days of wicked-good times! The school's third floor, which hosts the Nova Scotia Sea School and (last weekend) the Rising Tide team, overlooks Lunenburg County with a breathtaking view from the highest hilltop. Did I mention the bell tower of the school is haunted?! Despite the perks of staying in the hometown of the Blue Nose, we were sad to say farewell to Mike and Kelly, the two amazing Otesha staff who accompanied us during our first week of cycling. Play it safe guys! This week we've been biking some longer days, lugging those trailers with intent, and facing the hills with vigour. Last night we stayed in the historic Nova Scotia town of Liverpool, port of the Privateers. Pirating is no longer permitted there, but Oteshifying seems to be widely encouraged! Today we arrived in Shelburne, the Loyalists' Landing. We are gearing up for an early performance tomorrow for the local high school's Environment Club. This should be good! Until next time… Smiles and seat posts, |
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The East Coast Training Week took off with a slam-funk up on the Spryfield Urban Farm! Some 30 odd psyched individuals came together and formed two amazing cycling teams for the autumn Otesha tours! A big Rising Tide thank you to Genevieve, Josée, Mike, Kelly, and every one of the Across the Rockers! 
Happy to stop at a crux in the road near St. Margaret's Bay, many of us were rejuvenated by samosas, coffee, and generous food donations from the local Mariposa Market. Eager to meet the sea, we then made our way down to Indian Point where we were graciously shuttled across an ocean channel to Micou Island by the island guardian, our own rowing champion – Alex! You're great! 
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