So I'll begin at the beginning, with Bob Hunter, who I want to thank for his courage and his love for all living things. Someone once said, "There are times when the most difficult decision is to acknowledge the obvious." Hunter has been brave enough to do this. His book is frightening, but this energizes us to go on. Because of him, and the growing ranks of people not afraid to speak out, future generations now have a fighting chance.
Dorothy and Arta at home.
Next I want to thank The Driftwood for publishing my review of Hunter's book, for their editorial "Saving the Earth," and, especially, Susan Lundy for her two beautiful articles about my trip. "Before" and "After," I call them. And a thank you to our three bookstores, Salt Spring Book, Volume Two and Et Cetera, for stocking and prominently displaying the book.
Next, thank you to the people at Honda City of Victoria and saleman Kevin Sammons for all their help. They got my new Honda Hybrid equipped and ready for the trip in record time.
The Sierra Club Chapter of BC put on a marvelous send-off for me at Mile 0 in Victoria on September 9th. I especially want to thank Tom Hackney, Taylor Bachrach and Vicky Husband for this.
I first talked to the wonderful Muthu Padmakumara from the publishing house of McClelland and Stewart on my cell phone on the way to Kamloops, where I spent the first night. She checked with me almost daily on my way across the country and was a great boost to my morale, which did flag a bit at times.
Another person who was a constant source of good cheer and comfort was Andrew Dumbrille of the Sierra Club, who set up all the media interviews for me. No town was to small, and the response was extremely positive. And I was simply amazed by the "media scrum" at the Parliament Building in Ottawa. Andrew made me feel a little like a "celebrity."
Here's a good time to thank the many people at the Super 8 Motel chain, who when I had to stay in a motel, always treated Arta and me with great kindness. As for the times when I stayed with Sierra Club member or friends, my heartfelt thanks goes out to you all..
Email: dcutting@yahoo.com
