
Day # 95
Day 96 – August 23rd, 1995
(Ed’s note: Sometimes we forget things. I forgot to mention that when we were in London, Jesse had a chance to share some time with his friend Colin. Colin has Cerebral Palsy and when Jesse and Colin were in school together, Colin wanted to be a lawyer. Jesse went to bat for Colin and convinced a London Internet company to provide Colin with free internet. Today, Colin has a PhD and is a social worker in Toronto, helping others.)
After a quick breakfast on board the motorhome we made our way up the hill on the west end of Woodstock, passing K102 radio at the bottom of the hill. That’s where my radio career began a lot of years ago, back when the station was called CKOX. It was a fun time back then. At the top of the hill there was another huge crowd of people waiting along Dundas Street, the main street through Woodstock. We slowly made our way to City Hall, stopping to shake a lot of hands and smiling as we saw a lot of familiar faces. Bill Gillespie, an old friend from years gone by reached out to shake hands and said, “Welcome home Jack.” (That’s what I was called in high school.) It’s always a good feeling to know that in a way, we are home. At City Hall, there is a big crowd and lots of kids. Again, Jesse and I spoke to the crowd and I told everyone, especially the kids, that in the future they will be hearing a lot more from Jesse’s Journey. There was a band that escorted us along Dundas Street and in the crowd, there are more friends from high school days. As we make our way along the road, lots of people are telling us we are doing a good job. Through it all, Jesse keeps smiling and nodding and slowly waving his Canadian flag. After passing Eastwood on Highway 2, we push on to Princeton where nothing has been organized. It’s a big disappointment. We get some grilled cheese sandwiches and walk on to Paris where a lot of people seem to have no idea of what we are doing. It’s another disappointment, but we don’t let that get us down. We know there are people who have never heard of Jesse’s Journey. Sticking with what we are doing will make sure that people will remember Jesse’s Journey in the future. At the end of the day we head to Dorothy and Peter’s (sister and brother-in-law) for a barbeque. From there it’s off to Days Inn and bed. The day was pretty good, and we have 28 days left. I hope the next few days are good because Toronto is going to be another big challenge. Jesse is doing his best, knowing that he is going to be missing friends like Colin when we are still on the road during the first month of the school year.

Jesse and John reach London.