Just Hi

July 15,2009
Hi All, I was off line yesterday because I was travelling to Grande Cache AB. I guess you could say I am taking a few days off to do a personal errand. For 2 years I have been corresponding with a young man who is serving time in federal prison. Last May he was granted parole (with strict conditions)while on parole he phoned me. During our conversation I told the boy I would come to Edmonton (where the halfway house is located) for his birthday July 15th. Within a month he violated parole by drinking and was returned to custody. I spent about 2 months trying to find him, before the "moccasin telegraph" put him in Bowden Institution. We continued to write and I told him I would come down there for his birthday to visit. Some months ago he was transferred to Grande Cache Institution. A nice minimum security facility ...in the middle of nowhere. It has been absolute hell trying to pull this together. The warden said I could not use my scanned I.D. so I waited until 2pm yesterday for the real thing to arrive by express post. The warden also told me I did not have visitation approval...worst 40 min of my life (to date). Call Mr LeBlanc in visitation who reassured I am on the list. Yesterday I called to make an appointment for today, with no idea of when I would arrive. Just knew that even if I had to walk I was going to be with this young man on his birthday. What can I say I take my word very seriously, and I wasn't going to disappoint someone who probably has had enough disappointment in his young life.
Last night I boarded a Greyhound fully aware that there is no public transportation to Grande Cache itself, got off at the closest stop (150km away) around midnight. I was fully prepared to curl up in a doorway and start hitch-hiking at the crack of dawn. Thankfully I met a very nice family who was going to GC and gave me a ride into town. When we arrived my new friends Judy, Al and Scott invited me to spend the night in their trailer. It is 8am I will tell you all about this trip when I come back tonight.