NSPlusHistory
By Gary Gilbert, Joe Keenan, Vickie Ingram
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
History of Nova Scotia Plus
Gary Gilbert, Joe Keenan, and Vickie Ingram
It all started back at the turn of the century in 2000. The 2004 Nova Scotia Plus group has now grown to 20 riders and 5 slackers. Gary wrote that in September of 2004. As of April 2006, there are 36 names on the Nova Scotia Plus Group on Yahoo, which was also Gary’s idea to make it easy to broadcast news.
Gary Gilbert, rode Bike Across Kansas that year. He lives in Arlington Heights, Illinois and headed south to Kansas. He met a number of other cyclists including Vickie Ingram, Carol Nielsen, and Anna Zabrowski. Vicky and Carol live near Kansas City and Anna is from Omaha.
The following year, 2001, Gary went to Nova Scotia to ride the Lighthouse Tour. Vickie wanted to do that ride but had other commitments. She mentioned the ride to Rich Hahn, another Kansas City rider. Rich signed up and we met on the first night in the motel in Portland Maine. What Gary forgot to mention here was that when Rich came walking in, wearing a Kansas T-shirt, Gary ambled over and said “You must be Rich” or something to that effect. Clever Gary. At the same meeting in the lobby, Rich and Gary met Linda Drish. Linda lives in Washington Iowa. Linda was riding the Lighthouse Tour with Anne Schmalle, Joe, Bill, and Cal.
In 1999, Joe had met Linda and Anne for about 20 minutes in a small town during RAGBRAI. RAGBRAI has a message board and preceding the ride a number of posters got nicknamed “E-Cyclists” by Linda. A meeting was arranged of the E-cyclists. Joe kept in touch with Linda and a few of the other E-Cyclists knowing he’d do RAGBRAI again in 2000.
For 2000, Joe decided to try and find accommodations with a family in each town for the overnights. So happens RAGBRAI was going right through Linda’s home town of Washington and she suggested maybe her Mom might host Joe, Cal and Fred. Bill couldn’t make it in ’99 The next day heading out of town, Linda rode along with Cal and Joe. Linda was told that this would be the “Joisey Boyz” last RAGBRAI cuz they wanted to see other places. Linda said to keep her in mind when the choice was made for 2001. When Nova Scotia Lighthouse Tour was picked, Linda said "Oceans???? Yup, I'm in." We think the timing worked because she was visiting her son in Maine and the launching site tied right in.
Linda asked if it was okay to invite Anne, who was one of the 1999 Ragbrai E-Cyclists Linda kept in touch with.
While waiting to get on the boat to Nova Scotia, Donna Donovan of Dade County Florida got in line behind of Gary.
For the first day of Nova Scotia Gary, Rich, Anne, Linda, Donna, Joe, Cal and Bill decided to start off riding together. To paraphrase Forrest Gump “Chemistry Happens” and the group instantly just “clicked”. Okay…most of us clicked. Gary forgot to mention “Suitcase”, aka “Waldo” a member of the OCBC bike club of which Joe, Cal and Bill were members. The OCBC club “noms” riders for either something that happened on a ride or some characteristic. “Suitcase” carried EVERYTHING imaginable on a back pack on his bike. If you want to hear what happened to “Suitcase”, ask one of us “originals” after we’ve had three or six beers.
The group had so much fun together that during the last few days we vowed to try and do a ride together each year. Turns out for 2002 that folks either already had plans or something got in the way. This will be filled in later, but we believe Anne and Rich did GRABAAR in Wisconsin, Linda did Ragbrai, and Joe, Cal and Bill did Coastal Maine Tour, which will give birth to more folks in 2005.
In 2003, due to the urging of our ringleader Joe, we decided to meet up again on the Shoreline Tour in Michigan. Somewhere along the journey, Joe decided that our group name should be Nova Scotia Plus and made us all neat license plates for our bicycles. Since the original group met on Nova Scotia and folks asked if a “friend” could join, the name became Nova Scotia “Plus”. Earlier that year, Gary had ridden on Cycle Zydeco in Louisiana. There he happened to meet Jim Pashak from Dayton Ohio and Shari Lee Laist from Charleston SC. Shari will soon have ridden in all 50 states and decided to join us in Michigan for #41. Jim too joined our merry band of fun. Jim and Gary both work for HP. Meanwhile, Anne had met Nancy on Grabaar in Wisconsin. Nancy was living in Des Moines but has recently moved to Wisconsin. Vicky and Anna joined in too. Rich conned Bill Marsh into joining us. Bill is also from Kansas City. Lee Venet is a member of the same bike club as Gary and decided to ride the Shoreline Tour. He also saw the benefits of our group and joined right in. Anne's husband Verlynn joined us too.
The Nova Scotia Plus group now consisted of. Gary, Rich, Anne, Linda, Joe, Cal, Bill F, Anna, Nancy, Vicky, Lee, Shari, Jim, Bill M
We had so much fun in Michigan that planning began immediately for a ride in 2004. Emails flew back and forth with many folks saying after Michigan “Give Us Flat Or Give Us Liberty!!”. For 2004 the tour selection was the “Erie Canal Ride”.
In April of 2004 a mini-group of Nova Scotia Plus went to Louisiana for Cycle Zydeco: Lee Venet, Jim Pashak, Anna Zabrowski, Vickie Ingram, Nancy Thurtell, Anne Schmalle. There they met Dave Sknerski who belonged to the same bike club as Lee. Lee belongs to about 12 different bike clubs so knows many of the participants of the Chicago area cycling scene. Vickie also invited a few more hiking, biking friends Beth Schmidgall, Becky Evans, Dan Wilson and Rick Finson from Kansas. Beth invited Elizabeth Dufek from Cathlamet, WA. whom Vickie had also met on a camping trip.
Anne and Verlynn decided to bring their daughters Greta and Kayla along. Linda decided to bring her daughter Amanda along. Vicky talked Carol into rejoining us. Carolyn Brock, also of Kansas City is a friend of Vicky and Carol.
On the Shoreline Tour, Joe had met "Nurse" Donna Nelson who helped Joe not only once, but three times: First, when he did a back step off the jetty. Second, when he gashed his leg pumping up a flat. Third, when he was stranded with a broken pump. Donna N. was riding with Kim Flom, Leif Pistole, and Kurt Nordstrom, all from Minnesota. . During a couple of e-mails after the ride, Donna asked Joe if it was okay if her and her friends joined us for Erie. We’re now set the next time Joe needs a nurse.
Meanwhile, Donna D received an email from Adel Mae Gastle. Adel Mae was given Donna's email address from Josh, Erie Canal Ride Administrator, because Donna needed some logistics help in Buffalo. In the email Adel Mae mentioned that Erie was her first biking trip where she would be camping. Since Linda was also going directly to Buffalo, Donna emailed Linda about Adel Mae's offer to help. Linda then emailed Mae and extended the open arms of Nova Scotia Plus and it's camping expertise
The roster for Erie Canal is:
Gary Gilbert
Joe Keenan
Anne, Verlynn, Greta, Kayla Schmalle
Linda, Amanda Drish
Vickie Ingram
Carol Nielson
Nancy Thurtell
Cal Anderson
Bill Fisher
Rich Haan
Donna Donovan
Donna Jensen
Kim Flom
Leif Pistole
Kurt Nordstrom
Adel Mae Gastle
The slackers are:
Lee Venet
Bill Marsh
Anna Zybrowski
Shari Lee Laist
Jim Pashak
Some of the slackers resented being called slackers but that is another story.
The majority of the above was written by Gary and he graciously gave Joe the okay to add to it and update this history. We’re grateful to Gary who took the time to figure out who met whom when and where. We tried to do it a few times at the first bar on the left, which was on the right, but after a couple of brewskis and writing on napkins, it got a tad confusing. Gary sent an email to the group in August of 2005 asking for corrections. Vickie provided the information about Cycle Zydeco and Carol corrected the improper mashing of her name. Joe updated this in the spring of 2006.
For 2005 after Erie Canal, folks wanted something a bit more picturesque. Okay.. they wanted anything that was more picturesque. The Erie Canal route as you can imagine, runs along the Erie Canal. Would be interesting to see where it ranks by those who’ve done more than one Nova Scotia Plus ride.
Another flurry of emails and Joe suggested that a ride that Cal, Bill and Joe had done be repeated because it was felt that the majority of the group would love this ride: The Maine Coastal Tour. As happened with rides in the past and will happen again, for whatever reason there is always someone who can’t make it. For example, the wonderful Anna Z. has only done the Michigan Shoreline Tour because of her work schedule, but we know she’s with us on every ride.
The Maine Coastal Tour was everything it was hyped up to be and more. Vickie invited a group from Kansas. Those folks are Beth, Vickie, Becky, Dan, Rick and Elizabeth. Vickie met Elizabeth on an MS150 ride, and during a conversation Vickie mentioned she was doing a hike in the Grand Canyon, to which Elizabeth invited herself. Update later on how Vicki met Beth, Becky, Dan and Rick.
At the end of the ride, Kris Ekdahl asked if she could be invited to wherever the group was going in 2006 because in her words: “….you guys have too much fun…”
For 2006 Bike Idaho was chosen, which sadly meant that Gary wouldn’t be joining NSP as he does RAGBRAI in even years with a Team that’s been together for year. Well, for some reason the Team couldn’t make it and Gary still can’t make Idaho. Three other “originals” , Cal, Bill and Donna also won’t be along this year. Cal is doing something that for sure will be the envy of many. He’s doing a cross-country tour and leaves on May 17th. Bill has a family wedding that makes it impossible for him to get to Idaho. Donna keeps promising to join NSP on another ride. Maybe in 2007?
Anne has dropped out of the Bike Idaho ride. Since the ride is full, perhaps one of the slackers is interested in her spot?
Idaho Post script is that Joe got to add how another at least four folks who will be joining us on Bike Idaho. Actually, it was a conspiracy by Joe to get more recumbents so that Rich, Nancy and he would have company. Like all members of any cult, they are driven to make the cult larger and entice everyone they meet to join.
Joe met Sue "Torka", John, Bob, and Debora at a recumbent event in Astoria, Oregon. When the ride was chosen as "Bike Idaho" Joe invited some (last count it was close to 945) of recumbent riders he met and whom he thought would not only enjoy Idaho, but have some fun with Nova Scotia Plus.
Debora invited her brother to do Bike Idaho and I think Torka also invited someone...or maybe that's the Seattle to Portland ride. Anyhoo, for sure Debora, Bob, Torka and John will join us.
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2001 Nova Scotia |
2003 Michigan Shoreline |
2004 Erie Canal |
2005 Coastal Maine |
2006 Bike Idaho |
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Adele |
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X |
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Anna |
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X |
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Anne |
X |
X |
X |
X |
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Becky |
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X |
X |
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Beth |
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X |
X |
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Bill |
X |
X |
X |
X |
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Bob |
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X |
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Cal |
X |
X |
X |
X |
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Carol |
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X |
X |
X |
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Carolyn |
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X |
X |
X |
X |
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Dan |
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X |
X |
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David |
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X |
X |
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Debora |
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X |
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Donna |
X |
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Elizabeth |
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X |
X |
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Elizabeth (wa) |
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X |
X |
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Gary |
X |
X |
X |
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Jim |
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X |
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X |
X |
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Joe |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
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John |
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X |
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Kris |
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X |
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Kurt |
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X |
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X |
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Lee |
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X |
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Leif |
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X |
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X |
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Linda |
X |
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X |
X |
X |
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Lynda |
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X |
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Nancy |
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X |
X |
X |
X |
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Rich |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X |
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Shari |
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X |
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Sue |
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X |
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Swampy |
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X |
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Verlynn |
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X |
X |
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Vicki |
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X |
X |
X |
X |
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Riders |
8 |
18 |
13 |
19 |
19 |
