My Uncle Greg is a man on a mission to End MS.
Currently there is no cure for Multiple Sclerosis, but Greg is committed to changing that. A few years ago now I did some photographs of Greg for the promotion of one of his MS fundraisers, some of you may remember these photos. One of the photographs we took was under a perfectly clear blue sky, where Greg stood with his bike on the shores of Patricia Lake in Jasper and on a sign at his side he declared his bold mission; ‘I Will End MS’. That day is very clear in my memory, and I’m happy to see that photograph on his poster for his latest journey. Just as I did that day, today I see a man with not only the drive and determination, but the strength and ability to tackle such a mission. Friends, family, and supporters have been following his efforts for a number of years now, and his progress is astounding. Every year he manages to step it up. I took this little excerpt from his MS Fundraising page;
‘My name is Greg Van Tighem, the Fire Chief in Jasper Alberta, I am an MS Ambassador, a top fundraiser in the Hinton MS Bike Tour and I am on a mission to help End MS.
In the past 7 years I have raised over $145,000.00 through numerous fundraiser initiatives such as, barbeques, carwashes, e-mail campaigns, farmers markets, bake sales, bottle drives, raffles, auctions etc’
This month Greg is on the most ambitious endeavor yet (‘yet’ being a key word). Greg is cycling from the southern USA all the way to Northern Alberta. From Wickenburg, Arizona, Greg is ridign his bike the whole length of Highway 93, ending in his hometown of Jasper, Alberta. His adventures are plenty, and he is making swift work of the many miles between his start and finish point. You can follow his travels either on his Facebook page, or his blog. He is aiming to raise $93,000 for the Multiple Sclerosis Society, so if you have some change to spare toss it his way!
Last night I was catching up on his journey and saw that he was on the shores of the beautiful Flathead Lake in Polson, Montana. I had a great time in Polson a few years ago when I was hitch-hiking from Reno home to Canmore. I thought I would share a couple photos from the area. The stretch to Kalispell from Polson travels along the shoreline ridges of Flathead Lake. The Kootenay terrain is beautiful, and on a bike must be a great way to experience it. Although I recall those roads being pretty narrow, I don’t think it will compare to some of the places Greg experienced going’ through Nevada. Be sure to read his blog to see some of the stories he has from the road.
Soon Greg will be off from Kalispell to head for the British Columbia border. My journey a few years ago veered off in a different direction at that point, going off through Glacier National Park to Alberta. It’s nice to see updates coming from familiar pieces of road. If there’s a familiar stretch of this highway for you, on either side of the border, be sure to send Greg some support as he reaches the Canadian stretch of his journey.

The sunset casts an warm hue over Flathead lake and the Kootenays.

A fisherman’s headlamp shines from the end of the pier in Flathead lake at Polson, Montana.

Smoke from 2011 Idaho fires is lit up by afternoon sunlight shining through the gaps of Glacier National Park’s Logan Pass route.
- Brian





