Hail Canada! I ran at 3am by the shores of Great Lake Ontario to the light of the full moon leading my way. THe early miles by the lake front were tranquil with waves lapping the shore and the moon full on my face. Lake Shore Drive had no traffic. The entire area appeared spotlessly clean and orderly. I encountered a few early morning walkers and two groups of skateboarders taking advantage of the empty streets. A group of men sitting outside a 24 hour coffee shop yelled hello. They looked at me in disbelief when I told them I was running around the world for safe drinking water. "Sure" was the response; "it's true" I yelled back; "sure" again. They must have wondered what I'd been drinking and they weren't thinking it was water.

This morning we observed a full lunar eclipse, about 5:30am Ontario time. It was amazing and a fitting encore to the upcoming day's activities. The remainder of Team Green's runs were along the Lake Ontario shore as the sun rose to another glorious day, perfect for a wedding. Our Lake Ontario experience was a mix of scenic lake front, lovely small towns and industrial areas, mostly for petroleum manufacturing. Later in the day I saw my first "lift" bridge in action, the Burlington Canal Lift Bridge. We also saw a number of lighthouses during the day, canals and more petroleum factories.

Ontario is a Huron word meaning "great lake." Lake Ontario is 193 miles by 53 miles with an average depth of 283 feet and a maximum depth of 802 feet. Surface elevation is 246 feet and it covers 7,540 square miles. Its primary water inflow is from the Niagara River and it outflows into the St. Lawrence. A high speed passenger water ferry runs between Toronto and Rochester, New York. During modern times Lake ontario became heavily polluted and was dying. It became infested with zebra mussel and lamprey eel killing off native lake species. Environmental initiatives and programs are turning this around. Species like walleye, a marker of clean water, are returning to the waters, evidence of the lake coming back to life. Introduced Coho and Chinook salmon are also thriving in the Lake making it a popular fishery again. Lake Ontario's problems are much like those we've been fighting in Lake Champlain back home in Vermont.

The wedding of Taeko and Jason was beautiful. The weather cooperated and the setting in a verdant green field across from the Niagara Falls was perfect. The couple ran 10 miles in one wedding outfit and then changed to something more formal for the ceremony. All teams were represented as well as the staff and media. We runners were bridesmaids and groomsmen. The couple chose the music and the staff provided a gorgeous cake with punch and flowers. Jin Zidell, founder of the Blue Planet Run, gave away the bride. Sunila from India served as best man and Melissa stood up for Taeko. Laura and I were honored to be the legal witnesses to the marriage.

Following the ceremony we crossed back over to the United States and drove to Hamburg, New York for our rest stop, passing along the Niagara River and the northern neck of Great Lake Erie. We are one week from the finish line. The reality is hard to put your arms around. Time is flying in these final days.

I hope my readers are not tired of my preaching about water. I hope that I have been preaching to a growing choir of supporters It has been our job to do this, to raise awareness about the safe water issue. The cause is of utmost importance to most of the runners. We stake our claim to success on how many dollars we raise for BPR sustainable water projects as well as the impact we have on raising people's awareness. We are here to make a difference. So, thank you for listening and considering and supporting all that BPR is about! In less than a week we will cross our finish line of this first ever around the world human relay run, but it is only the beginning of our solving the drinking water problem together. Remember, this problem has a solution.

Water is life. Pass it on!