Tales from the Trails Post 3

Four days ago, (when I last had consistent Wi-Fi) the cyclists' took their first day off, which coincided with my first day on a bicycle. The route was four miles long, all downhill, and ended with a milkshake. Exactly as I like it. After which, we had a group talk about bike safety. The two events may be related, but no need to pursue it. The bottom line is we came up with a phrase for all of us to live by for the rest of the trip: "Safety First!"

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The talk had transpired at an outdoor table at a Tim Horton's in Penticton, BC, a beautiful rainbow soaked resort town that happened to be holding their annual Peach Festival. 

While talking at Horton's, one of the bike's tires exploded in the hot sun like a shot gun blast, sending us under the table, and then to a bike shop. 

As the bike was being fixed, we took in the festival, which was held in a grassy park on the banks of beautiful Okanagan Lake. Country music bands played on stage while little kids danced in groups and old hippies shuffled singly. Food trucks provided every conceivable carnival food; but the vendors we spoke with said they were "plum out of peaches." I use this hackneyed expression only because it was said with a straight face by every single one of them. To be equally clever, we'd reply, "Ain't that the pits."

After striking out with the peaches, and still waiting on the bike, the itch to ride became so strong we rented a few motorcycles.

It's probably a good thing Dad wasn't there. He'd taken the sag wagon to Medway a couple of hours east to pick up his son-in-law Jordan, Jordan's father Alan, and Jordan's friend, Adam, who have joined us for three days on the trail.

The extended group, with Jordan, Alan and Adam

at Lost Moose Campground

Which leads me to talk about something a very wise, old woman had said to me and her granddaughter only months before the woman's death. The granddaughter and I had been speaking softly by the sage's hospital bed, when, in a fit of clarity, through the otherwise demented fog with which she'd been cursed, she batted open her eyes and, as excitedly as a child, exclaimed, "It's all about the people!" 

This utterance, as it turned out, would be the last coherent thing I ever heard my brilliant mother say, and I have thought about her edict ever since. No more so than on this trip.

During this excursion, everybody other than Eddie has been new to me. And, to a person, they have become fast friends, probably because they appear to live by the same edict. But it is not only our group of bikepackers who seems to have embraced it. The denizens of the campgrounds we've visited and all the Canadians we've had the pleasure to meet have been equally friendly and compassionate. When the bike needed repair, a total stranger lifted it into his flatbed and drove one of us (Fred) to the cycle shop miles away. A few days earlier, when a stranger's car was parked too close for comfort to the sag wagon in a parking lot, a young guy about 6' 8" and 300 pounds offered to help lift it, then moved it almost singlehandedly six inches to the right so we could safely slide out. And when we decided to stay on at one site an extra day, and gave same day notice of that fact to the campground expecting us, the manager adamantly refused to take the money we offered, saying, "Why would I take money if you aren't staying here?" Obviously, we are not in Kansas anymore.

And then there was the tent-carrying couple we met at Lost Moose, who were so kind and genuine and pleasant that I can't help but give them a little shout out.

Hey site 6! (And later site 3.) Thanks for reading! :)

It has become obvious that in Canada it's not all about the Benjamins, but about people with names, like Benjamin. It's also apparent that the people in this country have not been pitted against each other, and are not watching their democracy crumble before their eyes. 

But enough of that nonsense. It takes away from my view from today's writing nook.

Christina Lake, BC

A reminder that a big goal of this trip is to raise money for two amazing charities, to which we hope you will consider donating. Ed and I are riding/driving for https://mchsmi.org/  While James is riding for Support Lummi Nation Boys & Girls Club. Please click the links to learn why you might want to help them, too. They and we appreciate your support greatly!

The next post will be mostly a photo dump, followed by the story of our extended stay at Old Cowboy Ranch.