On the Road Again 2013 #7

 The next morning I slept in a bit and then went out for breakfast. Not the best breakfast -I don't understand why it is so hard to make good home fries -but as I had not eaten much the day before I was glad of anything that filled me up. I was especially glad of the large pot of tea that came with the order

I had called the farm where the Rainbow scouts were staying and they had promised to pick me up if I got to the little town of Winlaw. I, at that time, did not understand that the owners of the farm were just providing a place for the scouts to hang out and that they were not really part of the scouting group. I may of been a bit pushier than I should have been asking for a ride. I never got the chance to apologize but I wish I had. They were good folks at the Farm.

 The local bus system worked well. I got to the little town ( which really was just a gas station/grocery store on one side of the highway and a restaurant and health food store on the other) and after about an hours wait got a drive to the farm.To get there we had to go though a bit of a road block.

There had been an oil spill into the Slocan River a few days before and there had been a small forest fall  up on the mountain near the farm. There were helicopters buzzing around and lots of conversation as to whether the spill had been deliberate or whether there really was a forest fire that required seven helicopters. There was speculation that the mine that was being developed on the mountain (on a non-seeded bit of land belonging to  First Nation) was really  the reason for all of the created chaos. Regardless of what was happening, the helicopters did make for interesting watching.                                            

The general tone of the 8-9 people who were there was disappointment or depression. They had been looking for a site for the past 10 days and had been able to find nothing suitable. It was quite clear what was needed - a large meadow the would allow for one circle  or 2 concentric circles of 500-800 people, lots of parking, safe drinking water and somewhere that it would be safe to have a fire. it  turned out that there was no where in the area that met those requirements.

That night after supper, huddled under a shelter as it was pouring rain, the general discussion was that the International Gathering would not be held in the Kootaney area. It was frustrating for everyone. I had spent 2 days getting here ready to help build the kitchen for this large Gathering. Instead I was going to have to get back to  Duncan and wait for a decision as to where it was going to be. I felt as if I had wasted my time and my money. Fortunately  just shortly after I had gotten there, a couple had arrived looking for the Gathering. I say fortunately because they were planning on going back to the coast and they offered me a drive at least part of the way back. I had met him on Salt Spring at Sally's   and so once again the " Sally connection" had proved very useful.

Early the next morning we packed up our wet tents and loaded 4 adults (another traveller was also coming with us) and one rather extraordinarily well behave dog that he had picked up in South Africa in to a Cutlass station wagon named the White Fox.

It was to be a long and interesting day.