2019 On The Road Again #14

I had not been at my spot just outside of Golden very long when a car stopped and I was offered a ride to Revelstoke. I knew it was going to be my last ride of the day and while I would have loved a ride right through to the coast, my clothing was at the very least damp, I was tired, hungry and perhaps just a little bit grumpy. It had not been a great day.

My driver lived in Revelstoke but had spent the day working in Calgary. I could have slept in, had a leisurely breakfast and met him on the road just as he was leaving. I could have stayed dry and warm all day. Maybe I should develop a web site that allows hitchhikers to know when drivers are leaving. Although I suspect that that would not work as so many of my drivers make the decision to stop on impulse. Most of them do not plan to have a passenger. I know they do not plan for it as so many need to move stuff off of their front seats before I get in.

My driver was an architect from Britain who had moved to the area, meet someone, gotten married and now had kids. He was a bit of a specialist in terms of designing homes. He was quite competent to design rooms inside a condo, but his passion was creating passive homes - that is homes that were so ultra insulated and so well designed that the amount of energy required to heat them was almost negligible. He jokingly said that all that they needed was a hair dryer. That was a bit of an understatement but a small baseboard heater can easily heat a regular size passive home.

It was my third such discussion on this trip about building, about silly by-law rules and inspectors who are unable to think outside the box. It was an interesting conversation as he made the argument that while such a house is more expensive (marginally) to build, the saving in terms of energy are such that the extra costs are relatively quickly gained back. We talked of builders who resisted new technologies, purchasers who could not see the future benefits and banks, some of who were reluctant to provide mortgages on homes that were smaller, but more expensive than the norm. He talked about the house that he was building for his family and some of the issues that they were facing as they tried to build a house for their needs and their perception of what the future might bring to them and their community.

We also had a fascinating discussion about altruism. We wondered if there was such a thing, or rather if one felt good about helping someone or volunteering - was it really an altruistic act? If we get something out of the act of giving - can it be a noble act. I don't remember how we got onto this topic. I suspect we were two reasonable bright guys who got some joy from thinking about strange, philosophical questions. All too often, people like us - do not get the chance to ever have that sort of conversation. Like so many of the conversations that I have on the road, it ended without any answers. But then I don't think we were really expecting to find one

As we got close to Revelstoke I mentioned that I was not sure where I was going to sleep. I generally do not sleep inside twice when I travelling, but I was wet and tired. My clothes and I suspected my sleeping bag was if not wet - at least very damp. My driver got on his cell phone and found a cheap motel that still had room and that was close to the highway. He said that if he had had a room I could have stayed at their place which was a generous thought.

He let me out at the motel. I registered, took off my wet shoes, put on my sandals and went out to find a restaurant. Everything other than Tim Horton's was closed, so I had a grill cheese sandwich and a big chocolate cookie. Not the meal I was hoping for.

I walked back to my room, used the hair dryer to dry my socks, hung up my shirt and pants so that they could dry a bit and fell into bed. I was asleep in minutes. It had not been my best day ever. On the other hand, I had gone from Calgary to Revelstoke and the ocean was almost in sight.