I am now back in my apartment. I am obviously somewhat behind
in my blog postings..... I will continue to discuss my trip in
sequential order.
I awoke reasonable refreshed and ready to be on the road again. I had thought about staying in Winnipeg for a day and a half so that I could catch the east bound Via train on Monday afternoon. If I did I would be sure to get back to middle Ontario in time to make the wedding on Friday. While I like Winnipeg, I have never had much luck finding places to eat and I did not want to spend hours walking around with nothing to do. As well the thought of hanging around for 36 hours in a house that felt somewhat unwelcoming was not that attractive. Besides I had done so little hitchhiking this year that I wanted a few more rides before I hung up my pack for the season. So I made the decision to trust in the people who travel the roads.
The bus stop on Portage Street was only a few blocks away from the hostel. Within 45 minutes of waking up I was at the necessary bus stop. Winnipeg has this really neat electronic system that tells you when the next bus is coming, Unlike in other cities where there can be some anxiety as to whether or not the bus is coming or if one is even at the right stop, this system takes all the worry out of using an unfamiliar bus system. The first bus driver was as helpful as all of Winnipeg's bus drivers have been to me. He without hesitation told me which bus I needed to get and where to make the connection. I got off of his bus ten minutes later, waited ten more minutes for the next bus and within half an hour I was at the end of the line. One could not ask for anything smoother. I do however, wish that there was a bus that got me closer to where I needed to be.
It is a long walk, at least an hour and a half, to where the Trans-Canada hooks up with the ring road. The multi-lane highway was surprisingly busy for a Sunday and while on a couple of occasions I did try to hitchhike it just did not feel as if anyone was going to stop. It was going to be a warm day and withing the first 45 minutes of walking I was already wondering if I had made a mistake in deciding to hitchhike all of the way home. I had walked for well over a hour when I decided it was time to drop my pack, drink some water and stick my thumb out for awhile. While I didn't realize it at the time, I was only about two kilometers from the junction. I was delightfully surprised when a small car slowed and stop. I assumed that it was some guy out doing messages on a Sunday morning and that he would just drive me to the junction of Ring Road and the Trans-Canada. which would have been great.
I was wrong. The car was driven by a young woman and she was going all of the way to Vermillion Bay, Ontario which was a good three hour drive. I had stopped there before and I knew that there were restaurants and places to buy water. It also meant that I would be taken well past all of the tourist/cottager spots around Winnipeg. Getting a ride to the other side of Kenora meant that the traffic on the road would be more likely people heading east towards Thunder Bay. For a Sunday morning ride - I was pleased.
Susan was 29 years old and was heading home to her family in Red Lake which is 2-3 hours north of Vermillion Bay. Red Lake is a mining town that like all such towns in the north has gone through a number of bust and boom cycles. It is a one industry town and if you don't want to work at the mine, then other than a few service type jobs such as working in a store for minimum wage, there is nothing to do.
Susan was planning to head to college in the fall. She was nervous about it as she had been out of school for some time. So we talked about that. Susan struck me as a hard working, organized person. She certainly seemed bright enough to do well in school. Hopefully I was able to give her some useful suggestions - but in fact she knew everything she needed to know to do well. She was committed, ambitious, and had a life plan. Unless something unforeseen occurs to derail her, she will do wonderfully. In fact I suspect that she could easily become a class leader. The PRN course was being held in her home town which makes all kinds of logical sense except for the fact that all of the students knew each other. I think post secondary education works better when one has the sense of starting something new, where old roles or personae can be changed. That is hard to do when everyone knows you.
We also talked about growing up in a rural area and the complexities of working and living in a mining town. Susan had worked for the mine for a couple of years and had had some employment difficulties in terms of being harassed etc. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised when I hear these stories, but I am. I guess I expect that if the bosses are not enlightened at least the unions will be. The sad fact is that as long as our communities and our places of work are shaped by a patriarchal system, women will not have full access to the protection we all deserve. It was an interesting conversation. I always enjoy talking to Northerners - they have an unique perspective of the country. It is not surprising that they so frequently feel as if the rest of the country does not understand them.
As always when I am in a car driven by an interesting person, the ride ended far too soon. But she was going north and I was heading east and then south.
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Friday, October 25, 2013
On the Road Again 2013 # 25
I am now back in my apartment. I am obviously somewhat behind
in my blog postings..... I will continue to discuss my trip in
sequential order.
The hostel was an older house that in its time must have been quite magnificent. The carving on the staircase, the wood paneling and the size of the living/dining area all spoke of quite luxurious living. However like all hostels that use converted space it was a bit chopped up and cluttered looking. The room that I was given on the main floor was a strange elongated space with only one small window. It seemed to be over packed with furniture, some of which was not in very good shape. The room felt as if it had been or perhaps still was, used for storage. The hostel itself was located in an area that I think was a student ghetto. It was hard to tell as it was the weekend before Labour Day and there were relatively few students around. But it had that feel to it. Just a few blocks away from the hostel were some extraordinarily beautiful and large homes along the river. They looked like the sort of places that perhaps tenured professors lived.
There were 6-7 people at the hostel when I arrived. Three or four of them were young Germans (at least I think that is the language they were speaking), two of whom were working there. There was a middle aged man who came and went and I suspect was either the owner or at least the manager and then there was a older man who spoke more than a few languages. I think I was the only uni-lingual individual in the house.They seemed to be all busy in the kitchen so I dropped my stuff off in the room, changed into sandals and went out to find a place to eat. Perhaps because it was a Saturday night but the few greasy spoons that were around- were closed. I walked the general area for 30 or do minutes trying to orientate myself but I was just too tired to keep on looking for a place to eat. Unfortunately the only food store in the area was also closed. I knew I had to eat so when I got back to the hostel I made some Chinese noodle soup. I always carry a few packages in my pack. It is lightweight, easy to make and I like the taste.
By the time the soup was ready, the other folks were finished eating their meal and I sat down to eat alone. It was a strange place - I felt as if I had sort of invaded someone private space and that while they were happy to have my money - there was no need to be particularly welcoming. When I finished eating, I tried to start a conversation about bus routes etc. No one seemed to have a clue how the bus system worked except that as the next day was Sunday the system would not be working well, if at all. I went on-line and found a bus schedule. It appeared to me that there were buses and that I could get to where I needed to be. Usually hostels are fairly good about knowing how the public system works. I rely on those who work on hostels to help me. It is disappointing when they don't know and perhaps more importantly - give the impression that they do not care.
It was only 9:00 but I was exhausted, in fact I was past the point of being tired. I would have been quite content to go to bed right then. But the middle age man put on a movie on the big flat screen. I was in the front room on my tablet checking out bus schedules. I could have gotten up and moved to my room but I was too tired to move and so I ended up watching it. It was a silly thing about families and drug smuggling and.... The plot was instantly forgettable and while there were points at which I may have chuckled it really wasn't funny. As soon as it was over, people started to disperse - I quietly drifted off to bed.
My roommate was the older, multilingual gentleman. He too was getting ready for bed. We chatted for a few minutes. He told me that he use to hitchhike but now given his age (he was in his 70s) he took the train. The following day he was off on the Polar Bear Express to see the north. I admired his sense of adventure. I suspect that if we had been there longer we would have had an enjoyable chat. As it was it was short. Our conversation ended with him asking me if I minded leaving on the light as he would need to get up a number of times during the night. While normally that might bother me, I am sure that I was already asleep before my eyes closed.
The hostel was an older house that in its time must have been quite magnificent. The carving on the staircase, the wood paneling and the size of the living/dining area all spoke of quite luxurious living. However like all hostels that use converted space it was a bit chopped up and cluttered looking. The room that I was given on the main floor was a strange elongated space with only one small window. It seemed to be over packed with furniture, some of which was not in very good shape. The room felt as if it had been or perhaps still was, used for storage. The hostel itself was located in an area that I think was a student ghetto. It was hard to tell as it was the weekend before Labour Day and there were relatively few students around. But it had that feel to it. Just a few blocks away from the hostel were some extraordinarily beautiful and large homes along the river. They looked like the sort of places that perhaps tenured professors lived.
There were 6-7 people at the hostel when I arrived. Three or four of them were young Germans (at least I think that is the language they were speaking), two of whom were working there. There was a middle aged man who came and went and I suspect was either the owner or at least the manager and then there was a older man who spoke more than a few languages. I think I was the only uni-lingual individual in the house.They seemed to be all busy in the kitchen so I dropped my stuff off in the room, changed into sandals and went out to find a place to eat. Perhaps because it was a Saturday night but the few greasy spoons that were around- were closed. I walked the general area for 30 or do minutes trying to orientate myself but I was just too tired to keep on looking for a place to eat. Unfortunately the only food store in the area was also closed. I knew I had to eat so when I got back to the hostel I made some Chinese noodle soup. I always carry a few packages in my pack. It is lightweight, easy to make and I like the taste.
By the time the soup was ready, the other folks were finished eating their meal and I sat down to eat alone. It was a strange place - I felt as if I had sort of invaded someone private space and that while they were happy to have my money - there was no need to be particularly welcoming. When I finished eating, I tried to start a conversation about bus routes etc. No one seemed to have a clue how the bus system worked except that as the next day was Sunday the system would not be working well, if at all. I went on-line and found a bus schedule. It appeared to me that there were buses and that I could get to where I needed to be. Usually hostels are fairly good about knowing how the public system works. I rely on those who work on hostels to help me. It is disappointing when they don't know and perhaps more importantly - give the impression that they do not care.
It was only 9:00 but I was exhausted, in fact I was past the point of being tired. I would have been quite content to go to bed right then. But the middle age man put on a movie on the big flat screen. I was in the front room on my tablet checking out bus schedules. I could have gotten up and moved to my room but I was too tired to move and so I ended up watching it. It was a silly thing about families and drug smuggling and.... The plot was instantly forgettable and while there were points at which I may have chuckled it really wasn't funny. As soon as it was over, people started to disperse - I quietly drifted off to bed.
My roommate was the older, multilingual gentleman. He too was getting ready for bed. We chatted for a few minutes. He told me that he use to hitchhike but now given his age (he was in his 70s) he took the train. The following day he was off on the Polar Bear Express to see the north. I admired his sense of adventure. I suspect that if we had been there longer we would have had an enjoyable chat. As it was it was short. Our conversation ended with him asking me if I minded leaving on the light as he would need to get up a number of times during the night. While normally that might bother me, I am sure that I was already asleep before my eyes closed.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
On the Road Again 2013 # 24
I am now back in my apartment. I am obviously somewhat behind in my blog postings..... I will continue to discuss my trip in sequential order.
I bought some more water and walked the few hundred meters back to the highway. I was pleased with myself and life in general. Winnipeg was only 500 kilometers away. It was just after 10:00. How hard could it be to get to the next city by bed time? I was absolutely determined to get a shower and a good night's sleep in a real bed. 48 hours on the road (and counting) was long enough. My last ride had been a great ride but one of the interesting phenomena of hitchhiking (at least for me) is that no matter whow a great ride it has been, no matter how far we have driven or what great conversations we have had, as soon as I get out of the car my mind immediately turns to the next car coming down the road. Alice and I had managed to chat for almost 14 hours with no disagreements or friction. We had both shared bits and pieces of our lives and I think had been pretty honest about our feelings and our failures. I will for months if not years wonder how her court case turned out, whether of not she got to adopt her grandchildren. But once my thumb is out, my sole focus is not on the past but upon getting another car to stop.
There was a fair amount of traffic on the highway. Unfortunately it seemed as if much of it was turning off the highway either going right towards Indian Head or left to I am not sure where. I was there for almost four hours. My head was buzzing and my fingertips were tingling from all of the caffeine I had drunk. I had not slept for 24+ hours, and the sleep the night before last had been sporadic because of the real or imagine bears near my campsite. I was not asleep on my feet but I do suspect that I might have mentally dozed a bit. The combination of a brain deprived of sleep but kept awake by caffeine is not a good one for me. I didn't feel sick - but I knew I was not functioning at anywhere near 100%. It was probably a good thing that I did not get a ride quickly. I was in no shape to fulfill my obligations of a hitchhiker.
Finally at about 2:30 a truck did stop for me. Ted was off to Winnipeg to visit his half sister. If I remember rightly they had found each other through social media and while they had chatted on line - they had never actually met before. He was very open about his life and how it happened that he had a sister who he didn't know. It certainly started off our four hour conversation in a fascinating way. Ted was quite excited about. Personally I would have been scared to death although I am not sure why.
Ted was one of the drivers - there are a surprising number of them- who had seen me and then had turned around to pick me up. That supports my theory that there would be more drivers picking up hitchhikers if they were reminded that there might be some hitchhikers on the road. There are so few of us out there, that drivers do not even think about the possibility.
Ted was a driver for a courier company. He spent most of his time picking up old postage machinery from various companies and returning it to the depot ( I was never clear as to why that job needed to be done in the first place). It was not a great job and Ted was not that excited about it. His first love was film making. He had been employed in the seemingly booming film industry in Saskatchewan and clearly enjoyed the opportunity to be creative. Unfortunate the Province of Saskatchewan had decided to cancel its tax strategy for the film companies and the film production companies had fairly quickly decided to move to other parts of Canada where they could get get better tax breaks. People like Ted all of a sudden became unemployable. What a poor decision on the part of the bureaucrats in the government.
We spent part of our trip together talking about possible plots for films that he wanted to make including one about hitchhiking and haunted houses. It would not be a horror movie but rather a semi-documentary that juxtaposed the people one meets on the road with the emotional experience of visiting houses where the spirits of people who lived there, still reside. It may sound a bit weird now, but it was a great conversation. Ted was very bright, creative and a great conversationalist. He was one of those people who one feels immediately very attracted to. It felt as if we had know each other for years. I would have been delighted if he had been going all of the way to Sudbury.
At some point, we got off the highway and went to a Co-op store. Ted's girlfriend was a fan of the Roughriders football team. She was looking for a special pair of sunglasses in the team colours. He had been told that this Co-op store might have them. They did have a lot of team souvenirs - but unfortunately no sunglasses. We got back on the road and continued to chat about books and life and all kinds of stuff until we got to Winnipeg. I was of course excited and pleased that I would get to sleep in a bed, but I liked Ted so much that I think if he had suggested that we have supper first - I would have said yes. It felt as if we had so much more to talk about. I had never thought about it before but it would be fun to do a film script with someone.
I, of course, had not reserved a bed at the hostel as I had had no idea whether or not I would make it. Ted kindly used his cell phone to look up the hostels number and let me call them. He then used his GPS to find the place and got me right to the front door. As neither he nor I knew Winnipeg, that took some time and not once did he get frustrated at spending an extra 15-20 minutes trying to get me to a place where I could sleep. Ted was a good man and I appreciated his extra service more than most. I was exhausted and all that I wanted to do was to grab a quick bite to eat at some greasy spoon and then fall asleep. The only thing I wanted to think about was if I should have a shower now or in the morning.
Thursday, October 17, 2013
On the Road Again 2013 # 23
I am now back in my apartment. I am obviously somewhat behind
in my blog postings..... I will continue to discuss my trip in
sequential order.
It was now close to 5:00. The sky was rather gray and it seemed likely that it might rain. All around me were expensive hotels and what appeared to be a large shopping area. Salmon Arm is a charming town that sits on the shore of Shuswap Lake. I have walked through the town a couple of times and it has always struck me as a town that could be a comfortable place to live. The small downtown core is full of interesting shops. While I have only ever been there after the shops are closed, I suspect it could be be quite lively on a busy Saturday. Unfortunately, like so many other towns along the Trans-Canada, it has gradually become urbanized especially along the highway. There are parts of it that are quite unrecognizable as compared to the town I first stayed in a decade or so ago. Long gone is the motel I stayed at where the owner practiced her violin in the quiet of a late summer's evening, and the main road is now a four lane highway that is challenging to cross - I can't now imagine 2-3 guys trying to push a car along it to get it started as I once did. More importantly there was nowhere for me to sleep anywhere near where I was standing. The fields were long gone.
There has been a gradual change who picks me up along the road. While on the Islands women have always been generous, I do not expect to get a lot of rides from women once I am on the Trans-Canada. Last year however, I got four long rides in various parts of Canada from women. I however, never expect to get rides from women who have children in the car. I was therefore surprised perhaps even shocked when a van stopped driven (as I later found out) by a grandmother. In the car seat behind her was her one year old granddaughter. It was an interesting ride for a number of reasons not the least of which was I clearly was picked up because I had a job to do. Alice had to be in Indian River (east of Regina) by 10:00 the next morning. That meant that she had to travel just over 1300 kilometers in about fifteen and half hours. While that was certainly quite do-able she would not have a lot of time for sleep. Alice had seen me on the road, kept on going, thought about it and then turned around to pick me up. She had seen "Calgary" on my sign and thought that some company at least that far would help her get through the mountains safely. I think she was quite happy when I told her that the other side of my sign said "Winnipeg" and therefore I would be able to travel all of the way with her. I also think I was her first hitchhiker in at least a long time. She had picked me up but she was not that comfortable with a stranger in the car. I am not surprised that she was concerned and perhaps a little surprised at her decision. I had been on the road for 36 hours and in all of that time I had not seen a mirror. I suspect that I looked, to say the least, a bit scraggly. I fairly quickly gave her a quick sketch of myself in the hopes of re-assuring her.
I was never too sure if I understood all of Alice's story. She share the story of her life in bits and pieces. Critical pieces of her life were not shared until we had been in the van for a number of hours. I don't think it was because she didn't want to tell me, but rather that she knew her story so well that she could not imagine any one else not knowing it. Alice had had three boys - two of whom were grown up and had left home. Both of these sons had had children but were not living with the mothers of their children. In at least one case the mother was quite unfit and Alice was working on have her and her husband made legal guardians. Because this was happening in Alberta (as opposed to her home province of Saskatchewan) things were a bit more complicated. The fact that Alice had had some difficulties in raising her own two older sons also made the question of her adopting the children somewhat problematic.
So we talked and talked and talked about her life, her struggles with the child protection folks in two provinces, about home studies, lawyers, bureaucracies and the complexities of trying to figure out what was the best thing to do when there are children involved. Alice was frustrated and angry. There appeared to be some mixed messages coming from the social workers that seemed to encourage Alice's combative stance. She wanted to keep on fighting the system but did not know whether it would be worth it. She was prepared to spend a lot of money in court to gain guardianship but the toll of driving back and forth was exhausting her. She was fortunate that her present partner was both reasonably affluent and appeared to be highly supportive. Somewhere east of Calgary in the middle of the night I think I helped her find a strategy that would get her what she wanted and at the same time avoided a court room battle that I think she could not have won.
We only stopped a few time. Each times I loaded up on caffeine. I knew I would pay a price for drinking both an energy drink and a couple of coffees. My body does not tolerate that drug but I was also aware of how tired I was. If I didn't stay awake, then neither would she; then she might not get to the camp to pick up her 12 year old son who would be waiting for her. When I first got in the van we talked about her napping and me driving for awhile but as the miles went by she seemed to be fine. We ate a meal at Husky somewhere along the Prairies and breakfast in Moose Jaw (at a restaurant called the Prairie Oasis- that I had stood beside a number of times and I had always been curious about. It was a neat restaurant full of older local farmers. I would have stayed longer if we could have). At both stops her granddaughter woke up and ate with us. However, for most of the trip she slept. At one point I wondered if Alice was slipping her something in her bottle but she woke up far too quickly as soon as we stopped for that to be true. I don't think I have ever known a child who slept so much.
We got to the little village of Indian Head in good time. Alice let me out at a gas station just off the Trans-Canada. She was planning to go down the road a little bit and see if she could find a place to pull over and nap for an hour or so before getting her son. I was envious. A nap would have been nice. It had been a great ride in terms of distances covered and when. When I travel all night it feels as if I have gained back some of the time that I have lost just standing on the side of the road. I had been on the road for 53 hours and I was almost half way home. If I had had a schedule, I would have been right on time. It had also been an interesting ride. There was certainly lots to talk about. It had been a while since I had had to talk for 15 hours - but I had done it and proved myself useful.
On the other hand I had gone through the mountains at night and therefore had not seen some of my favorite sites, nor had I had chance to observe any of the damage from the early summer flooding. I had missed saying both hello and good bye to the mountains this year.
It was now close to 5:00. The sky was rather gray and it seemed likely that it might rain. All around me were expensive hotels and what appeared to be a large shopping area. Salmon Arm is a charming town that sits on the shore of Shuswap Lake. I have walked through the town a couple of times and it has always struck me as a town that could be a comfortable place to live. The small downtown core is full of interesting shops. While I have only ever been there after the shops are closed, I suspect it could be be quite lively on a busy Saturday. Unfortunately, like so many other towns along the Trans-Canada, it has gradually become urbanized especially along the highway. There are parts of it that are quite unrecognizable as compared to the town I first stayed in a decade or so ago. Long gone is the motel I stayed at where the owner practiced her violin in the quiet of a late summer's evening, and the main road is now a four lane highway that is challenging to cross - I can't now imagine 2-3 guys trying to push a car along it to get it started as I once did. More importantly there was nowhere for me to sleep anywhere near where I was standing. The fields were long gone.
There has been a gradual change who picks me up along the road. While on the Islands women have always been generous, I do not expect to get a lot of rides from women once I am on the Trans-Canada. Last year however, I got four long rides in various parts of Canada from women. I however, never expect to get rides from women who have children in the car. I was therefore surprised perhaps even shocked when a van stopped driven (as I later found out) by a grandmother. In the car seat behind her was her one year old granddaughter. It was an interesting ride for a number of reasons not the least of which was I clearly was picked up because I had a job to do. Alice had to be in Indian River (east of Regina) by 10:00 the next morning. That meant that she had to travel just over 1300 kilometers in about fifteen and half hours. While that was certainly quite do-able she would not have a lot of time for sleep. Alice had seen me on the road, kept on going, thought about it and then turned around to pick me up. She had seen "Calgary" on my sign and thought that some company at least that far would help her get through the mountains safely. I think she was quite happy when I told her that the other side of my sign said "Winnipeg" and therefore I would be able to travel all of the way with her. I also think I was her first hitchhiker in at least a long time. She had picked me up but she was not that comfortable with a stranger in the car. I am not surprised that she was concerned and perhaps a little surprised at her decision. I had been on the road for 36 hours and in all of that time I had not seen a mirror. I suspect that I looked, to say the least, a bit scraggly. I fairly quickly gave her a quick sketch of myself in the hopes of re-assuring her.
I was never too sure if I understood all of Alice's story. She share the story of her life in bits and pieces. Critical pieces of her life were not shared until we had been in the van for a number of hours. I don't think it was because she didn't want to tell me, but rather that she knew her story so well that she could not imagine any one else not knowing it. Alice had had three boys - two of whom were grown up and had left home. Both of these sons had had children but were not living with the mothers of their children. In at least one case the mother was quite unfit and Alice was working on have her and her husband made legal guardians. Because this was happening in Alberta (as opposed to her home province of Saskatchewan) things were a bit more complicated. The fact that Alice had had some difficulties in raising her own two older sons also made the question of her adopting the children somewhat problematic.
So we talked and talked and talked about her life, her struggles with the child protection folks in two provinces, about home studies, lawyers, bureaucracies and the complexities of trying to figure out what was the best thing to do when there are children involved. Alice was frustrated and angry. There appeared to be some mixed messages coming from the social workers that seemed to encourage Alice's combative stance. She wanted to keep on fighting the system but did not know whether it would be worth it. She was prepared to spend a lot of money in court to gain guardianship but the toll of driving back and forth was exhausting her. She was fortunate that her present partner was both reasonably affluent and appeared to be highly supportive. Somewhere east of Calgary in the middle of the night I think I helped her find a strategy that would get her what she wanted and at the same time avoided a court room battle that I think she could not have won.
We only stopped a few time. Each times I loaded up on caffeine. I knew I would pay a price for drinking both an energy drink and a couple of coffees. My body does not tolerate that drug but I was also aware of how tired I was. If I didn't stay awake, then neither would she; then she might not get to the camp to pick up her 12 year old son who would be waiting for her. When I first got in the van we talked about her napping and me driving for awhile but as the miles went by she seemed to be fine. We ate a meal at Husky somewhere along the Prairies and breakfast in Moose Jaw (at a restaurant called the Prairie Oasis- that I had stood beside a number of times and I had always been curious about. It was a neat restaurant full of older local farmers. I would have stayed longer if we could have). At both stops her granddaughter woke up and ate with us. However, for most of the trip she slept. At one point I wondered if Alice was slipping her something in her bottle but she woke up far too quickly as soon as we stopped for that to be true. I don't think I have ever known a child who slept so much.
We got to the little village of Indian Head in good time. Alice let me out at a gas station just off the Trans-Canada. She was planning to go down the road a little bit and see if she could find a place to pull over and nap for an hour or so before getting her son. I was envious. A nap would have been nice. It had been a great ride in terms of distances covered and when. When I travel all night it feels as if I have gained back some of the time that I have lost just standing on the side of the road. I had been on the road for 53 hours and I was almost half way home. If I had had a schedule, I would have been right on time. It had also been an interesting ride. There was certainly lots to talk about. It had been a while since I had had to talk for 15 hours - but I had done it and proved myself useful.
On the other hand I had gone through the mountains at night and therefore had not seen some of my favorite sites, nor had I had chance to observe any of the damage from the early summer flooding. I had missed saying both hello and good bye to the mountains this year.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Bread and Circuses - addendum
While I can appreciate that some Canadians are affected by the cost of cable, cell phones or even on occasion by Air Canada - those issues do not affect all of us all of the time. However, the cost of fuel for our vehicles affects almost all of us directly or indirectly.
If the Government of Canada really wanted to help the consumer they would would stop the price fixing of gasoline that occurs on a regular basis. Anyone (with the exception of the government anti-trust inspectors) would realize that there must be some sort of collusion between the oil companies. All one has to do is to watch the prices bounce up and down in concert with every other gas station in the area. For example on Thursday in my area gas cost $1.16, on Friday (the start of a long weekend) the price was up to $1.21 and now on Wednesday the price is down to $1.17. The explanation that oil prices fluctuates at the well head does not explain why the prices move up and down so rapidly in a smooth and clear connection to other gas prices in the area.
To say it is a coincidence that all gas companies decided individually to adjust their prices up and then down at the same time substantially stretches my definition of coincidence beyond usefulness.
So government - I know it is against your philosophical belief to interfere with the market place - but could you, if you are going to interfere with the market (in terms of cable or cell phone providers) anyways - could you please also stop this blatant price fixing of gasoline prices at the pump.
Not that it would make me vote for you - but I would perhaps have some respect for you when you say you care about the consumer.
If the Government of Canada really wanted to help the consumer they would would stop the price fixing of gasoline that occurs on a regular basis. Anyone (with the exception of the government anti-trust inspectors) would realize that there must be some sort of collusion between the oil companies. All one has to do is to watch the prices bounce up and down in concert with every other gas station in the area. For example on Thursday in my area gas cost $1.16, on Friday (the start of a long weekend) the price was up to $1.21 and now on Wednesday the price is down to $1.17. The explanation that oil prices fluctuates at the well head does not explain why the prices move up and down so rapidly in a smooth and clear connection to other gas prices in the area.
To say it is a coincidence that all gas companies decided individually to adjust their prices up and then down at the same time substantially stretches my definition of coincidence beyond usefulness.
So government - I know it is against your philosophical belief to interfere with the market place - but could you, if you are going to interfere with the market (in terms of cable or cell phone providers) anyways - could you please also stop this blatant price fixing of gasoline prices at the pump.
Not that it would make me vote for you - but I would perhaps have some respect for you when you say you care about the consumer.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Bread and Circuses
Youth unemployment/under employment, student debt, the environment, the exportation of raw resources, the ever widening gap between the rich and the poor, euthanasia, the deterioration of our infrastructure, the lack of public transport , the scarcity of affordable housing, the total absence of a national day care policy, racism, homophobia, the extraordinary disconnect between what the First Nations of Canada need and deserve and are owed as compared to what they are offered and of course the senate- the list goes on and on. All are issues that that are complex in nature and that will require the intelligence and compassion of all Canadians to resolve.
According to CBC, in the throne speech tomorrow, the government will continue to be focused on the economy. That is - they will create legislation that enables their political agenda (code words for support their right wing political base) of sound economic policies. In other words they will continue to do what they have in the past - allow the land to be raped, permit large corporations to do what they want and maintain their personal vision of Canada that is at best out of date and in fact reflects a reality that never did exist.What they won't do is deal with any of the above issues in a meaningful fashion.
On a positive note they are going to suggest that they want the cable companies to "de-bundle" their services, that cell phone companies reduce cell phone costs and that Air Canada stop over-booking flights. All of which would require some regulations in those industries - something the Conservatives have been reluctant to do. So we can assume they will not do those things but will be able to gain some credibility amongst those Canadians who have lost the ability/desire to think critically. Hopefully for most of us, we will see these plans to act on behalf of Canadian consumers - exactly that. A calculated plan to blind us from looking at the more important issues.
The government is also going to announce more funding and plans for the continued celebration of the war of 1812-14. A war that is only marginally interesting to a handful of Canadians while being totally irrelevant for a large geographic proportion of Canada. In fact with the exception of teasing some American fellow travellers about why their White House is white - the war never enters my thoughts. I don't think I am alone. We are also going start the celebrations for Canada's 150 birthday - which is not until 2017. Nothing like a long build-up.
So the government is going offer us more parties celebrating an event that had little consequence and suggest that things will get better if we just trust them. Sorry Mr. Harper -potentially better access to some specialty cable stations is not enough to convince me that I should trust you.
According to CBC, in the throne speech tomorrow, the government will continue to be focused on the economy. That is - they will create legislation that enables their political agenda (code words for support their right wing political base) of sound economic policies. In other words they will continue to do what they have in the past - allow the land to be raped, permit large corporations to do what they want and maintain their personal vision of Canada that is at best out of date and in fact reflects a reality that never did exist.What they won't do is deal with any of the above issues in a meaningful fashion.
On a positive note they are going to suggest that they want the cable companies to "de-bundle" their services, that cell phone companies reduce cell phone costs and that Air Canada stop over-booking flights. All of which would require some regulations in those industries - something the Conservatives have been reluctant to do. So we can assume they will not do those things but will be able to gain some credibility amongst those Canadians who have lost the ability/desire to think critically. Hopefully for most of us, we will see these plans to act on behalf of Canadian consumers - exactly that. A calculated plan to blind us from looking at the more important issues.
The government is also going to announce more funding and plans for the continued celebration of the war of 1812-14. A war that is only marginally interesting to a handful of Canadians while being totally irrelevant for a large geographic proportion of Canada. In fact with the exception of teasing some American fellow travellers about why their White House is white - the war never enters my thoughts. I don't think I am alone. We are also going start the celebrations for Canada's 150 birthday - which is not until 2017. Nothing like a long build-up.
So the government is going offer us more parties celebrating an event that had little consequence and suggest that things will get better if we just trust them. Sorry Mr. Harper -potentially better access to some specialty cable stations is not enough to convince me that I should trust you.
Monday, October 14, 2013
On the Road Again 2013 #22
I am now back in my apartment. I am obviously somewhat behind
in my blog postings..... I will continue to discuss my trip in
sequential order.
The first words out of my older driver was "please!!!" I looked at him a bit confused. He then grabbed my sign that said Calgary and said "you should put the word please on your sign. Perhaps them more people would stop for you". He then went on a five minute rant about how many hitchhikers he sees but how none of their signs ever have the word please on them. It was an interesting comment that I have never heard before. I was a bit concerned that this guy was going a long distance and that I would end up being yelled at for the next six or seven hours. It was not a pleasant thought. But after his rather brief comments (although it didn't feel brief at the time) it was a reasonably good if short ride.
The first words out of my older driver was "please!!!" I looked at him a bit confused. He then grabbed my sign that said Calgary and said "you should put the word please on your sign. Perhaps them more people would stop for you". He then went on a five minute rant about how many hitchhikers he sees but how none of their signs ever have the word please on them. It was an interesting comment that I have never heard before. I was a bit concerned that this guy was going a long distance and that I would end up being yelled at for the next six or seven hours. It was not a pleasant thought. But after his rather brief comments (although it didn't feel brief at the time) it was a reasonably good if short ride.
My driver was a bit of a racist when it came to discussing First Nations issues (I don't remember how that topic came up - I had had clearly no control of the conversation from the second I entered the vehicle). There were the usual comments about them being lazy and expecting too much from the Canadian Government with little or no understanding on his part of the cultural genocide that has been perpetrated upon the Indigenous people of this land. I have since wondered if my driver was just a bombastic speaker. That is he said everything loudly and forcefully perhaps either because no one ever listened to him and therefore he thought saying things stridently would get other people's attention or because he was a bit of a dominating control person/bully and did not know how else to engage in a conversation with a stranger. Regardless I decided to just let him say what he wanted with me trying to slip in the odd opposing point of view when ever I could. Fortunately for perhaps both of us, he was only going to Chase which meant that we were only together for 60 kilometers. If I thought about it, I would have bet that he would let me out at spot that he would tell me was a much better spot than where he found me. I would have won that bet. He did say exactly that.
He let me out a gas station. It was not a better spot. However, on the other hand I was a bit hungry. With the exception of a couple of apples and a granola bar, the last full meal I had eaten had been on the ferry 30 odd hours ago. So I bought some water and peanuts and as I munched hand fulls of peanuts and guzzled water ) water seems to weigh less inside me than carrying in on the outside of my pack) I made sure that all of my pack straps were tight. I then crossed the highway and stuck out my thumb. There was a bit of a curve so the sight lines were not great and the shoulder was a bit narrow. I was fairly sure that I would not get ride there but would need to walk up the road a piece. I would have started walking but I was quite sure that there was not a better spot for quite a few miles. I was feeling lazy and that I had done my share of walking that day.
I was delighted to be proven wrong about it being a bad spot when a large pick-up truck stopped for me after only being there for five minutes. In comparison to my previous driver, my new driver was an absolute delight. He was the kind of person who gives everyone hope for the future. He was 26 years old and from the Maritimes. He had come to B.C. with his girlfriend and her little girl to find a job so that he could support them well. He told me that he had easily found a job on a road crew and seems to have quickly been promoted into a more responsible position. He had a great work ethic but at the same time was clearly not prepared to pushed around by his bosses. He was already looking for a job that would be more permanent/less affected by the weather and the whims of a boss and would offer more chances for promotion. When I thanked him for stopping at what was a bit of a tricky spot especially for a large truck, he quickly brushed away my comments saying ' I was going in the same direction and I had room, how could I not pick you up?" If only more drivers thought the way he did! He was a decent young person working hard to support his family. I liked him a lot. I hope he does well and gets to be in a position where he can be a model for others. He would make a great teacher.
Unfortunately he was only going to Salmon Arm, less than an hour down the road. I was starting to be concerned that I would be faced with a whole series a short rides with potentially long waits in between. I had gotten stuck in that pattern a few times along this road. Short rides from locals are great but they consume time and don't get me very far. As we were getting close to Salmon Arm he asked where he could let me off. While my traditional answer is always "as far as you are going", Salmon Arms like so many towns along the Trans-Canada is stretched out. There is also a significant long hill at the other end of town. I knew that if I had to walk through town and up that hill, that by the time I got to the top of the hill it would be getting late. My chances of a ride would be diminished and I would have to find a place to sleep. So I told him that if he had the time I would love a drive to the top hill. He said "of course, I would feel bad if I was at home knowing that I had left you to walk up the hill". As I said - he was a decent guy.
He let me out at the top of the hill at a gas station. I crossed the gas station parking lot, scrambled down and then up a deep ditch that was thankfully fairly dry and was once again standing on the highway with my thumb out. It was just pass four o'clock. I had been on the road for ten hours and had gone less than five hundred miles. I needed to increase my speed somehow. Of course of all things that I think I have control over - I know that I have none over who picks me up and how far they are going.
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