THE ROCK HOSTEL

And yet I'm still in Onterrible....

2009-10-10T17:55:00.002-04:00

I have a woman, with children, in my life now. Really put a change to the plans I'd had for so long. To move to Newfoundland and open a hostel. It is always a possibility in the future, just not in the near future.

So what's to happen with the Rock Hostel then?

Good question. Anyone want a solid business plan?

A great deal of research and time went into the plan. I can almost guarantee success. I won't but I could almost. What my intention is, really, is to find someone to move out there and start it with my distant consultation. So if anyone wants to move to Newfoundland let me know. I can get you started into a business with growth potential. If not, then I'll do it when the time is right.

I'm still around

2009-02-11T11:41:00.002-05:00

The hostel is still on my mind. Still running ideas through my head. Circumstances have changed though. Now it'll be a a matter of working out the current living arrangement. If I can find the right person to help bring the idea to fruition, then I might not have to be there and still get it up and running. Anyone interested, fifty-fifty?

The last visit to the Rock.

2007-03-23T14:26:00.000-04:00

I say 'last visit' because I don't plan on visiting anymore. Next time I'm back will permanently.

I left late last Friday for a 22-hour stopover in Montreal. I had contacted some friends there before hand, to visit. Living in Banff all those years introduced me to people from all over Canada. My friend Karine, although away the previous week, let me crash at her place. I have to say seeing her when she got back on Saturday was so nice. I've known Karine for about seven years now. Unfortunately I didn't get to meet up with another friend, Annie, but there is always the future.

My life is very blessed with great people. I have a hard time saying that I have friends. I always say that I only count two people as friends. People I trust. People that would do anything for me as I would do for them. But in that I am wrong. I really do have many, many friends. All across Canada. To be able to go anywhere in this country and know that I would be welcomed into someones home, that I would have someone to visit for coffee. I was really proud to know that while visiting Montreal. And the shitty thing is that if and when my friends come to visit me at The Rock Hostel that I will have to charge them because I will be trying to run a business. I hate that thought. I'll work something out.

So after the unforgettable day with Karine and Guillame, they took me to Trudeau to get the flight to Deer Lake. Sunday was spent walking around the prospective town, checking out real estate, looking for various service providers; insurance, banking, etc. I didn't feel very productive though. I was becoming afraid that I had makde a mistake in coming. Monday faired a bit better but I still hadn't had the chance to see anyone or look inside properties. On the up side I did set a lot of appointments for the next day or two.

Tuesday morning was the meeting with the accountant, followed by the credit union manager, then the insurance broker, then the real estate. 4 o'clock I was taken by the agent to the bus depot and treated to lunch. Then the bus at 5:15 to the city. There I had to print off the business plan, purchase writing supplies. All told it took 3 hours to get that all sorted out. I made my way to a B&B so that in the morning I could meet with the Provincial Building Standards guy. In my venture around town I happened by the BDC so I went in to meet someone whom I'd only met through email. This was to be my first business plan presentation. I think it went well. I felt good about how everything had gone so far. I even managed to make my 2:00pm meeting. I was back in town so I could deliver my plan to the accountant, meet with the general contractor and do one more walk through the one building that needs the most work. A determination needs to be made on what building to buy based on what is the better deal. And where to get the money.

My last three days were spent in Grand Falls-Windsor visiting family. After ten days there, my fourth time in a four year period, I really felt comfortable there. The mainland held nothing for me in my heart. No attachment. If fact, I didn't want to have to leave and I want to go back now. I may. This is the decision that I need to make. Why not load up my van with all my stuff and drive off? There are jobs there. I could start my business. My heart will tell me, when the time comes. In the mean time I must continue to work everything out. Develop the business plan to reflect my new idea, my new timeline and implementation plan.

Wow, it's been a while.

2007-02-06T12:23:00.000-05:00

Anyone still reading along here must be asking "How's his hostel coming along?" People seem to think that I'm all talk and no action. Ya, maybe for the most part I am. I am full of good intentions but this is one that I'm going to follow through on.

Lately I've been working on the financial part of the plan. That is a process. I've been using the Interactive Business Planner through www.cbsc.org. For the financial statement you just type in your numbers and it does the calculations for you, putting the numbers in the right spot. I was advised by a friend to download my business plan from the net, giving me more freedom to format and adjust to my needs as the IBP was limiting. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I did. The trade off has been that the ability to perform calculations has been lost. I've had to copy the .doc info onto a spread sheet and figure out all the formulas so that the numbers come out the way they are supposed to. Not terribly difficult but definitely time consuming.

I've also been attending two general interest courses at night school. Starting and Managing Your Own Business and Bookkeeping for Small Business. Oh and to help my spreadsheet progress, I'm taking a spreadsheet course. It's a self taught one.

There has been a great deal of research to do as well. A kind of learning curve thing. Ask one question, the answer poses 5 more. I keep trying to write down places to phone and email and the questions I need to be asking. Sometimes I get them written, sometimes I don't. There are just so many questions. I contacted a hostel affiliation in regards to becoming an affiliate. The price is right to go through with it however I must thoroughly weigh the advantages over the disadvantages. That's one of the next steps. I've also been mulling over putting an offer in on the building that I am interested in. I was about to go through with it when the real estate agent told me that the sale terms are "as is". She wasn't clear on what that meant, thinking that if I make the offer and it's accepted then I it's mine. But I want to have it inspected first, a condition of offer so that I know the building is structurally sound. I've seen it and it definitely needs a great deal of work. I'll have to gut the building to make it suit the needs of The Rock Hostel. Great floor layout. Anyways, so there is all that to deal with.

In the mean time, I've also applied for a job in Steadybrook outside of Cornerbrook as a shuttle bus driver. I believe it is to pick-up and drop-off guests of the Humber Valley resort to and from the airport. It requires some sight-seeing guide experience, people skills, etc. Stuff I've done with Discover Banff Tours. We'll see how that turns out. I hope to hear back from them soon.

There's lots more to write about but instead of wasting time typing away at this I'd rather keep plugging away at my business plan. Until later I guess.....

Here are those older images of the cabin I promised

2006-12-28T19:25:00.000-05:00

Do you remember that cabin I went to visit, that had burnt down in '04. This is it. Very rustic but very cozy. It had a feeling of absolute comfort. Like snow on a hot spring day, GONE!

So what happened on the drive?

2006-12-14T09:31:00.000-05:00

I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked up in the Yukon or of my departure and drive to Ontario. It's a shame in some respects but I remember the beauty of it all. I went for a lot of dog walks. I'd be so amazed with the scenery both near and far and wish I'd brought my camera but pictures couldn't possibly do it justice. It was sad to leave Whitehorse. In fact, I still miss it there, three weeks later. When I arrived in Calgary, I was picked up by a college friend, Dave, where he and his wife, Cathy hosted my last night's stay in Alberta. I was afraid I wouldn't get to see them before I left. They are good people. After some commuting and waiting for insurance papers to come through I was able to get my "new" old van packed and ready to go. My rear license plate showing where I am coming from (Alberta) and my front plate showing where I am headed. The van was loaded. If I ended up with passengers, they would have had to sit on my lap. I don't know how I fit it all in before but this time there was even ess space. I barely managed to squeeze a spot for sleeping.

As for the drive, it seemed that I was more intent on messing with the camera than actually driving, from the number of photos I took. Mostly of how I couldn't see anything. It pretty much seemed like this the entire way. Until I got to Manitoba where there are some trees to break up the wind. All I could think is that if there was visibility, I was more likely to end up in the ditch. The prairies are more beautiful than you will hear most people admit. My favourite part of the drive and therefore most distracting. Distraction equals ditch. So I was a safe alert and paying attention for lack of anything else to do. It was in Swift Current, Saskatchewan that I got an oil change for fear that my van was going to die on me. She was, and still is, running quite rough. The tie rods are shot, the trannie is going, she needed a tune-up (which had just been done. There was, literally, dirt inside the fuel injection something or other. Not good) In Winnipeg, the HI allowed me to stop in have a cup o' soup and a shower before I continued on my way. Another reason I was glad to not have a passenger, I was getting smelly from sitting and sleeping in my van. I was in Thunder Bay the next afternoon. A quick little stop had to be made there for some fuel, some coffee and an alternator. Just the basics.
Now truly, I don't think that the guy a Canadian Tire was telling me the truth about my alternator but the choice was a) believe him and go through replacing it, making it less likely to break down or b) continue the drive to Wawa/Sault Ste. Marie and almost certainly break down a thousand miles from everywhere and thousands of dollars later. You can see the choice I made.

As for coming to a decision, I've decided to go to bed. Stay tuned for more. I will continue I promise. Although now that I'm in Ontario, it isn't all that exciting. The excitement comes in just over three months when I continue to Newfoundland. 'Til next time.

I am here....

2006-12-08T15:48:00.000-05:00

have been for a week almost. Got in Sunday night and started straight into fulfilling my commitment to my friend Pat. Last night I finally got more than 3 hours of sleep altogether although it was interrupted by having to go out for 1.5 hours at 4am. I came home and slept until 10am after that. I feel rested except I now have a tonne of things to do to get settled. The hard part is figuring out where to start. And I need my computer to be set up but I haven't the time nor the space and I haven't moved into my place yet. If I can move in, I will then have space to set the computer up, to set-up the wireless and then a bunch of other stuff can be done.

I have pictures and stories to update but can't here at the library as there is not enough time available or is it easy on this computer.

Will do soon though.

The nights are really long....

2006-11-21T00:14:00.000-05:00

Really long. The sun sets at around, oh say 4:30ish. So you can get cabin fever. I've been close, that is close to driving Wendy into cabin fever. So on days where I don't walk the dogs for a couple of hours in daylight hours, we go for a night romp. Not Wendy and I...us and the dogs! So the four of us, actually six of us went out to one of the nearby kettle lakes to run around in the deep powdery snow. Wendy took her skijoring gear and I brought the snowshoes for one of the girls to use. And now it's 9:13pm so we managed to stave off another long evenings winter boredom. It's just so nice outside.

This is Irie, hooked up to the skijoring equipment. I could get into this.

This is me and my friend Wilson. He's a hyper active dog, a bit of an attention span. "Hey, it's winter, there's heaps of fresh POW. Screw standing around for photo ops." But he would have been standing here if I could get him for long enough.

The Whitehorse sure is white.

2006-11-20T21:52:00.000-05:00

It's a hard life up here. I walk the dogs, cut firewood, make dinner, walk the dogs. If Newfoundland isn't my place then I know of somewhere else that I can go. I think there are more places to let the dogs loose for hours on end then there are people to own dogs. I'm pretty sure that dogs outnumber people up here. And I am working to earn money, don't you worry.

I've also posted on my other blog if you're interested...www.freeheelcaver.blogspot.com

Photos through to Skagway

2006-11-06T15:58:00.000-05:00

Only an hour in Juneau, I climbed up the trail of Mt. Roberts. I didn't bag the peak as it is another three miles and way the hell up north here there is only a bit of daylight left. That is the downtown section of Juneau. A city no wider than 2miles but longer than 14miles. It's similar to Banff and Canmore except there are people living in between the two towns. Some parts area mere 2ometres wide because of the mountains.
Juneau had a Gold Rush back in the 1860's. I could have gone panning for gold if it was earlier in the year. For a day of panning you might find 5-10$ worth of gold dust.

I stayed for two nights at the International Hostel. It is run by a collection of Church organizations. Very clean and very cheap, 10$US. Only had to perform a chore in return. I cleaned the men's sink and mirror the first night and the dining floor and table the second. The nature of my ride the next morning was a matter of destiny of course, I think I did mention. It was still dark when I was dropped off but shortly after that...was this...

Believe it or not but this really is a humpback whale sighting. I took two pictures. Photography is an art of patience of which I am still learning. Just after the second shot the fluke came right out of the water but my camera wasn't ready. It would have made a better shot than this. I have now seen several whales and Dall's porpoise.

This is Skagway. Very busy tourist town in the summer. Wooden boardwalks imitating days of old, old historic buildings. A town that thrives solely on the tourism trade. Everything is shut come winter. I hiked up to the old Gold Rush Cemetary which has some very important local figures in it, however, the original tombstones are long gone and replaced by hokey hand drawn replicas on boards. Not very authentic, actually more cartoony. But definitely a nice town. The hosttel hosts were very nice ladies, a mother and daughter covering for the owners' vacation.

I woke up on Monday morning with my heart telling me to get my ass to Whitehorse. Whose to argue with that. So I packed up my stuff and left, hitchike style from Skagway, AK. My heart must know something b/c I got a ride on the first thumb. I did break one of my own rules about not crossing borders with strangers but the border crossing is in the middle of nowhere land. Really, it's up in the mountains of the White Pass, windy as all hell. My ride left me at Caribou Crossing, known as Carcross. After a hot meal I walked to Canada's northern most "desert". The name escapes me but I think it's the Carcross Desert. A build up of sand dunes from the days of the Iceages, glaciers and winds. It's pretty cold out here but the rides were great. My last ride was a lady who asked, "Are you safe?" A good question, but what if I said "No!" I may still be there. As I wrote earlier, I am in Whitehorse, Yukon now. This has been one of the best trips ever. I am dubbing it "The Great Northern Loop Tour of '06". Here's a night shot from my first night. Hopefully some shots of the Aurora and other northern things.
More travels to come of course. I will head to Calgary at the end of this month and drive across Canada to Ontario. Following winter, pressing on to Newfoundland to open my hostel. That's it. Peace out

Backtracking to get caught up

2006-11-01T15:06:00.000-05:00

I'm still waiting to describe my experience, with pictures, of finding meaning in the events that have unfolded from, oh say, Prince George to the return from Haida Gwai/Queen Charlotte Islands.

Some of you have read below about the hitch-hiking across BC so far. I turned down a ride b/c my gut told me to hold out for something better, which surprisingly did come along. The VW to Smithers, dinner, and a super couple from Whistler. The next morning, a great ride with Tom to Prince Rupert. My few days there were spent hiking around, through the trails, along the oceanfront, trying to recall what we had done seven years previous (Mike and I) and getting organized to go the the Haida Gwaii. It's at this point that circumstances started to conspire to delay my experience over there. I wasn't able to find a way to the ferry from town so I walked at the risk of being late. No taxis anywhere. Misplaced my wallet too. So it happens, the ferry was running late. During the ride my hip, all of a sudden, flared up making it hard to walk or even sit comfortably. Otherwise I would have walked to Charlotte City and the Premier Creek Hostel. The entire Friday was spent drugged up on anti-inflamitory and drinking tea and watching movies and eating. I couldn't do much else but it was the right thing to do.

Saturday, determined to go through with this hike, come hell or high water, I packed my stuff and head out. My hip was fine but the weather crapped out. Whatever. The temperature was fine. I managed to walk the entire distance, past the ferry, to Skidegate, on to the other side. An hour-and-a-half, some 4-5 kilometres. I had to convince myself that I was achieving a state of Zen with the walk. If I didn't, I would have thrown my pack into the ocean in a screaming fit of rage. Serenity Now!!! It really was an enjoyable walk. I did get a ride from there to the trailhead but I was also given some news about my destination. It wasn't to be the same.

were signs all over indicating that the bridge wasAnother sign that something was up....There out, to use the river trail. No directions, no map, no clarity. I needed one of those insurance brokers from Clarica to explain. I walked further up the highway, to find no river trail but an old road cutting into the woods. Blair Witch eat your heart out. At some point down this trail I could have sworn there was a skull nailed to a tree in the woods but I couldn't quite tell. The trail ends at a wall of trees at the top of a ravine. Someone goes through here though cause there was flagging tape. I've learned in caving that following someone elses trail inevitably leads to nowhere but hell. Or just because there is a trail of footprints doesn't mean that it leads on. This one did but through really thick bush, me and my super heavy (and tall) backpack. The only thing I had to say is not repeatable here. All of this a sign that somethings up. It did pop out, not very far down from the trailhead. At this point I really wanted to know if the trail helped to avoid this bridge. Further on I found it didn't. I was expecting a 10m span of river with absolutely nowhere to cross at high tide. It was maybe a metre wide and the bridge was a little broken. Woopty poo. All part of the adventure I guess.

Further along, strong winds and a very active surf. I was more intimidated by the effect it had on my imagination that the physical effect. Which was none. It was windy and that's pretty much it. The tide was on it's way out so I had plenty of beach to hike. It was all pretty cool but maybe a little sad. I was, no question, the only one out there. So far, I have been reading the signs before me that I was to be disappointed. The loneliness really hit home when I arrived at the shipwreck. The last time I was here with my friend Michael, seven years ago. For some reason he would rather spend time with his wife that go on an adventure with me, I mean, come on. He was missing out.

I wasn't far now. This is where we had slept the first night of our trip. It should only be another few kilometres to that wonderful cabin that I have been so excited to stay at. From the shipwreck onwards wasn't too eventful. Very Zen. Lunch in the woods out of the wind. Cape Ball was in sight from here. Once again with the litter. It is amazing the amount of plastic garbage produced which in turn doesn't biodegrade, ends up floating around all over the world. It's rather unsightly.
As for the cabin, of which I have some great shots that Mike took, here is what it looks like today:

It's gone. I did manage to speak to a Parks Staff person about the cabin. The cabin burned down two summers ago due to a chimney fire. It belonged to a Fran Fowler in Charlotte City. She knew that people used it, she actually didn't mind. People cared for it, it was a communal cabin with most people contributing to the structure and atmosphere. The property has been sold to the builder of the new cabin. It's sad. Change that is.

This is the meaning of all the pain in the ass I encountered. The omens told me that something was different, that the trip was to not be like I was expecting. I did still had a great time just not in the cabin as I had hoped or for the extra night I had expected. I'm glad I went. It was a wonderful time. I learned that we, people, can not expect things or places to remain the same. Change happens. Places will be different, people will be different. I have learned something valuable. Paul out.

Guess where I am...

2006-10-31T01:59:00.000-05:00

I'm in Whitehorse. I actually hitch-hiked through the White Pass. The famous Klondike trail of 1897-98. I was in a truck though so...Anyways, I'm here and more to follow.

Did Juneau I'm in Alaska, main? Ya, Juneau.

2006-10-29T04:06:00.000-05:00

I don't have pictures with me for Juneau at this moment. And this is another computer that has it in for me. I can't upload pictures. I really find this frustrating.

What a great cruise up the Alaskan Inside Passage. Pretty inexpensive for the ferry ride, 200$ US. We left early in the day, all through the night and arrived in Juneau at 1:00pm. On Thurs night, I saw a humpback whale breaching just below Ketchikan, AK. What a lucky sighting. You really have to be looking in the right spot at the right time for the whales. I missed some sightings of orcas, but caught plenty of Doll's porpises. Hundreds. As you get close to the mammals, they dive deep and go far. They don't seem to like big boats. Who can blame them? It's been awesome. I met really nice people, pointing out neat things. Chris gave me a drive to downtown Juneau, a 14mile trek from the ferry with no bus service. The hostel is pretty good. Clean. Very strict though. A 10:30pm curfew and you can't be here from 9-5, at all. You are locked out. A great enforcer to get out and do stuff. I went hiking as soon as I got here and today I went touring around historical buildings, museums, and I went to the Alaskan Brewery Company. What can I say? I love touring breweries. It's the tasting I love most though. Tomorrow I leave for Skagway. I've been the only one here for a week or so. Tonight a man has shown up for the night. He's taking the ferry early in the morning so I will get a ride. Otherwise it would have been $30US. Some people do not realize how lucky they are in life. I...I am really lucky. Sometimes I truly expect to be killed, die or run down or something. A bit pessimistic but my good luck is really abnormal.

So anyways, I have to go to bed so I can get the High Speed ferry to Skagway at 8am. Then Whitehorse. And hopefully pictures. God knows I have tonnes to post here.

A whirlwind week....full of meaning

2006-10-26T02:21:00.000-04:00

I was speaking to someone at the ferry terminal. The ferry was delayed by an hour and a half. I was going on about how I couldn't find a cab and I didn't see the bus, I ended up walking. I thought i was going to be late. It was meant to be that way, reason being the ferry was late. It's true too. I do find meaning in the way events unravel before me.

The week as follows; picked up at the edge of Smithers by Tom, straight to Prince Rupert on Monday the 16th for a quick reorientation. A few days of walking around the shores, internet, business planning, errands. The ferry to the Haida Gwaii on Thursday the 19th, sore hip, the hike, the cabin, hitch-hiking, Premier Creek Hostel, almost got sea-sick coming back, more errands today, and tomorrow (the 26th) the Inside Passage of Alaska's Southeast coast to Juneau and Skagway.

So yes there are events taking place in there that to me related to one thing or another, where I could see the relationship and meaning. Tom was a young guy, I forget his age but married with two kids. Used to hitch all over BC here. He missed the lifestyle of being to up and travel around. He was very generous with his knowledge of the route we drove. Showed some of his scars from his grizzly bear mauling. I felt I was given a better understanding of the area I was revisiting. Because of his tour guidingness, I was able to walk down memory lane as we drove through town. I couldn't remember much about this place but he illustrated the things I could do while here. And I think that I may have inspired him with travelling again too.

I can't talk about the Haida Gwaii yet b/c that's where there seemed to be a conspiracy from the Soul Of The Universe to prevent, delay and shorten my trip there. I need some of the pictures and pictures of old too, MIKE!!!

Today I checked out the other hostel here in town. I had let my experience the first time taint my impression of the Pioneer Hostel. It was a dump seven years ago. A year late a new owner took over. It's beautiful now. I spoke with Olava(?), a twenty something managing the hostel while she attends college. She's been around for two winters now. She had some advice regarding things that would be done differently if they could. Ideas of how operations differ winter and summer. As a result, I was introduced to the idea of being a W.O.O.F. friendly hostel. I'd never thought of it but it's a good one. A place to stay in exchange for work done and maybe a small fee.

After all this, no major expanations about finding meaning, whatever. I need those pictures of Mike and I in the cabin seven years ago. I also need to talk about walking patiently being cleansing. I did a fair bit of that this week. My mind feels pretty clear, uncluttered. I have been working on my business ideas and process in my head. The Rock Hostel will happen.

Mike get me those pictures!!!! (his memory is like mine)

Litter, Trash, Garbage

2006-10-19T13:28:00.000-04:00

Now I love Canada. No just because it is trendy to do so or just because we have great hockey players. It's a great place. I hear it all the time from out-of-country visitors. What a beautiful country, you're so lucky you get to live here. It's so clean.

Well, I am ashamed to say it is not so clean. We Canadians have a very bad habit of littering. Of throwing trash out our vehicle windows on the highway and then there are the vandalizing garbage throwers. Wherever I go in this great beautiful country, I see an epidemic. Just today and yesterday I must have seen up to 10 shopping carts in the ocean and the river around town. During my time hitching along the highway, I was constantly looking at the Tim Hortons coffee cups, McDonalds packaging, gloves, shoes, plastic bottles filled with what I presume is piss, etc. It's bizarre how so few people, in this day and age, care about the impression that is made.

There are towns that will spend millions in trying to upgrade the offices, building new parks, preserving old buildings all in the effort of increasing tourism. After all tourism is Canada's fastest growing industry. But I have an easy and cheap solution, for all Canadians, to achieve a beautiful town or city. Clean up your garbage. Offices, band together for garbage pick-up day. Schools, have a community clean-up hour in your neighbourhood. Sports teams, clubs, organizations, use it as an opportunity to advertize. The possibilities are endless. We always see footage of prison inmates picking trash out of highway ditches. Why not? And most of all, if you see someone littering, say something.

I saw a gentleman in Jasper, out in the rain picking up garbage. I thanked him. It was his paying job. He explained he was developmentally challenged (?) and this was his job. He was doing a great one at that. He was making money and performing a valuable service. This isn't something limited to a particular class or education level. It is something we can all do.

The trees can be dead, the grass can be uncut, the weeds over grown. It will look natural and be appreciated. But the first piece of garbage will make it look unkept. What I saw on my two walks along the waterfront, I have seen in every town I have visited. When I get to Newfoundland, I hope to create a sense of caring amongst the citizens so that we can start to make Canada really clean.

The missed sunrise.

2006-10-19T01:22:00.000-04:00

Finally, I was able to get the sunrise shots up. I actually took a whole series. I am learning about my camera as I go so I used this location and time as a means to try different settings. I wasn't able to use the tripod as it was too short and there was no where to put it to keep it out of the ground vegetation.

The Hitchhikers Philosophy. Well, Mine Anyways.

2006-10-18T00:56:00.000-04:00

If I watched television as much as I liked to as a kid, to the point when I would remember that certain shows were on, then I would say one of the best shows on TV now is My Name is Earl. The show where Earl (Jason Lee) won money and got hit by a car. He figured it was Karma getting him back, with the car. So to keep the money he has to right his wrongs. Correct his karma. Funny show.

Where was I going?? Oh ya, karma. I believe in it. The commoners version. I believe I have good bee karma. I rescue bees out of windows so they don't die and hopefully I don't get stung. Haven't for a long time too. I don't steal from people that I could steal from. Or any other harmful action. I am too afraid of what consequences I will get in return....karma.

I have to interject here before continuing. Something else really wierd happened too. After walking I don't know how far at this point, I was standing at my last spot in PG. I thought out loud, really tuned into my gut instincts, what my next rides were going to be. I don't know how my instincts work so well but they do. The only way to explain what is happening is for you to read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. It's about listening to your heart, paying attention to the omens and following your dreams. So as I stood there, I wondered allowed what or who would be the next ride. As all these pickups were going by I thought that I would be picked up by another woman or someone in a minivan. A little while later I gave up on the current locale and started walking. I hadn't gone 100m when two native women stopped their little car. A ride out of the sprawling town of Prince George to Vanderhoof. I walked to the edge of Vanderhoof, ate my lunch and passed time by throwing stones at a drain grate in the ditch or pacing or playing in the sand. What can I say, there were no blackflies to keep me busy. It seemed as if the same vehicles kept going by, back and forth, in fact they were. Then a minivan pulled over. I remembered them passing just a few minutes prior. They had circled back around. They were only going a little ways up the road so I turned it down. So I had both women and the minivan. I sure am glad I didn't take it b/c of the next ride. My next thoughts were that turning down the ride was going to pay off big. To carry on now....

Hitch-hiking seems to work on similar principles. I hitched years ago. When I had a vehicle, I picked up riders. Once again, I'm on the recieving end. The people who pick up 9 times out of 10 are former hitchers, back in the 50's, 60's and 70's. Just returning the old favour. The VW'ers that picked me up, the driver, was a hitchhiker. I'd say of the 90's. Younger than I am for sure. I loved the van, too. I was laughing, fidgeting, all giddy like it was christmas and I was 7 years old again. I saw the VW van coming out of the distance leaving Vanderhoof, heading my way. I even thought of all VW vans that drove on by. So much for the 60's. This one stopped. I was blown away. A ride all the way to Smithers in a Westfalia. This now, as I write, seems like dream. But it did happen. Lucky for them they did pick me up. When we stopped for gas at the next town the van wouldn't start. The stories of VW's seemed to be prophecizingthemselves. It was the starter and I knew just what to do. After several attempts of bump starting I thought back to the hitting the starter with a wrench or hammer just hard enough to give it a jog. It worked. I needed a ride, they needed a solution. They needed a place to pull their camper, I had seen the sign to the campground. We celebrated our fortunes with dinner and wine, their treat. (Thanks again you two. Best sauce on Balsam....and Smithers).

I mentioned that I left them to sleep. It seemed the polite thing to do. To move on and let them enjoy their trip and I enjoy mine. But just for them some of what they missed that morning....For some reason I can't get some photos to upload. I have a couple of great shots of the sunrise, over the river we camped by. It was an amazing sunrise. At some point I will post it. Next time.

The missing pictures.

2006-10-17T13:47:00.000-04:00

A view on the way to Prince George with the gentleman going to Quesnel.

After walking what was supposed to be one kilometre (after another and another and another, oh and a correctional facility). Who picks up hitchhikers in front of a prison???...Nobody!! and still several kilometres to go, in the rain even, but I am finally here.

After after a character building rest amongst the wild inner city foxes, skunks and other nocturnal creepy crawlies. Tonnes o' slugs. I digress, the next morning while walking.... Mmmmm, I think I go this way.

How much further? Are we there yet?

And finally I must touch on the great ride I did finally get from Vanderhoof to Smithers with (forgive me) Jean-Yves and Teagen from Whistler in their VW Westfalia. I will talk more about them and the ride later tonight. I wanted to take a picture of the van from the outside but in my early departure from the park I didn't. (I would have said goodbye to you both but you were still sleeping at 900am. I'm in Rupert now. If you can email me a picture of you and your van, I would like to post it here.)

I am having a little difficulty formatting so bear with me. If the story isn't making sense, let me know so I can clarify.

Don't read this Mom!!!

2006-10-17T01:07:00.000-04:00

This is posted all over the highway leading from PG to PR. It kinda scared me at first. I was more worried about how I was going to get west from where I was not about ending up dead. I actually took a moment to wonder about taking the bus. But I look at hitchhiking the same way that you would look at walking to the convenience store around the block. You wouldn't, you'd drive. So for me it was a) walk back and pay to take a bus for 8 hours or b) stand here, stick out my thumb and get a ride for free and meet someon interesting. Needless to say i chose b). I thank my lucky stars that I am now in Prince Rupert. Click here "Highway of Tears" to see a website about it. It is pretty interesting as many of the missing are native and response to the story was slow. I don't know the whole story so I can't say much more but I found it interesting and relevant. I thought it fitting to plug the web page as a tribute or what have you.

For the time being...

2006-10-16T14:19:00.000-04:00

Good morning Everyone. All is well. I am in Smithers, B.C. I had a bit of a downer getting through Prince George but I only spent one night there so it isn't all bad. Both the hostel and the National Hotel (which use to offer hostel bed rates) have closed. It was raining. I walked a very long distance. It was a bit disappointing. I stopped into Tim's to refresh, centre myself, eat some chili with garlic toast. A short cab ride later I was in an area that I could set up camp and get some shut eye. The ride to Prince George was actually pretty good. Two rides. First with a lady going back to The Island after working as a cook in Grand Prairie I think. We stopped at the border of Mount Robson Prov. Park for this photo. The Rockies highest peak.

But must back up a bit. I kicked around Jasper town for a bit in the morning, bought some meat, apples and a bagel for lunch. I then walked along the train tracks in hopes of jumping a train. The whole time I walked, stopped, ate some lunch and packed up one train went by. That's when I went to highway that headed west. It was there that the nice lady above picked me to get me further along, past the Valemount interchange. She was a nice lady, talked about all sorts of stuff. Loves Mount Robson so she stopped.

I walked from the interchange to a middle of nowhere gas stop. Not far, maybe a click up. Now the traffic was thinned quite a bit so I thought for sure that I was sleeping out here. No worries. Pay phone if I needed and a place to get water. My only concern is that I'll get eaten by some carnivore. The only thing eating me though was the blackflies. Holy crap. It's October and there are blackflies. The people passing must have thought I was crazy, swinging my sign and arms around, trying to swat the little buggers away from me. If only they could hear the profanity. This is the view heading through the real nowhere of the #16 highway of which there is nothing between McBride and Prince George. This guy, Don, is a Newfoundlander. Born out by Placentia Bay. He looked like he could be from my Dad's side of the family. He left me at the highway leading to Quesnel(where he was headed) and I walked the thousand miles in to PG.

Gotta run now, I just wanted to post a picture of the sunrise this morning. It was beautiful. I've been sleeping outside in the fresh air. Waking up early. This morning I decided that I was going to relax a bit though. To take in the scenery and the atmosphere of this quanit little town in Northern B.C. My trip into Smithers has been one of good omens, good karma and really nice people. The mountains are dusted in fresh snow (from the recent rain fall I presume). I am limited to how far I feel like walking as I have two packs. The reason for the extra pack and the dry goods to eat is for when I get to the Haida G'waii (Queen Charlottes). Once I am done that trip I will be much lighter. But I will try to enjoy this as much as possible. In other words, focus less on where I am try to get to and more on where I am. You should too. You will enjoy life more.

The journey has finally begun, its hard leaving Banff...

2006-10-13T21:53:00.000-04:00

As departure day arrived I was getting sad. Sad in the realization that I am leaving Banff. Most likely for the last time. And I was afraid about taking on this trip. I*ve been wanting to get to work on my hostel for a long time now as many people know. So much so that people I haven*t seen for a while ask me when I am opening, haven*t I left yet, etc.

After dropping off my bike and my barracks box at the Bus Depot, I left @ 1105h for the Trans Canada Highway. Away I go...

I was there at the ramp about 15 minutes later. It was an hour and a half before I got a ride. I have to admit I was getting pretty bored standing there. So I was battig stones trying to hit the wildlife fence. So at about 1252h, I got a ride to Lake Louise with some Spanish tour guides that were meeting clients for lunch. They dropped me at the highway exit before they continued into the village. I donned my two packs, which at 75lbs may seen alot but they felt quite light. It was hot though. Acoording to my thermometer, it was about 18 degrees. Not bad for October but tough for hitchhiking. No sympathies when the weather is nice. It*s gotta be cold and-or raining. My gut told me to stay by the Pipestone campground turn out. Street lights and still accesible to the HI if need be. At this point I remembered that I was carrying some tobacco with me for offerings to Mother Earth and the Great Spirit. So I said a little prayer of thanks and blessings. I had not even put the tobacco away that a pickup pulled over. He wasn*t going to Jasper but he would take me to the turn off. And what was really wierd, he had a braid of sweetgrass and a sage bundle on his dash board. The Great Spirit works in mysterious ways. He dropped me of just below here (this is where I just came from) looking south back towards Mt. Temple.

Around 1410h, another pickup stopped. He said he*d get me to Jasper but he was headed to Kamloops. Ummm, wrong turn buddy. You*re headed north now, not west. My misfortune but I set him on the right road and here I waited for another hour and a half. I kept reminding myslef that this journey will unfold as it is meant to. That is to say, when I really need a ride, I will get it. If I truly need a place to sleep, it will be there. I will be where, have exactly, and wait for what as is destined. This is not to say that there is no effort required on my part. I still have to walk, stick out my sign, pay, etc. So the question remains, when the hell am I getting my ride? Kidding.

I did get a ride to Saskatchewan crossing and two minutes later to Jasper where I got dropped right to the Jasper Inernational Hostel. All in all a good day. I got to where I figured I would. So today I think that I will head west. I have to be in Prince Rupert by the 19th. Please leave comments someone, anyone. Messages. So I know that you are reading. Wish me luck.

The anticipation is killing me!

2006-10-09T18:58:00.000-04:00

I'm leaving Banff to begin my journey of starting my hostel. But rather than going straight to Newfoundland, I am going to take advantage of my location within Canada to some western traveling. I am due for a hitchhiking journey.

My itinerary is as follow; next Monday at the latest I will be thumbing up to Jasper and then heading to the west coast town of Prince Rupert. Now how I get there hasn't been determined yet. It's kinda gunna be a surprise at the whim of the omens. If my destiny sees fit I will be hopping train, hopefully the right one. Most trains go to Vancouver from Prince George but there are those that go to PR. I read about someone making a similar trip in June of this year. It is feasible but not necessarily always possible. Otherwise, by thumb.

A while back I made a list of the personal feats I wish to accomplish in my life time. Nothing to extravagant but ones that mean something. Going to PR will make possible one of these. I am going to take the ferry to the Haida G'waii (more commonly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands) and hike up the East Beach to a cabin I once stayed at with a good friend in the middle of a Pacific winter storm. (I have pictures of it on my hard drive but it's packed now) I want to go to do some work on it. It's a hippy cabin that is free to use by anyone who goes there. So I'd like to go to contribute and enjoy.

Following the ferry ride back in a few days I will take the ferry up Alaska's inside passage to Skagway. For that I shall definitely have photos. Then on to Whitehorse until the end of November when I drive from Calgary to Onterrible.

This is my last week in Banff. It's been a fun run but I don't think I can stay here much longer. I have become disenfranchised with the commercialism at the expense of community, environment and the National Park as a whole. Too much government bureaucracy. I hope to use this traveling opportunity to conduct research for my hostel too. I will be staying at some hostels along the route, taking pictures, running over ideas in my head, making notes, etc. I sincerely believe that my hostel is needed and will be viable (unless of course, world events lead us into a hell in a hand basket situation and then nobody will travel anywhere.)

So wish me luck, leave my your comments or send me an email. I hope to see you all someday again soon, visiting me in Newfoundland of course.

Time for getaway 3 of 5

2006-09-28T15:36:00.000-04:00

I have run out of time here in the valley. My summer has been a good one as it is my last one. Getaway number three was meant to be a cycle trip from Banff to Canmore, staying at the Alpine Club Clubhouse (HI). I never got to do it. But I did last year and what a wonderful trip. The only draw back is the ride along the highway. I never had the courage to cycle the Spray river trail, not with all my bike bags on. Really it was more laziness than courage. But part of the idea of the getaways is to promote activities for people to do without using vehicle transportation. To be self-propelled.

The Canmore Alpine Club Clubhouse is in a gorgeous location. It's on the far edge of Canmore, up on a hill over looking the valley. And yet secluded from the urban sprawl that is occuring in Canmore. When I did the trip last year I rode into town, grabbed some food at the grocery store and went up to the hostel. A BBQ dinner was the evening meal. I topped it off with a walk in the surrounding benchland. I used to walk in that same area with my friend and her dogs. So it was nice to reminise of days gone by. What I enjoyed most, was the feeling that, although only a thirty minute drive or one hour bike, I felt as if I was on a vacation. Like I was at a cottage in the countryside.

The next day I spent a little time in Canmore, running a few errands, packed up a healthy lunch and headed home via the highway again. I stopped off to the old town site of Anthracite to eat my lunch among the aspens by the creek. Just thinking about it now creates a relaxed sensation in my body. Just think, if the residents and visitors of Banff were to jump on a bicycle for a one or two hour ride to a hostel, hut or cabin. They would actually be doing something more like a vacation than just hanging around the Town of Banff. Afterall the ToB is just a town in a very large and beautiful National Park.

2 of 5 Getaways from your getaway

2006-07-01T01:10:00.000-04:00

My seat is sore. I won't go into what I mean exactly but I can tell you that Skogan Pass is a tough one to do in 30 degree C heat with a loaded bike. Of course I had planned the trip ahead of time without anticipating what the weather was to be. As per usual, the weather turns to whatever it needs to be to challenge me in my resolve. Normally a I am subjected to rain, lightning, snow, wind but it had to one up those and make it harder to deal with, extreme heat in the likes of Onterrible temperatures of 30+ and humidity.

Suck it up is what I hear my very good friend saying to me (in my head, thanks W.) By the way I did this trip with my friend's fiance's friend. She shall remain nameless so as to not cause her embarassment or shame or to keep her from killing me for saying something I shouldn't. She biked to Banff, where we met, biked back to her place where I promptly passed out on the couch as she tried to convince me that we should bike the Smith-Dorrien (which would have added a thousand more kilometres and probably more scenic and not as up-hill). I wasn't convinced that a longer route was better than a 625m climb through a pass that went through the forest which lots of potential for getting lost. In hindsight, I would have been better to do the Smith.

Anyways, we did the Skogan, after being lost for 2 or so hours. The trails are not marked very well. Once at the top, the hard part behind us, it felt rewarding knowing all the Ts and Ts that we went through to get there. Our being lost and my complaining that we were lost. My friend's eyes screamed death to me or stick a sock in it. But in all fairness, if she let me look at the map as often as I wanted.....

From the top it was smooth sailing to Nakiska ski resort and then the Ribbon Creek HI hostel. This was a nice place. In a glade of trembling aspens near Ribbon Creek. The manager is Mark, 25 years old. Very hospitable. Nice quiet atmosphere, firepit, village nearby, comfortable lounge. I could very easily go back. My partner had arranged for some friends to come out with food for a picnic. My friend Mike was there minutes before us. Followed by his fiance and then the other couple. Good food, good friends. I hope to never forget that night. It was a top ten. I'm glad that it was thought of. Again, after all had left, I passed out. I haven't seen stars for a long time.

The next mornings departure took us along the Stoney Trail. A long winding path that follows along the west side of the Kananaskis Valley. A road really, under power lines, but it made for a relatively smooth bike ride, scenic, and travels along the west shore of Barrier Lake. We followed the route to Camp Chief Hector but I think that we weren't supposed to. It was very clear. The rest of the trip was along the 1X to the 1A to Canmore with a lunch break at Grotto Pond(?)

After all that ass numbing riding I caved and purchased a pair of extremely expensive cycling shorts/convertible pants. My bottom feels better now.

1 of 5 Getaways from the getaway

2006-06-17T00:08:00.000-04:00

As my time here in the west, in Banff National Park, in Banff winds down I have set out several goals to achieve while I am still here. A few float trips down the Bow river to Canmore, several bicycle camping/hostel trips, some hiking, a couple of road trips, and my last trip should be a bicycle trip between Banff and Jasper but I haven't decided in which direction to go yet.

My weekend just finished, today is my Sunday, even though it's Friday. So much has happened once again that I feel my two . five days has been forever. On Wednesday(my Friday) it was a toss up between camping at one of two sites, going to Canmore hostel or Castle hostel. The choice was made. This trip was going to be a bicycle trip to Castle Mountain Hostel. I felt as though I wasn't going to go on my Friday though. I was a bit pokey as I always am. I get distracted. But I did it. I packed up my bicycle bags, panniers they are called(for some reason, people think I am saying panties). One with food, one with some books, binos, boots, another with a blanket and raingear, and the last with clothing. Two on front(the light ones) and two in rear(heavy). And what happens when I make plans to go on a trip where I will be travelling for an extended period of time OUTSIDE.....the weather goes to rat shit.

After I packed I went downtown to buy some food and let my friends in on my plan. A thunder storm hit. A big one. A long one. I can't believe it. It happens on every trip it seems. So I ate a sandwich after shopping and waited the storm out. I think it was all clear by 6:30 and off I went. I tried to take it slow so I would get too much of the sprayback from my bike tires. Made several stops along the Bow Valley Parkway to read to exhibits, enjoy the scenery, etc. I arrived at Castle Mountain HI Hostel just after 8:30pm. I would love to describe it but you will have to see it for yourself. The lounge blew me away, the view, the comfort, the fireplace. It was the right decision to go there. After a good nights sleep I hiked up to Rockbound Lake(#21) on a very rainy day. Didn't see a single person. Utter paradise. I even took a nap under a clutch of trees where it was still dry, while it was pouring and windy out of the cover. Rockbound was beautiful. The purple saxifrage that was growing along the shoreline was vibrant. I love wildflowers. There was also a bald-eagle flying near Tower Lake. And....and...I went along the shore of Rockbound to see it's drainage. Wow. You can't. It's draining through karst. An underground cave system is it's draining point. About half way down the old canyon the river comes out from the cliff and down it goes. It was the coolest.

Back at the hostel that night, chatted it up with Tony, the hostel manager. He's been a hosteler for 28 years. He had a great deal of insight to share with my future endeavours of starting a hostel in Newfoundland. I've made some notes and will put them to good use. Check out Castle Mountain. It's definitely top 5 of the 30 or more hostels I've been to.

So true!

2006-05-12T00:31:00.000-04:00

The summer kick-off trip.......SNOW!!!

2006-05-03T23:01:00.000-04:00

I have made a list of the things I wish to do over my last four months here in Banff National Park. A lot of it revolves around my bicycle, cycling to some location and staying there. Canmore, a series of campsites and eventually to Jasper and back. That will be the killer. My IT bands get sore after a bit but I'm hoping that with some trips and lots of riding that I will be okay. The round trip to Jasper and back is 590 kms. Really a 6 day trip. I plan for 10 or so. Just so I can enjoy myself. It's one of the world's most popular "short" rides. Through the mountains, a couple of hard up hill sections and beauty. My Canmore and Jasper trips will allow me to focus on information collecting for my Hostel. Evaluating and making notes.

I also have an easy trip of riding my Crappy Tire raft from Banff to Canmore. About a four hour jaunt. ON a nice sunny day, with a couple of beers and maybe a few friends in their own boats. It's sort of a locals thing to do here. I just hope the weather gets better. Last year sucked.

Speaking of which...I was able to cross off one of my "to-do's". My friend Michael and I cycled, with loaded bikes to LM9 along the shores of Lake Minnewanka. No sooner than we were ready to leave it started to snow. As per usual whenever we plan a trip. It snowed the whole way. It didn't really affect us, rather we enjoyed it immensely. The lake had more ice on it than a it did the same time last year so no boats. Nothing but absolute quiet. We could hear it snowing. With the right woman, I would live the rest of my life in that type of environment. My goal for my last summer in Banff is to spend as much time doing what I love so that after I've left I have nothing but nice fresh memories of enjoying the wilderness. I hope it works.

Lake Louise Hostelling International

2006-04-24T21:12:00.000-04:00

For my days off last week I decided that I would make a trip of it. I purchased a ticket to the ski hill where I would spend the day skiing followed by a night at the Hostel in Lake Louise. The next day, if I hadn't hurt my leg, I would have skied again. Instead I sat with the manager of the hostel for an interview regarding the hostel's operations. It was great. Asked the questions, made some notes. I expect that I will do the same with more hostels across Canada and to contact HI Canada to get more details. I don't know if I will aim for the HI accreditation right away but it's a good idea to atleast aim for HI standards. The learning continues...

It may seem wierd...

2006-04-17T22:22:00.000-04:00

I AM A TREE HUGGER!!! Yes, really, I do. I hugged three just a while ago. It's quite a sensation in doing so. Douglas firs. I usually hug the really big trees, but I felt that the two medium sized trees needed it or that I needed what they could provide with my hug. Then more recently, I saw a small baby (15-20 years) Dougy tree. I hugged it too. I love trees. They make me forget all the problems in the world, as if everything is and will be okay. It's a good feeling. That's why I write now. I have forgotten the problems and feel hopeful, glad, at peace. Go hug a tree, let me know if you feel the same!

Two weeks is definitely not enough...

2006-04-16T17:36:00.000-04:00

For some strange reason I wasn't clueing in about the size of Canada. I have done some work on my bike, riding it around Banff, commuting, etc. And this thought arises that since I am leaving at the end of August to go back to Ontario, maybe I could ride my bike there. I figured that if I left two weeks earlier than Mike and Nicole that I would get there around the same time. Duh. 3500 kms in 14 days. Maybe if I had motor assist. So unless I have a huge sum of money drop on my lap, there is no way that I will be riding my bike. Not yet. It is on my to do list in life but now is not the time. My priority is to keep making and saving money for the Rock Hostel.

August 28th then the New Year.

2006-04-06T23:22:00.000-04:00

I have figured out ahead over the next year, finances, events, job potential, etc and it seems the best time for me to leave Banff will be the last week of August. I made the decision based on a caving event down in West Virginia. Only a 10 hour drive, held during Labour Day weekend and one helluva good time with great people. Then go back to Onterrible to see the change of the leaves in fall. The other benfit is the extended summer. Here in Banff we have two seasons, winter and July. By the endof August the leaves are falling, and so is starting at higher elevations. Summer in Ontario lasts well into September during the day, anyways. So, this goes to say an extended summer.

Then for the business advantage of being that much closer to Newfoundland so if necessary I can fly there in an afternoon from Toronto. Phone calls won't have to take place in the wee hours of the morning b/c of time difference.

Luckily me friends are getting married August 5th here in Banff and coincidentally driving back to Shwagissauga around the same time I was planning to go. (When they leave, I will have no close friends left here). It may work out that we share a rental truck and drive across together. I may even try to convince them to come to OTR as guests.

I worry about my plans though. Every time I make them they fall through. I think I deserve these plans to follow through though. I have been working two jobs for the past two years, paid off an incredible amount of debt and even volunteering for the opportunity to gain more experience with running my business. I am due for something good to happen to me, beyond winning 10$ in the lottery. I have been breaking even for the last year or so rather than being down at the bottom, which used to be the case. My request is that I catch a break so that I can finish off the last of this debt, move to Newfoundland and start the Backpackers Hostel. I'm going to make it happen although I'm scared as hell. I expect it will be hard work. I can do it.

I had something else to say but I forget. What age does to the mind....

oh ya after five months in Onterrible I plan to head to the Rock and work towards opening in the spring of 2007. Keep checking for more details as they get worked out.

2006-02-28T10:36:00.000-05:00

Friends of North America's Grizzlies

Still no announcement from the provincial government regarding this spring's grizzly bear hunt of future grizzly bear policy.
But the announcement will be made on or before FRIDAY.
STILL TIME FOR YOU TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!

Please CALL Minister Coutts TODAY

Simple message:
1. Grizzly recommended as threatened 2 years ago
2. Recover Plan completed in December 2004.
3. Suspend the hunt
4. Implement and strengthen the Recovery Plan

TOLL FREE to Minister's office, calling from Alberta
call 310 0000 wait for the message, then dial 780 415 4815

from other locations, call the Minister's office at
780 415 4815

PLEASE call TODAY

THANK YOU VERY MUCH !!

jim

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jim Pissot, Executive Director

Defenders of Wildlife Canada

PO Box 40001

(999 Bow Valley Trail, Second Floor)

Canmore, AB T1W 3H9

jpissot@Defenders.org

403-678-0016

403-678-0016 FAX (call first)

http://www.defenderscanada.org

Defenders of Wildlife Canada works to save and restore wildlife

and the special places it needs to survive for future generations.

"Time built three things on the old mountain, a venerable aspect, a community of minor animals and plants,

and a grizzly. The government trapper who took the grizzly...did not know he had toppled the spire

off an edifice a-building since the morning stars sang together."

Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac

Dilema, dilema....

2006-02-15T17:29:00.000-05:00

So the question is do I stay put for another year or so, pay off the last of my remaining debts before jumping into 'The Rock Hostel' or do I take the chance and move there now? I made the decision to go and the house I wanted sold. I'm having a hell of a time getting information on this new property. And I do have somethings that are on my 'to do list' here in Banff. But I want to be there now. It's just frustrating. Being here will be the better thing to do b/c going there with no debts will make not having any money for the first year or two much easier.

One thing I have thought about is that I would like a partner that is business savy, taking away my worry about myself being able to accomplish the necessary matters, administration wise. It would me having to share the profits but it also means more hands carrying the load and getting more done in a timely fashion.

If you visit this blog please leave a message. I need peoples feedback to justify the need for greater tourism support in Newfoundland and Labrador.

SOLD!!!

2006-01-30T13:58:00.000-05:00

My house, and I say MY b/c I wanted it so bad and was almost there in owning it, was bought out from underneath me. The Real Estate agent didn't even let me know. What a jerk. She had my deposit still, knew that I really wanted the house and was working on the purchase (with a friend).
She never seemed all that concerned with my interests though. She is of course working for the seller and not the buyer. But as the buyer you'd think she would be encouraging the process to get it sold. Whatever.

I now have another place in mind. Only a few thousand more and not a house but commercial property which will allow for me to apply for Gov't aid in starting my business. And once again the real estate agent is not responding to my efforts of making contact. What is it with these people?

My close friend has reviewed my business plan, made a great deal of suggestions and changes. In applying them the plan becomes more solid.

I was going to move out east by the 31st of March but the omens seem to point to staying put for a bit longer and enabling the business to become more financially sound and therefore more successful from the gate.

Somebody write back please. I am looking for feedback to get my hostel going successfully.