July 15

Dreams danced through my brain and I rolled over in denial. I was no longer in Calgary, I no longer hung off skyscrapers cleaning windows. Yet in my vivid dream I fall…

And awake to my new reality. I peeled open my eyes and took stock. My clock said 5:52 am I groaned and rolled over, hoping for a few more minutes. Reluctant to return to my recurring nightmare. Real-life was a much better dream. I groaned inside myself and slowly rose to greet the day. As reality started to sink in, getting up lost its ominous feeling and my excitement grew. I was going fishing today, and I was taking my motorcycle to get there.

Prior to settling in last night, I loaded my bike with all the gear I would require. I removed the reels from my fishing rods and put them inside an old plastic tube I had. I then bungeed the tube to the back of the bike and put the bucket and the reels in one saddlebag and a small tackle box in the other. My bike loaded up, I laughed to myself and looked forward to my adventure for the day.

Traffic was heavy at 7:00 am as I throttled up the bike and headed to the dock. The fresh morning air wafted through my nostrils. Invigorated, I soaked in my twenty-minute ride from West Kelowna to the Manteo Resort.

The dock was much quieter at 8:00am than it was the previous evening. I fuelled up my boat in anticipation of the day. I contacted my guest and she said they were running behind. I was relieved as it gave me an extra thirty minutes to cruise the lake and make my way to Okanagan Centre boat launch. There was still a chill in the air as I throttled up my tri-hulled watercraft. 200 hp pushed me effortlessly through the water and I smiled to myself. All my life I have wanted to take my motorcycle to the boat to take people fishing. I cruised slowly under the bridge and watched the traffic crawl across it. I felt grateful my commute was much less crowded.

Four hours later my guests were left wanting more as I dropped them back on the dock. The single mother and her two kids hopped back in their motorhome for their drive back towards Calgary. I wondered about her story, on her own with her two sons, she is doing a good job as both parents. Her kids had no devices and were connected with the water and the environment. It was refreshing to see and I had a new found hope that our future is not solely in the hands of tech-addicted kids.

My next tour was meeting me back at the Eldorado docks so I powered up my vessel and flew above the light chop on the water. Thirty minutes later I arrived, energized by my ride and refreshed by the lake air.

This group was a special one. They were headed up by some friends I have known for a while but not seen since before the coronaverse began. It was good to see them and reconnect. Two hours went by in a flash and we returned to the dock with smiles all around. They had a blast spinning around on the tube and we agreed to do it again someday.

My day completed I cruised one more time under our bridge. That was when the ignorance and lack of respect on the water was brought back to my attention. A family was coming toward the bridge on their boat. They had their two young kids on a tube behind. Signs on the bridge clearly marked a speed limit of 8 KM /hr, they were going at least 25. The father wasn’t slowing down as he approached the underside of the Bennet Bridge. Flying along, oblivious to anything, he dragged the kids by me, I motioned for him to slow down. Unfazed they sped under the bridge, kids in tow. I wondered if he would drive that fast with his kids through a school zone. Is it the lake that makes people feel like they don’t need to obey the rules. Or is it just the excitement of the moment that makes them ignore common sense.

I am not the one to judge; I just go on and hope that no one gets hurt in our paradise. In the face of adversity, disease, or danger, we all have our own limits. I will continue to do my best, to be safe and enjoy every day. It’s all I can do.