Falling on my head like a memory

Hello Everyone,

Who doesn't think of the Eurythmics when it's been raining a lot? People who weren't listening to good music in the 80s would be my only guess.

I woke up this morning and it was cold and raining again. I'm really trying to like Fernie, but circumstances are making it hard. In addition to the rain, there is no laundromat in town, so I spent a few hours last night trudging around the resort, in whose parking lot I am staying, trying to get a load done in one of the lodges here. I won't bore you with details, but it involved way more walking and machines than one load ought to.

Things did start to look up in the late morning though. I finally found a newspaper so I could do a crossword, which put me in a better mood. Then Arthur and I headed out for a big ride. I started off wearing my jacket over my long sleeved bike jersey, but about 10 minutes into the ride, the skies opened up and it got sunny. I was over dressed.

But I'll take it. The sun didn't stay out all afternoon, and it clouded over again, but it's still a win.

We climbed for a solid two hours, up to the top of Castle Mountain. Like most mountains, it offered great views, but the real treat for me was on the ride down.

For long stretches, the descending trail was open on both sides, the trees being maybe 3-4 meters away on either side. This has allowed the grasses, and more importantly the wild flowers the space to grow. It was enchanting.

It's easy to forget how beautiful wild flowers can be. They don't crowd together like in a garden or bouquet. Instead, they dot the landscape with yellows, reds, blues, and purples. I love gardening, but there's something about wild flowers that is good for the soul in a different way. They exist apart from us, and we can only appreciate them on their own terms. It's a good reminder.

Now, it did cross my mind that it's quite likely that bears would also appreciate the qualities of these open spaces. We didn't see any, but I kept a weather eye open.

Wes

P.S. Photos!

The first two are from my ride today (July 4th) where I rode in the provincial park. I'm a day behind between posting text and pictures. But they show the wildflowers I talk about here, so I thought they were appropriate.

The third photo is of my ride on Castle Mountain, which I talk about in this post. It's taken from the very top. You'll note that Arthur is on leash in the photo. I'm paranoid that he'll take off after something and slip over the edge. It was a very long way down.

The last photo is one I took in my Ocean Beach t-shirt (it's the neighbourhood in San Diego where I stayed when I was there), that I sent to my friend there. I was sending my best wishes while they celebrate the anniversary of their insurrection.