I was in the prime of my youth on this tour.  I love looking at these pics and how much fun I was having.

This was the original epilogue from 2007 (about two days after the tour ended):

After such a long trip, I was both ready and glad to return back to Saskatchewan. British Columbia is beautiful, and they have a lot to offer that Saskatchewan can’t, but there are still a lot of similarities. The “pioneer” spirit is the same in many ways- it took tough people to settle the West. Whether you are braving the Rockies or a tough Saskatchewan winter- I marvel at the risk and fortitude it took our forefathers to settle this place. And southern BC is interesting because this was the last battleground between American and Canadian control. The gold rush of the 1800s attracted a lot of American interest in the Kootenays and southern BC…thanks to Sir John A’s railroad we have a strong, united country.

One major difference is real estate. It would be difficult to find a place in BC- especially in the Okanagan- that isn’t developed. Saskatchewan, on the other hand, is still largely undeveloped. In my view, however, all of that is changing. Saskatchewan is the last frontier in Canada. The last place where real estate is still readily available and relatively inexpensive. The last place where our natural resource potential is still largely unexplored and undeveloped.

But, like I said, all of that is changing. And once it’s changed we can’t go back. The decisions made and the path we take in the next 5-10 years will have the greatest impact in Saskatchewan’s history. This is the turning point. This is the crossroads. How we are managed and governed is the most important right now. And there’s an election looming in the near distance….

At this point, I should insert some line like: “Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home.”

But there’s no reason for Saskatchewan to be humble.

 

Sounds like a stump speech for a politician, doesn’t it?  Well, it ended up being one.  I didn’t write it at the time, but I was having conversations with the Leader of the Saskatchewan Liberals about running in this provincial election that Fall.  In fact, he called me while I was in my motel room in Kaslo.  I remember it clearly.

Anyway, I ended up running.  I wanted to live life and honestly believed I could make a difference.  There is no doubt in my mind that Ryan & Silver’s Excellent Adventure 2007 was a contributor to that decision.   I felt so free and ready to take some risks because I was bulletproof.  What a great time.  If I could go back in time and do any of them again, it would be this one…just to feel like that again.  I suppose that’s what the tours are about…because that is how I feel on all of them.  Free and bulletproof.