Saturday, July 2, 2011

As usual, I started the tour late. My claim the previous evening to leave “as soon as the sun rises” was about as accurate as the Regina media’s claim that Paul McCartney was actually going to come and play there. Still, we were all well intentioned I suppose.

Shortly before noon I started my trek West. The previous evening I celebrated Canada Day with my friends in our band Jackwagon. We had a gig the day before at a community block party of sorts, which meant that I celebrated the biggest day of the summer in style playing my bass in the warm sun.

The weekend couldn’t be more perfect: guitars, motorcycles, sun, and a road trip. I could barely contain myself.

I had only one regret as I left the Battlefords: I was leaving my dog Penny behind. I had made arrangments for her to stay with my family while I was gone. Despite the fact that she enjoys visiting my family and they enjoy her company, I did feel bad that she was unaware that this was not a standard short visit- she would be staying with them for a long time. I’m sure she’ll be fine. Maybe this was going to be harder on me than her. I guess we’ll see. I’ll call alot to make sure she’s ok. I left her lots of toys. And a shirt that I wore to bed for two weeks so she has my smell nearby. And lots of chew treats. She’ll be fine. She’ll be fine.

The mission for the day was simple: get to my brother Sean’s place in Calgary. I headed west through Wilkie, Macklin, and Castor, where I took a turn due south to Drumheller.

The ride itself was very quick and exciting. The first day is always odd. I look forward to each trip for the entirety of the year before it, and when the day finally comes it takes some time to adjust. Nothing makes me feel more liberated than breaking out of my usual routine and roaring West on Silver. I’m sure I had a huge smile on my face during the entire 8 hour journey.

The afternoon started to fade into evening when I rolled into Calgary, where my brother was waiting with our friend Marcel. We went to some restaurant that was pretty much Moxie’s in Sheep’s Clothing. After a hearty dinner we adjourned to Sean’s place for a screening of one of the finest examples of martial art cinema: Gymkata. Half gymnastics. Half karate. All adrenaline. If you own a VCR go find a copy. A classic film from our childhood was a solid way to end a beautiful day.

I had a burned face, however, and my legs and butt were sore from a long ride. I did my best to get some solid sleep. I had a long day of riding to the Kootenays tomorrow.