“It’s been a rough year.” I said that to a friend when we were talking about this year’s tour and he pointed out that I say that every year. “Not every year,” I told him, “only the last three.” He agreed.
Last winter I was forced to contemplate major changes in my lifestyle, career, finances…you name it…and during that time there was one thing that always put a smile on my face. One thing that acted as a rock of stability during a tempest of the unknown: my annual motorcycle tour to British Columbia. There were many nights where I would take bottles of wine of out my collection and would instantly be taken back to a hot summer day in the Okanagan and remember every detail of how and when I bought that wine.
Now don’t get me wrong- things have changed dramatically. Life is pretty damn good right now…and with good times my desire to travel longer and farther this year can be accommodated. I want to go places that I have never been to and see people I haven’t seen in a long time, all the while devoting time to my favourite places and familiar faces.
I can say with certainty that no trip so far has been planned with so much detail and so far in advance as this one. For months I have spent time on travel sites looking for just the right place town to visit, the right motel to stay at, and the right restaurant to visit. Every decision I’ve made has been deliberate.
And now the time has come…the time to throw of the shackles of a life a little less ordinary and embark on adventures that will provide years of memories and smiles on my face during dark winter days.
I’ve fought many battles over the last few years- none bigger than the one this last year. After everything I’ve been through I am certain that I can take on any challenge. I can fight any fight no matter how horrible the odds. I am a warrior, and for the next few weeks…
a Road Warrior.
BC Bike Tour 