November 02, 2004
The Tours End
So how did the last week of the BC Parks Lovers Roving Kiosk Tour go? Well, Let me tell you…
So Manning Park was the destination for the tour’s end. The logging in the Silverdaisy area was a bad deal for the potential of new parkland and a bad idea for the continued existence of the Spotted Owl in Canada. The last time I was here things were a bit hectic and I had just begun my summer of sleeping in a tent (check out my first journal entry for detail on that, but I’ll give you a clue: I got yelled at and called names you wouldn’t want your children hearing).
This time, I was gonna really sock it to them. Unfortunately, there was no parking meter to deal with at this location and Manning was what the Liberals had envisioned for all parks, what with the lodges, skiing, etc.
Truth be told, the West Gate at Manning is where I did most of my reading this summer. People only stop in, they don’t head there. But Manning is a huge park some 40+ kms East to West. And lots of people have to stop to pee.
So I was ready to get people informed about the Liberals mismanagement of the parks, when Autumn came. Yes, the season fell upon me (ha, ha). For the Thursday and the Friday, it rained really hard. And the wind was typical for the Manning Park wind tunnel. And then there appeared ice in the rain. At that point, having been experiencing a deep sense of homesick- and loneliness, I called Andrea Reimer (WCWC Executive Director, or more stylishly, the exec. direct.) to beg her to let me come home. She graciously did.
Incidentally, not a lot of people want to hang out in the rain to sign a petition. And once the petition gets really wet, it no longer looks particularly legal.
So there was some awfulness to taking down all the banners, the kiosk and my tent during the flood, but I did manage to get all the very waterlogged equipment into my car and I headed home.
The next day, I called in sick. I had just done 48 hours in the mountain rain. I stayed in bed until the afternoon and then got in bed again in the early evening. Home can really mean a lot, sometimes.
So for the last day of the tour, I head out to Seymour Mountain. Two shocking things happened here: a) I had three volunteers, none of whom were my friends who I persuaded/dragged/forced to come out with me; and b) 100% of the people we talked to signed the petition. There weren’t a ton of people; probably about seventy-five or so. But every one of them hated the parking meters. Most were mountain bikers; many had so much padding, they looked like medieval knights. Thanks to the volunteers, by the way. I forget your names, except for Mika (like my name but not. Like Miikka Kiprusoff). You know who you are. Anyways, We discussed the Canadian flag. Turns out it was adopted in 1965 by Lester B. Pearson (not Trudeau as one of my helpers believed). But, yeah, I didn’t really know or remember anything about that and I have a history degree. I had to Google it when I got home.
So that was my tour. I’ve been canvassing since then and telling many people to read these journals. So if you are that’s great. Thanks for your interest. Come mid-November, I’ll be moving to Australia for ten months of so. I’m hoping to get a job doing conservation work there. If all goes according to plan, I’ll be canvassing in Toronto and Winnipeg next Fall before I return to Vancouver for next winter. For all those that have followed along, have a great year and don’t forget that being involved with letter writing, petition signing, protests, or whatever else you can do to make a difference is crucial. WE NEED YOUR HELP! So if you’re doin’ it, keep up the good work.
Peace.