Billeting round 2 :)

That was easily the best 9 complete days of my life!! We watched movies, went swimming, rock climbing, bowling and skiing. Yet I believe the best part of my week lied in the Thursday adventure we embarked on! It all started with a day off work. Julie decided to turn a blind eye as long as Josh and I were honest and upfront with our work partners. Score! The perfect day began as we departed the house at 0900 yo pick up our tag along, Sandra and do a much needed Timmies run. Our first stop was at Logan Lake to pick up Darrell's "love interest", Karen. We made a stop at the lookout over the mine where Karen works. It is the largest open faced mine in North America and can be seen from the moon! We then drove to about 20 kms outside of a small town by the name of Ashcroft. We pulled out the bikes as Darrell, Sandra, Josh and I rode while Karen followed in the truck with the 4-ways on. Averaging a speed of35 km/hr I was hypnotized by the natural beauty and the pure freedom and exhilaration of riding, no-handed down the highway. It took us about an hour and was totally worth the winter gear and wind burn. It was really cold at the top of the hill but the closer we got to town the warmer it became. The entire ride down I couldn't stop myself from thinking just how humbling nature can be and how much we, as a society take it for granted! This was easily the most liberating feeling of my life! It even beat out my first solo drive (once I got my licence of course!). The absolute rush of adrenaline and feeling of invincibility was so much better than anything I'd ever felt before. We had a coffee break (chai latte and carrot cake for me) at Cowboy Coffee before heading deeper into the Fraser Canyon. We came to a stop at the Fraser river (I think) and climbed down a ladder to the river bank where we stayed and took pictures for almost an hour! The beauty of the river, so calm then so treacherous a mere 10 feet apart, surrounded by the most beautiful mountains in the world was a sight unparallelled in my mind. It was mystifying breathtaking. I have no other method of attempting to describe it. It would be futile to even try. Upon being pryed away with the promise of even more amazing sights and experiences we returned back to our 4-wheeled vessel and continued down the road. We came across a powerful waterfall some 200 feet up a gravelly embankment. Sandra, Josh and I climbed up to the base where there were snow banks. While Josh headed further up the hill to investigate a smaller fall and the possibility of a little pool I chose to venture across the base of the big waterfall to the other side. I was contemplating climbing down on that side but I was unsure of the stability of those rocks so i took the trek back across the fall. I began climbing up; following Josh and Sandra but when Josh called out the disappointing news of a lack of a pool I began to strategize my decent. I found a small, dried up stream bed running amongst the loose gravel and opted to take it as the safest route down. It would have been a perfect idea had there not been two people following my little trail uphill from me. Sandra kicked up a rock (accidentally I hope) that bounced down toward me and hit me square in the rear end! Not 45 seconds later Josh stepped on a rock he had incorrectly deemed stable and it also came a-tumbling down. This rock. however, was not small like the previous. Oh no! This rock was bigger than my head by a large degree and with more bumps than Britney Spears's career. It also had more distance to gain momentum and a tiny hint of a smirk. I was completely oblivious to this boulder with a vengeance until I heard 4 voices all calling my name in unison. I turned with just enough time to safely tuck myself in a crevice and allow the potential killer steam by. I had to laugh because I was the one who remained the most calm in the situation and I was the one ho could have been permanently maimed. After my near death experience we decided to mosey on; but only after Josh decided to steal my thunder by cutting his finger and bleeding all over the place! Our next stop I believe was the George Fraser Bridge. It was a slight walk toward the river and we found a uniquely ancient bridge that used to be a part of Highway 1 way back when. I got some pictures that would make Grandma die of fear/stress. Perhaps sitting precariously upon a railing 500ft above a ferocious river wasn't the safest thing to do, but it sure was fun! When we returned to the truck I dropped my sunglasses on the ground and attempted to lean out to retrieve them. I only succeeded in tearing the crotch out of my jeans! This meant that I had to go the rest of the day with a gaping hole in my jeans. It posed only slight problems while we posed with the tree carvings in Hope and as we watched some Olympic hockey at the Blue Moose. On the return trip home we had dinner at that cutest Japanese restaurant in Merritt. I do not like sushi, but I loved it!! After we were all fed up we hit the road. It was 8:30 by this time so we took the perfectly clear night sky to our advantage and stargazed. I howled with the coyotes like the redneck I have come to accept that I am and we watched shooting stars. It was so utterly majestic! We didn't end up making it home until almost 10:30pm, bringing our adventure to an end at almost 13.5 hours! Amazing.

As billeting drew to an end I realized just how much I appreciated everything that my billeting was to me! It was meat, a warm bed, a loving family, the ability to do things without applying for permission from the gov't. It was almost like being home again. I really did not want to return to the Katima-house. Thank God I have my Katima-family or else I would totally lose my mind. Actually without them I would probably be at home right now and have no need to write this. I thank my lucky stars every day I'm surrounded by their love and company. Amazed as I am at the strength in these bonds it seems so natural, as if I knew these people from birth. They are the family that the universe forgot to give me.

In every end there is a beginning, in every tear a gleam of hope and in every choice a shining opportunity. <3

~Syd