Betty, Bill, and the Test

I've known Betty & Bill since my days living in residence at Lakehead U. and have maintained a long distance friendship ever since, thanks to Bill's persistence in keeping in touch. When I rode into Dundas, Ontario where Betty and Bill live along with their two sons, Robbie & Brian on Thursday night, I was literally soaked from the temperature and humidity and loving it. I had "google-mapped" my way to find their home prior to leaving the farm but somehow the road I ended up on was a twisty gravel mountain road under construction. It got me where I needed to go and was interesting, but not a way I would recommend to others... .

Friday was a wet day in the area with showers throughout. Interestingly, we didn't get those big thunder boomers you would expect with a cold front. Mind you, a southern Ontario Cold Front is a bit of a misnomer. They could call it a "Little Less Frickin Hot" Front which would be more appropriate. Still, this is the first significant rainfall I've had since leaving Red Deer and the outlook for the next few days is for sunny days in the mid-20's. How're you liking this so far?

Friday afternoon, Bill and I went for a walk through the HMCS Haida, a Destroyer used during WWII and which continued in the naval service until 1963. This killing machine was fascinating to tour, and would house over 200 men, was armed with 2 torpedoes, 2 - 100 mm guns, 2 - 40 mm guns, 2 - 30 mm guns and depth charges to take out subs. Not your usual recreational toy but one that we would all appreciate at rush hour, even just once.

The true test of our physical deterioration was undertaken on Saturday when Bill casually suggested an extended walk up the Hamilton Escarpment. "Walk". Right. This was not a walk. This was a full blown Survivor episode where repelling equipment should have been standard fare. Where comments like "... watch your step, it's looking a little rough here", should be read as "... I ain't gonna be able to help you if you slip". It was tense at times but worth it in the end as we saw spectacular water falls: Walker Falls (~ 35 m), pictured above, and the Tews Falls (~ 50 m) as well as Dundas Peak. The "walk" up the Escarpment that is roughly 100 m high took 2.5 hours. Quite the hike and we were feeling pretty smug until those young girls with backpacks walked by us like we were standing still. They hadn't even broken into a sweat. So, though we felt good in completing the test, the best we could do was reward ourselves with the "Accomplished Silverback" medal.

Betty & Bill have been kind and wonderful hosts. I find every stop interesting catching up on how old friends have grown over the years as well as sharing Candace's life with them. This one was no different and I even got to exercise other muscles than the molson muscle. Why do we always wait so long...