A nice place in the mountains.

 

 A nice place in the mountains.

About 55 years ago, my family bought our first little car and went exploring our new country. On one of those trips, we ended up in a set of mining towns called The Crownest Pass. It was in the mountains but wasn’t impressive. There were some gas stations and restaurants, so we stopped for lunch. My mom ran a finger over the seat of a chair and lifted it marked with black dust. The server hurried up and wiped the table and chairs, saying something about it being a coal mining town, and we ordered our food. A local woman at the next table said something about how we should see the wash after it was dried on the clothesline.

The folks around us had a certain look to them. They were kind of gray, wrinkled, and their heads were bent forward. My mom said that it reminded her of some mining town she visited in her childhood in Europe. Miners, she said, were mountain people. They were good hard-working folks but didn’t live long. It's called here Black Lung, my father added. We drove around a bit, noticing stores, churches, and even a car lot, but there was no reason to stay. Next, we visited a farming town, Pincher Creek, and it was brighter and gave us a cleaner feeling. My dad said that it would be nice if Pincher Creek was in the mountains.

When I was about ten years away from retirement, I started looking for a little town to retire to. A co-worker mentioned the Crowsnest Pass. She said that there were no more operating coal mines, and the place was clean. There were some little towns to choose from and you could purchase a place in the mountains. In the more touristy places, one could only lease a place but not own it.

I made another trip to the land beyond the Frank slide and it pleasantly surprised me. The Pass was clean and offered all the benefits of mountain towns, but at a reasonable price. There were fewer businesses and people, but a vibrant community. People describe Canadians as “nice” but here the people were nicer for some reason. I met another person who was looking at real estate and he said, “This is the place that time has forgotten”. Another said that I should visit when they do the Thunder in the Valley. Others in Calgary also described the great show of fireworks in the mountain valley.

I found my retirement place. Purchased some land and built a modest home. Originally, the people told me about great winds, a place where there is nothing to do, no cultural life, a depressed economy, and everyone running away. I don’t see any of it. Now I am an old-timer here. I can’t get over how blessed I am. The Pass economy picked up, new people are here and the local people no longer wish to leave the place as they did a while back. They see the value of where they are. Soon those who left in the early days will come back to retire here. After trying the rat race of the city, folks realize what we have here. We live in God’s country. All we have to do is open our eyes and see it.

In my 25 years here, I saw many folks leaving the place to be closer to family who moved away or to medical facilities. After a while, they come for a visit and they don’t look the same. It’s not only the natural aging, but being away from a great community and mountain air. While in the city they wait twenty hours at Emergency, here they get treated in the first hour. Kids get more attention in schools and there is hardly anything that we can’t buy here if we can wait for a week. You can sit at a local coffee shop and in a short while make new friends. It’s easy to join a club of like-minded people or watch local sports. People still go to their choice of church and treat the other religions with the respect that they like to be treated. It is no wonder that here we can meet older people living independently or with little help.

Across from my home, I see a holiday home that is often rented out. Our lives here always leave the visitors from near and far impressed. Some come down and talk to me. Often they express how lucky they think we are.

I think that what happened here is interesting. All the folks who wanted a busy life full of stress and constant competition left in the pursuit of happiness. Those who remained were people happy with simpler lives close to nature where we care about each other. Here, we cherish a different set of values. Less glitter and more warm hearths. Creativity stumps accumulation and relationships beat showing off.

Winter clouds set over the mountains, and the Pass is getting ready for another winter. The Plains First Nations used to come here for the winters. To me, it’s more beautiful here with the snow than in the hot parts of the world where there is no seasonal variation.

Here is a link to my blog: https://thesimpleravenspost.blogspot.ca/  Feel free to check other articles and comment.