So it Begins

Welcome to what I hope will be the first of many rants, musings, observations etc etc into the world of the bearded backpacker. I have begun a new chapter in my life after leaving the world of Ottawa that I have know for the past 13 years and set out across country to see what Calgary and Alberta can offer me.

I have done something I wasn't sure I would ever do considering I was so opposed to even moving to Gatineau because of the inconvience that it would create for me.

My opposition to Quebec may have cost me the woman I loved, but it also told me that I was not living the life I wanted in Ottawa and despite the anxiety and fear I had welling up inside me about moving across country I went forward with what is possibly the biggest decision of my life.

I have left a lot of good people behind in my former home and I miss them a lot and it was saying goodbye to those friends that made this decision so difficult, but it was also their support that made me realize it was a decision necessary for me to make if I wanted to reach my full potential.

I have been in Calgary now for two months and although the first few weeks were full of sadness and homesickness I am starting to love this city more more and the people I have met so far have been great.

As I write this the greatest outdoor show on earth is just getting up and running and my transformation to a cowboy is about to begin. I will have to start with a hat and go from there, but soon I'll be rustling cattle and racing chuckwagons.

The essence of the bearded backpacker will be to relate the stories and adventures of life in Cowtown and Alberta. I may also share opinions and of course obsess about hockey, How about those free agent signings, but mostly it will be about the adventures. So I hope you will take the time to drop by and read up on me, my adventures and the people I meet.

Just remember, there will always be fools, bureaucratic fools.