Hooray for M. Sandberg, mountain bike rider! Finally, someone is speaking out!
When I moved back here in the late ’80s, going for walks in Kal Park was like going to some untouched part of the valley. I saw so few other people there that I came to think of the park as my own private space. It was just me and the bears and the coyotes. But by the mid ’90s that had all changed. I couldn’t go for a walk without being overtaken by a mountain biker zooming up behind me and at the last minute shouting, “Coming up!” and expecting me to jump out of the way.
You’d think people would have more common sense and/or consideration. Even mountain bikers of a “certain age” (i.e., old enough to know better) behave no better. On one recent occasion, two grey-haired gentlemen bid me a cheerful good morning as they forced me off the path.
There used to be only a couple of footpaths in the hills above and around Rattlesnake Point, and you had to look hard to find them. You could clamber up to sit on the rocky outcrops above Cosens Bay, soaking in the sunshine and the cool beauty of the turquoise waters below. Sitting amongst the balsamroot in the spring was like savoring a little bit of heaven on earth.
Now, Kal Park is little better than a churned-up adventure playground. Perhaps if those racing about had occasion to just sit and quietly be in the park, they might find some value in the experience.
Tish Woodley
Vernon
