Kirkland Lake / Toronto
Two
Planets
Brothers Jaya Gopal, Vyasacharya and the
younger Kaushal—all of Gujarati stock—are up north in Kirkland Lake for the
business venture of securing another motel.
I'm not sure how many that makes.
All I can say is the Patel Motel Regime goes on marvellously.
They were kind to have me come to this town,
which is nothing shy of a seven-hour drive from Toronto, the city that now has
the status of “never sleeps.”
The four of us took to the peace of the
north by exploring the local ski trails.
No skiing for us, though, just walking.
None of us were really prepared for the wetness of the trails. I had on my ‘Keen’ sandals and the others had
donned their dress shoes. It didn’t
matter. We were taking in the shanti (peace) of the place, with birch
and spruce trees as our company. There
was a raven up above, the sound of a Blue Jay, and the occasional bushy-tailed
squirrel scurrying along.
The series of trails just behind the new ‘community
sports complex’ looped about and offered enough upward and downward slopes that
any concern about the damp chill of the morning quickly dissipated. Kaushal, the more recent arrival from India,
was the first to notice that we heat up when our strides are going up.
A lake nearby and the plentiful presence of
water gave the feeling that there was no shortage of H2O around us.
“This is not like Gujarat. India is drying up,” said Vyasacharya.
Jaya Gopal and family, Chandrika and son
Nitai, then drove me to North Bay through the countryside of Chief Grey
Owl. I loved it!
I arrived in Toronto, then Union Station, and
then wheeled my luggage back to the ashram. What a contrast! The hustle and bustle of the city set against
the earlier musical of nature!
May the Source be with you!
8 km
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