another love story

I fell in love once. Or twice....
Ok, you got me. I fall in love at the drop of a hat, and this is a perfect example.
i was hitch hiking south one spring solo. at the time this wasn't really ordinary for me, i had hitch hiked south from dawson the year before with my tattoo apprentice and sawmilling and general all round buddy Andrew Treibel to go climbing in squamish. This year i was on my own, first long distance trip solo on the thumb.
Epic times really!
When me and andy went we got stuck in hundred mile house and caved in, bought bus tickets south and so missed getting out in cache creek to stretch our legs. Not me this time. I got out of a car in cache creek and a tumbleweed tumbled past in the scorching sun. Real lazy like...after coming from snow and ice all winter it kind of blew my mind and i gawked then pointed and said "tumbleweed!" to no one.
 Spences bridge was the next stop and my ride there was a  bald redneck guy who said he only gave me a ride cause i was bald and white. Couldnt be too bad with credentials like that by his reasoning.
He was driving that canyon road fast and cursing slow traffic and we were bullshitting bout who and what we were and from where till i asked if he burnt reefer.
 "Hell ya boy!" was the reply.
So we burnt one and he went polar opposite. slowed to 20 under the speed limit and began to curse and finger the drivers piling up behind us. Pretty damm funny i thought and then we turned of into spences bridge. right onto the bridge actually. and dropped me of o the far side of the river in old town on the main drag there. Pointed south and said the road ran right back to the highway just down there.
Turn, look south. High noon. Or thereabouts, shoulder your pack, rudiculously heavy with camping gear, clothes, rock rack, shoes and rope, water bottle and sundry stuffs.
 Take it in, a sunbaked dirt main street. Wooden side walks. False front stores and goddam tumbleweeds.
Crazy redneck in a blue chev pickup waving and cackling into the distance.
I settle my house on my back and take a couple steps.
Then it happens, a girl steps out of the saloon onto the board walk and turns my way.
Her hands are full with grocery bags and a small child is strapped to her side hanging over a shoulder.She has so may bags in both hands the muscles in her shoulders are clearly visible but she looks solid with the load and ready to travel. there is no denying she's beautiful. A classic look that never gets old. Tall and dark with long dark curls and dark brown eyes. wearing a simple slip of a dress and sandals and groceries and child.
She looks at me, up then down and up again.
Smiles and says "you look like your packing almost as heavy as me. you should come in for a meal."
Right now i should mention that im an idiot.
I had eaten A&W in cache creek just up the road. and filled my canteen. and was determined to push thru to squamish that night.
I told her id just eaten. she said "its hot out maybe you should come in for a drink?"
I told her my canteen was full and thanked her for the hospitality but i had miles to make.
I am an idiot.
It gets worse, as i walk past the swinging double doors to the place i see inside behind the counter, drying a glass her double. Twin sister or or mother or cousin or unrelated doppleganger whichever it may have been i walked past and kept on going.
They were beatiful and friendly and i kick myself every time i think of them.
Idiot
Made squamish that night, got of the bus at the climbers campsite, first campsite full of freaks the mohawk playing gituar jumps up and shouts at me. "hey JOE!! your moms in the site next to us! welcome home!"
Life carries on and that girl stayed with me. i told this story to a friend on an epic journey once and we stopped in spences bridge but the saloon was a cafe now and no girl was in sight so we crossed the bridge and fell in love with the red headed firecracker at the log cabin pub named shale.