A trip home.
written by Joshua Michnik, Founder of 33 Acres Brewing Company
The sky never ends in Saskatchewan. Land quickly disappears but the sky pretty well always starts at the tip of the nose and keeps going up. Being born here I guess I just didn’t realize how massive the sky was. In British Columbia there is always something in the way. Trees or mountains or buildings. Nothing wrong with this of course, it’s fucking beautiful, but I just didn’t realize how bright the sky is in Saskatchewan.
I’m on a trip to visit old friends and family I’ve lost touch with as an adult. It’s been roughly 8 years since I’ve done this echoing trip. I’m almost to the point where I don’t really consider Saskatchewan home anymore. I mean I grew up there, but everything I know is in BC, including my parents.
Since leaving high school and getting set to find my own path I’ve left a lot of people in my past. Maybe I needed to do this to find out who I was, and though maybe it was wrong, it seemed right at the time.
Crossing the border into Saskatchewan makes me feel nostalgic. Green and yellow. Anticipation of seeing old faces. Nervous perhaps, if they’ll still remember me and treat me the same. Cruise control and endless straight roads.
Watching my Grandmother interact, with all the love and care my son craves, makes me realize she didn’t forget about me like I may have forgot about her. Reconnecting with family that seemed so far away was never my strong suit. Phone calls and birthday cards or Facebook reminders seemed annoying. I just figured things would be the same regardless.
I always had a tight group of friends growing up. Sitting on stoops, skateboarding or playing in the back trails down by The North Saskatchewan. Memories I’ll want to recreate with my son. Seeing his smiling face playing with my friends’ kids is truly priceless and comforting in a way.
Routine in travel used to be something I wasn’t a fan of. It felt boring or regular. I always wanted to find the new place or new surf town. Maybe this was selfish, always needing to be a trend setter… always looking for the bigger better place.
More and more I’m finding comfort in routine and letting myself enjoy that feeling. I’m a family man now. Exploring the same places over and over to allow yourself to become familiar is interesting to me. It lets you see more detail and build stronger ties to places and people you visit. In no way am I saying exploring is wrong or that I won’t do it anymore, I’m just saying I don’t want to beat myself up for doing things that make me feel comfortable. As there will always be comfort in routine. 3ND
