Chapter 1: Start of a Beautiful Friendship

Simon had always been a bit of a dreamer. Not that you would accuse him of having his head in the clouds, but he did like to think about some things a lot. Some of his dreams involved travel and some involved a peaceful, quiet existence. Once reaching the ripe old age of 65 and deciding to retire, he felt that he had to find a place to relax, sort out the mysteries of his life and decide what to do with his remaining years. Not that he was depressed or morose or anything, just thoughtful.

He had always wanted to find a nice quiet place to build a small log cabin and enjoy the serenity that comes only from being many miles from the nearest human. Over his lifetime he had considered several locations, but they had not become a reality. He continued to keep his eyes open for possible locations and while reading the local newspaper, as was his daily habit, an advertisement caught his eye. There was a rather large property for sale with a small log cabin and a lake in Alberta, Canada. It was 10,240 acres, and located in a fairly remote area. He smiled, while recalling a discussion with a friend many years earlier about the ‘Badlands of Alberta’.

“Interesting”, he thought. “Perhaps this was not too far from there. It was supposed to be quite rugged and picturesque. The price was right, too!”

Recently retired as an IT Specialist in Network Administration, he had founded an Internet security and support company called ‘Gordon Net Secure Inc.’ which had done very well over the years. Since he had just sold that company to his Vice President and partner, Jason Richards, he had a tidy sum of money in the bank and a few other assets of some value. He, therefore, decided that a call to that property owner for additional information would be in order.

Upon contacting the owner, an oil and gas exploration company in Calgary, Alberta, he was informed by the company representative that the property was indeed very close to ‘The Badlands’ and if Simon wished, he could travel there and take a look for himself. They would arrange for a flight over the site or would even drop him off and pick him up again in a week, to give him an idea of the lay of the land.

“What the hell!” he thought to himself. “I may as well take a look, not that I have anything better to do for the next week or so. The transportation costs are reasonable enough to fly to Calgary, rent a Hotel room for a couple of days and check it out.”

After tidying up all loose ends in Ontario, Simon packed a few clothes into a small backpack with travel necessities and headed to Toronto International Airport, where he boarded a flight to Calgary. The flight was rather boring and uneventful as most commercial airline flights tend to be. He slept most of the way, anyways. He was one of the fortunate people that could sleep almost anywhere and anytime if he so chose. Arriving in Calgary, he was greeted at the airport by a representative of the corporation who drove him into the city to meet with the executives at their head office.

He was introduced to the CEO, Charlie Cooke, and ushered into the boardroom where maps and recent photographs were spread out over the boardroom table. There were detailed topographical maps and survey maps. There were photographs of the lake on the property as well as many photographs of the log cabin exterior and interior. There were photographs of the landing strip behind the cabin as well as all of the amenities included with the property. It looked like quite a deal. He had inquired about mineral rights and was assured that they were included in the cost of the property.

After examining all the material, he had a question.

Simon asked Charlie, “This looks like a very good deal for me, but why would you be selling it so reasonably?”

Charlie replied, “We have actually had it listed for quite a while at a much higher price and had no interest. We were not really keen to move the property until now, so it was not much of a concern. Now, we have an opportunity to make a very good investment ourselves and need some cash to satisfy our requirements, so you would be helping us and we would be helping you. We are prepared to negotiate to finalize this transaction as quickly as possible.”

He decided to purchase the property, sight unseen, realizing that it was quite a steal. After some haggling and discussion, lawyers were consulted, legal documents were signed, money changed hands and over several days, deeds were transferred and registered. He became the proud owner of a large tract of nearly empty land out in the middle of nowhere. As a part of the deal, the corporation had agreed to provide transportation to the airport as well as a private charter airline to fly him to his new property and pick him up in a week to bring him back to Calgary. This seemed to Simon like a great way to investigate the possibilities of his new lifestyle.

He asked the company driver to stop on the way to the airport so he could pick up a few supplies to last him the week. The driver told him that the cabin was well equipped with a number of fairly modern accessories and was amply stocked with food, as it had been the occasional retreat for some of the overworked executives who needed a weekend away from it all. He would probably only need clothing and a few odds and ends. Some things he did want to pick up were a good hunting rifle, hiking boots, warm clothing for the cool evenings and a supply of his favorite beer.

After picking up the necessary supplies, the driver drove him to the airport and into the private hangar for Alberta South Airlines. He was introduced to the pilot and one of the owners, James Brooks.

Stowing his recent purchases in the back of the plane, he reflected, with a shake of his head, on how things had changed in just a few days. He had purchased this huge property out in the middle of nowhere, with the intention of just getting away from big city life, and now wondering what it would be like year round. Alberta winters were nothing to be ignored and could be pretty brutal, he recalled. Even the summers could be surprisingly cruel. Well, he thought, a week or so should help him decide where his life would go from there.

James powered up and warmed up the engine, taxied to the assigned runway, received clearance to take off and they were on their way.

“So, Simon”, James asked. “What brings you all the way out here to spend time at the corporate retreat?”

“Well. I just bought the property and thought I should take some time to relax and get to explore what I just purchased.” Simon replied with a smile. “I have recently retired and wanted a change of pace. Perhaps this will provide that. I have always wanted to try out the hermit lifestyle a bit someday.”

“Oh really? You are the new owner? I was aware of the fact that the property was for sale and I was interested in it myself, but it was a bit more than I could afford right now. I know what you mean about the hermit lifestyle. It is beautiful land out there, wild and mostly barren but full of surprises.” said James. “I am envious. The log cabin is very well equipped. It is fully winterized and very livable year round. The scenery is incredible. You can be isolated if you want, but the cabin is equipped with satellite communications in case of emergency. You should really enjoy yourself up there. Maybe someday I will be able to get a nice ‘retreat’ when I retire too. I have been getting a little bored with flying these small corporate prop jobs and would like to get into something a bit bigger though before I retire.”

“Oh, and what did you fly before?”, asked Simon. “I did a few years with the Canadian Air Force based out of North Bay, Ontario. I flew mainly F-18 Hornets but I have also had some chopper training. I kind of miss those days, but I felt I had to go private sector sooner or later, so here I am.” James replied. “I bought a couple Cessna’s and have a partner and buddy, Bill Sharpe, also from the Department of National Defense (DND) who joined me to provide the company with another pilot and mechanic. We pretty much do it all. I like to fly and do a bit of maintenance, while Bill likes to make the engines purr and then fly them to test out his handiwork. We make a pretty good team. What about you? Did you ever pilot a plane?”

Simon said, “I have always wanted to try my hand at it, but never had the opportunity. I’ve been working in the computer field ever since the personal PC’s showed up about 1978. Network engineering became my forte with programming as a sideline. I have been fortunate to do fairly well at it, setting up my own company, establishing a good reputation, then finally selling it off and retiring. That enabled me to purchase this property. I did do a small network maintenance contract at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) North Bay over a three month period. You may have even been on the base at that time.”

Over the next half hour or so they chatted amicably and finally arrived over the site. James pointed out that there was a small flat area that was used as a runway and it was close to the cabin and a good sized lake. The land looked to be fairly hilly, with several rivers and a large raised area off to the East. The cabin and landing strip was on the South West corner of the property, as was the lake. To the North, he could see the beginnings of a canyon and it did look rugged. The landing was smooth enough and James helped him unload his luggage once they had taxied over close to the cabin and stopped.

James handed Simon a business card and suggested that if he ever needed any airline service, to give him a call. James promised to return in approximately a week, unless he called earlier or bad weather made it impossible. With a wave goodbye, James took off back to Calgary.

Simon made a couple of trips from the landing strip to the cabin, and took a look around at what he had purchased. Outside, he noted a satellite dish on a small hillock near the cabin, and a great view of the lake. The cabin was near enough to the lake to throw a rock into it from the front porch and he noticed a small canoe on the shoreline. The log cabin itself appeared to be well constructed and about 30’ x 60’ in size. The main door in the front was facing the lake. There was a back door facing slightly uphill to the landing strip and that made things easier getting supplies in as there appeared to be a small storage area beside it. There was what looked like a large 1000 Gallon diesel fuel tank near the rear door but handy to the airstrip and another 500 Gallon tank that probably contained aircraft fuel located on the edge of the landing strip. About half a dozen 50 Gallon (Imperial) Steel drums sat near each tank. He checked them by tapping on them and found them to be empty. He checked the gauges on the large tanks and they were both full.

Upon entering the cabin, he found that it was very comfortably furnished. It had three bedrooms, two washrooms, one an en-suite, an open concept kitchen and a large living room area. From the living room and the kitchen, you could look out the two large picture windows towards the lake. The rear held the bedrooms and the washrooms, with small windows facing North towards the landing strip. The washrooms both had a bathtub, toilet, sink and a separate shower as well as a small cupboard for necessities. All of the bedrooms were equipped with queen sized beds, a couple of chairs and mirrored dressers. A closet in each bedroom held an assortment of clothing, both for men and women, obviously left behind by various visitors over the years. The kitchen was a delight, with, a new electric stove, large freezer, large refrigerator and in behind it a pantry with canned food and another huge freezer that held what looked like a year’s supply of frozen food. There were even a microwave oven, a coffee maker and a toaster in the kitchen. A medium sized table and six chairs rounded out the kitchen area. Near the rear door, and jutting out the back of the cabin, was a small utility room that had two diesel generators, (one hooked up and another a spare), electronic hook-ups to the satellite phone, pumps for water and a bit of space for extra storage. The living, or common room, was furnished with several comfy chairs and sofas. A couple of bookshelves along one wall had a variety of reading material to help pass the time. All in all, it was a very well built and comfortable cabin, probably a lot more than he would have been able to build for a couple of years. Simon then dragged all the supplies in from outside and found suitable places to stow them away. Since it had become quite late in the day and all this fresh air had finally gotten to him, he decided to make himself some dinner and call it an early night.

After a hastily thrown together meal of pork chops, potatoes and green beans, he curled up in the largest bedroom, dragged a comforter over himself and promptly fell asleep thinking about a week of peace and relaxation.

Simon slept like a log and finally roused around noon the following day. He thought it would be nice to check out the lake today, so had a quick shower, dressed himself in jeans and a t-shirt, made a quick breakfast of some sausages from the freezer and a couple of eggs and set out for the lake. The weather was warm, no clouds in the sky and with a light breeze there were no irritating insects to distract from the beautiful day. Simon decided to check out the lake first.

The lake itself was about a mile long and half a mile wide with small creeks coming in and going out. It appeared to be quite deep being a dark blue color. It probably contained fish, he thought, and made a mental note to look for some fishing gear in the cabin. Noticing the upturned canoe (to keep it dry inside) near the lake, he added a set of paddles to his ‘to find’ list. Wandering around the lake, he found a few spots that might yield good fishing from shore and he decided those would be tested first.

Heading back up to the cabin, a flash of movement caught his eye. It was off in a small copse of trees and disappeared before he could identify it. This part of the country held bears, wolves, foxes, deer, elk and a number of other wild creatures, so he thought that perhaps he should keep his rifle handy just in case. When he got to the cabin, he looked around for the fishing gear and found a nice rod and reel and some tackle in the storage shed along with two paddles for the canoe. He checked out the new rifle he had purchased and placed it near the front door, handy, but out of normal sight lines. A growling in his stomach convinced him that a late lunch was in order. He checked the pantry and picked out a can of chili.

The next couple of days were rather pleasant. The weather was warm and dry. Simon had found a few good fishing spots and supplemented his meals with some freshly caught and cooked trout and bass. He wandered around the property, near the cabin, and noticed the landing strip was amazingly smooth for a non-concrete or asphalt strip. It must be hard baked earth, he thought. He hoped it didn’t get all mucky in the rain or snow. The rear of the cabin was in a slight depression with a slight climb to the flat airfield apron.

He had just finished lunch, put away all the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen when there was a knock on the door.

“What the...?”, he said, as he thought about how far away from civilization he was. He approached the door cautiously, and verified the location of his rifle if it was required. He decided to look out the front picture window to see who was there before opening the door. He was astounded to see a tall redheaded woman on his front porch, dressed in hiking boots, blue jeans and one of those lumberjack shirts so popular in northern climates. Her hair was long and hung loosely to well below her shoulders. Then he noticed her face and found his jaw dropping in surprise. She was gorgeous!