Saltspring Island: It used to be Hippieville, now it's Yuppieville
Thursday July 14, 2016
When I first came to BC 30 or so years ago it was in December or January. For the rest of Canada it means living in a Deep Freeze at that time of year so to visit my friend living in T Shirt weather was a real shock! I never knew such places existed in Canada. At that time most of the residents of Saltspring were either wealthy or back to the earth hippies scraping out a living selling their handicrafts, artwork, home grown veggies, pottery or canned goods. The most exciting thing that happened was the ferry would come in & then go out again. It was an idyllic life away from the hustle of Vancouver or Victoria. Of course over 30 years things have changed. Vancouver property prices have created millionaires out of working class people who have bought their little hideaway from the rest of the world & banked a small fortune in the process. Unfortunately many have not left their Big City mentality behind & still rush about in their Tesla or Porsche not having much patience for the remaining old hippies or cyclists. This creates a very strange mix of urban Yuppies trying to get back to nature but not having the awareness to overcome their city ways. I must have seemed like a real oddity showing up in downtown Ganges on my recumbent trike. I was stopped multiple times so people could ask questions or take my photo. Even a few teenagers thought I was very cool!
When I first came to BC 30 or so years ago it was in December or January. For the rest of Canada it means living in a Deep Freeze at that time of year so to visit my friend living in T Shirt weather was a real shock! I never knew such places existed in Canada. At that time most of the residents of Saltspring were either wealthy or back to the earth hippies scraping out a living selling their handicrafts, artwork, home grown veggies, pottery or canned goods. The most exciting thing that happened was the ferry would come in & then go out again. It was an idyllic life away from the hustle of Vancouver or Victoria. Of course over 30 years things have changed. Vancouver property prices have created millionaires out of working class people who have bought their little hideaway from the rest of the world & banked a small fortune in the process. Unfortunately many have not left their Big City mentality behind & still rush about in their Tesla or Porsche not having much patience for the remaining old hippies or cyclists. This creates a very strange mix of urban Yuppies trying to get back to nature but not having the awareness to overcome their city ways. I must have seemed like a real oddity showing up in downtown Ganges on my recumbent trike. I was stopped multiple times so people could ask questions or take my photo. Even a few teenagers thought I was very cool!