The New Old-World of Greenwood City in Boundary Country, British Columbia

Old Stuff

When one visits old-world destinations like Venice, Paris or Amsterdam, you become aware of the stark contrasts between the day-to-day hustle and the much, much longer and older timelines that birthed their character, their people’s cultures and unique personalities. 

In our migratory New World, like Canada or New Zealand, we don’t have a similar appreciation for omnipresent antiquity and the uniquely localized identities of the people. Sometimes, it is even hard to distinguish Calgary from Denver or Regina from Edmonton. If we did, we would discover and appreciate that here too is an “old world” charm, woven into the fabric of what, and who we are. Examples like Montreal and Quebec City come to mind. 

However, further West, we easily forget. Too quickly we lose the charm of our heritage as we hastily pave over it, strip mall, tear down, franchise, and progress it to oblivion. If we look around, we will realize that there are gems to be discovered. Dare I say it, places to be protected and cultures to be preserved and celebrated.

This is part of the TWO COWBOYS' EPIC GLOBAL TRAVEL & CULINARY EXPERIENCE - 2019! 

DO YOU WANT YOUR BUSINESS OR COMMUNITY FEATURED?

New World Gems

Talk about the City of Greenwood with any modern-day Canadian, and most will shrug with just one comment, “Where is that?”. When you visit Greenwood, something grabs your attention about British Columbia’s smallest city, a one-time candidate for the Provincial Capital, and the previous seat of the Provincial High Court. Everyone in the West knew about Greenwood in 1897.

Walk the streets (yes, not speed through it on Highway 3, at 100km/hour) and you become acutely aware of its rich history, thanks to the ongoing efforts of the few remaining residents. They are desperately trying to preserve the crumbling buildings, hold on to the rich can-do mining character, and tell the boom-and-bust stories of days long gone.

There is a character to Greenwood and a hardy identity to its people. It needs to be rediscovered and celebrated. In Greenwood, the old-world charm of the Canadian West and the pioneering spirit of Canada is particularly strong. Even its time-worn accelerated degradation and central location in the Boundary Country offers an eerie charm or omen to the still remaining places around it. It reminds one of that powerful and always-present inescapable universal flow.

Flow of Time

Humanity is insignificant within its force. Regardless of who we are, where we are, what we had for breakfast, or how we drink our coffee, our world will keep on spinning at a speed of 1,800 km/hour. We will continue to be screeching around the sun at 108,000 km/hour, as our solar system spirals at 750,000 km/hour through this galaxy. Our planets will continue to exist for another 4 billion years, our Universe expanding for another 13.5 billion more.

Within this mind-numbing magnitude, we are part of the flow, and we are because of the flow.

All we can do is hang on to a minuscule significance, oblivious of the speed at which we hurtle through time and pace. For us, the sun came up in the morning and will go under this evening. The seasons will pass. Life will begin, friendships made, and partners lost. Civilizations will rise. Some will fall. Industries will blossom and die, presidents elected, killers executed, trees grow, suns collapse, species disappear, climates change and Black Holes born. Gold will be discovered. Fortunes made, and many will be lost.

We will grow old. Our lives will end. Soon, someone will forget.

We stand alone against the massive freight train of life. In the blistering madness of its momentum, we can only try to find a place - our place, a sense of purpose, some significance. A point to it all. The best we can hope for is conscious glimpses grasping at fleeting, subjective moments of awe, splendour, beauty, love, acceptance, and pleasure in the places and with the people we love.

There is no Heaven, no Valhalla, karma, or fortunate re-dos waiting on the other side.

This is it, a sliver of existence in time, a minuscule place in the Universe. Living is all we get. Holding on is what we have. The big question then is, “What to do with it?”

The answer, “Be”. The world forgets easily but definitely.

Greenwood, BC

Greenwood is all about history, it goes back to 1891 with the discovery of gold, silver and copper in this once thriving mining camp. Incorporated as a city on July 12, 1897, the BC Copper Company smelter was built in 1901 and brought prosperity to the city, becoming known as the “hub” of the Boundary. The surrounding mines brought fortune seekers from many parts of the world, but the boom was short-lived. After the first World War, copper prices plummeted and Greenwood’s success soon diminished. People left in droves and by 1940 the population had dwindled to a few hundred.

The forced internment of Japanese Canadians off the west coast of British Columbia in 1942 changed the course of Greenwood’s history. A ghost town from its former glory days, Greenwood became BC’s first internment camp. 1,200 people were crammed into the many empty buildings, hotels and houses; remnants from days long ago. The little city once again began to thrive.

The city has proven its resiliency over the years and now demonstrates an excellent destination for history buffs. Many adventures await you in this historic little city.

Observations

Enjoy the little feature we’ve put together about the museum of Greenwood. Yes, it is a museum, but we know it is also the memories, character and the personality of its people. We have already invested in Greenwood and is soon becoming residents of this charming little gem.

We invite the world to come and visit, stay and build a life with us.

Come to see Greenwood.

Our New Home

Hendrik

Boundary Cowboy

We earn our livelihood by producing great content and supporting inspiring people, businesses, and communities. Please book us here so we can tell your story too.

Photos

Firehall

Supreme Court

Coffee 

Erection

History

Two Cowboys: Never Again with the Travelling Cowboys in Canmore, Alberta, Canada

Never Again

We were flying back from New Zealand in the worse airplane seats imaginable, courtesy of Air New Zealand. Unfortunately, there isn't much choice in airline between Canada and New Zealand, so we had to suck it up, tuck it in, and ride it out to the land of the long white cloud.

When you feel discomfort, distractions are welcome. Our Scotch quota was limited, so we were cut off early by gramps, our in-flight safety officer and server attendant, so the trip became an early sobering experience - a time to reflect. The entertainment system had Anthony Bourdain featuring chefs in Japan, and the program threw out fashionable Zen quotes between scene changes. Then, I found what I was looking for. A straightforward, yet profound Zen quote caught my attention.

We were winding down our year two of the Two Cowboys. It was one last trip Downunder and we were taking stock of what we've managed to achieve since launching the brand. It couldn't have come at a better time. 

DO YOU YOU WANT YOUR DESTINATION OR BUSINESS FEATURED?

Someone once said that his biggest fear was reaching the end of his life, and meeting the person he could've been. This struck a profound chord with me three years prior, while on the corporate consulting treadmill in downtown Calgary, Alberta. Two things became glaringly obvious. What I was doing with my days held little personal value for me, and the days were passing alarmingly faster the older I got. I realized that I wasn't going to be the person I wanted or could be. Time for it was running out.

It spurred me to action that ultimately culminated in the launch of the Two Cowboys. My brother from a different father, my best friend - Braam Compton - and I launched the concept of the Two Cowboys in January 2016. My son Henry, the camera, joined us a few months later. (Hence, our website name as the Two Cowboys & A Camera - http://www.twocowboysandacamera.com).

The Two Cowboys experience is a means for us, to some important ends. There are key philosophies behind what we do. Firstly, it is an opportunity, after two decades of consulting and salaried employment, to call our career values and perspectives in question. For example, we question our commitment to the expected way of living as employees on a never-ending treadmill of financial dependence. Secondly, the Two Cowboys is an attempt to craft a flexible and more preferential lifestyle that allows us to get more out of the art of living. More adventures. More of the people we like. Better quality food, friendships and learning. More of the world. Thirdly, it is a chance to consciously choose every moment and personally weigh the merits of every action, interaction and opportunity.

Lastly, the Two Cowboys is a chance for growth. After publishing over three-hundred videos and blog posts in twenty-four months and producing even more for the people and businesses that partnered with us, we've inevitably learned a lot. We've learned about beer, brewing, hats, boots, soap, cooking, travelling, malting, art, goldsmithing, barbequing, baking, engineering, food trucking, distilling, fishing, filming, and the list goes on. We've met amazing people in Alberta, BC, Hawaii, Mexico and New Zealand. More destinations are coming and more experiences waiting. Most importantly, we've learned a lot about people with the 1,800 interviews we've done.

The most significant lesson we learned is to invest our valuable time in the people that reciprocate. We learned to care about the people that care about us.

The Zen quote I discovered that day on the flight back from New Zealand said, "Once in a lifetime, never again."

Observations

It struck me.

Because, while we were trying to achieve, build or understand, the ever-fleeting moments were still passing us by. In all the frenzy of activity, the days are still ticking, and we cannot confidently say that we are becoming more of what we can be. Ultimately, our moments are now just different moments with different activities, focus or motivation.

That is why we will be taking it slower in 2018. The Two Cowboys & A Camera will be more deliberate and more intentional. Every relationship we choose to have will be more valuable to us. Everything we do, more purposeful.

Because, it all happens once in a lifetime, then never again.

Hendrik van Wyk

Never Again Cowboy

We earn our livelihood by producing great content and supporting inspiring people, businesses, and communities. Please book us here so we can tell your story too.

Two Cowboys on a Journey: Natural High Fitness in Okotoks, Alberta

It's Your Life, Live it

(Learn: * Inspire: *** Amaze: * Live: *****)
(The Two Cowboys Subjective Rate-o-Meter.   )

Andrew Gustafson and his team at Natural High Fitness in Okotoks proclaim to mould dynamic lifestyles by helping their members follow the most effective and encouraging path to aspire to their peak fitness goals. A lofty statement and a lofty goal indeed.

"For as little as $1/month you will get the inside track on content like this and follow the travels of the Two Cowboys & A Camera. Join here."

Simply put, it is a place where you can hang out with your friends and enjoy your workout. They have everything you need for reaching your fitness (and your social) goals.

A gym is a gym, is a gym. There are a few places in Okotoks where you can deposit your sweat, move and pick up heavy stuff. Natural High Fitness is different in one very large respect. They are a community focussed enterprise. They are dedicated to supporting the community by giving back. They do it through charity work and other community-related involvements.

They help local Okotokians live healthy and active lifestyles. “Being an active part of the community is just good business, plain and simple,” says Andrew Gustafson, the founder and co-owner.  “It shows that we care enough about our town to help out in more than one way, we help many important local causes and feel we truly make a difference by creating a stronger and healthier community.”

The business is locally owned and operated by the Gustafson's who also work in partnership with the Town of Okotoks.

When we met up with Andrew, we were struck by his enthusiasm and passion for people. When I asked him about it, he made it clear that his passion for people is the single most important driver for his business. We don't find this surprising. Every small business owner in a healthy community can only be successful if they care about their people and that of their community.

At Natural High Fitness this stands out above everything else.

It's About the People

Being an entrepreneur is supposed to be simple. Firstly, find something you love to do. Something that has value for you personally. Do it. Enjoy it. Get personal value from it. Secondly, share it with those around you. Your family. Your community. If they like it too and get value from it, then keep doing it. Continue to share it with even more people.

By sharing it, you exchange value for a measured return. If you can get a large enough and profitable return, you can continue to share it and enrich more people's lives. Without this return, it remains a personal affair.

The next step is to use the return incentive and find ways to improve what you do even further and share it with more people. Then you are in business. Then you are an entrepreneur and a Producer.

The difference between a hobbyist and an entrepreneur in many cases simply comes down to the incentive or return. Return can take several forms. Monetary return or profit is the simplest, most obvious and flexible means of unlocking the value. There are other ways for value to be rewarded. Increasingly, people do what they do for more reasons than for profit. The ultimate success is to do it for profit that can be applied to add even more value to people's lives.

Community focussed businesses, or as we call it - businesses with a purpose - are taking the path of obtaining a return through social incentives. They are doing it for a cause. The cause can be to address a social or community shortcoming, such as feeding hungry children (http://www.eatmylunch.nz) or to address a lack of awareness or knowledge through education (http://www.socialenterprise.academy). There are many examples of businesses that stepped out of the more conventional profit structure by taking on a social or community cause. If a small business in a community does not have a community focussed cause, they can no longer compete on value alone. Large corporations can do things much cheaper, faster and better.

This is not a new phenomenon. If you are familiar with community-based businesses, you will know that this is the operating norm. Supporting a local business keeps money and value in the community.

The town's baker is the business that sponsors the Peewee Hockey team's uniforms. The butcher donates hams to the Foodbank. The builder donates time and materials to fix the Recreation Centre's roof. These businesses trade with each other and befit from each other. The dollars stay in the community for longer. The examples are endless. Local businesses employ the people of the community, often at incomes higher than the norm. They do it because they invest in their community's people. The value they provide benefits the community.

It should then be simple to realise that buying a cup of coffee from your local coffee roaster puts a dollar back into the dancing school. Getting a loaf of bread from your local baker pays for the hockey rink's ice. Getting your eggs from the local farmer puts shoes on a kid that otherwise may not have it. Supporting your local fitness entrepreneur supports a local cause.

If you want to take care of the people in your community and have a healthy community, then take care of the local businesses that support each other. These are the people that matter.

The best way you can do it is to spend your dollar locally and do at least twenty push-ups every day.

We enjoyed telling Andrew's story. It is not a gym story. It is a community story. We are proud to know him and hope this is the first of many stories we get to share about Natural High Fitness.

Hendrik van Wyk
Getting Fit Cowboy

Get rewarded for supporting our local Producers: Receive special offers and invitations from the Two Cowboys and our Producers when you subscribe to our email list.

Who we are: We are a social enterprise. We are funded through donations and sponsorship. All our earnings are applied back to covering our costs of marketing and promoting Producers and inspiring local communities. Please support us to bring you more (www.forwardthefavour.com)

Photos

My Kingdom 

One More

Help me

Community Support

Fitness