For the past 11 Remembrance Days, retired pilot and vintage aircraft restorer Neil Davidson has been paying homage to Canada’s war veterans in his own way. On the 11th day of the 11th month, at precisely 11 a.m., Neil buzzes the crowd at Kimberley’s cenotaph in his completely refurbished 1940 Tiger Moth biplane.

Growing up in the lap of the Purcell and Rocky mountains in Cranbrook and in the company of exceptional people like Neil, I always had some sense that this part of the world was somehow unique and special. Over the years this vague idea has cemented into a very real awareness that the essence of the Kootenay region runs deeper than our world-class golf and ski resorts, and our postcard-worthy vistas.

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The Andean towers and icecaps of Patagonia arguably match
the Kootenays’ for sheer visual inspiration, but Patagonia’s native
wildlife was long ago displaced by the introduction of non-
native fish in its streams and by sheep and cattle across its landscape
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I have yet to find a region as rich with the seemingly incongruous values of intact wilderness and creature comforts, wealth and freedom, frontierism and safety. The jungles of Colombia emanate an unrivalled sense of vibrancy and mystique, but you sure as heck don’t want to be caught on a backroad at night in the country with the highest number of kidnappings per capita in the world. The Andean towers and icecaps of Patagonia arguably match the Kootenays’ for sheer visual inspiration, but Patagonia’s native wildlife was long ago displaced by the introduction of non-native fish in its streams and by sheep and cattle across its landscape. The Himalayas boast some of the most jaw-dropping mountainscapes on the planet, along with an inspiring history and culture, but nearly every square inch of that vast region has been modified in some way by humanity, and desertification and human health issues are rampant.

The Kootenays truly have it all: the freedom to explore, express and inspire as you will, and as much or as little adventure as one cares to search out, all with a glass of wine and a warm bed at the end of the day.

Wherever you are, this week in particular gives us cause to pause and thank those who worked hard and sacrificed all this, even their lives when needed, to allow us to continue to enjoy it. If you happen to be near Kimberley this Wednesday morning at 11 o’clock, look up and enjoy a piece of history floating through pure mountain air, over some of the wildest landscape in the world, and be thankful.

Note: Dave Quinn will be posting weekly from the Kootenays starting the week of November 11, 2009

For more aviation tales: Skydiving Newbie

Lead photo courtesy Brian Clarkson (cranbrookphoto.com)