Dirk Mendel and Suzanne Brabant have been engaged in a thrilling adventure, traversing the landscapes of Canada, the USA, and Mexico.
Dirk’s mother, Gisela Mendel, passed away in 2008, requiring him to move to Smithers to help with his father, Hans Mendel, who was 97 at the time.
As fate would have it, three years after Hans passed away in 2014, Dirk and Suzanne found each other. Their companionship blossomed as they shared their dreams and aspirations. Curious and caring about Dirk with his Multiple Sclerosis, Suzanne asked him, “What is on your bucket list? What would you like to do?”
Dirk responded, “I want to go to Tim Hortons.”
“No! Not that,” She said, “Do you want to go across Canada”?
The response was “Yes”.
Since purchasing a Ford van with a wheelchair lift and a trailer in 2018, their journeys have been remarkable, from coast to coast and north to south all while Dirk is confined to a wheelchair.
The first adventure was driving to the Canadian East Coast, exploring all four maritime provinces.
Dirk's background was in forestry, and one of their trips took them to the California redwoods.
Another trip was visiting 23 states across the USA from Maine to Washington. Suzanne’s dreams came true by visiting the historical Boston Tea Party site and South Dakota’s Mount Rushmore. For history buff Dirk, they found an opportunity to wheel up to Custard’s last stand in Montana.
His love of museums took them to Mackinac Island in Michigan, USA, a car-free island filled with bicycles, horse-drawn carriages, and heritage homes.
One of the greatest highlights for this travelling duo was the energy of the Omak Rodeo in Washington, where nightly races of horses and riders ran full speed down a steep slope, then across the Okanogan River and into a stadium.
Whether it has been the scenic Dawson City, the historical Old Quebec City, the vibrant streets of New Orleans, the picturesque beauty of Puerto Vallarta, or the tropical paradise of Hawaii, this couple has gathered a treasure trove of memories and enchanting stories to share.
Suzanne has been tracking their travels in an atlas, and Dirk, editor of the Senior Citizens Newsletter, has included a journal of their trips.
There are a few perks to travelling with a wheelchair; even the busiest sites have parking spots available for wheelchair accessibility.
On their last trip to Mexico by car in January of this year, after a wonderful trip to Puerto Vallarta, they returned through the Sierra Nevada mountains in the USA. After crossing the border into Canada, while celebrating Canadian values, this couple bought Canadian flags at Canadian Tire as gifts for several friends living on Vancouver Island.
It's election day April 28, let's show the world how we Canadians get out to vote. If you have items for this community column please email sonja.lester.b.c@gmail.com
