When we walked in we were welcomed by a group of people aged 12-45 all hanging out on recliners and couches right at the entry way. The World Cup was being projected on a huge wall spanning the entire room, a heavy metal type dude sat on the couch strumming his guitar. This was the strangest church I’ve ever been in. 

When we walked in all eyes turned to us, the guy on guitar started to serenade us with a welcome song which asked our names. I sang back best I could in hopes of being accepted. Everyone smiled and we began our welcome tour of our home for the night, The Highlands Hostel. Bricin the owner is quite the character. After a long and interesting career in skateboarding, Bricin moved his family to Cape Breton where he converted an old church into his dream, a welcoming hostel designed around community/skateboarding museum. Bricin and his wife Patricia felt that for many reasons this was a really healthy environment to raise your family. Their kids have been living here for a decade and have become accustomed to travelers passing through and staying in their house with them in bunks upstairs. They also house some work-for-stay young adults from around the world for weeks or months. We share their kitchen, bathrooms, and other communal areas, including the Bell Tower and hidden video game/jam out attic. I love staying at hostels, not just for the price, but for the community. Like Bricin, I think it’s healthy and fun to have my kids exposed to hostel life. You are a member of a group, although everyone is individually on their own adventure, we must all work together and look out for our fellow bunkmates to make it all work. Selfishness doesn’t work in a hostel, especially one with this friendly of a vibe. Hostels generally attract a certain clientele, and it always feels like our people. When searching for campgrounds, I occasionally check if any interesting hostels are around and I am really glad I did this time. 

That is where the similarities between Bricin and myself end. Bricin “Striker” Lyons is an extreme sport enthusiast. He is one of the godfathers of downhill speed skating where he regularly goes over 100 kph standing on a board with tiny wheels, whereas I would never in a million years try this. Bricin is also a very passionate person who has dedicated the last 25 years of his life to help build up the largest downhill speed skateboarding tournament on earth. His walls are covered with crazy images of skaters doing crazy things. There are posters and memorabilia from tournaments around the world, often signed, some featuring Bricin. This finally got me to google him, the Vice article on him tries its best to explain his magnetic personality. His energy is hard to describe and Vice did better than I can, but his unique style is what has made him so loved and successful. His wife Patricia is much calmer but just as sweet and equally dedicated to the hostels success. Amy would spend the morning over coffee discussing what it’s like raising a family in a hostel. What an awesome little piece of the planet they have created here for everyone to enjoy. 

If you climb a couple ladders you can get to the bell tower of the old church. You can relax up there or take the yellow plastic slide down into the hidden attic. Here old Nintendo machines entertained the kids as did the drum set that accompanied a full set up for a rock band. We lounged around most of the day, still tired from our hike out from Fishing Cove early this morning. We did go play some Horse around the basketball net and walked to a restaurant for lunch. In the evening we baked a pizza in the kitchen, played board games, and exchanged stories and advice with travelers from around the world.  

In the evening, Bricin hiked up to the top of the hill to experience the other reason he moved here, the intensely steep mountains. He left marching up the road and said to watch for him in fifteen minutes. Woooosh, if you blinked you woulda missed it, crazy insane. You couldn’t pay me to try that, but it was amazing to watch. An athlete at the top of his sport. Later a local dropped off a ton of wood he got through clearing a construction site and so a bonfire had to ensue to get rid of it. I lost track of time sitting around the fire with Bricin and a young worker named Jack who had been here for a month from Australia. We chatted philosophy, music,sports and family before I eventually had to head to bed. At one point he was explaining how in the morning I will block the wind going down the hill and let him draft off my bus and he was going to go faster than ever. Bricin is one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met. He’s more passionate about downhill skating than I am about anything, and I’m a little jealous.

We took our time leaving in the morning, ahead lies another beautiful beach today but this place is unique and relaxing. The kids like the change of pace from being in the bus and being around other humans. By the time we leave it was a bit sad saying goodbye to our host family, they seem like really great people I wish I lived closer to.

Oh yeah, I forgot about the party bus, no really I totally forgot about it.