Trip planning

It's been an eventful couple of days... nothing huge, just a lot of business with the packing, saying goodbye to our stuff, and planning the trip. Thursday, Daryl's dad came and picked up a truck load of our stuff to store. It was sad to wave goodbye to our beloved mementos, books, and a lovely mirror Daryl gave me for an anniversary present. Yesterday, my dad arrived, all the way from Kamloops, to pick up a truck load of stuff to store at their place. We actually had a good evening, packing, organizing stuff, and getting it all ready to go. I had an encouraging and comforting talk with dad on the patio while Daryl did some of the packing. We are so lucky to have such wonderful and supportive parents on both sides. Another night of little sleep though, as our apartment was just roasting. SO hot!! So this morning, we had breakfast, loaded up the truck and dad took off around 10am. We decided that after all of the packing and sorting and saying goodbye to our things, we needed to contact some reinforcers related to our trip (this would be the way I put it, not Daryl ;-). So, we sat down at the patio table with coffee, maps (tons of free ones my parents scored at BCAA!), paper, highlighter, pencil and calculator and planned out our travel route. Being that we want to go to Kamloops and Edmonton "on the way" out, it seems the fastest, most enjoyable route will be: Victoria, Langley, Kamloops, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Kenora (ONT), Sault St. Marie (ish- we've heard there is great camping just before Sault St. Marie along Lake Superior), Hamilton, then accross the boarder at Buffalo and through to MA. We had heard that the route below, via the US was faster, but when we timed it out on the maps, going through Canada was faster by a few hours, and the trip is much more picturesque that way. Besides, both of us have a fear of travelling though Chicago (which the US route would require). I was stuck there twice for hours on end at the O'Hairball airport, and Daryl was stuck there due to car troubles for a matter of days! So, we'll avoid it.

It was quite amusing planning the trip out. Once I had highlighted in our route (a necessity for me), I was very rigid about it. I could not entertain the idea of taking a route that was off the highlighted roads. Daryl was almost as bad, in that he was seriously disturbed when I accidently got a pencil mark on the map. We are an odd couple.

Anyhoo...onwards we go. Half our stuff is gone, now to get rid of the rest, and pack what we're taking with us.