Planning The Big Trip
I'm in the final planning stages for a two-week road trip that Wendy and I are going to take in a little over a week. We've taken many vacations over the years, but this one is different.
For one, it's going to encompass two whole weeks. We've rarely if ever done a vacation more than a week long. Secondly, we're going to head to the Pacific coast of northwest U.S. and southwest Canada. Wendy's never been. It's been almost 50 years since I've seen a California beach.
So I've been figuring mileage, checking websites, making reservations. Since I like a little adventure with my trips I want to travel through central British Columbia, ending up at a place called Prince Rupert on the coast. Then we'll hop an all-day ferry to Vancouver Island.
My son Greg mapped the route via Google and e-mailed me, "Holy COW! I just Googled from Calgary to Vancouver via Price Rupert. Has mom seen this route?????? Whoa."
What, I thought. Are we likely to get ambushed by Crazy Horse or something? I had to see what Greg was looking at so I stopped by his computer. He showed me how through Google you can get a satellite view of the route, then zoom in for a street view. Quite cool. Yes, it did look like a lot of mountains. And not a lot of people.
That's okay. I've never been that much of a people person anyway. Originally I had planned to throw a mattress in back of our Grand Caravan, figuring that if we couldn't find a hotel, we could just find a primitive campsite or something and sleep in the back. But I tested that idea recently and it wasn't that comfortable.
Me and Wendy and a dog named Boo, traveling and a living off the land wasn't going to work for us. Maybe if we were in our early 20s and driving a VW microbus. Wendy's not too sure even about staying in a permanent tent in Curry Village in Yosemite National Park, our last stop out west before heading east again. "Not if I have to cook and do dishes," she noted.
To be truthful, I don't think Wendy was ever the type to travel and live off the land. Me neither for that matter.
We're just hoping there's a lot of Tim Hortons around where we're going. Even if it is the Canadian version of the Alps.
posted by Big Dave T @ 6:11 PM
7 Comments:
Good for you. I hope you and Wendy have a marvelous time on your two week adventure. Oh, and the dog too.
You're going to see some of the most incredible views Dave. Vancouver and the island are so great! And I can't say enough about our coastlines here in Cali. If you happen to be in the infamous Orange County-drop me a message, maybe we can meet up for coffee.
TECHNOBABE--Well, no dog, but I'm looking for it nevertheless. We're hoping to see lots of animals of the wild variety.
CARINE--Infamous Orange County. Haven't I heard something about the police around that area? They might not appreciate strangers appearing that they're lost.
It's been eons since I camped along the California coastline, but I still remember how beautiful it was. We also made the trip to vancouver Island. Loved it!
NANKIN--With our luck, we'll probably get there and everything will be fogged in. That happened on a trip out to Maine once.
Hi Dave ~~ I hope the trip turns out to be a great two weeks for you both.
It will be different and you will see new places. Have a great time.
I am so glad your son is safe after all the disasters around him. I know the media does exaggerate but I heard there were 40 dead, so that's not good. I am glad your sister enjoyed the wine joke. Take care my friend, Regards, Merle.
you know that you can do street view from you cell phone, right? Get a GPS or have GPS on your phone before you go. Then you never have to worry about getting lost. It also tells you in real time what gas prices are in your local area and restaurant reviews.
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