8 days a week

I have just been confirmed for an earlier ferry which means I get to spend an extra day in the wonderful paradise that is Haida Gwaii.

Again, if anybody is interested in a postcard, let me know. I will be sending tonnes of them to friends and family, what's one or ten more?

Postcards from the edge

If anybody is interested in a postcard, drop me an email. You can pick where you want the card to be from, you can also request more than one, it's totally allowed.

I will be visiting:

In BC:

Prince George
Prince Rupert
Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands)
Smithers
Woss

In Washington:

LaConner
Seattle

In Idaho:

Some place I have no idea what the name is, but it's pretty.

In Alberta:

Calgary. Duh.

It's the final countdown

13 days left.

All my stuff has now found a new home, even that damn couch!

It was kinda hard seeing some of the stuff go, but I'm glad it's done.

For better or worse my posts are going to start getting fewer and further bewteen. (I can hear some of you cheering. Your RSS readers will be clear of my clutter) I only have access to the intarwebnets at work, or at this lovely cafe that has free wifi (and tastey crepes), or via dialup at my temporary home. Combine that with a very busy schedule and I just don't have a lot of time to update here. Not that I really have much to say at this point.

I'm a broken record at this stage. My conversations tend to go along the following lines:

Random Person: Haven't you left for Calgary yet?

Me: No, not yet. I still have X days left.

RP: Are you excited?

Me: Yeah, but I think I'm more excited about my vacation than I am about the move. I am super excited about my trip.

RP: So do you have a place to live yet?

Me: Yup. I'm all sorted in that respect. I have a great little apartment, steps from downtown waiting for me when I roll into town.

RP: Do you have a job yet?

Me: No, not yet. I'm going to wait until I get into town to start looking. I can't apply for anything right now because I am still unvailable for interviews or work until after my trip, and nobody is interested in waiting until August, just for me.

RP: Well Calgary is booming right now, you should have no problems finding work. I bet you mum is going to miss you. Isn't it hard to leave her, and the rest of your family, behind?

Me: Yup, just as much as I'm going to miss her. She's been my biggest supporter though. Of course I'm going to miss my family, but my move has nothing to do with them. I need to do this for me. As long as I have my mum's support, I'm golden. She's the one that matters most.

End scene.

There are a few alternatives to that conversation, but they are all basically the same. I had that exact conversation about a dozen times yesterday alone. It's getting tired.

I would be lying if I said that I'm not going to miss Vancouver, but I'm just not feeling the nostalgia that some think I should be feeling. I have fallen in love with Calgary and I am so excited about moving forward with my life. My parents get that more than anybody. I wish I could express just how much their support and understanding means to me. It's unbelieveable how fantastic they have been.

I've said it before, if my mum, even for a moment, said to me "don't go" I wouldn't have. She never hesitated. The moment I broke the news of my move to she has encouraged me, motivated me, and calmed me down. She is a star. She helped me pack, she helped me drive my stuff to Calgary, she organized a yard sale, and she did it all knowing that it was helping me move away from her. Just writting about it makes me cry, I can't imagine what I'm going to do when I finally say goodbye to her. Leaving my mum is the only hard thing about this move.

I think not being able to see the screen is a good indicator that maybe I should call it quits.

I'm sorry.... so sorry...

I would like to take a moment and officially apologize for going on and on and on and on about The Greatest Roadtrip Ever (2006 Edition) and then completely changing it all last minute.

This is what happens when I obsess over something. I will sit and think over every single tiny detail until it is all set, and then BAM! change my mind without a second of hesitation.

If I ever get married somebody else should plan it and just let me pick the day I want to show up. It would be better for all involved.

That said...

I'm having one hell of a time booking accommodations and ferries. I did manage to get one ferry sailing I wanted, I'm waitlisted for another, so it looks like I'll have to cut my time short by a day (oh the hardship), but I can't even get waitlisted for the short ride home so my time with the Worlds Greatest (step)Dad is going to be cut short by a few days.

I've been trying to book accommodations which is proving to be harder than booking ferries! It's all a matter of getting in touch with actual people. I am hoping to get it all sorted by the end of today.

I have most of the gear I need, just a few odds and sods to sort out, I need to get my menu planned and purchased, and then all that's left to do is pack the car up and go.

I can't wait.

Im rolling, Im rolling, Im rolling

Hot shit.

Once I get my mind in gear, and it's the right gear, boy do things click fast.

The moment I made up my mind to totally change my travel plans everything has been fitting into place super quick. I still have a couple of things that need to be worked out, the biggest issue being ferry reservations (required on the northern routes), but everything else is fitting nicely into place.

I'm very excited.

On the other hand, time is flying away from me. I can't seem to slow it down. I leave in three weeks. THREE WEEKS! What the hell man?

It took f o r e v e r for the initial Calgary departure date to come, but now that it's gone... woah.

I think I'm finally starting to get excited, in a truly tangible way, about my move. Before it was excited for the change, but now I'm really starting to get excited about living a new place. I just want the time I have left here to slow down a tad, that's all.

Blowin' in the wind

I wasn't joken when I said I am liable to change my mind on a whim.

It's official. I am booking my trip this weekend and it is almost 100% different than what I have been planning lo these many months.

I will be driving from Vancouver July 8th (if my friend Jas lets me crash at her place over night, otherwise I leave the 7th, but she loves me *waves* don't you Jas?), to Prince Rupert. From Prince Rupert I will take the ferry to Skidegate, Queen Charlotte Island, spend the week there (on the island, not Skidegate), then it's off to Port Hardy, drive down to Woss, visit the world's greatest dad, spend a week doing nothing but swinging in his hammock in the yard, then down the Island to Victoria where I will take the ferry to Washington, then to La Conner where I have booked myself into the cutest bed and breakfast that was recommended to me. I've actually booked a nice little package so I will be well taken care of, and be a noodle by the time I leave, just in time to rip shit up in Seattle.

Right now I feel as if I could sleep for a month, so basically I'm going to, I'm just going to sleep in beautiful wilderness, more beautiful wilderness and then in some beautiful sheets while I get a massage.

I've earned it.

Hold the phone

I'm tired. Really, really tired.

I don't think I seriously understood how much this move was affecting me. Now that the first part of the move is complete, I am starting to understand. I think I may have to change my plans for travel. I am still planning on taking a long vacation, but I think I may do something much different.

My current thoughts involve some time on Vancouver Island visiting my (step)dad. Being up at his place is so damn relaxing it's impossible to not feel good. I'm also planning on booking myself into a bed and breakfast that was recommended to me. I deserve it.

That still leaves me with a chunk of time I don't know what to do with, but I'm sure I will figure something out. I just know that I need to be still for awhile, and driving everywhere and seeing everything is about as far from being still as it gets.

Blinded by the light

I am so tired.

I had the most insane weekend.

Thursday night my mum and I packed everything into the van, went back over to her house, and passed out. Well... she passed out I lay there, unable to sleep.

Friday morning we were up at 4:30 (!) AM (!!!!!!!!) and on the road by 5:30, Calgary bound. We made awesome time. No traffic, heavy use of cruise control, and a fantastic breakfast from a cafe in Hope to get us through until Golden. Golden was where we had a problem.

Early Friday morning there was a rock slide outside of Golden, which meant we weren't getting through, at least not that way. We had to detour through Radium, which put us about 120Km out of our way, but more importantly it took us 2.5 hours out of our way. The thing about the road from Golden to Banff via Radium is that it's a two lane highway. It's fine if the other route is open, but when it's not, there is a tonne of traffic and no way to pass. It's slow. Very slow. We were stuck behind some serious traffic until we made it into Kootenay National Park. We ended up being on the road for a total of 14 hours.

Saturday was a blur, but my stuff is now living in Calgary, I have a new apartment to live in (Oh my god it's so fantastic I can't believe it. It's almost as fantastic looking as the Perfect Apartment I just moved out of and it's in the most amazing location. And it's huge. And inexpensive. And fantastic. Oh my god.), camping gear shopping, dinner with a small portion of The Family Corps aka The Organization, awesome conversation, crappy sleep, a crazy but wonderful cat, weather that couldn't make up it's mind, a lot of good times and zero crying. I'm pretty proud of that last bit. I came close, but I didn't do it.

It was a good introduction to the city for my mum. She is feeling much better about my move now. She knows that I will be well taken care of, that there are people that will look out for me, and that she is more than welcome to visit at any time. She's currently planning on visiting for Christmas, and already members of The Organization are making plans. It did both our hearts a lot of good.

The trip home was long, but not as long as getting out to Calgary. The drive was nice but slow, way more traffic. On the way home was the first time I started to feel really car sick, but once I took over the driving duties and had some ginger ale I was feel better. The only other black mark on the trip was passing a massive accident (3 cars in the ditch, two flipped) just outside of Surrey just before the paramedics arrived.

It's good to be home, but I'm looking forward to when I start housesitting. I can't wait to sleep in a bed that is all mine, no sharing, save a cat or two. After all that driving I'm starting to wonder if I have it in me to do The Greatest Roadtrip Ever (2006 Edition) or not. To be fair though, this trip was all about the stress of moving, and the driving was longer than I intend to travel on any given day, by a good margin, but still, I will have to seriously give this a rethink.

I think it will take me a week or two to recover and process this weekend.

I think I'm going to love Calgary.

Billiam!

IMG_0084
Originally uploaded by dawnzzle.

I miss Bill like mad. I don't know how I am going to get through months without that cute little face!

Tonight is my last night in my perfect apartment.

I am so sad. I am really going to miss living in that house. I have been happier there than anywhere else I can remember.

Of course now that everything is moving ahead, and time is starting to fly I want it to slow down.

I still have the damn couch. That couch is making me cry. I now hate that couch.

I'm so stressed out that I have wrapped back around to calm.

I think my brain has stopped working.

Okay, time to get serious.

I need to stop procrastinating and get the last of my goods packed up. The van gets packed in 2 sleeps, and in 3 I am off to Calgary.

It suddenly struck me (in the middle of a department meeting) that I needed to organize my wardrobe for the next few months. I can't pack up all my clothes and cart them around with me, but I can't just pack everything up and store it.

What really needs to happen is make my head get around the idea that I am going to be living out of a suitcase for the next three months and out of those three months, 5 weeks will be spent living in a tent. The next couple of days is going to be interesting, to say the least.

I really am mostly packed, it's a matter of sorting out the small bits. I just need to bin it all.

And the damn couch. The damn couch is still sitting in my livingroom.

Bastards.

Where have you gone

Yesterday Billiam was dropped off at mum's house. He was doing pretty good when I left, even if he was a bit freaked out with all the newness.

I called mum this morning to find out how his first night went.

Bill is just fine.

I am a mess.

Okay, I am going to admit, right out, that I've had a few pints in me tonight, but I originally started this post this afternoon, before the beer started to flow so this really is not beer induced thinking, but the spelling and rambling totally is.

Ahem.

I've talked to a lot of people about my move and TGRTE ('06) and a lot of people just don't get it. They don't understand why I would want to travel so far in only a few weeks. From the discussions I have had I have decided that people are either mostly deistination oriented or journey oriented. I, myself, am mostly destination oriented. I really like the idea of getting to a place, a time, a goal, whatever, but this trip is different for me. This trip is all about the journey. I am so excited about seeing EVERYTHING. It's not about getting to a place and stopping and exploring, it's all about the journey. I have no idea what it's like to be on the road, alone, for weeks on end. I am looking forward to finding out. Not a lot of people really understand that.

It's hard to believe that in just over 4 weeks I will be off on my big adventure.