Day 23 - 25: Idaho to Calgary

Before I left Seattle I thought long and hard about stopping in Idaho. I had planned to stop, and stay, for 3 or 4 nights. By the time I was set to leave Seattle I was ready to just drive straight through to Calgary. I just wanted to be home. I was tired. Tired of living out of a suitcase, tired of being alone, tired of time not having any meaning, tired of picking up and moving on every couple of days. I wanted to be settled, I just wanted to stop.

I don't know why, but I decided to stick to my original plan, sort of. I decided I would stay two nights and then move on to Calgary. I am so glad I did.

The drive from Seattle was long, filled with traffic, and not a lot else. I always forget how different Eastern Washington is from the West. It’s beautiful in its own way. I really enjoyed the drive.

Northern Idaho is as different from Southern Idaho was Eastern and Western Washington are from each other. It was interesting to be someplace I’d never been before. It reminded me a lot of the Cariboo Interior of BC.

I finally got to where I needed to be and set up camp. I spent the next 36 hours contemplating the last few weeks. I did a lot of thinking about all the thinking I had been doing up to that point. It hit me, all at once, I had done it. I had done what I had set out to do, and I had done it alone. It was a pretty amazing feeling.

Those two nights in Idaho gave me a good deal of perspective. I needed it. I’m glad I didn’t just drive on through. I am very glad that I decided to only take two nights though. I was ready to be home.

I packed up my car, for the last time, and started on the final drive. It was one of the most stunning parts of my trip. Driving through the mountains, coming through Crow’s Nest Pass, across the grass lands, such stunning beauty.

The entire time I was driving I kept thinking to myself, this is my home now. I was so happy. I knew I had made the right choice.

25 days after setting out, I was finally home.