what a change these last few weeks have brought. the last 10 months living in small-twon exile have finally come to an end...no more hanover, no more living with my parents and no more circling the airport of life. we're on our way to b.c to a brand new start and and a new life. i'm full of excitement and anticipation of what's to come, but before we arrive at the destination we mustn't forget the journey...
day 1 - june.28.2008.
3:15am - awoke to rainy skies. a hasty goodbye before jumping in the packed to the hilt car and a 2-hour drive to tobermory. the crossing to manitoulin island was tranquil. calm, cobalt blue waters were broken lightly by a gentle rain. had a bit of a slow time once we made the landing due to a faulty swing bridge. soon enough, we were on our way once again with a staggering 1200km to drive to thunder bay. the landscape changed dramatically the further we pushed along highway 17. i finally see whay ontario is the land of lakes beacause we passed countless bodies of water surrounded by rocky, pine-covered hills. i can also see why people who live in northern dislike southerners...we are spoiled rotten in almost every way: infrastructure, convenience and amenities. northern ontario has none of these things yet has some very striking scenery...those who live there must consider it a trade-off where you take the good with the bad.
the drive went smoothly as we rocked through sault ste. marie and communities so tiny they were little more than rest stops. around wawa the fog started to roll in from lake superior slowing our pace. still we drove on and on until we reached marathon, the last stop before the final leg. here the fog evaporated as the rain began. the further we drove the bigger the increase in rainfall. luckily the light held allowing us to keep watch for moose crossings (which were more frequent after dark) finally, we pulled into thunder bay and quickly found the campground. the elements were against us as the rain soaked us and the wind howled at us. by this point patience was in very short supply so we angrily albeit hurriedly put the tent together. after our grueling 15 hour drive we collapsed into our damp, wind-blown haven and fell into an uneasy sleep. the wind continued through the night threatening to blow us away. it also created unusual shapes sounds near the tent. as i fell in and out of sleep i swear i could hear the following.
a) eerie laughter, fun-house styles.
b) hands brushing over my tent a la blair witch
c) someone repeatedly opening and closing my car door, stealing all my belongings.
none of these things happened and after i managed to get some sleep we were feeling refreshed and ready for the next day.
day 2 - june.29.2008.
the mission is to get to winnipeg, a mere 7.5 hour drive and exactly half of yesterdays torturous exercise in stupidity. my hip and ass are so sore i think i'll need replacement surgery by trips' end. actually, it wasn't so bad but still took a while to get out of ontario...man! what a whopper of a province. we set off fairly early and passed the day watching the rocks and pine trees, pines trees and rocks go by, hour after hour when suddenly the way opened up, the trees and rocks became fewer and we entered manitoba. at last, the biggest leg of the journey was over. continued onto winnipeg where we spent the night.
day3 - june.30.2008.
got another early start today which was good because we made a few wrong turns while trying to leave winnipeg. the map was no help either. even the locals we eventually asked for directions told us it's one of north america's most difficult cities to navigate.
agreed.
we found our bearing and shot off west once more. the day started off cool but gradually grew warmer and warmer. by the time we stopped for lunch, it was 33 celsius without a cloud in the sky. elisha and i positively cooked in our car but our spirits were high knowing we had only a short jaunt of 6 hours drive. dan found a nice campground with a pool which was pure bliss. now, just waiting for this guy and his laptop to go to sleep so i can smoke a cannon before bed. tomorrow, we're off to calgary and to see barry.
day5 - july.2.2008.
happy canada day! finally got to spend the national holiday in my home country and what better way to celebrate it by driving across this great nation. the drive was pretty uneventful but thankfully cool due to cloudy skies. there were some impressive landscapes of dark, foreboding weather against yellow, green and brown fields of crops. sped our way past grain elevators which soon gave way to the perpetual motion of oil derricks and at the same time matching the pace of trains taking containers across the neverending plains. before we knew it, calgary loomed ahead on the horizon and after getting a tad bit lost, we met up with barry where we'd be spending the night. it was great to catchup with him over a few beers and bongs before crashing into sleep. the next morning, we sleepily said our goodbyes with promises of plans in the near future.
the drive from calgary soon saw the stoic rocky mountains looming before us. they are so impressive they almost seem to good to be true. a very humbling experience and a great reminder of why we decided to see this country. we continued on down the transcan, making our way past kamloops when we decided to camp for the night at logan lake.
day 6 - july.3.2008.
last day of our cross-country caravan. mixed bag of feelings as i am happy not to drive, but sad there's only a little more to go. at the same time, excited to see our new place and the start of something new.
