The completion of leg two of our trip is on the horizon. Leg one being a set time to get to BC to visit my friends before they venture off on their snowbird life. Leg two being a set time to get to Saskatchewan to visit my dad and for Mike to get to Alabama to visit his mom. The third only being to be south before the snow flies. We will meet again in Minot, ND in about a week. There will be no definitive missions after that. Possible visits to friends in Oregon and San Francisco, a drop in to Pioneer Town, a visit to some giant canyon, and onwards to New Mexico. Or not. We're keeping our plans loose.
To travel from place to place with all of our necessary things packed like a tetris puzzle into our car, has become part of the adventure. It takes a certain rhythm to stay organized in such a small space, constantly moving in and out of different towns and choosing different styles of living and sleeping. Do we camp? Do we luxury it up? How long should we stay? Do we need to do laundry? What do we take inside and what do we leave in the car? What are we ok with losing if the car gets broken into? It's all part of the adventure. Honestly, it's one of my favourite parts (for now).
The car rides are always filled with music (thank god for Sirius XM), sometimes void of conversation as we enjoy the cool scenery and vast array of music options. We don't do podcasts. That's not our thing. And probably never will be. Other times I'm reading to Mike about the town we're passing through and what its weird history is. I always check the population first. I have a strange fascination with that number no matter how big or small the place. I always have. I've come across stories like the giant hole we saw while passing through Butte, MT. It's the stuff movies are made of where everyone's drinking water is eventually going to kill them.
Other recurring conversations include our favourite things and least favourite things. The best of, the worst of, the strange, and the curious. This is our list so far.
My favourite Accommodation: The Frontier Cabins in Wall, SD. Mike thinks the Four Seasons in Chicago. Two very different experiences for sure. A close second for me was a cabin in Jasper, AB. That was a sweet, river side cabin.
Worst Accommodation
The Best Western in the Back-Ass-of-Nowhere Cape Cod. We stayed just long enough to google a different accommodation and then left immediately. It's been decided any Best Western in future must be at minimum a Best Western Plus. Forever now referred to as
Best travel gadget:
Aeropress for our morning coffee. It comes with us into every room, everywhere. Second is our kettle which serves as both something to make water hot and to boil eggs. Turns out boiled eggs are a great road side snack.
Worst hotel Service:
Delta Whistler, BC It's clear everyone here hates their job. We left early.
Best Subway Sandwich:
Lloydminster, AB. This man clearly loves the art of making a subway sandwich and loves his shop. His enthusiasm so strong, we had to assume he was the owner. It was so good I may even do a google review for them.
Best overall sandwich on the road:
Marketplace in Whistler, BC - Best sandwich I've ever purchased in a grocery store. Ever.
Best Steak:
Gillette, WY - and not just on the road. Of my life! And I've shoved a lot of steak in my face.
Best Pizza: Pizzeria Antico, Whistler, BC
Coolest drive: Icefields Parkway, AB Though sadly not as cool as 30 years ago due to the extreme receding of the ice fields. You used to be able to pull over and walk on them. Now you need binoculars.
Very close second was the drive from Whistler to Vernon, BC. A stunning drive as well.
Most boring drive: The cornfields of Minnesota. SOOOO boring. The drive from Hinton to Edmonton is a very close second. And the drive from Golden, BC to Baker Creek, AB wasn't far behind.
Best Swimming Hole: Sproat Lake, BC - Vancouver Island. What a lake!! Crystal clear
Longest driving day: Edmonton to Estevan. About 10 hours. We try not to make our driving days too long.
Best hotel view: Four Seasons Hotel, Chicago,
Most dangerous town (as told by the locals) Chicago, Michelle, Chicago, IL. It was her last shift before getting out of Chicago and moving to Indiana.
Longest stay: Estevan, SK - 3 weeks
Best Cannabis store: Portland, ME - Interesting fact: New Jersey won't sell drinkables apparently due to the so called liquor mafia.....
Most listened to station: Classic Vinyl and Yacht Rock on Sirius XM. Though on my drives alone - it's Prime Country.
Worst traffic: Connecticut. Though it was also really brutal driving into Seattle.
Scariest moment: My seaplane ride from Vancouver to Whistler. An experience of both overwhelming joy and sheer terror.
Best Adventure: ATV buggy riding in the mountains of Whistler, BC. Second was watching the salmon run on Vancouver Island. That was special and something I probably won't see again. Thanks Margie and Stewart.
As we continue our travels, my guess is, this list will get more weird. I'm counting on it.
