Cross Canada 2008

2008-07-03T11:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday consisted primarily of a trip to Ikea in Coquittlan. I have never been in a store that was so large. The showroom was bigger that the Waterville plant. That didn't include the warehouse were you pick up your merchandise, the checkout area, pick up area or the parking lots. The cafeteria was the best I ever saw. I had a salmon dinner for $9.00. Kyle bought 2 brown chestfields and a bed and arranged to have them delivered. We are still pulling the Uhaul trailer everywhere we go and it is getting on Kyle's nerves.
Kyle picked up the key to his apartment and we just hung out watching TV. I tried to get Brett to go to a ball game with me but he wasn't up for it.
This morning we got a call from Dad to tell us that Ruth passes away.
We were checking out of the hotel today hoping to spent the night at Kyles new place. To kill time, went for a drive to the top of Grouse Mtn in West Van. We couldn't find a place to park because it was so busy so we came half way down the mtn and stopped at a Provincial Park that had lots of parking. We thought it was just a picnic park but it turned out to be o much more. There was a lake, dam, water falls, gorge, old growth forest, 9 ft wide Douglas Fir trees, a shady cool hiking trail and a fish hatchery.
We left there and fought the heat and traffic across the Lions Gate Bridge, thru town to Kyle's apartment. We parked the trailer in the underground parking (had to stand on the back of the trailer to get it to fit under the door.
Met Kyle's new landlord who was cleaning up after the painters.
We hung out for an hour while Brett got his computer fix and then headed down town. The people on the streets exuded a carnival atmosphere. We grabbed a burito and walked to the waterfront. We arrived 4 or 5 hours before the fireworks so we sat on a bench and took in the sights and sounds. As the sun went down, I wished I had packed a sweater. The view of the harbour front changes. A haze falls over the mountains and they are sillohitted by a pinkish blue sky. the crowd continues to build. Bikes, skateboards and rollerbladers reduce and are replaced more couples and families carrying blankets. The seaplanes seemed to have stopped for the night but boat and boat tour traffic pick up. The 9 pm cannon booms from the point in Stanley Park directly across to harbour. The tide has swung as the Navy Frigate in the middle of the harbour is pointing to where it was. Small boats take up station at the mouth of Coal Bay to get the best 'seats' in the house. The Harbour Fire Boat stops in front of us, turns on its hoses aft and stern and begins spinning in circles. It is the neatest fountain we could ever see.
The fireworks were fantastic. Certainly worth the wait.
The walk back seemed longer as the temp dropped and we were tired. We will sleep well tonight. Tomorrow we complete the trip by moving everything in.
Happy Birthday Cananda and British Columbia.
Night all.
Love you

Stanley Park by Sky Train June 29th

2008-06-29T20:13:00.000-07:00

Last night was the first night that we had any real problems on the whole trip. After arriving in Vancouver we visited a friend of Kyle in North Vancouver. We struggled to find a hotel that had a vacancy or didn't require a first mortgage for a room. We failed to notice that we were running on empty until it was too late. The up side is that there was room to pull off the side of the road and we were within sight of an exit. The bad news was the highway was socket with traffic and Kyle forgot his wallet when he arrived at the gas station. We met half way to try again. A good Samaritan city worker in a truck gave Kyle a ride back and provided flashing lights and big truck coverage as Kyle poured the gas in the tank as it was on the traffic side of the van.

We were unable to find the hotel we had contacted that had a room but ended up finding another that was a lot nicer. It was across the street from the movie studio that films the show Star Gate /SG1.

Today we took the Sky Train into the Vancouver Waterfront and walked the Seawall Wall to Stanley Park. Kyles friend left us a VIP pass at the Aquarium so we did a tour.

It was a gorgeous day, 33 degrees and the water front was full of people. I definitely think Kyle will be happy here. I definitely would like to live here.

BC or Bust June 28th 4538 kms

2008-06-29T09:46:00.000-07:00

Drive

Arrive

Ran out of gas in more ways than one.

27---6---20---08 Hike Hike Hike June 27th

2008-06-28T06:27:00.000-07:00

Today was all about 'enjoying' the outdoors. Kyle was out with his friends till the wee hours so he slept in. I had the pleasure of breakfast with Brett in the Hotel Dining room. After breakfast he decided that he wanted to stay put so I headed out to explore. I walked to the edge of town, picked up the train tracks (love hearing the train whistles every couple of hours as trains run through the town) and followed them to the other edge of town where I picked up a hiking trail that lead me down the Bow River to the Bow River Falls located below the Banff Lodge.
I got back to the room around 2 quite bagged but happy to have had the exercise after a week in the van.
Kyle was just getting up and he was pumped to hike up "Tunnel Mtn". Oh Shit. I was reluctant to to go as I figured I had just did 5 to 8 k and I figured I wouldn't make it and would slow them down.
On the other hand, yesterday, standing on the patio looking at the mountains, I decided to add climbing one of the Rocky mountains to my "Bucket List" so I throw my hat in with the a mild disclaimer that I wasn't likely to make it to the top.
We meet up with Kyle's friend Morgan who was a pseudo guide and we headed off.
15 minutes in I was starting to huff and puff and a third of the way up I was considering parking it and enjoying the view from there. I decided to push on purely on the observation that Kyle and Brett seemed to struggling as well, and I was hoping to save my self from the "old man couldn't make it" ribbing that I was certain would come. The higher we went, the harder the boys found it. It never got easier for me but I decided I was going to the top if it killed me. (almost but not quite) We reached the top (twice) and the view made it all worthwhile. Absolutely breathtaking.
The trip down was slightly easier. Morgan came back to the room for a beer. I spent an hour in the hot tub and I think it helped because I can move my legs this morning without grimacing in pain. After the hot tub, a snooze was in order. I didn't wake up until 9pm. Kyle had gone out with some friends and Brett was a little perturbed that he hadn't been feed. Imagine, the nerve of me. He asked me to go to McDonalds and get something. I agreed to go with him. He was not happy when I said I didn't want to take it back to the hotel room. He even chewed on me when I suggested eating outside on a bench as the McD's was very hot. I chewed back on more than just the burger. We ended the night on a grimace and a smile as we walked back to the hotel listening to the sounds of a resort town at night.

Rocking to the Rockies June 26th

2008-06-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

I slept in this morning until 9 and never heard Tristan or the other guys head off to work.
Got packed up and waited for Brett and Kyle to get up. Without much adieu, we packed up the van, left a thank you note and headed out to the inspiring head banging screams of Lamb of God.
Finding our way back to the highway turned into a bit of an adventure. Kyle's Blackberry was dead so he was without his navigational system and he didn't handle having to trust my directions blindly very well. Verbal fur flew in both directions. Once the vents and rants were over, we did what we did best. He drove and I navigated and we made it to TC1 West without a hitch. 'Good Job' were exchanged and we moved on.
On the outskirts of Calgary, we passed the site of the Winter Olympics ski jump and snow board half pipe.
The road returned to prairie but with the Rockies looming large on our left as we headed northwest to Banff.

We have become enveloped by mountains in less than an hour. Though the drive seems flat, we have climbed to 4600 ft. We pass the Canmor Nordic Rec Area where the primary house design is Chalet Style.
The mountains have increasing amounts of snow as we go deeper. We enter Banff National Park and I find myself having to lean down more and more to see 'up'.

Banff is not far and we pull into town. It is a beautiful resort town made up of a few main streets that are row upon row of hotels, bars and shops. Kyle took us by his old apartment, then we checked in at the Aspen Lodge.

A few calls and he makes a connection with a friend he played in a band with. We meet up for dinner and a few beer at the Wild Bill Bar. The town and the mountains fill up the vista from the patio.

Kyle heads off to check out the new Jam location for the old band and we head back to the room. Brett is watching a movie, I will load up my blog and then walk back into town to explore.

On the sixth day we rested June 25th

2008-06-25T21:45:00.000-07:00

Awake at 7 when Tristan headed off to work. Surprise, Kyle is up and functioning. However Brett snoozes to 'check out time'.
Called Bhreagh. She was just heading into a tanning salon and will give us a call when she gets home. Watched a movie called the Punisher.

We decided to to spend the day at the Calgary Zoo. Numerous calls back and forth to Bhreagh and we arranged to pic up her and her friend Felicia. Traveled through downtown and after a few side trips we finally found the zoo.

Lots of sights to see, most of them wild life. I was quite impressed with the zoo. The girls were a laugh. Every time they saw a baby animal, they wanted to take it home. Lots of pictures but all on my Treo as I left my camera at the house.

Stopped at Boston Pizza for supper on the way back. Felicia was just starting to work at Hooters and was explaining how it was now catering to families. We are interested in seeing how that works out.

Stopped at Walmart to pick up a new NIC card and some drinks for Brett.
Back to the house and the boys broke out the cards for a game of Texas Hold'em. Josh Galilotte and Brody Atwell were over for a visit. Brody took the honours with Brian pulling in second. The night seemed to fly by and before we knew it, everyone was heading off to bed.
I will dream of raising into pocket Aces.

Night all.

VBC Express lays over in Calgary June 24th

2008-06-24T21:17:00.000-07:00

Early arrival, late departure. Up early this morning but I let the boys sleep until almost check out time. We all function better waking at our own pace. We went to see 'The Love Guru' last night. It was better than the critic's said. Bollywood meets Hockey Night in Canada.

Breakfast at Perkins and in the van for the short trip to Calgary. Kyle is planning to stay at Chad Pinch's place. Bhreagh emailed her address to Kyle last night after I called her to tell here when we would be in town. I expect we will stay for a couple of days.

The terrain has flattened out again but still has a slight swell so as to not be completely flat. Sporadic grazing herds of cattle isolated from the road by an endless barb wire fence and the occasional small oil rig are all we have outside the van to hold our attention. Kyle downloaded some movies for Brett last night to save Brett from the slow death of boredom. 'Shawn of the Dead' is currently showing on the VBC Express.

I find it hard to believe that we that we are 3129 feet above sea level. Can't wait till we hit the Rockies.

I just moved into sole possession of first place in the 'Dance Till You Stop' contest. Kyle is in second place and Brett, bless his sole has a shut out going.

Suddenly, our eyes differentiate the cumulus clouds on the horizon from the snow covered Rockies. Even at this distance they are majestic. Not minutes later, Calgary's sky line appears minuted later. Minutes after that, our exit appears. Things happen fast i in Alberta.

Google maps kick in, and we follow the instructions through the maze of streets until something appears wrong. The road we are looking for doesn't appear. Garmin to the rescue. We missed a turn and headed east instead of west. After a wide U turn we pick up the scent which takes us right to the door. No one home, so we wait, entertaining ourselves by trying to hack into the neighbourhood wireless.

Half an hour later Tristan shows up. He hasn't changed a bit. Tristan, Chad, Brian and Scott share a big two story in a great neighbourhood with a view of Calgary on one side and the Rockies on the other.

A few beer and a steak with fixings top things off under a hot summer night.

Looks like my NIC is fried so I can't connect to the internet, but thanks to Chad and his IT expertise, I am wired for the night. Walmart electronics section is now on the agenda for the morning.
The boys break out the guitars, cigars and kick back on the downstairs patio. Brett retires to IPod video, Guitar Hero and big screen. Finding something to drink besides beer in this macho home will be a challenge for him.

Male life doesn't get any better.

Can Campbell's Conquer Calgary June 23rd

2008-06-23T23:38:00.000-07:00

A late arrival in Brandon means a late departure. We were the last ones out of the hotel parking lot. After gassing up and a bite at A&W, we were on the road by 12. Ominous black clouds on the horizon spell the promise of rain.

Large grain elevators herald Brandon's title of Wheat King. It makes me feel akin to The Tragical Hip. (next visit to Limewire).

It is getting wet inside and out. The heavens open up outside and our mascot bamboo plant tips and spills water on ample precious electronics. To add to the ambiance, Kyle is carrying on business over his cell phone and an18 wheeler is challenging us for supremacy of the 1/4 mile drag strip that extends to the horizon.

Technology really helps to reduce boredom on the prairie. Music of all genre's abound. Cell phones keep us in touch on a moments notice. My recent discovery is hooking up the GPS to the computer in real time. I can see that there is a pond behind that berm: that Grenfell has 10 more streets behind the single one I see, an airport and golf course and the CPR runs right through the middle of town.

Just outside Wolseley, we passed the smoking skeletal remains of a smoking Ford Escape on the side of the road. A trailer was still attached. The fire dept was on hand and had all east bound traffic stopped. It is sobering reminder how quickly fortunes can change. Maybe I am pessimistic, but I think the lesson is lost on the 'front seats' . Maybe that is another lesson for me.

The rain has disappeared without benefit to the Escape. The endless asphalt ribbon dries but maintains it's constant PEI ka thump ka thump ka thump.

The Qu'Appelle River stretches out as far as you can see with tentacles that represent varicose veins on the landscape. I can see how a flood in this area could cause such devastation.
Qu'Appelle has historical significance to this area as it was where the railway stopped at the time of the rebellion.

This were the troops disembarked prior to the capture and hanging of Louis Riel.
Every vehicle with a Manitoba licence plate looks like it has just come back from a mud rally. Not one has 'wash me' on it. However there are inscriptions that show more creativity. i.e. 'bet you wish you girl friend was as dirty as my truck'.
Regina and Moose Jaw were just Highway 1 by passes. The landscape is starting to turn to grassy badlands.

We stopped in Swift Current for supper at Boston Pizza and gas. Kyle kicks back and I drive. We decide to call it an early night and stop in Medicine Hat for an early night and head the last 3 hours into Calgary in the morning.

The terrain starts to roll like a grassy desert. We have seen deer along the highway, some grazing and some the victim of collisions. These types of sightings now include coyotes.
We get a room at the Comfort Inn, have a swim, go to a movie and call it a night.

Bulls Eye on Portage & Main June 22nd bis

2008-06-23T01:09:00.000-07:00

Bulls Eye on Portage & Main June 22nd bis

Somewhere in Northern Ontario is a trucker with a single digit extended for Kyle. Stopped at construction lights, Kyle decided to pass him when the light turned green. "Oh shits" were exclaimed when he realized the road turned to one lane on the bridge. Good driving, good luck or good brakes kept all paint in its original condition.

Lots of rivers flashing by. Just assed our first vehicle carrying white water kayaks (4 on the roof).

Kyle & I switched driving @ Ignace.
The road continues winding through the woods and the muskeg. The small villages begin to look the same. The larger one have more personality.
Dryden is a little more affluent than anything we have passed in a while. There is a huge factory/mill there but I can't say for what.
Kenora is surrounded by lakes and appears suburban.

West of Kenora the forest and hills subside. We cross the Manitoba border and the highway divides and levels out. The pace picks up and so does the traffic. That is until we come up on 2 lanes traveling at the speed limit. The passing lane is only slightly faster. We tuck into that one and find the reason. A mountie mooseying along. We pass him slowly and pull away just as slowly. Just when I think he is out of sight, he pulls in behind us with the lights flashing. He writes me up for illegal lane change but I think he was just lonely cause he chats my ear off.
Off again, staying in the 'fast lane', I am amazed at how quickly Brett's question of ' where does the prairie start', is answered.

Winnipeg looms on the horizon forever. We head for Portage & Main with dueling directions from Garmin & Google. Pictures and waves to Uncle Alan, and back on the road. Close to midnight in either time zone and we get lost finding our way back to the highway. Kyle thinks it is a shitty driver and I think navigator.
We stop, collect our bearings and choose our weapons of navigation. We switch roles which means we go to our strengths. Let the Google/Garmin Games begin.
We find the hotel after consuming an Adult Happy Meal only to not find a room available.
Undaunted, we head west into the night with tunes blasting.
We agree not to push our luck or our alertness by stopping in Brandon 90 kms away.

Days of Thunder June 22nd

2008-06-23T00:50:00.000-07:00

Days of Thunder June 22nd

Knock, knock, knock, yes we are checking out today, but not for another hour.
We all slept in and slept well. Brett and Kyle complained about each other's snoring. LOL, I think it is great that they are not complaining about mine.
Thunder Bay is our first leg this morning, but we don't plan to stop long as Winnipeg is only 975 km away so we are going to go for it.

The drive is beautiful. Good pavement, rocky terrain, pocketed with lakes, hilly & rugged with Superior doing a cameo appearance occasionally. Traffic is light and consists of 18 wheelers, Harleys and the most U Haul Products I have ever seen.
Fungus Lake / Fungus Creek has crept into the number one best name spot. Kyle is back in charge of the music. I now know what head banging music means. I think I will take a break right now to load some Eagles into my MP3.
Brunch at Drifters Restaurant. Buffet, fast and filling. Then back on the road. Three thumbs up.

The bikers traveling east are all in their rain gear so I expect we are in for a wet time. The dark clouds over the mountain nod in agreement.

Crossing the Nipigon River in heavy showers. Pretty community nestled among rolling hills at the mouth of a fast moving, medium size river. Too wet to take a picture next to the large statue of the Nipigon Pike. Judging by the number of canoes, kayaks & ATV's on the back of F150's, this is Sportsman's Heaven.

Approaching Thunder Bay on the Terry Fox Memorial Highway, we stopped at a Look Off / Tourist Bureau dedicated to Terry Fox at the site where he had to abandon his run in 1981. The statue and monument did a good job capturing his impact on Canadians.
Thunder Bay was a gas, rest and refreshment stop. With the cooler full, we head up the 102 short cut.

So ends the Days of Thunder.

Thunder Road June 21st

2008-06-21T20:23:00.000-07:00

Thunder Road June 21st

Morning started unexpectedly at 7 am compliments of the previous Comfort Inn Room 243 resident. Brett couldn't find a way to turn the alarm off so he just put the pillow over his head and went back to sleep. I couldn't as well but I did find how to turn it off station. Now I was awake and no one else was.

I spent a relaxing morning taking a shower, checking my mail, had breakfast with a nice couple from Oshawa and read the paper. By 10:30, I figured my young sleeping beauties where rested enough for the long run to Thunder Bay. By 11 we were fueling up with high test gas and highly nutritious snacks.

With Kyle at the wheel, and Brett in the self proclaimed 'Shotgun Seat', we left the 69 and pointed down the 17 across the top of Huron to Sault Ste Marie on the first leg of the day.
The road is generally good, with passing lanes every 10 k or so. I took it as my job to limit Kyle to only passing there. He is very comfortable with the van and is a good driver, but no reason to take chances pulling a trailer.
Two hours into the drive, the generation gap closes some at Kyles request. Instead of 3 different MP3 player going in unison, Kyle turns off his and asks to listen to mine. Now don't think the taste gap closes completely as I accommodate his whining by skipping past J Lo. As the small towns, gentle rivers and Amish wagons pass by, I think I detected a head bob in tune to the music.

We stopped in Sault Ste Marie to stretch our legs. We decided that since Thunder Bay was still 688 km away and it was 4pm, we weren't likely going to make it tonight. A walk through ARP & Walmart to assess the cultural essence of the Sault (and empty our bladders) , encouraged us to press on.

We hit the road again, listening to the Brett Miester's IPod. Unlike the Edmond Fitzgerald, we are ''able to put 15 more miles behind'' us. Whitefish Bay passes to our left under sunny skies.

Not 60 seconds later, I catch a flash out of the corner of my eye of Class 4 Whitewater. Kyle sees it too and he pulls a U'ie. Blinded by the trailer, I trust no 18 wheeeler is barreling down on us. My nervousness is replaced with amazement as another line in the ballad comes to life '' from the Chippawa on down to the Great Lake". Photo op, a chance to stretch our legs and smell the mist off the falls.

Shady Rest Motel and Pancake Bay are tied for first place in the 'Best Name Contest'. Wish we were going by way of Cheboygan. We can do better.

We play 'peek a boo' with Superior for hours as we wind north west toward Wawa on leg 2. The scenery is spectacular, a mix between the Bras d'or Lake & South Shore.

Wawa was a wash. One mother of a goose and a couple of gas stations. Kyle described it as Ontario's Siberia. We decided to go for leg 3 and end the marathon drive in the Village of Marathon 180 km farther west. I took over the driving to give Kyle a break. Must have counted 500 mini Inukshuks on the drive. Every boulder or crop or rock had one or more. We arrived in Marathon to what I can best describe as Deliverance North of 40. God, I can't believe Ontario makes fun of the east with this Goelier Haven in their own backyard.

Back on the road for 30 minutes to find a 2 star hotel near an LCBO. I think we deserve it.

Don't drink and drive.

U Haul.. so.... We Haul June 20th

2008-06-21T04:50:00.000-07:00

Morning came @ 6:30 as Kyle was up finishing off a job that he worked on through the night. We had to pick up the trailer at 8am in case there was problem with the hitch and wiring. Brett choose to stay and sleep.

Kyle and I headed off to North York at 7:30, picked up a coffee and sausage sandwich alone the way, arriving at Jackie and Harold"s as they were opening up. A couple of old guys with their routine pretty set out. Eventually they took an interest in Kyle and set to work wiring up the van and getting the trailer hitched up.

We were back ion the road by 9:30 and head back stopping at CTC for a pad lock and a cooler. At the apartment, Kyle got his first taste of what I expect will be many opportunities to back the trailer into a parking spot. Very good job for rookie.

Packing and loading began without much fan fair. As we loaded we first thought we were not going to get it all in. When all the big things were loaded, it appeared we were going to have lots of room left over.
The day was turning hot, and we were getting hungry so we took a break and walked down town to the Sunset Grill for brunch. Thomas joined us prior to going to work. Talk turned to when we were going to finish packing, not wanting to spend another night sleeping on the floor and maybe leaving tonight. After brunch, Kyle and Thomas said their goodbyes and we headed back to "working at the mine". It was a great atmosphere with the sun shining, with the sidewalk full of people shopping, lots of vender's and open air pubs, cafes and restaurants.

We worked until 4pm and finally the trailer was totally full and the Van was almost full. Brett was getting pretty bored by this time and wanted to hit the road. Kyle was still not ready as he was still cleaning up the apartment. Brett, om his usually dry manner, said " He hasn't cleaned it in 2 years, why would he clean it now that he didn't live here!"

Finally, we were moving, but not west. First we headed east to drop off the cable boxes. (In Friday 4pm Rush Hour Traffic), Then south to say good bye to his coworkers. ( In 5pm Rush Hour Traffic) followed by a marathon trailer parking exercise. Since we were still in 6pm Rush Hour Traffic, we decided to stay put, eat supper at the Thai Palace then Head out.

8pm and 12 tries to back the trailer back on the road and we were at last Hauling Ass on the Road To Sudbury, one day ahead of schedule.

N45.03 W64.28 West to High Park June 19th

2008-06-17T18:19:00.000-07:00

The journey begins after work and exams are put behind. Picked Brett up at 8pm and headed to the Robert L Stanfield International Airport to catch AC625 to Toronto. The flight leaves at 10:55pm and arrives in Pearson at 00:18. The flight covers 1300 kms in just over 2 hours.

The valley was warm and sunny as we left even though summer doesn't officially start until tomorrow. The ride was quiet and Brett nodded off. As we approached Mount Uniacke, the temperature seemed to drop and the fog rolled in. By the time we reached the airport, it turned quite chilly so we broke of the long sleeve fleece. Most traffic was heading from the airport so we had no trouble getting a shuttle at the Park n Fly. ( Red K section next to the weather hut right on the driveway across from Section L).

No problems checking the luggage in but the disclaimer I had to sign for the guitar made me a little nervous. We walked right up to security and I breezed through but as usually I was bad luck for Brett. They chemically sampled his pack ( which was OK) but found some skin cleaner in his backpack that landed in the garbage. Took some pics (see attached) that I think embarrassed Brett but what the heck.

We had about an hour to kill, then the flight took off on time and arrived 10 minutes early. Pretty uneventful. Brett watched Jumper and I watched 90% of 10,000,000 BC. Picked up the luggage, (almost took the wrong guitar) . Met Kyle right outside the terminal. Offered a hand shake and got a hug. Like the way that works. Brett didn't fair as well. He got a punch in the gonads.

The trip to Kyle's place was like flying low. Not a lot of traffic, he knew where he was going and nobody got in his way. Kyle had some work to do and I tried to log on his wireless. Good thing I don't earn my living with computers. However, because you can read this, I must have been successful eventually.

We started packing some clothes and put Brett to bed as he was bagged, likely from his Gym exam. Tomorrow we head to North Toronto to get the U Haul trailer and start loading. that will be early so I will sign off for now.

Drive Safely.

Cross Canada 2008

2008-06-08T10:05:00.000-07:00

From the depths of disappointment comes the opportunity of a life time. I was planning to visit my oldest son Kyle in Toronto on the weekend of June 21st when I got the word not to bother with the arrangements as he was moving to Vancouver. He was planning to head out driving across country on that morning I was planning to arrive. I noted on his face book that he was looking for a driving companion for the trip. A few minutes on MSN and plans were made. To add the icing to the top of the cake, Brett, my youngest, expressed interest in coming along.

The plan is for Brett and I to fly from Halifax to Toronto on May 20th to help Kyle load up his van and trailer. We expect to hit the road early Saturday morning to beat rush hour traffic, making Thunder Bay by night fall. Stops along the way are planned for Winnipeg, Calgary and Banff arriving in Vancouver on July 1st.