Racing Toward The Barn

07.29.10

Like horses headed for the barn, we are headed toward home. This last week has been a blur. We travel roughly 300-400 miles per day, stop for the night, do it again the next day. Since I haven't had internet service since Whitehorse, I've been unable to post my blog and therefore I rely on memory of where I've been and what I've done. I'd say for the most part it's been sitting behind the wheel of my motor home with my radar pointing toward the U.S. border!

We decide to stay last night at a Provencial Park north of Cache Creek. We pay another $16 for no hook ups, no internet. I pull in there rather than drive any farther to try to find a pull off on the side of the road because I am tired of driving and this is the first place I see. The camp hosts come around later in the evening to collect payment. It turns out they only take cash and all I have left is a hundred dollar bill. Since the last thing I want is to give them my American money and recieve $84 in Canadian change, which I've tried hard to get rid of, I run to dad's place down the street and beg off him. He seems happy enough to get rid of his own extra loonies and toonies and so he bails me out once again!

I wake in the morning to the smell of smoke in the air. There are numerous small fires in the area due to the thunder storm the night before last. While driving down the highway we are lucky to make it through one area, as the fire is very close to the road. The police are monitoring it on the side, ready to close the road if need be. Unfortunately my co-pilot Cooper does not take pictures so once again I miss out on a photo opportunity.

Mom, dad and I part ways in Cache Creek. They head east and I head west toward Vancouver. I cross the border at noon in Abottsford. It's a large, very busy border crossing but the easiest one yet. I never had any problems at all crossing the borders on this trip. After all the information I read in preparation I was probably overly prepared, expecting to be grilled on my possessions and my dogs vaccinations but they were all very easy crossings and I suppose it's better to be over prepared rather than under.

I have a cousin in the Seattle area that I wanted to see but I was also headed toward the home I haven't seen for the past two months. I called her number on my cell and when I got the answering service I make the decision to just keep on going through Seattle and see how far I get before I either make it home or pass out from exhaustion.  After 12 hours on the road and almost 600 miles, home wins!

The first thing I did was take a nice long shower! It's been a long time since I've bathed and washed my hair in more than 2 gallons of water! The second thing I did was promptly fall asleep in my nice big double bed! The third thing I did the following night was go have sushi with Mo and then see my kids, who are preparing to leave for an Alaskan cruise next week! I can't wait to compare notes!

It's been such a fabulous trip - one I'm already prepared to take again in the future. I came away without any mishaps to me, Cooper or my motorhome. I loved having the company of mom and dad on the trip and as always, they are a wealth of useful information to a novice RVer like myself and I always learn something from them. I've come away from this trip with a love for Alaska and especially The Yukon Territories in Canada.  The friendly, warm people, the majestic scenery, the abundant wildlife all combined to make this trip one full of positive memories for years to come. To be able to experience it from the road is something I think everyone with a love for adventure should experience.

 Anyone want to come with me the next time?
 I'm already planning it.......

but in the meantime -

My next adventure on the road: Three weeks in California, San Francisco, Lake Havasu, The Grand Canyon and Phoenix.

Stay tuned......