TRACY:
It really did amaze me how much planning we have put into this trip. When we started planning this out months ago I thought it would take forever for our departure day to arrive. But time sure flies when you’re having fun, preparing, making lists, building and buying supplies and finally getting to packing day. I spent a good amount of time yesterday with a long list of To Do’s. I thought it would take me a while to get through everything that we needed to do before heading out early this morning. But thankfully the day was relaxing and enjoyable, Rod and I even got one last workout in with Crossfit Lethbridge, before we headed out to explore and drop in to as many other boxes along the west coast.
I happened to find this photo for this post while scrolling through my morning Facebook feed yesterday morning and thought it was exactly our trip mantra. I have been a little worried about taking so much time off and the amount of things we are looking to do on this trip and that would we be okay after a month of being away and for me not working. But the photo holds so much truth, ” Take Vacations, go as many places as you can, you can always make more money”. I really have to start thinking and believing in this so that I don’t stress out too much while trying to enjoy all the experiences and memories we will create along the way.
So today everything is packed and we are on our way, we embark on our 33 day trip with the main goal of ending up in Carson, California for the Crossfit Games. We left early this morning on Canada day to first head straight west to Vancouver to hang out for a couple of days with my family and to drop off miss Avery with my mom. We desperately wanted to bring her with us on this trip, but due to fairness for her, not wanting to leave her in the car so much and due to the heat we will be encountering, we thought it would be best for her to stay behind in Vancouver. She will get to live with a friend, and enjoy a BIG back yard, things she does not get back home in Lethbridge.
Following a family BBQ on Thursday night, we will hit the road and cross the border sometime in the early morning on Friday the 3rd. After that it is up to our choices and decisions as to where we go and what we see and do. We have a rough plan, to head south along the coast of Washington, up and around Olympic National Park, and continue down to Long Beach. That is our only set reservation until Carson. We have plans to take about a week to get down the Oregon coast, and make our way to San Francisco, where our last weekend before the games will hopefully be spent in Yosemite National Park, before making a couple more stops along the California coast and arriving in Carson for Wednesday July 22. We are set with our tickets to be in Carson from the Wednesday until Monday July 27. After that it’s a straight trek North on Hwy 5 to get us home to Vancouver for the 29th. We would have loved to take more time coming home and seeing places we might have missed on the way down, but my lucky mother is heading out on her own Vacation that day, so we need to be back to pick up our pup, who I am sure will be excited to see us, after that long time apart.
ROD:
I don’t think being 40km from home is enough for this to hit me yet, but I’m sure it will once we head for the border on Friday. A 4:30 a.m. start was a little rough this morning, but early bird gets the light, right?
For me, I’m thinking about how I’m going to capture this trip differently from normal trips. I have spent so much time looking through a camera that I really try not to shoot and really “take in the moment” when I’m traveling. I think this one is different. We’re going to want to document and remember this one long after we’re back. I really want to shoot the everliving out of it, and share as much as I can with everyone.
TRACY:
Even though we have this rough timeline, I am sure some things will change. But that is the fun part right?? I am so excited to share this adventure with everyone who happens to follow along with us. We promise to keep it as updated as possible, without it interrupting all the fun we will be having.
Until Next Time!