WOW! THAT'S A LONG DRIVE!

Greetings from Surrey, BC,

I haven't completely fallen off the grid but have been busy getting settled and trying to regain some of my sense of humor before I write. Our caravan crossed the border into British Columbia on Wednesday evening about 7pm. We then (per Canadian border agent's command)drove to an adjacent border crossing 10 minutes away,where we returned to the U.S.at 7:20. After a grilling by the U.S. border patrol and tears on my part we, fifteen minutes later (per the U.S. agents direction)made a U-turn and crossed back into Canada.

Let me explain......When we arrived at the border, there had just been an incident. Two cars had collided and then run into a border agents booth. An ambulance was just driving away when we arrived. Needless to say there was gridlock.Without any real problems actually getting through we were told to go to another crossing about 5 miles to the east to speak with customs and immigration officer to obtain visas, work permits, etc.

We drove to the crossing but already being in Canada we had to go back into the states "Why were you only in Canada 10 minutes?Who is the man in that truck to you? (Jim had been in line ahead of me)Why are you so upset?" By this point we had been driving for 10 hours, total exhaustion had sent in and I just wanted the trip to be over....now I'm crying. I explained what had happened as best as I could and seeing I was quickly approaching a complete meltdown he eased up a bit and told me, as he had Sam and Jim before me, to just make a u-turn get back in the Canadian line and have a good day.


I was now making my second entry into Canada in less than one hour and this one went much smoother.Jim, Alexis and I went into the customs and immigration office where we were kindly attended to by a very lovely young lady...who I wish I had taken note of her name so that I could write a most appreciative letter to ger boss. After all the drama she was just a gem.Within an hour and a half we had all teh documentation that we needed and the even dulled the tedium of the process by providing free entertainment...a shakedown and search of some poor guy and his car.

Losing battery power so will write more later...all is well, praise the Lord!

THIRD DAY:WYOMING-MONTANA

It's a cool, stormy night in Billings, Montana and we are feeling extremely tired, yet cozy, in our RV. For the last 450 miles(from Cheyenne, Wyoming to here) the terrain has been ruggedly beautiful.
I-25 provided seemingly endless views of sweeping grasslands and towering buttes. If the land appears this unforgiving in the summer I can only imagine what it must be like when it snows. I'm thinking that it takes a person much heartier than I am to make a home here.

We are all starting to settle into the daily routine...get up and have breakfast, batten down the hatches on the RV,pack snacks and lunches for the car/trucks, drive, stop for Pam to walk/diaper change for Jenna...get gas...keep driving,look for a Walmart to pick up the things we have forgotten, stop for more gas and bathroom breaks, walk some more,drive a lot more and then by 6:00 start looking for a campground, set up the RV and make supper...blog if there is a signal and I'm still alert enough to have a coherent thought, and then hit the sack. Start it all over again the next day.

With 933 miles to Vancouver we anticipate arriving on Wednesday. We'll see.




Pam and Jim trying to hang on in the gale force wind

Tammy somewhere north of Casper, Wyoming
















Alexis at the end of a long day















Yeah we finally made it to the campground for the night!

DAY ONE PIX

Pam, Alexis, and baby Jenna





















Mom






Jim hooking up the water line

Pam and Debra

Alexis heading to the pool after supper

Sam

Jim and me surfing the net

DAY ONE

Greetings from Lincoln, Nebraska

WE had a pleasant, short day on the road yesterday. To allow Jim, who was coming from Chicago and on the road since 4am, the time to catch up with us we left at noon and met him at Campaway RV Park and Campground in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Even though Jim traveled 200 miles further than the rest of us he beat us to the campground. He had me a bit worried when I asked he what kind of site we had...eg. back-in, pull through etc. and he said,"It's a poultry site." Hmmm? I said once more, "Does Sam have to back the trailer in?" "No, it's a poultry site I said!" ...It's a poultry site?? At this point I'm thinking to myself, wow, what a wonderful metaphor, the park must be full and they have us packed in there like poultry in a Tyson factory. Now that he has described the congested nature of the park I once again ask him whether or not Sam is going to have to back the trailer in when we get there. Screaming into the phone Jim says, "For the third time I'm telling you that it's a ...."pull-through"site!! OHHH, So much for thinking that my husband came up with a good metaphor.

Alexis had a major bout of homesickness before we even left home but did great once we actually got going. It was a day filled with lots of tears and goodbyes.

It has become painfuly obviously that we maybe packed a tad bit more clothes than we should have. The clothes bar in our closet bent in half during the trip and dumped all our clothes onto the floor ...which then crashed through to the storage bin underneath. Not a pretty sight. Much to Jim's credit he didn't yell at me he just said he would fix it once we get to Vancouver.

We hope to make about 600 miles today....we'll see, that's probably a bit ambitious!

THE FIRST DAY

CANADA OR BUST

I can't believe it but we're packed and ready to go. Many hours were spent in the RV today trying to find creative ways to turn what limited storage space we have into enough room to fit basically everything needful thing we own (by needful I mean everything). I have nightmares that as with the pioneers western trek I-80 will be strewn with my precious keyboard, sewing machine, scrapbooking, and crafting supplies as Jim attempts to lighten our load with my stuff.

Yes, I do remember that not once did I sew a stitch or craft anything (except term papers) during the three years I worked on my BA, but the point I would like to make is that....I MIGHT. Therefore I must be prepared.

Jim has been in Chicago this week taking care of our Navy son who had surgery last Monday so he will have to get an early start in the morning to catch up with the rest of the wagon train...Sam and Debra pulling the RV followed by Mom, Pam and me in my car.

It's going to be exciting!

ENDINGS, BEGINNINGS, and EVERYTHING INBETWEEN

In the 21 years that I have lived there today was a first. I just closed up my house and walked away with no concrete idea as to when I'll be home again. When I got back to my mom's house, where I'm staying till we leave on Saturday, she asked me if I had a good boohoo as I drove away. I said no, but it sure was a strange, unsettled sort of feeling.

There are still things to be done such as picking up my contact lenses, taking the dog to the vet,sleep over with my eighteen month-old grand baby Chloe tonight, dinner and movie with family and friends tomorrow night, and a slumber party and gabfest with a girlfriend Thursday night but I'm ready to go now. I think I should go now, before I can change my mind. It's kind of like when I fly. I'm ok with flying but I don't love it,and when I make up my mind to do it (or it's the only option) I want to get to the airport and march right onto that plane and just go..let's get this done. Waiting around unnerves me.

I am really looking forward to living in Surrey.I am ready for this new chapter in my life to get underway but endings are not easy. Yes, I will return to Missouri and to the friends and family that I love, but when I shut the door on my house today something seemed to say that the life I know now will not be the life I have when I come home again...the house may be the same as when I left, but I won't be.