30-JUL-2006
Sunday, July 30
Pretty much took it easy on this day. This photo I took while waiting for my Mom to get home on Saturday night. I need to be sure and get a new key--she keeps the place locked up like Fort Knox.
Monday, July 31
Monday Nora went with me shopping for more essentials for my trip. There was probably a great photo op at this one store we went to but it was kind of scary. It's an army surplus store and they have really good prices, but there's a real 'survivalist' kind of atmosphere (mannequins riding bombs hanging from the ceilings, gun toting mannequins dressed like ninja's, etc.), you get the picture... Anyway, I was afraid what they'd do to me if I took out my camera.
After that we went to Costco and got what Nora calls, "the lunch that keeps on giving". But boy, those hot dogs are GOOD! Cheap too!
1-Aug-2006
Tuesday, August 1
Did not do much today other than run some errands and go to Jazzercise. I had a really good workout though and saw a beautiful sunset on the way home. I took this out the window as I was turning onto I-205.
02-AUG-2006
Wednesday, August 2
The search for the illusive birth certificate is over. I thought I had a copy in my safe deposit box but when I looked on Tuesday, I didn't find anything. I called Mom and she couldn't find it anywhere at home but said she'd check her safe deposit box the next day. Well, thankfully, Mom found the original copy she had received when I was only a few weeks old in her safe deposit box. Whew! That was VERY close. That could have been a MAJOR showstopper! When I get back from my trip, I'm going to apply to get a passport.
03-AUG-2006
Thursday, August 3
I took Gillie over to Mom's to stay while I'm gone. Mom has another houseguest--my nephew, Grant will be living with her and his brother James indefinitely. I hadn't seen him in ten years--since I went to Texas to take care of the four of them while Jeannie went to Las Vegas with Jeff for a week at the end of March 1996. Mom and I did a double-take at another photo I took of Grant--he is the spitting image of his father.
04-AUG-2006
Friday, August 4
Last minute packing for my trip--using the table to get organized--lists, etc. See you when I get back!!!
04-AUG-2006
Friday, August 4
Are they coming or going? Is it a Pushme Pullyou plane? Kind of looks like it.
Well this may not be a surpise to some of you but my trip kind of got off to a stressful start. I missed my flight to Vancouver and of course the connecting flight to Quesnel, BC--how embarrassing--I still can't believe it happened!!! I was stunned--they would NOT let me check my luggage and receive my boarding pass. Had I known I could pre-print my boarding pass I would have done that days before departing, but I didn't know. Anyway, I needed to get to Quesnel somehow so I shifted into damage control mode. I contacted my tour group to let them know my situation, cancelled my hotel for that night, and booked myself on a flight later that afternoon. I almost left my cell phone at home thinking I wouldn't need it out in the Canadian wilderness--boy am I glad I didn't do that!
04-AUG-2006
Friday, August 4
Well here I go--this is the later flight to Vancouver. My journey really begins albeit with a delay of a few hours. In Canada, they are bilingual (English/French) so all the announcements pertaining to safety, etc., are in english and french. The english is a recording by a woman and the french translation is by a man. Kind of reminds me of the Olympics. Since the flight is about 1.5 hours, they serve beverages and Dad's Oatmeal cookies (which I stash away for future eating).
04-AUG-2006
Friday, August 4
My seat assignment for my flight from PDX to YVR placed me just next to the landing gear so my view was somewhat obstructed--but at least I had a window seat. I was able to get some pretty good shots of Mt. St. Helens and the surrounding landscape. It is amazing to me to see the degree to which the landscape is decimated by clearcutting. And this is outside the blast zone so it can't just be salvage of the trees blown down by the volcanic blast.
04-AUG-2006
Friday, August 4
I arrived in Vancouver, BC, cleared customs and began my quest for a way to get to Quesnel as soon as possible. First a stop at the information booth to enquire about bus service to Quesnel. There is a bus departing for Quesnel at 8am the next morning or one departing at ~8:30pm that evening. The advice from the young man there convinced me I needed to forget any ideas about spending the night in Vancouver. Too much going on he said, and no hotel vacancies to speak of. So how can I get to the Greyhound Bus Depot I ask? A shuttle bus can take you directly to the station I am told for a mere $13. I buy my ticket and head for the shuttle. I am totally trusting the shuttle drivers to get me to my destination. It is a beautiful evening and the streets are crazy busy and very narrow as we drive through some pretty trendy neighborhoods. And I thought the buses did a good job on Hawthorne!
04-AUG-2006
Friday, August 4
The driver of the bus tells me that I need to take two shuttles to get to my destination. We cross over to what I would term as "downtown", but I really have no idea where I am going. These shuttles drop people at different hotels along the route. We get to a certain hotel and we ALL get off the shuttle and wait for the yellow shuttle to pick us up. As I said before, it is very busy and after getting on the second shuttle learn that there is a big block party going on in this section of town so there are many, many pedestrians crossing making for long waits at intersections. I notice lots of people wearing what appear to be jerseys, and then the driver recalls that the CFL BC Lions are playing the Edmonton Eskimos that night as well, adding to the mass of people in the streets. By this time, I am the only passenger and the driver makes a detour around all the busyness so we can make our way to the Greyhound station. My plan is to buy the first ticket out of Vancouver, which I hope will be at 8:30pm.
04-AUG-2006
Friday, August 4
~7:40pm: So I get to the bus station and purchase a one-way ticket to Quesnel departing Vancouver at 8:30pm for $107.54 CDN. According to the person that I spoke with on the phone while still at PDX, these tickets can only be purchased at the bus station. Luckily, there are enough seats available. Luckily there is a McDonald's in the station and I get something to eat (I haven't eaten since breakfast). I guess they don't have $1 value menu items in Canada. ~8:30pm: My night-time cross country Canadian adventure is about to begin.
