TripTik

So our bags are packed, we’ve got snacks for the drive. Freddie has about 100 of her miniature dinosaurs to play with and episodes of her favorite shows on the phone. The glove box is filled with a number of helpful items for the long road ahead: pocket sized hand sanitizer (for protection from those great gas station bathrooms on the I-5), pocket Kleenex tissue, pocket sewing kit, pocket flash light, pens (regular size), etc. But most importantly, folded in there neatly with all the pocket-y things we have our BCAA complimentary maps of Oregon/Washington, Portland, California, and one all inclusive Western Provinces and States map too. And if that’s not enough to get us on the right track, Lorna, the map lady at BCAA, threw in BCAA’s celebrated personalized TripTik. If you have never heard of a TripTik (not to be confused with triptych) you obviously don’t have a person in your life like my dad. My dad prides himself in getting deals, saving money, getting free stuff,  and more importantly getting free stuff. If something is free he knows where to get it. He’s been seen grabbing a pair of shoes from out of a trash can, in a mall in L.A. “they were on the top, not in. They are practically brand new.” He still argues in his defense. There have been occasions where he’s eaten three baskets of fries at Red Robin just because they’re “bottomless”—FREE. He's also got a thing for "free" golf balls that he finds at the golf course. Who'd have guessed?! Apparently people lose golf balls at the golf course, hundreds of them. I’ve started to notice this quality in myself as of late and its wound me up with a lot of crap piling up on my deck, but the TripTik is another story. Far from crap, the TripTik (FREE from BCAA) is a handy little booklet mapping out your route from point A to point B with all the stops along the way. Fold out pages detail the population of the cities you’re passing through and tidbits of information you might want to know like major industries, agricultural output and historic sites! For instance PORTLAND (pop. 529,121): Nature has endowed Portland with many gifts—majestic vistas, a mild climate, and a deep water harbor.  Wow! Unlike a fold out map it’s easy to open, just flip the page and you’re on your way again. “What should we expect from the 101 as we drive from Crescent City to Coos Bay?” I might say to Steve as we pull out of the Crescent City Quality Inn parking lot, complimentary muffins in hand of course. “Well, says here in the TripTik” : US 101. . . crosses rolling hills and mountains and emerges on the coastline where it offers spectacular seascapes. Passes Avenue of the Giants in Redwood Country. Lumber, sheep ranches and small farms are located in the region. Fair to good grade alignment. I don't think much more can be said about this. Thanks dad for turning me on to TripTiks, and free stuff.

Steve with TripTik and globe.

 

2 days 3 sleeps

As we prepare ourselves to head off on our three month adventure into the uncharted territory of San Francisco CA. and beyond, we thought (Steve and I--Freddie could care less) that you might want to tag along. So my plan is to keep you up on things as we travel around. We're not sure where we will all be going or what we might see along the way but hopefully this blog will keep me motivated to take pictures and write a few things down.

As our departure day sneaks up on us (two days until we leave) I managed to catch some sort of stomach bug. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to pack everything up while feeling nauseated but I'm sure it's been done before, in fact I know it's been done before. Whenever I get a bit nervous about leaving the comforts of home I think of my Grandparents' very long immigration to Canada from Holland. My Grandma was 7 months pregnant (or so) with a 2 year old in tow. Cloth diapers, like today, were all the rage and I'm not exactly sure how she did laundry on the ship they were sailing over on, let alone on the train once they got here. Three weeks on a ship with motion sickness and a two year old, ugh. Oh, also, the women stayed in separate quarters from the men. . . not that men were much of a help back then, with the kids I mean. Steve changes diapers and Freddie will be strapped into a seat (while we drive) so all I have to do is sit back, crank the Raffi and relax.