The Letter Home

Hi,

Well, we've been here a week, and we survived. It took us seven days to get to BC, not to mention tons of diesel. On Friday, the day before we left, Lloyd & I were both anxious. I wasn't as tired as I expected to be; Mom had a lot to do with that. She was over a lot that week. Just having her there made things easier, especially since she packs so well. By 5:45 p.m., the gang had arrived: Mom & Dad, Jeremy & Shelly, Jason MacNeill, Mike Martin, Jeff & Kim, Rosemary and Linda. The cube van, miraculously, was packed by 8 p.m.. A special thanks goes out to Jeff, who stayed in the van and made sure it was securely packed. Without his help, I'm not sure we could have brought everything. Jeff, you were worth the Schooner we bought. Once everyone had a chance to rest up, we headed for Keddy's Motor Inn. Lloyd figured it would be easier if we stayed at a hotel that night, in order to get going faster the next day. I know it was easier on Mom & me that way. We had a wake-up call for 4 am.

By 5:30, we were on the road. We made Fredericton by 7:15, and our first pit stop. It's surprising how a bottle of pop and a pee break can wake you. The sunrise was a pretty sight, especially since I had been watching the stars since we left Moncton. Digestive cookies are not a bad breakfast, just wash it down with a swig of Pepsi... At 10:30, we arrived at the Quebec border. I even have pictures to prove it! We gassed up & got some food at the Irving Grand Arret (Big Stop). Gaspe is quite flat, and the roads seem to be better than NB's.

We entered Montreal at 2:55, we left Montreal at 5:04. Montreal is driving hell. And we weren't even there during rush hour! I don't know how I didn't break down and cry through Montreal. I counted 10 lanes at one point - on our level! Eight more below us going in a 90o direction from us. I thought my head would explode. And Lloyd drove. Pont Champlain nearly made me sick - I couldn't look down. We ended getting off the main road for about 20 minutes. That's when we asked directions. By then, I was nearly hysterical, and Lloyd's in a strange mood, too. Scary...! Finally, by 6 p.m., we crossed the Ontario/Quebec border. No pictures, though; it was too dark by then, and all we wanted was our hotel in Ottawa for the night. Sunday morning, after a reasonable night's sleep, a shower, and clean clothes, we made tracks for Sault Ste. Marie. We decided to keep that day's travel time down to a reasonable amount. We were on the road for 8 hours, as opposed to the 14 from the first day. The countryside on the way was pretty, with lots of trees and rolling hills, accented by lakes and rivers. There were a lot of little towns along the way. And the roads were similar to NB highways: very bumpy, two lanes, and nearly no shoulder. We arrived in Sault Ste. Marie at 7:30, then we had supper at the hotel's restaurant. It was called the Lone Star Texas Cafe. Twisters, meet Mexico. Wow! The food!! And spicy... I should have known. Thank goodness Lloyd packed the Maalox in his carry-on before we left!

Monday morning, we headed out for Thunder Bay around 9 am. My legs are easily cramped these days, and my hips & lower back are often sore. Lloyd complains that his right leg gets stiff, too. He can't stretch it out, since that's the driving foot. The scenery is nothing short of breathtaking. We followed Lake Superior, and the road seems carved out of the cliffs and mountains we travel under, around and over. The roads are snaky and steep. It's COLD, and the wind doesn't help. When we drove uphill, sometimes we couldn't get over 60 km/h. But the hills evened out the closer we got to Thunder Bay. We were exhausted when we pulled into the Comfort Inn. We ordered pizza & called home, then went to bed by 9:30.

The next morning, we're still tired, even after a good night's sleep. We hit the road by 8:30 a.m. When we got gas, the guy at the pumps showed us how to change the time on the clock in the truck. It's a Ford - we haven't driven one of those in a few years, & I sure couldn't remember! There were still a lot of hills and beautiful countryside, but the road grades are much better. We've been lucky, weatherwise. We've only come across a few snow squalls, usually early in the morning. As we drove, I notice something comforting about the way the morning sun is reflected off the snow. It reminds me of being at home, in the kitchen, during the Christmas holidays, Mom reading in her room (taking a well-needed break). It's a soothing memory, one that calms my mind and tells me that everything is going to be just fine. By mid-afternoon, we cross the Manitoba- Ontario border, I've got a few more snapshots, and we're both still very tired. We started snapping at each other. We need a solid night's sleep soon. Winnipeg wasn't quite the nightmare Chelle had said it would be. The bypass made life a lot easier. And golly! is it ever flat out here! It reminds me of the TCan outside Petitcodiac, where there's flat farmland for about a mile. Except here, that flatness goes on for about 100 km's! There are clumps of trees here and there, & we can see that they're there to protect the houses in the middle of nowhere. We check in around 5 p.m. Central. There's a McDonald's next to the hotel in Brandon. Lloyd's happy, but I'll be glad to be on normal home food again. We called Dad; Mom was out getting her "brush cut". I fell asleep shortly after, and Lloyd stayed up and called Aunt Thelma. Around 11, he woke me up so I could call Chelle. I'm not sure I remember the whole conversation; I was still half asleep.

Our wake-up call for Wednesday is 6 a.m., but it's actually 8 at home. Yeah, we were still on Atlantic time... Watching the Weather Network that morning, it reported that Medicine Hat, our next stop, would have a high temperature of +10o that day. I think we're seeing things. The trip that day was uneventful. Boring, actually. The highlight was seeing moo-cows, baa-sheep, and hee-horses in the fields. Like I said, boring. We pulled into Med Hat around 4 Mountain Time. Once we settled in, we went to the mall across the street. Boring moo-cows gave us the energy we needed to do some walking. The mall was about the same size as Highfield Square. Then supper was at the Beefeater. Sort of like the Top Deck of Med Hat. Delicious, but expensive. By 9:30, we were out like a light. Thursday morning, we started out about 9:30. Will this trip never end? It snowed last night, a few cms, but the highways are not clear. Lloyd decides to keep driving, since I hadn't driven the truck at all yet. The highway is snowpacked in the passing lane, nearly clear in the driving lane. And nobody used salt on the road around here. Near Calgary, fog started creeping in. We drove through Calgary - at lunch hour. It's a large place... a little hectic. The fog gets thicker as we approach the Rockies. The drive through had good grade, very pretty, and very scenic. Hold on, I gotta check my thesaurus for a better description. Spectacular. Breathtaking. Panoramic. Amazing. Impressive. Awesome. Overwhelming. Stunning. I think you get the picture. The road after Lake Louise was, to say the least, eventful. Many twists and turns, many downhills and lots of bridges. Kinda scary, at times. We stopped in Golden, BC, that night. I finally understand what Chelle meant by mountains all over the place. Friday morning, our last day of driving, we leave at 9 a.m. And it's still a bit dark out. Mountains, what an effect. We're sore. Rested, but sore. Lloyd's ribs hurt, and his back is sore. My back is tight, and my thighs are twitching. We've got less than 6 hours to go. I was glad to get to Merritt. Chelle had just made a batch of Mom's spaghetti sauce for supper that night. We pulled into their place around 2 p.m. Pacific. We called a few people, just to let them know we were safe and sound. Sick of driving, but OK. We pulled out our mattress, and we set up for the first few nights in the spare bedroom.

Saturday, Chelle and I went grocery shopping. Chelle's cupboards and fridge were bursting at the seams when we unloaded all the food. Then we went to the Laundromat. In just over an hour, we had all the wash done, folded and heading back to the apartment. Jason had insisted that we try to stay awake until midnight the day we arrived. I lasted until 11. Up at 6, though. Within a few days, we were reasonably adjusted to the time difference. Sunday, we had supper. And what a great meal it was. I cooked a roast, potatoes and vegetables. Jason felt spoiled; Chelle never cooked for him like this.

On Tuesday, I called a few radio stations in the province, hoping to get an interview, maybe finding out if there was an opening. As luck would have it, there was a full-time job that would be available in January. In Williams Lake. 300 kilometres north of Merritt. So I got an interview. Lloyd and I drove up there (3 1/2 hours!), and I had a great interview. I should find out in about 2 weeks if I got the job. The position is an entry level job, one nobody already in the business wants. The pay is about $350 a week. And Williams Lake is like Shediac in full summer. A nice little place. Keep your fingers crossed.

We took the bachelor apartment next to Chelle & Jason. At least, that way, we could be close to them. We still have a few things in their spare room, but we've also rented a mini-storage unit in town. That's where most of our stuff is stored, for the time being. It isn't very expensive, and it was cheaper than renting a 2 or 3 bedroom in Merritt, without a car. The only thing we pay for is the phone and cable. The heat and lights are included. And since we're borrowing Chelle's number (which, by the way is 604-378-4257) and their TV, rent is the only bill we have. Other than groceries. With a couple of piranhas living with Chelle and me, the food bill can easily top $100/week. But we'll survive just fine.

Well, I guess that's about it for now. We're also borrowing Chelle's mailing address for the time being. So put our name on the top, and fill out the rest like this:

c/o Rachelle Babineau
RR 1, Site 8, Compartment 24
Merritt, BC
V0K 2B0

That way, the mailman won't get too confused.

Gotta go, now. Chelle will be home from another weekend course soon, and I promised to cook roast again for the vultures. Bye! We miss you...