Outside Regina-Canada is BIG

Well here we are at Comfort Plus Campground with internet again. Yesterday, Sunday, we left Calgary just before my folks headed to church. We had a wonderful time there. We were fed like royalty for which we are ever grateful. On Friday night my dad bbq'ed lamb chops and my sister Melanie, her husband Kim and daughter Lisanne joined us. Melanie and Lisanne were off to Almagora, New Mexico the next morning to visit a cousin (Norm's sister). Awesome desserts after every meal, Jill adds.

Once again we had some of those famous prairie winds again on our ride, but not as bad as the other day on Hwy. 22. We left Calgary on Hwy. 1 East and travelled to near Crowfoot where we headed north on 56 to Drumheller. With a new front tire installed in Calgary, I worried how I'd ever get the sides scuffed on these straight roads. In Drumheller we visited the largest dinosaur and climbed up for a picture. After eating in town we drove out 570 to the Hoodoo Trail and stopped at the hoodoos. We continued along 570 until I began to worry about gas so we cut north to Cereal where I hoped to top up. Sadly there was only a cardlock station which was closed on Sundays. But we made it to Oyen and fueled there. That is one of the problems about going on the very secondary highways. We stuck to Hwy 9 to the Saskatchewan border where it becomes no. 7. Kindersley was as far as we went (about 400k). There we found a regional campground where we stayed. We met some nice folks from Chilliwack there. There was a bit of a blow through the night but the morning was calm. A bit cloudy though.

Jill- Well, Sunday I had a fine day! Finally, after having lived in Alberta for 7 years, I got to see a hoodoo. They were smaller than I imagined and from on-site photos noticably smaller than they were 100 years ago due to erosion and the mischief of man. Fascinating to think Alberta was once at the bottom of a vast inland sea swimming with strange creatures. 2009, a cactus is in full flower amongst the grasses.

We're enjoying these secondary highways. There's almost no traffic, strip malls etc. 570 was a delight, starting out with the hills of the badlands and scattered hoodoos to our left, the road snaked along following a river on our right. The landscape soon became more green and lush with groves of trees.

Loved the area around East Coulee. I would recommend 570 to any biker in the area. The road surface is excellent with sweeping curves and the lack of traffic make it a relaxing ride.

Soon got into some real prairie, flat and golden. The horizon is so vast it feels like you can see the curvature of the earth.

The ranch are vast and the old homesteads abandoned. The houses seem to have small windows. I imagine that's a practical choice. Thought about the early settlers. It must have been a hard lonely life.

Once again, some prairie wind, but nothing like what we'd experienced down south. Rode with my buff up over my face for protection from the wind, like some muslim granny biker.

The fields we passed were a pale gold against the blue sky. I led for abit and with no cars either way, could relax and look around. Spotted several coyotes loping along beside the road, one just to my right beside the concrete and too cool to be bothered by our presence. If I were a coyote, I'd live here. There's lots of fat, glossy gophers and no people of any kind for mile and miles.

Was treated to the rare sight of a badger attempting to cross the road. He saw the bike and thought better. How cool to see a badger in the wild.

Passed what looked like a gazelle kind of animal laying on it's side in a field. It seemed to have long horns and a while ruff around it's neck. The field looked like the grasslands of Africa and I wondered if what I saw was really some bleached wood and tufts of grass and my mind had embroidered the rest. Except today, monday, we saw what must have been antelope on both sides of the road.

It was a relaxing and enjoyable ride. One of the best I've experienced on the bike.

Gib again...

This morning, Monday, our journey eastward on Hwy. 7 to Rosetown was under threatening skies, but it wasn't till we were on no. 15 that we met a few sprinkles. After pulling out the rain gear we didn't hit any more. We took our first coffee break in Outlook at a funky little coffee shop called CJ's. They looked at the dark skies that were following us and prayed that they might get some rain for a change. The crops are about a month behind.

We picked up some Drambui at the liquor store for evenings and back at the bikes we met a couple who had driven to the east coast on their bike years earlier. We had a very pleasant conversation with them and fortunately I mentioned that we planned to continue on Hwy. 15. The fellow warned me that after Kenaston that route gets very bad with lots of gravel. So with his advice we turned south on 11 at Kenaston. With only the one stop a Craik that I will let Jill talk about we came on to Regina and are now about 12k east on no. 1. Today we did about 420 k and found it pretty easy.

I'll give over to Jill now...

Woke up early and walked abound a resevoir adjacent to our campground. Lovely to be beside the water again. Lots of water fowl and what I suspect was a muskrat out for an early morning swim. Felt good to stretch and move around after a bike day.

The sky looked quite dark with gathering clouds this morning and I was concerned about rain. Asked at the gas station and the attendant said not to be too concerned. They'd only had 1 1/2 inches of rain since the Fall, a cold Spring and the crops were decimated. Having done to Catholic school, I felt too guilty to consider hoping it wouldn't rain. At our stop in Kenastin, saw a sign in the window of an insurance office. "Hail Rates for 2009 Now In!" Phew!

We were told about Craik, it's Eco Centre and the houses built from flax bales. It was an experiment in sustainable living and was very interesting. I can attain to the fact that compost toilets have entirely no odour. The building were cooled with an interesting system of underground pipes. All the gardens were planted with native plants, didn't require watering and were drought resistant.

We rode around Regina using a by-pass route, but the traffic was horrific after our quiet country roads.

We're at the Comfort Campground and I'm writing this from a couch in an old one room school house that functions as the Recreation Hall. I'm the only one recreating which suits me. Good to be able to lean back in comfort and get out of the wind and sun.

Feels natural and good riding my nimble little bike. My arms and legs feel stronger now after a winter of desk and couch. Guess I'm a tough old bird.

Calgary-More downtime. Heading east tomorrow

Thought I'd expand on my flippant pink helmet remark from the last post.
I wear one for visibility and for fun. I've found motorists are perhaps more deferential, but recently heard another woman's unpleasant pink helmet experience.
Our friend Ruth has ridden all her life and owns a Honda 1300 VTX. I know her to be a responsible and experienced rider.
She warned me not to wear my pink helmet "in the city" aka Vancouver as she had been forced off the road during a merge on Hwy #1, her bike knocked down. Her perception was that she had been targeted.
When we made our recent stop in Vancouver, I was riding abit behind Grant having lost him at a left hand turn. I was riding in the A position near the center line on a two lane road down a steep hill approaching a busy intersection. I was doing the speed limit but no more and was passed on the inside by a motorist who used an opening in the curb lane resident parking to get by. It was unexpected, unnecessary & dangerous. In any case, the driver was an idiot, his car in a state of disrepair. Perhaps he would have done the same manoeuvre if I had been wearing my white helmet. Being an old girl, I try and always ride defensively.
Gib and I are big on visibility. He wears a fluorescent orange jacket that our friends say shows up on Google Earth. My jacket is white with reflective detailing.
They both have removable waterproof liners so they are comfortably cool in hot weather while still offering armoured protection.
Gone are the days of our youth when we rode around in tank tops and flip flops!

Calgary

Today's mileage- 305 windy km
Today we quite literaly blew into town. With an early start and a fill up in Coleman we made the Alberta border around 10:30. I took a picture of Jill and I at the 'Welcome to Alberta' sign but don't have it on this computer to add to the blog. We made a stop at the site of Frank Slide, a spectacle that has awed me since childhood.
Turning north on Hwy 22 is a shorter trip than going to #2. At the turn off it is 135 K's to Black Diamond with no services in between. From the moment we turned we were riding our bikes at an angle that matches the lean around Angel Rock. The crosswind was unbelievable. Then there were the signs that said "Caution! Wind Gusts next 16 K". It really emphasized the lean when you looked at bikes coming the other way.
I managed to keep the trailer on the road and Jill's arms hung on just barely 'till we reached Black Diamond. We had lunch and coffee in a funky little coffee shop there. At the gas station other bikers were commenting on the winds too. They never let up all the way to my parents place. I really hope that it is not like this through all the prairies. Aside from the wind today was an easy 305 k with most of the speed limit at 100.
Jill adds...
Felt good to wake up today and know we'd be on the bikes.
The morning was sunny and freshly washed (yes more rain, but just a sprinkle) and the hillsides were a clean verdant green. The highway changed from twisties to wonderful sweeping curves. The riding easier, but windy from the start.
Was taken with Island Lake where the road was a treed causeway surrounded by white capped water, the back drop a huge grey mountain.
The entire trip, the changes that occur in the countryside within a half hour of riding have been a constant surprise. I've driven this road many times, but being on the bike and out there emphasizes the colours and smells.
Beyond Crowsnest Pass, it's suddenly the foothills and the winds gusts down from the mountain passes. After we turned onto Hwy 22 we were at it's mercy. I've never experienced anything like it. This may sound overly dramatic, but truely, the wind took my breath away. I was tacking more than riding and had to hold on really tight & push steer on the wind side. Found myself yelling the "f" word several times. Gib's right. The lean on approaching bikes looked comical.
Found myself cringing & making a guitar face every time a semi went by. Must have been a frightening picture for the drivers.
I've heard stories about the dangers of turbulence on a bike, but never put much stock in it until today.
Did feel much better about being a carnivore after passing herds of fat cattle able to wander freely along the tree lined rivers, some following trails to the top of the hills, a good cow life. 'Course the abbatoir part isn't nice, but hopefully that's brief. But, I digress.
Found the next 160k throughly tiring. Had to really concentrate on holding my position and my death grip on the handlebars made my arms ache. Had to remind myself to relax my shoulders and hands from time to time, but always on guard for the next gust. Was dying for the promised coffee stop, but there's no cafes in cow country.
My other thought on today was memories of Ewan and Charlie in "the Long Way Round" DVD. They each had only one accident in their biking trip around the world, and they both occurred in Calgary! The roads had me scared to visit Grant's parents. Also some concerns my pink helmet would make me the target of SUV's driven by young rednecks raised by controlling mothers.
Well, it wasn't much fun, but I lived to tell the tale. Gib kept to the centre lane on Deerfoot Trail, but the driving cross winds and yet more semis made holding lane position a challenge.
The wind carried alot of dust so my mouth and eyes felt gritty. Felt tears running down my face. Irritated by airborne grit or scared for my life? Not sure.
Wonderful to turn the corner into Mel and Elsie's lovely quiet tree-lined street and be out of the wind. Mel, who never lies, told us that the winds in southern Alberta have been know to tip semis.
Treated to a warm welcome here, more homemade cookies and possibly the best cup of tea of my life. Great to be here with Grant's family who are wonderful people. Big lamb dinner planned for tomorrow. Yum!
Gib checked his maintenance log book just before the trip and was startled to see he only had 4000k left on his tires. He's set up an appointment for tomorrow, delighted to hear they are on sale & bonus, no sales tax! Gib loves a bargain!
Just received an email with a Bodie update. Apparently he is suffering from withdrawal from no table scraps and has been sold for $100! Nice.

Sparwood, BC

Today's mileage- 350 km. About 1450 traveled so far. This has been the visiting, wine-ing and dining segment of the trip. We'll do some serious mileage after Calgary.

Left the provincial park around 9:40, but missed the Balfour ferry by a hair. Forced to drink coffee and eat cinnamon buns to make ourselves feel better.

Met a 50-something Albertan on the ferry riding a ducati, the perfect bike for these roads. He'd gotten up at 6:30 am and ridden the Kaslo to Nakusp run 3 times before catching the ferry and heading home.

The riding here doesn't get any better. Road surfaces very good and spectacular scenery around every turn. There's lots of turns.

Once again, we're experiencing empty roads. Guess that's the benefit of traveling when the kids are still in school.

Ate a sandwich by the side of the road under sunny skies. Only takes a couple of hours of riding and the vegetation changes to Ponderosa Pines and grasslands.

By 4:30 I felt tired and irritable. Found everything Gib said irritating as hell. He wanted to have his picture taken beside the biggest truck in the world. I wanted to find a campspot and take my boots off. Poor Gib.

We're spending the night in Sparwood and drying everything out. Was forced to hold our sheepskins under the hand dryer back at the campground in Nelson so we didn't end up with wet bottoms.

Here's Gib...

I didn't notice that she was irritable. The road from Crawford Bay to Creston would be beautiful to do without the tent trailer. But then, for some reason much of it is 60 k and should be 80. It was noticeable when we stopped doing as much climbing and the bike rode along nicely.

Some of the mountain views coming into the lowland are amazing. The nice thing about the slower speeds it that you can look around more. Still getting sightings of wildlife. Saw a coyote coming out of Cranbrook.

Today was a great day. Got to remove the liner of our jackets and were very comfortable. I really dig the fact that we have wifi at our campsite.

Each day I'm finding new ways to pack stuff and it gets easier. Will be great to do it in a completely dry environment. We know now that we can be ready around 9:30 a.m. We just can't make the 9:50 ferry. On to my folks tomorrow.

June 23

Morale in campground poor this morning. Fellow campers on their way to the loo walk shoulders slumped, hoodies up. It's the constant drip.

We have a condensation issue in the tent no doubt a result of yesterday's flood and the moist air. Grant wiped down the walls and ceiling of the tent.

Last night went to plan B with dinner with Donna & Norm. Pit party out. Pub with beer and fish and yam fries in. Good!

Getting into bed, the bedding felt damp and cold. This morning found the creatures had come back and had a go at the Jiffy Pop and pulled it out from the box & nibbled. Must be bigger than a mouse. A raccoon?

Hanging with Donna and it's great. Gib says we've done 1000 k since we left home & there's a long way to go. But we knew BC would be the visiting part and I'm enjoying helping D. make butter chicken whilst drinking beer. Yum! Okay, actually I'm on the computer drinking beer, but D. says that's okay for abit. Gib and Norm off in the bush somewhere doing a site visit re: Norm's work.

Heading out tomorrow headed east.

Received an email from my daughter Kate whose colleague Billy hooked us up with his dad Bill Sr. in Nova Scotia. Bill Sr's a motorcycle instructor and clearly a generous and friendly guy. Look forward to meeting him.

On a personal note...

On a personal note...

Experiencing what I can only describe as a "wave of self-doubt". My thoughts are about being too old, my bike too small, it's too far etc.

I accept this as a natural response to the undertaking, try and think like a buddhist and live in the moment. Then when I'm on the bike and driving through the beautiful countryside of the Thompson River or alongside Kootenay Lake with my nose full of the sweet smell of fresh cut cedar, I come to terms with my decision to be here on the bike, even if it's raining, rather than on the couch wondering what's next on TV.

Taking it one day at a time and loving it.

* Grant will be adding a link to a photo-bucket soon.

Equipment:

Grant is riding a 2003 Honda VTX 1300. Jill on a 2003 Kawi Vulcan 800.

We have a Aspen Sentry tent trailer, a surprisingly small unit which expands into a queen sized bed with standing height dressing area and screened “porch”. Trailer offers 23 cu. ft. of storage accessible with tent top up or down.

We’ve chosen highly visible clothing, waterproof clothing designed for this type of travel.

Pre-trip Advice:

-Ride safe!

-Watch out for bugs in the prairies. They’re the size of saucers.

-Watch out for deer in Saskatchewan. They’re everywhere.

-Watch out for prairie gophers. Don’t bother trying to avoid hitting them. They’re everywhere.

-The prairies “are a surprise. They’re beautiful!”.

-Don’t drive or ride after dark in Newfoundland. There is an exceptionally large moose population. One presumes they’re everywhere.

-If you ARE in an accident, you are far more vulnerable on a bike than you are in a car. This information typically followed by second party anecdotal accounts of motorcycle accidents outlining the horrendous injuries sustained.

June 16th

Bikes loaded (overloaded). Tire pressure checked. Natural Gas turned off. House Alarm set. Cat in care of tenant. Protesting dog secure in carrier. Off we go!

1st stop- Following a gruelling .4 k, we pull into our local Starbucks. In our excitement we had left the house much too early, victims of Premature Departure.

Perhaps because of pre-trip anxiety, general excitement, a fully loaded bike with my precious dog on the back on top of concerns about riding in rain after weeks of dry hot weather,I feel nervous. Only took a few miles and I relaxed and enjoyed the swoops around Cameron Lake.

Several comments from folks on the ferry who had seen us on the highway & enjoyed Bodie’s random head bobs through the sunroof of his carrier.

Arrive in North Vancouver to see friends, family and drop Bodie off in the care of my daughters.

That evening in Deep Cove, we were treated to a Send Off Party hosted by my nephew Erick and his wife Kaylie. Four generations gathered on their patio surrounded by high wooden fences covered with grape vines. Erick wears a European style straw hat as he sets out the most wondrous food. Erick and bro-in-law, Alistair own the Arms Reach Bistro in Deep Cove. Forgive the blatant plug, but it is in your best interest to dine there.

Here’s a recipe for one of the appetisers served at the Send Off...

Cut Bocconcini cheese into finger sized pieces & marinate cheese for several hours in a mixture of one part red wine vinegar and one part raspberry syrup.

Drain & reserve marinade.

Wrap individual chunks of cheese in single leaves of radiccio.

Gently heat marinade and reduce.

Grill radiccio wrapped cheese on BBQ until cheese gets gooey, frequently brushing with thickened marinade.

Form a row on platter to serve.

Sweet, slurpy and delicious. Yum!

Wine, beers, hugs, kids, grandkids, my old mum... a rich evening.

We spend the night at my niece Leila & hubby Brian’s house. Kind of them given they are days from a move and have busy working lives and 2 young daughters, Ella & Annicka.

Spread pretty thin spending as much time as possible with family, but 3 months away seems a very long time.

June 17th- Awake at 6 am, anxious to be on the bikes. Stepped outside to teeming rain and anxious thoughts of a slippery ride through busy city commuter traffic.

Picked up the trailer stored at the Deep Cove Fire Hall and survive the merge onto Hwy#1 headed east. The further from the feet of the coastal mountains, the more the rain decreases and the roads are dry.

June 19- My nerves settle and we have a smooth ride in the HOV lane, leave the city and in no time are in Fraser Valley farmland. Traffic is light and bike purring in the cool air.

As I ride, I remember things I forgot to pack.

-my heated vest (very silly girl)

-my bathing suit

-extra battery (model specific) & charger for my camera

-Coffee

Gas stop & large cup of latte in Hope. It’s cold and grey and I wish I had my vest. Add layers, tell myself to toughen up then climb into Fraser Canyon.

Dry roads, but the sky is dark grey. The clouds close in the ceiling of the Canyon and the mountainsides thick with timber are a dark green, so dark it’s just shy of black. The road is eerily empty of traffic.

We are relaxing into the trip. Grant hits the horn and waves as we enter the first tunnel and I feel a rush of excitement at what we’re doing and a wave of affection for his solid orange presence ahead of me.

Roads are good and the lush walls of the canyon change within an hour. Vegetation more sparse and canyon walls rocky as we descend to river level. We reach the point where the Thompson River meets “the mighty Fraser”. Colours now pinks, pale orange and a light sagey green.

The sky has lightened and we stop just shy of Ashcroft to shed some layers & enjoy a quick chat with a fellow from Indiana travelling with his son who was returning to an army base in Alaska.

The hills around us are dry, rocky and moon like. I see a life sized plywood rearing horse. Sign reads “Cowboy Hat Store”.

Great lunch in 1920’s cafe in Ashcroft. Our waitress had visited Port Alberni the week before. Gas up then the climb to Logan Lake. We have the road to ourselves. In one day’s riding, we passed a variety of yellow diamond shaped caution signs that frame silhouettes of deer, elk, big horn sheep and here on the climb up to Logan Lake, a galloping horse. We later learn there are herds of wild horses in the hills around us.

We pass the huge copper mine with it’s vast pit and head into town to visit Norm and Marnie. Norm greets us with exuberant whoops. Marne with warm hugs. We are shown our king sized bed, handed cold beer and made to feel very welcome.

Logan Lake has an elevation of 3600 feet, so after the ride, beer & thin air, sleep feels good.

June 19th- A tour around “highland valley country” guided by Norm and Marne. Lots of trees killed by the Pine Beetle, the amount dead timber surrounding the town is alarming. Pockets of mountain lakes full of fish.

Cont. by Grant: We took a stop in the Bargain store that is much like our Bargain Bargain in Port. Jill replaced her missing bathing suit. Then we went to the little cafe that the bunch of us went to last year on the way through Logan Lake when many of you met cousin Norm. I can’t believe one person can be as enthusiastic about everything as he is. Back at the house we sat around gabbed and played with their new dog Lacie. Norm BBQed up some delicious ribs and told how last time he did them he burned them twice. He got distracted in his shop and let them burn. Marne scrapped off the burnt part and he put them on again and wound up back in his shop till they were burned again. He seems to love the story. For a lark that night we watched Ice Age Meltdown. With travel in mind we got an early night. Jill however made it an early morning. Waking well before 4:00 a.m. she was halfway through her day when we departed at 8:30.

June 20- Saying our farewells and taking some photos for family we got underway. Rather than get on the Coquihala we rode the old highway through farm country into Kamloops. Topped off our tanks there and headed east till we picked up Hwy. 97 to Vernon. 97 is a beautiful road to ride but is not the same as it could be if I wasn’t towing a loaded trailer. But just the same the ride is grand and it’s easy to make the adjustment knowing you have all that you need right with you. Past the beautiful Monte Lake and Westwold we took a break for coffee and cinnamon bun in Falkland. Vernon was our next stop for groceries and a top up. Highway 6 from there is a continuation of the magnificent vistas of BC. I thought to myself that we should really savour these kinds of roads because we are not likely to see anything similar for some time shortly.

I was a bit concerned about Jill tiring early because of her early start to the day. So a little ways past Cherryville in the Monashee Pass we came to a wonderful campground called Gold Pan. It is a spot that would be fun to bring the Port Alberni Good Time Riders to for a weekend. They have all kinds of old gold panning paraphernalia, old vehicles etc. around and numerous trails to old panning sites etc. there was an old pair of chaps hanging on the miners cabin that I thought would look great on Margaret. Horseshoes, laundry, showers and everything you need.

Jill made some sandwiches while I stocked up on firewood and got a load of laundry in. We poked around a bit and rather than hiking the trails we took the old 4x4 bus tour. We saw some old mining sites and actually went to a working site. The young man touring us started the slouse and demo-ed some panning. He pulled up nearly a dozen flakes. Back at camp the sound of the river running below us and the majestic mountains around us were a beautiful setting to relax at the campsite and dream of the days ahead. Gonna have a super campfire tonight.

June 21- A late start as the mountain air seems to make us sleepy old folks. We forgot to pack coffee so settled for hot chocolate before leaving. The roads were a little damp from a brief overnight rain so our pace was a little slow. Lots of deer on the road, I mean right on the road drinking from the grooves in the centre line. The skies were a quite unsettled and we hit a downpour just outside Nakusp. Stopped in Nakusp for our first coffees of the day. Hit the grocery store to pick up supplies. The roads to Nelson were dry and our pace picked up. At New Denver I decided to take the shorter route rather than go via Kaslo (which is supposed to be prettier). It was a good choice because the Silverton route is also very picturesque and you can drive better speeds. I have since learned that the Kaslo route has deteriorated quite a bit. Now Jill writes.

It’s June 22, but I’ll add to yesterday info that we got the full on rain baptizm yesterday shortly after leaving the Needles Ferry. It was that stinging kind of rain that makes it hard to see so we stayed with a group of 2 cars also driven by pensioners.

The country side here is breathtaking. The valley is so long and wide, driving along the upper reaches of the mountain on our way to Silverton, we could see all the way up Kootenay Lake. The sky looked nasty, but the roads dry and perfect riding temps.

My bike seems to like the cool mountain air and just purrs along. I’m finding if the warming signs for a curve say slow to 70, the bike is fine in 5th. If the sign says 60, I drop to 4th and find it handles better.

Houston, we have a problem. Grant is having some electrical issues with his bike. He lost his speedometer reading. It’s causing some stress and plans are to have it looked at in Calgary.

Last night we pulled into the Kookanee Creek Provincial Park which lies just beside our friends’ Donna & Norm’s place at 12 mile, just outside of Nelson.

Phoned Donna after we pulled in and she had supper waiting. Norm came over on his bicycle to show us the trail through the woods. Donna is an artist and their home is colourful and interesting. The food always good.

Took the trail home in the dark cautious about the local bear. Bed felt good!

Woke this am to the sound of a gentle rain. We learned some lessons about our tent trailer design, the hard way. Woke up to a flooded floor. The bed was dry. Yeah!

Also had a visit from mice who ate all our cookies & bagels. Lessons learned!

Luckily Donna was nearby to rescue it so this is a good place to learn our lessons. She’s driving us to town to get a tarp and more cookies etc. and drying our clothes.

We had planned to host a pit party at our campsite, but going to plan B, the pub in Balfour for some of their fine fish and chips.

So all’s well.

Pre-trip

4 days until departure and it's hard to sleep with a busy mind.

We are resorting to nightly warm milk, a good way to induce geri sleep.

Joining friends for a weekend ride to Salt Spring/Victoria, home Sunday. Good distraction to stop obsessing about packing choices & missing my dog.

We will have one full day at home to review the list prior to departure. Gib opened his eyes this morning and said "chain spray".