On the road again- almost

June 8th and the count down is on!!! Getting excited about the trip.

Of course I have been occasionally dreaming about it since last September and fairly consistently since February/March. I imagine the rides I am going to get, plan the route (not that I have any control of that), the things that I will see and people that I will meet. It is the last thing I think about at night and the first thing that I think about in the morning. My half filled knapsack is beside my bed. I could leave in an hour or two if I didn’t have so many commitments here.
I worry/wonder if I will get stuck in some places. (Brandon is one of those places where I have a hard time getting out of – although last year it eventually worked out really well). But I also hope that I will get the chance to stay in some places (like the newest hostel in Canmore or perhaps that nursing home/hotel in Salmon Arms)that are well worth visiting again and again. There is a great little restaurant in Canmore that serves just about the best veggie burger in Canada.

Two nights ago I had a dream that I got a lift in a small plane and was able to bounce from airport to airport right across the Prairies and the Rockies!

My first step is to go through my camping trunk and decide what to take. I have a lot of camping gear, some of which I will never use again. There is a rather heavy folding shovel that I used to dig fire pits when I canoe camped. Silly little thing and far too heavy to carry across Canada, although it once was useful when camping near Dorset and I got caught in a horrendous storm when a trench around my tent was needed to ensure that I was not washed away. There are tarps and ropes and bits and pieces of cooking gear which just are no longer needed. I have three tents. One – a three person tent that stays here and I use for sleeping over at folk festivals; another tent (2 person) that stays at Devin’s and I use it for camping out west and my newest one which is really just a fancy bivy sack that only has room for me (and barely that) that I carry with me on the road.

Ah so many choices….. what to take?