July Day 1 - 10 2010 4:30 AM

July 10, 2010
4:00 AM

The alarm rings and I stagger to the shower. It's day 1 of our western Canada road trip. Our goal is to be on the road by 5:00 AM. Destination? Tofino BC and back, seeing as much as humanly possible during the drive.

Meet the voyagers:
D; my wife of 24 years. A kind patient person who has developed a tolerance for testosterone, this will become evident.
B: My eldest son, 17 a dedicated worker at his part time job, still working dedication on anything involving home life.
P: our chosen 16 year old son. Family circumstances have had P living with us for a couple of years now. He is a good hearted individual who needed shown alternatives.
J: our 15 year old son. A person with a great sense of humour who is going through the 15 year old lazy stage.
S: our 12 year old youngest son. S struggles to keep up with his brothers while still enjoying the simple things in life.
Me: a stressed out software developer, looking forward to some relaxation on vacation. Well, good luck with that.

I am totally blind so will not be doing any of the driving on this vacation. S and P do have their licenses so will spare D off on the simpler legs.

Day 1 goal, Edmonton Alberta. After an hour of last minute packing and coordination of 6 suit cases and 6 "carry on" bags, 2 coolers of food (4 teenagers are hungry ... all the time).

My mood? hopeful and looking forward to the various sites we will see.

5:10 AM left the driveway. .3 KM later S "are we there yet?" General anticipatory mood. D is driving. Chances are most people will be asleep before Portage La Prairie.