Road Trip - Day One

Today is the first day of my road trip. Today I plan to drive from Calgary to Salmon Arm. It's a pretty drive through the mountains although this time of year is always a bit of a challenge. You never know what the weather is going do to. The drive through the Bow Valley up in Banff National Park is generally good, but when the snow starts to fall or the road ices over, it can quickly turn into a skating rink. Kicking Horse Pass and Rogers Pass are almost always bad at this time of year.

This will be the true test of my hand controls and mobility. To be honest, I am a bit worried. Then again for much of my life I have had this attitude, doing things that others felt were dangerous or foolish but I did them anyway. Being afraid never stopped me before and I see no reason why fear should stop me now. I plan on living before I die.

It's only about five hours on the road and I plan on taking a break at Golden and maybe even Revelstoke. It will be daylight all the way and there will be plenty of other people on the road. I'll take it easy, drive carefully and be cautious.

Last night was when the real fun started. The gang came over to help me load the truck and rack the wine. It turned into a not so impromptu party. My friend Myra had come over during the day to help me pack my suitcase and the rest of the team helped load my picnic gear and other road-trip stuff. While Elizabeth and I made dinner, Andrea and Ryan got my sheets from the dryer and made my bed. Then we ate prodigious amounts of BBQ Ribs and Seafood Risotto. After dinner Brad took the lead and we racked the wine.

This morning my brother Peter came over to help me with the last few things and as I write the entry my friend Anisa is helping me with the last of the tidying and dishes. In a few minutes I will be underway.

This blog will likely morph into a travelogue over the next few weeks. I hope nobody minds.