Where to start?
British Columbia is afire. Normally this would be of mild interest to me. Yes, I DO have many friends in Canada, but not many in BC (or at least not in the part of BC that is burning). I see that the smoke from the fires has gotten so bad that it is now in Seattle, WA area. I have a niece- & nephew-in-law in that area as well as grandniece and grandnephews. I believe I have a nephew in that general vicinity as well (not really sure WHERE Michael is *grin*). And of course, Tess. (/me waves hi! to Tess). But that is of little interest to you, I’m sure, as my job here is to entertain and amuse you, not merely list the genealogies as if we were in Genesis 5:3.
I think, if I am at all understanding the transCanada highway (as in I am getting the sense that the Transcanada “highway” is not A highway but a bunch of roads strung together designated as A highway) and understanding our route (also a slowly dawning enlightenment) that we will be driving near the fires in Kamloop. I’m sure that Honour is going to make some comment about oh phew, stop worrying it’s no big deal. But I’m from NJ. We don’t pump our own gas (omg – am I going to have to pump gas on this trip?????), we don’t usually have fires burning semi-out of control for days. Weeks. I can’t imagine anything more terrifying and devastating than watching your home burn. But from a selfish point-of-view – I do wonder what the road will be like (open or closed? driving through smoke? no hotel vacancies?). I’m used to hurricanes (Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Irene, and many more) but fire will be new for me. I suspect it is an experience I would prefer not to experience at close range. (Oh wait, did I ever tell you about the time my fiance and I slept through the fire in his house???)
/me shudders and shakes off the where-there’s-smoke-there’s-fire-issue. I bought a new camera today. *grin* What did I tell you about me and vacations? I have a little Casio Exilim from many, many years ago. I love it. But I waited too long to try to get a battery for it. I can only find it on the internet and I can’t get it here before I leave AND I can’t have it shipped to Honour to be waiting for me. (So what IS it with trying to ship things from the US to Canada? This is becoming a real nuisance.) Sure, I could use my phone, and I might. But I like having a camera as well. I bought myself a little Nikon (“I’ve got a Nikon camera, I’d love to take a photograph“). The battery is charging and it appears to be an upgrade of my Casio but very similar. That makes me happy. 🙂
Random thoughts…. I am amazed at how many people feel compelled to tell me what a mistake I am making (and this from people who haven’t even gotten around to suspecting that Honour might be an axe murderer). They say: it’s a mistake to go with someone I’ve never met F2F; they think traveling with animals is the worst thing to do; they could never sit in a car that long; etc. I think you get the idea. Hey – I may even have harboured (please note Canadian spelling) such thoughts myself from moment to moment. But WHY do you feel compelled to express this to me? I’m going. It’s a bit late to change my mind. Do you think this is enjoyable to hear? I do shrug it off. But I think comments like this fall into the category of “Do you ever listen to what comes out of your mouth before you are about to say it?” I had a mere acquaintance start in today. As I was trapped in the chair getting my hair done, I couldn’t really get up and leave. And there were others commenting mindlessly today too. Enough! Honour and I are big girls now. We get it. I fully expect that there will be days when tensions and tempers rise. (Of course, I am perfect so none of that will be because of me or on my part.)
This is The Great Transcontinental Escapade. Or, if you prefer, Ahuva and Honour Do Canada (I wonder if she has the proper shoes?). Come along and share the adventure! Fewer than 48 hours to takeoff!
Ahuva's Blog 
I’m going to ignore the shoes comment. But, I will tell you that if you’re not pumping gas then you’re the one fetching the bags of ice. 🙂
Your adventure sounds so exciting!
As a person who likely expressed anxiety about you travelling with someone you’ve never met, I’d like to put in a word in our defense 🙂 . Some people have more trouble stepping outside of their comfort zones than others do. Those of us who are more risk averse are envious and impressed that you have the emotional flexibility to try something so new. I’m trying to adopt more of a “what’s the worst that can happen?” mentality, but it’s not natural. If Honour turns out to be an axe-murderer (or worse for you: a woman who wears only sensible shoes!), The Smugs will say, “Aha! I told you it was a bad idea.” To which you’ll say, “Yeah, it got a little crazy. But it was exhilarating to try something new. The first half was great, and I don’t regret doing it.” To which The Smugs will have nothing to say but to wonder what things in our own lives we are missing out on by being risk adverse.
Thanks for your inspiration!
@Kelley – *smile* what a lovely comment! I read it to Honour and Evelyn at lunch. Honour and I both LOVED the comment about the shoes!!!! 🙂 But you probably are giving me far too much credit for flexibility and adventuring. Although it WAS in virtual worlds that I learned to volunteer to do things I had no idea how to do so that I could learn to do them. Maybe the fact that it was Honour doing this trip is what pinged my “oh go throw yourself under the bus, how bad can it be?” *grin*
@Honour Jersey Girls Don’t Pump Gas. (Actually, Jersey guys don’t either – it’s illegal in NJ to pump your own gas. 🙂 )
How odd that it’s illegal to pump your own gas (although we’d say petrol in the UK). Is this a safety thing, or a jobs protection thing? In the UK it’s pretty standard to pump your own. But then lots of people buy petrol from garages attached to supermarkets.
@primperfect – I had to do a search in order to answer your question. Here is what I thought was the best explanation: http://mentalfloss.com/article/74549/why-cant-you-pump-your-own-gas-new-jersey
Notice that you cannot pump your own petrol in Oregon either except after midnight in the rural areas of Oregon (see the article). Having been in states where I (or rather, the person with me) had to pump gas and been in NJ where I say to someone else – please fill the tank – I have to tell you that I vastly prefer having an attendant do the fueling. That way no one gets back into the car smelling of accidental spills. No one is fighting with the fuel pump trying to make it stay on instead of kickoff repeatedly because the hose is not seated properly. I’ve heard people complain that it takes longer with an attendant. Oh posh. As one commentator said in one of the articles I found – do you understand that you are paying this company to give you gas but they are making you do all the work associated with it? They didn’t reduce the price any for that privilege either. I suppose had I grown up elsewhere I’d be pumping gas today. But I didn’t and I don’t. *grin*
such an awesome trip…. I remember a flight and weekend escape where two people met for the first time and I think it turned out wonderful. Hugs to you both, have a super fantastic time.