Trip Wrap-Up

The epic cross-country trip is now over. Carmella and I enjoyed the exciting parts of the trip, powered through the boring sections, and listened to a lot of CBC radio podcasts in between.

I woke up this morning with the same sort of feeling I used to get when I woke up the morning after a great week of Camp Hermosa. I opened my eyes and had the disappointing sense that the trip was over, and all the excitement that went with it. I was surprised to be feeling this, as during the trip we both were looking very forward to getting home. I am glad that we're home, and I'm glad that I don't have to drive anywhere today. But I think I'm disappointed that the vacation is over, and that life will quickly return to normal.

Here's a quick re-hash of our trip. At the onset, I thought that I would have lots of time to blog and post pictures, but it turned out quite differently. We were busy every day! We would wake up and drive, and by the time it was dark, we'd still be driving. We drove a lot, and didn't really leave much time for anything else.

I'll give a short overview of our progress from the time we left Stratford to the time we arrived back home in BC.

Tuesday, Sept 22nd
We woke up in Stratford, and had a lot to do before we left for Whistler. I got my new car stereo installed, and I seem to remember there were lots of other things I had to do too. We aimed to leave at 12 noon, but ended up pulling out at about 1pm instead, so that wasn't too bad.

We stopped in Bradford, ON to visit a friend of Carmella's from high-school. We stayed there for about an hour, then continued on to Huntsville where we stayed at Carmella's Uncle Jon's house. We told him we'd arrive around 6:30pm, and that's exactly when we pulled in.

Carmella's aunt and uncle were great, and made us bbq chicken and hamburgers. After supper, they treated us at the local ice-cream stand where the ice-cream in a baby cone was as big as a softball, and a small size cone had two of those stacked on each other. They were really happy to see Carmella, because they hadn't seen her for fifteen years and were really happy to get re-acquainted.

Wednesday, Sept 23

We awoke with the birds, and ate breakfast with Carmella's aunt and uncle. We left as they were leaving for work, probably around 8am, so that worked out well. Our goal was to make it to Thunder Bay, which according to Google Maps is a 1200Km route that should take around 14.5 hours. We powered through Northern Ontario, and had to navigate through a lot of construction delays.

About halfway through the trip, we decided to jump into Lake Superior to mix things up. We were tired of driving at that point, and needed something exciting to occupy our minds and lift our spirits. We found a road, drove down it, and had a quick dip. It worked, and buoyed our spirits immensely.

We arrived in Thunder Bay at about 11pm, and quickly found a motel with vacancy. We were sleeping very quickly after hitting the pillows. It was a lot of rocks and trees, and was our worst day of driving. There was nothing really to look at, and the towns we drove through didn't offer too much to divert our attention. It would have been insufferable had we not went for a swim in Superior's bracing waters.

Thursday, Sept 23rd

Since we hacked through boring Northern Ontario the day before, we gave ourselves a morning for checking out Thunder Bay. We would be aiming for Jasmine's house in Winnipeg, which would only take about 8 hours, since the distance we'd be covering was a paltry 650ish kilometers.

Thunder Bay has about 12 000 Finns living there, what is claimed to be the largest community of Finnish speakers living outside of Finland. Carmella is Finn, so we wanted to take in some of her culture.

We had breakfast at The Hoito, a breakfast restaurant staple that I remembered from my year at Lakehead University in 2000-2001. It's in the Finnish Labour Temple that was built in the early 1900s, and might be called something different now. When we arrived, there were Finns speaking Finn outside, and trappings of Finnish culture in the nearby stores.

We got pancakes, which Carmella hoped would be Finnish pancakes. They should be flat and thin, with a crust around the outside. When they arrived, they were! This was exciting, and we both enjoyed them. Carmella said that Finns don't separate their food on the plate, and that was confirmed when our eggs came plopped right on top of the plate-sized pancakes.

We enjoyed looking around the restaurant and picking out the Finns. Most of the employees were Finn, and a lot of the customers too. Carmella's hair and cheek-bones fit right in! There were also non-Finns there too, so I didn't feel like an imposter.

After the Hoito, we went to Kanga Sauna, another Thunder Bay institution. The Finns love their saunas, and at Kanga's you can rent one of about 18 saunas in their building. You get it for an hour and a half, and are able to enjoy authentic saunaing.

While at Lakehead, our whole residence house went there one night. We got a large size sauna, and fit about 20 people into it. There were multiple rooms, including one with a table for conversation, and the main sauna room.

Carmella and I got a small sauna, which also had multiple rooms, punctuated by the main sauna room. You are allowed to dump water on the sauna furnaces here, so that's what we did. I've never been so hot in my life! If I ever doubted Carmella's Finn heritage, I wouldn't be able to after seeing her not even sweating while I was dripping from the tip of my nose!

We occasionally sit in the sauna at the rec centre here in Whistler, and it fails miserably to the authentic sauna we had in Thunder Bay. It's not even as hot as the entry room in our Kanga Sauna!

We really enjoyed Kanga's, so I bought a Kanga's t-shirt. We stopped in some some Finn stores, and then drove to Winnipeg. It was pretty boring, and took longer than expected to get out of Ontario.

We were happy to see the Manitoba border, as it was some tangible evidence that we were actually driving across the country. We spent the better part of three days driving through Ontario, so it was nice to finally see something different.

We had told Jasmine that we'd arrive around 8pm, and that's exactly when we pulled up to her house. Her parents were there, and made a great supper for all of us, and the rest of the evening was spent chatting over some wine, catching up. Everyone was really hospitable, and it was a great finish to a great day of Finn culture and a bit of driving.

Friday, Sept 24

This day promised to be a day of epic-driving proportions. We aimed to make it from Winnipeg to Calgary, a trip that is 1300km and should take about 14 hours.

We left Jasmine's house at about 8am, and stopped a few hours away in Brandon, MB for some breakfast. I forgot my phone in the Komfort Kitchen, so that was frustrating. I realized before we left town, so that was good.

We started in Manitoba, drove through Saskatchewan, and ended up in Calgary. We were going to stay with Uncle Andrew there, but called it off when we realized we'd be arriving in Calgary after midnight. We planned to find a dive motel to sleep in, and were happy with that. Carmella called a friend from snowboard school to set up a coffee meeting the next morning. He offered us a room in his place, no matter what time we arrived! So that was excellent.

There wasn't much going on this day, just a lot of driving. We made it through three provinces, and stopped in Medicine Hat for some pizza before charging on towards Calgary. That 300ish K was the toughest, since I was so tired!

We chatted with Bruce, Carmella's friend from snowboard school, and then went to bed. I slept really well.

Saturday, September 25

On Saturday morning, we left at about 9am. Since we had an insignificant driving day in front of us, so we decided to go to Drumheller, AB and check out the dinosaur bones. Drumheller is in The Badlands, an area carved out by the Red Deer River. The Royal Tyrell Museum is there, and showcases the dinosaur bones that have been discovered in the area.

*edit*

I'll finish this later. The words aren't coming so well at the moment!

Quick update

We had quite the long journey today, and we covered about 1500kn through three provinces.

We left Jasmine's house near Winnipeg at about 8am Central time, and arrived in Calgary at a bit past midnight, Mountain time.

That's about 17 hours on the road! We had breakfast in Brandon, MB and some pizza in Medicine Hat, AB. We also stopped for a quick swim in MB, and tried to do the same in SK, but their lakes are more like marshes, and are more appealing to birds than swimmers.

Time to sleep now. We're at one of C's friend's houses, and not Uncle Andrew's. When we realized we'd be arriving so late, we decided to release Andrew from the burden of waiting up for us, and were going to find some dive to sleep in.

Carmella phoned her friend Bruce from snowboard school, to set up a hangout for Saturday. He was enthusiastic about her being here in Calgary, and offered us shelter no matter what time we arrived. So here we are.

So, we're through the ugly part of the trip, and the mountains beckon us tomorrow. We're going to be more leisurely through BC, and should be back home on Sunday sometime.

It's been fun so far, and the relationship remains intact!

Short update!

We're in Brandon, MB after staying the night in Jasmine's house. Her family watered us and fed us, and provided us with shelter.

We're aiming for Calgary tonight.

One Day In

We're one day into the road trip back to BC, and I'm seeing if posting pictures works in a new way.

We're at Carmella's Uncle's house in Huntsville, and it's been a nice evening. We had a very nice BBQ dinner, and then they brought us to the local ice-cream place.

We all got small ice creams, and Carmella's Aunt got a baby size. But the baby size was HUGE! My small was even bigger. It sure was nice to get more than you expect, instead of less, which happens at home in Whistler all the time!

Huntsville is quite a quaint little town, and I like it. Tourist season is over, so it's relaxed and laid back.

Carmella's aunt and uncle have been very hospitable, and I'm really thankful that they've given us a place to stay and a great meal.

Before we got here, we visited one of Carmella's childhood friends who lives in Bradford, which was right on the way. It's been nice meeting some of her friends and family.

Tomorrow will be a long driving day, as we're going to attempt to make it to Thunder Bay. This evening has been pretty relaxed, so that's excellent. We'll have a great sleep tonight and be ready to hit the road hard tomorrow!

The driving has been pretty easy so far, because we've driven all week pretty much! We'll see how we do tomorrow, our first long haul day.

Time for some more sleep. I sure have been appreciating Morpheus this last week, as there has been so much going on.

I think I'll stay inside...

Until tomorrow.



Today just isn't going well. I forgot my bike on the bus, and when I picked it up, the front tire was getting flat again. It's been flatting on me once a week, and I keep putting new tubes in. Time to check the tire and the rim for thorns and burrs.



I picked up a new tube at a friendly bike shop out here in Function, the industrial area of whistler. While there, the resident dog bit my finger and growled at me. It wasn't a chomp and it didn't leave a mark, but he still bit me.



Then, I figured I would buy some food at a small bakery. I saw a nice sandwich, and asked how much it was. The Chinese girl thought I was saying I wanted it, so then I didn't bother correcting her and repeating myself.



Turns out it's an $8.50 sandwich! Looks like I should have used my Mandarin!



To make things a bit more unfortunate, one of my favourite shirts has a stain on it that the dry cleaners couldn't remove. I picked it up today with high hopes, but the grass stains remain.



Woe is me! Oh well. As long as I don't leave my house tonight, I won't get hit by a meteor or end up with swine flu!

My bike!

Today it was raining when I went to work, so I took the bus. I had my bike with me, so I loaded it onto the front of the bus, as I've done numerous times.

What I haven't done numerous times is leave it on the front of the bus, like I did this morning! I got off the bus and walked to work, forgetting until I the bus was already driving away with my two-wheeled transport still on its rack.

I'm on my way to the bus depot now, to pick it up. I phoned the bus lost and found number, and the friendly voice who picked up the phone worked it all out for me.

It's a bit of an inconvenience, but nothing major. I'm glad it's my 11 year old commuter, and not Celeste or my DH bike, that I neglected.

I have no wisdom teeth anymore.

Yesterday I got three wisdom teeth pulled. It was important that I get it done soon, as I have 100% dental coverage through work, and who knows how long that will last! I need to take advantage of my situation while I can.

I went to the dentist a few weeks ago, after not going since high-school. It was decided at that appointment that my wisdoms needed to come out.

Yesterday was the day. Carmella drove me down to Vancouver. We left at 7am, since we'd be having breakfast with one of her good friends first, who lives on The Island and is in Vancouver once every few months.

It was a good breakfast, and I made sure to eat a lot because it'd be the last solid food I'd get to eat for a few days. I got pancakes and some eggs and some hashbrowns. None of these items should be considered really solid, but they were really tasty.

Carmella's friend Aniko has two children, one who is 5, and one who recently learned to walk. It was interesting having breakfast with little kids...it was actually pretty fun. They were polite and well behaved and weren't screaming and being all disruptive. Aniko's husband is in China, so I didn't get to meet him. Maybe later we'll talk Middle Kingdom.

Anyway, after breakfast I went to the dentist's office to pick up a script for some anti-anxiety pills. Most patients don't get these, but since I was so wound-up last appointment, Dr. Kwong suggested the option.

I got the pills, then dropped them about 30mins before my appointment. Carmella and I then sat in the waiting room. He we are, while I still have three wisdom teeth. I am a bit apprehensive.



I didn't really notice the effects of the anti-anxiety drugs, until I found myself singing along loudly to a song on my phone. Carmella mentioned that I was high, and the receptionist behind the desk said "See? Trips to the dentist aren't all bad!"

Then it was off to the dentist's chair. I was nervous, but feeling confident. Carmella was going to take pictures since I wanted to blog them, but Dr. Kwong and his assistant weren't into the idea. So, knowing that the procedure would be more than an hour long, she got some food to eat.

While it was happening, I was thinking that this procedure was the worst thing that I had ever been through. It wasn't too painful, but for some reason it was really bad. I had local anesthetic, so I felt pressure rather than pain.

Dr. Kwong went after the most difficult one first. It had grown in very close to the back of my jaw bone, so it was hard to get at. The bone was right on top of it, so it would be hard to find purchase. He'd have to chop the crown off first, then go in and retrieve the roots. It sounds simple, but was pretty terrible. I think the thing that got me the most was all the implements that they used in my mouth. He had a little circular saw, pliers, stretchers, and probably an ax.

He was rummaging around in my mouth for a long time. I could tell he was a bit stressed, because there was a sense of urgency and tension in his voice when he'd ask for various instruments. I heard him exclaim at one point "I can't get a hold of anything!"

Sometimes he'd be yanking on my tooth, pulling toward him. He'd get his assistant to tug my head in the other direction. I just sat there with my protective glasses askew, hoping splinters of tooth and chunks of flesh weren't going to start flying out of my mouth. I was also trying to be confident that my healthy teeth wouldn't end up being collateral damage.

While the procedure seems primal, and while I thought it was really savage at the time, Dr Kwong did a good job. He was trying his best to make it happen smoothly and as painlessly as possible. Teeth are stubbornly attached to your skull, and aren't supposed to come out. They way it happened was the only way it could happen, and it happens every day in dental offices all over. I may have had it a bit worse than the average person because I have some stout roots, and because that one tooth was situated under the bone. Other than that though, I had to go through a fairly average procedure.

When he finally got the roots out, and said this first of three was finished, I for some reason lost it mentally. I began hyper-ventilating, and then tears began gushing out of my eyes, down my cheeks, and presumably into a puddle on the floor. There was something psychological going on there for sure, since it wasn't actually that painful, and that portion of the procedure was over. Dr Kwong was doing nothing except telling me to take slow, deep breaths.

The second tooth was similar to the first, but much easier. The last tooth took about thirty seconds to get out, and was pretty much pain-free. I had to wait in the office for a few minutes once the procedure was over, but I don't remember why. I think we were waiting for more scripts for a post-procedure drug concoction. Here I am after the teeth are out. Note that there is not much swelling. Dr Kwong mentioned that the swelling would peak on recovery day number two.



I had to go to the pharmacy and get three types of medicine. I got T3s, Amoxicillin, and Ketorolac. I'm taking the Amoxicillin every six hours to fight infection, a T3 for pain when needed, and I recently downed a Ketorolac for inflammation.

I'm not usually one for pills, so taking these is a bit of a stretch for me. But, they gave me the drugs for a reason, and I haven't been in terrible pain since I started taking them. So they're doing their job, and I'm not miserable.

I've spent the time since the extraction at home, either on the couch or in my bed. Carmella is very helpful, making me food and keeping me company. She's also figured out my drugs and when I should take them and what to expect when I do. Most of all though, she's put up with my constant silliness, a side effect of these drugs.

Today is recovery day number two, and I was quite surprised when I looked in the mirror this morning. I'm a chipmunk! I'm reminded of when Carol got her jaw surgery and had a similar jowl-y appearance.

My right cheek is much more swollen than the left, even though the left side had two extractions, while the right side had just one. But the right side was the site of the problematic tooth, so it makes sense.