Life is Good: Postcard from the "Mostly Wet Trip"

July 17, 2022

July 8 we returned from a six-week van trip to Vancouver Island. Fiends laugh when I say it was too fast, and a bit of a blur. I'm serious.

Mary and I have grown accustomed to a rather relaxed mode of travel, in which we follow a wide and winding arc towrds a vague destination, and allow ample time for the unexpected. This year, after reading too many stories about campground overcrowding, I worried we would encounter an endless stream of "Campground Full" signs in British Columbia and elsewhere. So, although the trip didn't deviate far from our usual 100 mile a day average, our six weeks were highly scripted, with reserved campsites most nights.

Black Bear cub on the Port Renfrew to Lake Cowichan Road (Vancouver Island, BC)

During the winter, I enjoyed scoping out campgrounds, booking sites (for BC Provincial Parks, this was always exactly 2 months ahead of our arrival date), and thinking about where our trip would lead us. During the trip, we had mostly great campsites and no worries about getting to camp late in the day. And yet . .

Most of our favorite times were the days we had no reservations, and the days we deviated from the script. These decisions included blasting through Beatty and driving 500+ miles on the frist day of our trip, so as to have two nights at the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest; taking a last-minute chance on what turned out to be an idyllic stay at Davis Creek (Kootenay Lake Provincial Park, BC); or looking for a couple of cool nights and "discovering" the Mirror Lake Byway through the High Uintas. On days like these, Mary's log entry concludes, "A very good day."

Mary on the MethusalahTrail (Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, Bishop, CA)

It's the joy of discovery that makes travel memorable. Sometimes that comes from geogaphy, other times from a chance encounter or an unexpected historical theme, whether the story of Japanese Canadians forcibly relocated to the Kootenays during WWII or of Lewis & Clark's 1803 journey to the mouth of the Colombia River. For me, at least, less planning may result in more joy.

Back in Arizona, it's hard to believe I dubbed this "The Mostly Wet Trip," yet for most of the six weeks, it was. Shorts and capris went unused, and the van interior was often a drying rack. And that's the price you pay for visiting those magical old growth forests.

Mary scales the Myra Falls Trail (Strathcona Provinical Park, Vancouver Island, BC)

This was our first van trp without Toby, and we missed him every day. Sure there are advantages to not having a dog. When a rainy day had us Condor-bound, we had more room. We could spend a night (in a hotel!) in Vancouver, and visit the wonderful Museum of Anthropology. Actually we could have done that without worrying about leaving Toby in the van. It was raining! By the end of the trip, while still grieving Toby, I was missing having a dog. Stay tuned.

Love to all, Toni