Traversing East to West
Jeff and I left the east coast from Toronto dawn of September 28, 2014, to drive to the west coast to Victoria, BC. Because of time constraints, I decided to cut through the US instead of through Canada, as it will save us 2 travel days. The approximate distance as the crow flies in miles from Toronto to Victoria is 2765 miles or 4450 km.
Our target arrival date is at most October 4th. I planned the trip around that timeline with other side trips to possibly squeeze in. Long driving is one of the things I love and enjoy doing. I don’t mind driving miles and miles simply enjoying the travel itself along with the sights on the road.
These two I require though: good music and good company (along with junk food and snacks) with good conversations.
When the sun rose on September 28, we were almost at Sarnia. There were giant windmill farms along the way and somehow when you get up close, I had an eerie feeling. The humongous windmill is like out of this world, almost an alien. I remember a friend who once described the windmill as the overseers. Crossing Sarnia took us to the border to Michigan through the Blue Water Bridge. Not long after, we were cruising the stretch of I-94.
Aiming to be in Chicago by nightfall, I focused on driving. I had to blast the speakers once in a while to wake me up. We took turns driving when one gets weak to stay focused.
In Chicago, I met with a long time family friend Jean Sacking. The good thing about long drives is the chance to connect with friends who may live along the routes of the journey. Chicago is like the baby of New York and Toronto. We spent the day walking through downtown. By night time, we strolled by Millenium Park and made the best impression I could have on my reflection on the Bean.
Rise and shine! A morning mantra when you travel. Minnesota is home to the largest shopping mall in the US. With just a little time to spend, I bought a new pair of kicks and moved on. We got news the next day about a tornado warning over the Dakotas. Now, I don’t know which route to go by. Shall I take North or South? It can be hard to tell so I decided to follow the planned route to North Dakota and play it by ear in case there would be any twister touch down. Thank God it was only a short period of heavy rains and an overcast the rest of the day. North Dakota was the halfway mark from origin to destination. Between North Dakota and Montana, we took a side trip to revisit the Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.
We drove to reach the Old Faithful geyser in time for its predicted eruption in the afternoon. Driving back to stay on track, I took the wrong exit that brought us all the way to Idaho! A genuine road traveler requires reading maps in the old school way. I was scolding myself!
Montana, oh endless Montana. This was by far the longest time I have drove. I was aiming to drive one state without being relieved but exhaustion got the better of me. Montana does not seem to end, like a plague not knowing when it's over. I feel irritated with no one but myself. The feeling when you just want to see the end of it but it seemed Montana won’t give in? It was already nightfall and I longed to see the border to Washington. Disappointed at myself, I resigned for the night.
It’s a new day, a beautiful day that I can’t stop myself from smiling. This is a dimpled journey all the way. Along the endless prairies, the vast agricultural land as we passed one state to the next provides a time to think in retrospect. As we get closer to our destination, I have thoughts of asking myself if I did the right thing? Once I’m caught in that trans, I shake it off quickly and decide never to second guess myself.
Washington State! At last. We breezed through Spokane and nearly getting excited to get to Canada again very soon. We reached the border almost midnight and I was surprised to see the long line up even at a very late hour. In Vancouver, I’m glad that the hotel we stayed at is close to the Harborfront. The next morning, I got myself acquainted with its streets, strolled the harbor and took snapshots. Here and there and everywhere. Towards the afternoon, we made our way to the ferry docks and lined up to what would be an hour and a half ferry ride to the final destination — Victoria!
