All those who know us well and those who have followed this blog from the beginning have been asking how the camping holiday went. Friends and family sent us multiple texts while we were away and all the texts had a common theme. "How's Joy doing in the trailer?"
Having lived in our trailer from May well into January while our home on the swake was being built I had vowed never to camp again. It took a few years for me to consider the camping concept and we put the trailer up for sale twice during that timespan. I emptied it out, we cleaned the carpets, I took the photos for Kijiji, and Greg priced it too high to sell. In my reluctance to ever have anything to do with camping in any form again, I completely ignored the fact that my husband who has sold many many things through the years was failing to sell the trailer. When we pulled out of the driveway on August 28 with the trailer in tow, I was secretly glad it hadn't sold.
We were off on an adventure to beautiful British Columbia with an itinerary that reflected some of the craziness of our lives. The problem was that we were so wired when we left that it took nearly all of the two weeks to slow our lives down. We had plans when we left of visiting with family, visiting with friends, touring wineries, reading books, driving thousands of kilometres, and returning rested.
Within the first forty-eight hours we drove over eight hundred kilometres, visited family, and I read one novel cover to cover. Although our first few days were great, it was evident that we needed to revisit our plans if we were going to relax at all. By day four we were in the Okanagan enjoying spectacular views from one of our favorite campgrounds but we weren't really slowing down. I was still taking photos out the window of the truck because everyone knows the primary goal once you put on your seatbelt is to reach the destination with as few stops as possible - vacation, car rally style. That's when God messed with our holiday itinerary in an attempt I am sure to move us from the fast lane over into the slow lane.
Nowhere in our itinerary did we plan for the nearest Starbucks to have dismal Wifi or for a day that involved purchasing four new tires for the trailer. So much for doing any work on the laptop and the vacation budget took a hit. Thank goodness we were parked near a larger center where the tire situation could be looked after. Both events were vacation speed bumps that caused us to reframe our plans. We decided then to forget about any long-distance attempts to work and to restrict our activities so we could have the breathing space we needed. We consciously moved over from the fast lane of life to savour the slow lane.
Once we got in the slow lane we started to see some of the wonders we had been blitzing past. There was a black bear in the ditch near Christina Lake. Birds were soaring above Kootenay Lake against a spectacular backdrop of clouds. A bull moose was hanging out near Radium to offer us a fabulous photo-op. We visited less wineries but stayed longer to hear the stories of the people who were working at them. If there was a patio with a view we sat on it. Life in the slow lane gave us the chance to breathe, to simply be together, and to once again enjoy a camping vacation. Yes I did just fine, and yes I will go again!
Having lived in our trailer from May well into January while our home on the swake was being built I had vowed never to camp again. It took a few years for me to consider the camping concept and we put the trailer up for sale twice during that timespan. I emptied it out, we cleaned the carpets, I took the photos for Kijiji, and Greg priced it too high to sell. In my reluctance to ever have anything to do with camping in any form again, I completely ignored the fact that my husband who has sold many many things through the years was failing to sell the trailer. When we pulled out of the driveway on August 28 with the trailer in tow, I was secretly glad it hadn't sold.
We were off on an adventure to beautiful British Columbia with an itinerary that reflected some of the craziness of our lives. The problem was that we were so wired when we left that it took nearly all of the two weeks to slow our lives down. We had plans when we left of visiting with family, visiting with friends, touring wineries, reading books, driving thousands of kilometres, and returning rested.
Within the first forty-eight hours we drove over eight hundred kilometres, visited family, and I read one novel cover to cover. Although our first few days were great, it was evident that we needed to revisit our plans if we were going to relax at all. By day four we were in the Okanagan enjoying spectacular views from one of our favorite campgrounds but we weren't really slowing down. I was still taking photos out the window of the truck because everyone knows the primary goal once you put on your seatbelt is to reach the destination with as few stops as possible - vacation, car rally style. That's when God messed with our holiday itinerary in an attempt I am sure to move us from the fast lane over into the slow lane. Nowhere in our itinerary did we plan for the nearest Starbucks to have dismal Wifi or for a day that involved purchasing four new tires for the trailer. So much for doing any work on the laptop and the vacation budget took a hit. Thank goodness we were parked near a larger center where the tire situation could be looked after. Both events were vacation speed bumps that caused us to reframe our plans. We decided then to forget about any long-distance attempts to work and to restrict our activities so we could have the breathing space we needed. We consciously moved over from the fast lane of life to savour the slow lane.
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