After a long and arduous journey, I arrived in Vancouver late Saturday night. I was quite road weary, but very glad to finally be at my destination to start working on this new chapter in my life.

On Friday, the people from the office held a little send-off party for me which was very nice. Nearly half the office showed up! A big thanks to Janice for being the hostess.

Friday night I barely slept, worrying about whether or not everything would fit in my car. I dragged myself out of bed at 6 AM to start the process, and quickly realized that the Hyundai Elantra was not exactly built for moving an apartment full of belongings. I got “the big stuff” in, and then started cleaning up my apartment.

My landlord came by and did his inspection around 10:00. I made sure to point out the oven. I passed with flying colors, which considering the state of the building and the caliber of individuals living there, was not too difficult.

Once he left it was time to squeeze “the small stuff” into the nooks and crannies left in the Elantra. After much pushing and squeezing and re-arranging, I got everything in. The car was loaded down Beverly Hillbilly style. I did have to part ways with a few non-essentials, but I got all the important stuff in. Airbags would not be necessary on this journey. I was packed in so tight I figure I could have hit a tractor trailer and stayed exactly in the same spot. I decided not to test this theory out though.

Around 1PM I got my car pointed west and headed for the coast. I bid farewell to Calgary, seeing the view from Sarcee trail as I approached the highway. Once on the highway I did not look back. My first stop was in Golden BC, about 2 1/2 hours into my drive. In my haste and craziness I had neglected breakfast (and lunch for that matter) so food was in order. After some Tim Horton’s and some DQ and some more Tim Horton’s, and a quick call to Joan to give her a status update, I was back on the road again.

I am getting quite familiar with the Roger’s Pass now, having driven through there three times in the past year. This time through, I would go straight at Sicimous instead of my normal left to head for the Okanagan. My second stop was at Salmon Arm for gas and a little more coffee, fuel for the car and fuel for the body. Another call to Joan and I was back on the road.

After Salmon Arm one arrives in Kamloops, I drove right through and then got onto the Coquihalla Highway. As roads go, this one is definitely among the best, three lanes of smooth asphalt winding its way from Kamloops to the Fraser Valley. My car was magically transformed into a Formula 1 racer as the 110 speed limit was decidedly ignored. After all, I had to make up the time I lost when stuck behind RVs and the overly cautious in the mountains.

I reached Abbotsford and was on the home stretch when suddenly traffic came to a standstill. After what seemed like an eternity of stop-and-start I passed the scene of an accident which had apparently blocked both lanes for some time. After this interruption, it was clear sailing all the way into the city of Vancouver, my final destination. I arrived at 11PM local time, 11 hours after I had left Calgary.

Joan was waiting to officially welcome me to my new home city, and she did it in loving style as usual. I was relieved that my journey was over, and I was happy to be in Joan’s arms again. I am glad that we are now in the same city, and don’t have to rely on the phone and the airlines to keep in touch. This truly will be an exciting new chapter in my life, and I am looking forward to it with a smile on my face and sparkle in my eye.