our plans to visit glacier national park were foiled twice over. firstly, there are hundreds of forest fires burning in both the usa & canada [ the smoke impedes the views of the park's famed mountains ] & second, this is glacier national park's busiest year on record. thirty percent busier than the busiest year they'd had prior to this [ which was last year ] which meant that the camp grounds were one hundred percent full. why was this a problem? well, it takes eight hours just to get through the park. & that doesn't include stops at viewpoints or time spent hiking. this is straight driving. without the ability to stop to spend the night part way it didn't make any sense for us to make the drive up to canada through the park [ which was our intention ]. so, instead, we made the decision to plug in the shortest route to fernie, bc & make our way back to canada [ to renew my passport ].
Saturday, August 12, 2017
Sunday, August 6, 2017
jellystone national park.
we woke the next morning [ last wednesday ] & drove straight up through to yellowstone national park [ grand teton & yellowstone are connected ]. we were looking forward to seeing old faithful erupt [ it happens every 126 minutes ], we were hoping to witness a bison traffic jam [ we've seen so many photos on insta ] & we were hoping to spot a grizzly [ we know, not likely, but hey, we can dream ].
well, we did manage to see old faithful erupt. in fact, we arrived at the site three minutes before the eruption [ what timing! ], after twenty minutes driving around the parking lot [ trying not to get sucked into a frustration fuelled argument ] to find a spot. & when we finally walked up to the site there were, i don't know, five hundred people, some sitting on bleachers, waiting for the big moment. & then the big moment came. & we looked at each other. was this it?! was this the eruption we'd been dreaming of?! & it was. & we couldn't believe it. i'm not sure what we'd expected exactly, but it wasn't that. it wasn't standing in a crowd of hundreds to see steam & water sputter out of a hole in the ground. don't get me wrong, the science behind this geyser is pretty incredible. & the hot springs, cool af, but, man did we feel deflated afterward.
ok, so, next on the list, witness a bison traffic jam.
we did a little research & found there was a specific area in the park that the bison congregate. so we headed there. & we found ourselves in a line of cars that stretched out of sight. at first we thought it was just traffic [ ? ]. then we thought it might be an accident [ ? ] & then, as we reached a bend in the road we saw it. yes. it was a bison traffic jam & it had been holding us hostage in our vehicle for an hour. by the time we got there [ sweaty, legs cramping, hungry. no, not really, but it sounds more dramatic ], we were still holding on to our excitement & enthusiasm [ surprisingly! ]. we marvelled over the sheer size & number of bison trying to cross the road. & we marvelled over one in particular that was just four feet from the side of the road. we could see it in detail & it was... interesting. & we felt lucky to be able to see such detail [ the photo doesn't do this amazing animal any justice ].
we turned around [ we were not interested in getting through the crowd of bison, turning around & waiting in traffic for another hour ] & made our way to where we were most likely to see a grizzly. of course we didn't see one [ we didn't really expect to ] but the scenery itself was worth the drive.
on the way out of the park we made one last stop of mammoth hot springs. again, it was crowded [ though not as crowded as the other sites as it was about 4 o'clock by this point ] so we walked up, admired it & made our way back to the van.
while yellowstone is a beautiful park & the features it preserves are fasinating, there were just so many people that we didn't find the experience enjoyable. so, instead of finding a campsite [ which i'm sure we wouldn't have been able to do anyway ], we made our way out of the park. it felt more like a theme park than a national park. everyone was driving up to a feature, parking [ the parking was full at virtually every feature so cars lined the roads surrounding them for miles, causing traffic ], walking the boardwalk, taking photos, hopping back into their cars. there was no hiking out to the sites, you simply arrived there, with everyone else. at the same time. & that just didn't appeal to us.
so, we pressed on. we made our way a little closer to canada. we made our way to glacier national park.
well, we did manage to see old faithful erupt. in fact, we arrived at the site three minutes before the eruption [ what timing! ], after twenty minutes driving around the parking lot [ trying not to get sucked into a frustration fuelled argument ] to find a spot. & when we finally walked up to the site there were, i don't know, five hundred people, some sitting on bleachers, waiting for the big moment. & then the big moment came. & we looked at each other. was this it?! was this the eruption we'd been dreaming of?! & it was. & we couldn't believe it. i'm not sure what we'd expected exactly, but it wasn't that. it wasn't standing in a crowd of hundreds to see steam & water sputter out of a hole in the ground. don't get me wrong, the science behind this geyser is pretty incredible. & the hot springs, cool af, but, man did we feel deflated afterward.
ok, so, next on the list, witness a bison traffic jam.
we did a little research & found there was a specific area in the park that the bison congregate. so we headed there. & we found ourselves in a line of cars that stretched out of sight. at first we thought it was just traffic [ ? ]. then we thought it might be an accident [ ? ] & then, as we reached a bend in the road we saw it. yes. it was a bison traffic jam & it had been holding us hostage in our vehicle for an hour. by the time we got there [ sweaty, legs cramping, hungry. no, not really, but it sounds more dramatic ], we were still holding on to our excitement & enthusiasm [ surprisingly! ]. we marvelled over the sheer size & number of bison trying to cross the road. & we marvelled over one in particular that was just four feet from the side of the road. we could see it in detail & it was... interesting. & we felt lucky to be able to see such detail [ the photo doesn't do this amazing animal any justice ].
we turned around [ we were not interested in getting through the crowd of bison, turning around & waiting in traffic for another hour ] & made our way to where we were most likely to see a grizzly. of course we didn't see one [ we didn't really expect to ] but the scenery itself was worth the drive.
on the way out of the park we made one last stop of mammoth hot springs. again, it was crowded [ though not as crowded as the other sites as it was about 4 o'clock by this point ] so we walked up, admired it & made our way back to the van.
while yellowstone is a beautiful park & the features it preserves are fasinating, there were just so many people that we didn't find the experience enjoyable. so, instead of finding a campsite [ which i'm sure we wouldn't have been able to do anyway ], we made our way out of the park. it felt more like a theme park than a national park. everyone was driving up to a feature, parking [ the parking was full at virtually every feature so cars lined the roads surrounding them for miles, causing traffic ], walking the boardwalk, taking photos, hopping back into their cars. there was no hiking out to the sites, you simply arrived there, with everyone else. at the same time. & that just didn't appeal to us.
so, we pressed on. we made our way a little closer to canada. we made our way to glacier national park.
Thursday, August 3, 2017
teton country.
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upon arrival we made our way to a local brewery. we deserved a cold one after that drive. & we hadn't had or heard of any wyoming beer, so, we had to check it out, you know? & we're glad we did because the bartender pointed us to a campground just twenty minutes from the brewery.
we weren't sure we'd be able to find a spot in the campground because it was getting close to 8 o'clock but we decided to give it a shot, agreeing that we'd find a stealth parking spot in town if we weren't successful [ peeing on the side of the road isn't ideal BUT if i have to, i have to ].
as we pulled onto the main road to the campground our breath was taken from us. the snow capped mountains, the big sky. & there was a bison grazing in the field. our first bison.
we stopped at the site check in &, as we did, realized that we were too late. check in was closed & the only way to pay for a site was with cash. & we didn't have cash. but then a ranger approached. i explained our situation & he said that we could take a site & pay by credit card on the way out! [ thank you mr. ranger, sir ], so that's what we did.
we'd camped a couple of nights over the trip so are old hands at pitching the tent - we had it up, had gathered dead wood for a campfire & had the coleman out within minutes. i chopped the veggies & set up the bed while luke cooked. we had black bean tacos [ not sure if i told you but we're eating mainly vegan after watching 'what the health' on netflix ], drank a crowler of beer we were gifted a few days ago & sat in front of the fire until we were so tired our eyes started to get heavy. we then crawled into the tent & watched a movie we'd downloaded from netflix. ah, 2017.
luke slept fairly well but i froze my butt off. jogging pants & a sweatshirt don't cut it up here at 6,237 feet.
that next morning we were off to explore grand teton national park. we hiked to a mountain lake which we waded out into [ we walked juuuust in front of a couple so we weren't alone with the bears. & when they were out of sight i sang 'the hills are aliiiiiive with the sound of muuuusiiiic'... & luke banged his stick on something ], did the highlight drive [ popping out of the car every five minutes or so because EVERYTHING was worth a look ], ate lunch alfresco [ a sandwich standing next to the van ], & we found ourselves a campsite [ the last campsite in the park. it was late afternoon by the time we found it & it was one of only three sites left in the campground. we were so relieved - our other option was to drive back down through the park to Jackson & hope there was room in the campground we'd stayed in the night before ].
this campsite had a fire ring, fresh water, SHOWERS [ we hadn't showered in three days by this point ], a bear box [ which meant we could store our food there & sleep in the van ], a couple of torontonians [ i know, it's a pro & a con, really ] & we were given a fresh baked chocolate chip cookie when we arrived.
we cooked burgers for dinner, sat by the fire, sipped cocktails [ bourbon, gingerbeer & lime ], made friends with the torontonians [ he showed up again later that evening - with stolen wood - once she had gone to bed ], watched part of a documentary [ chasing coral ] & were asleep by midnight.
follow our journey at www.instagram.com/openheartsopenroad
Monday, July 31, 2017
the highlights.
since we left santa fe, we've visited bandalier national monument, spent two days exploring mesa verde national park, stayed two nights in telluride, popped into [ & very quickly out of ] garden of the gods, wandered through red rock canyon, spent the afternoon at rocky mountain national park & we're now in larimer, in a starbucks, drinking coffee, catching up & planning our next stop.
mesa verde national park, telluride, red rock canyon & rocky mountain national park were, by far, the highlights of the past week.
mesa verde is famed for its cliff dwellings & a destination that had been high on my must-see list. & let me tell you, it did not disappoint. we spent two solid days taking it all in. we loved it so much from the moment we arrived that we opted to pay to stay in the park campground rather than drive back out to a free spot. we did the tourist thing by driving the loop & taking the cliff dwelling tours [ that's the only option if you want to see them ] & actually really enjoyed ourselves.
telluride is one of the most beautiful places we've ever been. it is surrounded by mountains. like, surrounded. there are waterfalls in the distance. the main street has the most incredible views. there is a river running through it. we took the ski lift up the mountain. we hiked at elevation [ our poor lungs! ]. we slept at the side of the road, waking to stunning views.
visiting red rock canyon was pure luck. we had intended to visit garden of the gods but were told by the campground host in woodland park that it was overrun with tourists & not nearly as beautiful as red rock canyon. well, he was right. we spent about fifteen minutes in g.o.t.g. before hightailing it out of there, straight to red rock canyon where we wandered through, climbed on & were awed by the red canyon walls. it was quiet & there was plenty of space.
rocky mountain national park. wow. we had lunch, hiked & drove the trail ridge road. the views from the drive were mind blowing. snow. tundra. huge elevation. we loved it.
ok, that brings me back to right now.
you'll note that we're only spending a day or two at most places. well, you may [ or may not ] remember that we have to be back in canada by 9 august to renew my passport. unfortunately, that means we are not able to spend nearly as much time in each park or town as we'd like BUT we're making the most of it & not letting that get us down. we've got ten days left & we're going to enjoy them.
follow our journey at www.instagram.com/openheartsopenroad
mesa verde national park, telluride, red rock canyon & rocky mountain national park were, by far, the highlights of the past week.
mesa verde is famed for its cliff dwellings & a destination that had been high on my must-see list. & let me tell you, it did not disappoint. we spent two solid days taking it all in. we loved it so much from the moment we arrived that we opted to pay to stay in the park campground rather than drive back out to a free spot. we did the tourist thing by driving the loop & taking the cliff dwelling tours [ that's the only option if you want to see them ] & actually really enjoyed ourselves.
telluride is one of the most beautiful places we've ever been. it is surrounded by mountains. like, surrounded. there are waterfalls in the distance. the main street has the most incredible views. there is a river running through it. we took the ski lift up the mountain. we hiked at elevation [ our poor lungs! ]. we slept at the side of the road, waking to stunning views.
visiting red rock canyon was pure luck. we had intended to visit garden of the gods but were told by the campground host in woodland park that it was overrun with tourists & not nearly as beautiful as red rock canyon. well, he was right. we spent about fifteen minutes in g.o.t.g. before hightailing it out of there, straight to red rock canyon where we wandered through, climbed on & were awed by the red canyon walls. it was quiet & there was plenty of space.
rocky mountain national park. wow. we had lunch, hiked & drove the trail ridge road. the views from the drive were mind blowing. snow. tundra. huge elevation. we loved it.
ok, that brings me back to right now.
you'll note that we're only spending a day or two at most places. well, you may [ or may not ] remember that we have to be back in canada by 9 august to renew my passport. unfortunately, that means we are not able to spend nearly as much time in each park or town as we'd like BUT we're making the most of it & not letting that get us down. we've got ten days left & we're going to enjoy them.
follow our journey at www.instagram.com/openheartsopenroad
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
grief.
i haven't written in a while because i haven't known what to say. though i've been humbled & awed by the extent of the earth's beauty, i continually struggle with the fact that my mom is no longer here to share it with. & i've started to feel like a fraud writing as if i'm not drowning in sadness. as if i don't wake in the middle of the night, overwhelmed, chest tight from crying as i slept. as if i don't stare out the window, tears streaming down my face as we drive. because i am. & i do.
i don't write about my grief because it hurts too much. & don't talk much about my grief because when i say it out loud i have to acknowledge it. & i am not strong enough to carry the full weight of it.
so, until i am, i hope you'll understand that, for now, i must continue to tell our story as i have been. i will share the highs & lows of our adventure. i will post photos of smiling faces & stunning views. & i will continue to hold my grief close to my chest because until i'm ready to share my grief - MY grief - this is all i'm able to share.
i don't write about my grief because it hurts too much. & don't talk much about my grief because when i say it out loud i have to acknowledge it. & i am not strong enough to carry the full weight of it.
so, until i am, i hope you'll understand that, for now, i must continue to tell our story as i have been. i will share the highs & lows of our adventure. i will post photos of smiling faces & stunning views. & i will continue to hold my grief close to my chest because until i'm ready to share my grief - MY grief - this is all i'm able to share.
Friday, July 21, 2017
land of entrapment.
we have truly, madly, deeply fallen for new mexico. it is one of the most beautiful places we have ever seen. the landscape is not at all comparable to anywhere we've been. if i didn't have to be out of the country in twenty one days we'd stay a month.
we spent our first full day in albuquerque. we trail ran in rio grande state park & drove an hour up to sandia peak for views of the city. on a clear day you can see as far as colorado. to say it was awe inspiring would be an understatement. at 10,678 feet it is by far the the highest either of us have been.
in the evening we visited a few local breweries. marble, tractor & dialogue. we were very impressed with the beer selection at each & even more impressed with the enthusiasm, generosity & kindness the bartenders showed us. instead of treating us like patrons they treated us like new friends.
as i mentioned in my last post, we met a couple of kindred spirits on tuesday night. luke sparked a conversation with sarah & nathan by making a joke that sarah was almost canadian [ she is from alaska ]. & that's all it took. by the time i came back from the food truck they were in full blown conversation. it turned out we had a lot in common, & after an hour they were extending an invitation to spend a night at the casita on their property. they didn't strike us as axe murders so we took them up on it. we followed them home, stayed up until the wee hours looking over maps, regaling each other with travel tales, discussing routes we could take & sharing stories about ourselves & our families [ & drinking japanese whiskey ]. the next morning we [ groggily ] said goodbye & promised to stay in touch. & i know we will. these two are keepers. in fact, we hope to convince them to join us for part of the second leg of our journey.
wednesday morning we made our way out of town. it was difficult to leave albuquerque, but, at the same time, we were excited to be heading to santa fe. it was only a fifty mile drive & it was along the historic turquoise trail. we knew it would be beautiful & we wanted to take our time to do it.
well, the one hour trip took all night. after a few hours we'd only made it as far as madrid [ about 30 miles. because we stopped a half dozen times to take photos ] & decided then & there that we would boondock in the baseball diamond parking lot [ just, just outside of town & with bathrooms ] instead of making our way to santa fe, just to sleep in a walmart parking lot. so, we spent a bit of time exploring the area around madrid [ absolutely breathtaking ] then settled into a spot on a patio overlooking the main road so we could catch up on work [ aka, download documentaries from netflix, charge our phones & write the blog ] & watch the comings & goings of the townies & the tourists. it was relaxing & lovely. by 9 o'clock we were pulling into the parking lot, settling in & watching netflix. by 10 0'clock it was pitch black. & i mean PITCH BLACK. there are no lights in the area except the light coming from the bathroom. we were the only people for a mile. there are rattlesnakes & bunnies & who-knows-what, & we thought of all of this just as we were trying to fall asleep. needless to say neither of us slept. i had ten nightmares, all visions of the horrible things that could happen to us out there.
when we woke though, things were different. though it was 6 o'clock & neither of us had slept, we weren't tired. the view from our van was stunning. the temperature was cool [ i'd even pulled out the blanket in the middle of the night. if i was able to sleep it would have been so cozy ] & we only had a forty minute drive ahead of us. yesterday started better than i'd expected.
we arrived at starbucks on the outskirts of santa fe just after 7 o'clock. we did our normal morning routine - check emails, read the news [ luke does. i just find it depressing ], charge our phones, write the blog, check insta, facebook, etc. ], go to walmart for breakfast [ greek yogurt & granola for me, potato salad for luke ] & went to the gym.
once energized & showered we made our way into santa fe proper. though it was beautiful; it has an historic downtown with a square & a church, which we loved, it felt congested & touristy compared to albuquerque. it had shi-shi restaurants & tourist-trap like shops. we wandered for a while, i admired some hand made bracelets [ i regret not buying one. the woman selling them was lovely & all jewellery is made from scratch. the government requires the artist make everything, including the beads - i may have to convince luke it's worth a quick stop in town on the way out of here today ] then climbed up to cross of the martyrs for views of the city. by then our parking meter was expiring so we made our way back to the car & back to walmart to grab lunch [ pre made salad - $3.50 each ]. after lunch we made our way back to starbucks to finalize today's plans & drink iced tea. it was hot out & our lack of sleep was catching up to us.
but we still managed to visit the three breweries we had on our list - second street brewing [ it was just ok ], new mexico hard cider [ delicious - rhubarb, blueberry, sour cherry & cranberry just to name a few of their flavours ] & santa fe brewing company [this place kicked ass. it was out of the city on a huge property. kids & dogs were running around. it had cornhole ( luke beat me two of three games ). people were cheering other people on. it was a great atmosphere.
by the time we finished the brewery tour it was time to head home [ the walmart parking lot ]. it was 8 o'clock. time for dinner, time for a netflix documentary, time to relax. by the time we finished eating [ home made salad with black beans, peppers, kale, spinach, tomatillo guacamole & salsa ] we were exhausted. we couldn't keep our eyes open long enough to watch the film. we were fast asleep by 9:30.
now it's friday morning, 9:38. i'm writing & posting this in REAL TIME. we're at starbucks [ we had greek yogurt & granola for breakfast ], we're screenshotting the directions to today's destination [ will fill you in later ], charging our phones, sipping our iced coffees & i'm writing this blog post. in a minute i'll go into the bathroom with my backpack full of dishes & i'll wash them. then we'll hit the road. we're heading out of the city & into the desert & we can't wait [ ok, i can't wait. luke's a little nervous about rattlesnakes & black bears ].
talk soon.
follow our journey at www.instagram.com/openheartsopenroad
we spent our first full day in albuquerque. we trail ran in rio grande state park & drove an hour up to sandia peak for views of the city. on a clear day you can see as far as colorado. to say it was awe inspiring would be an understatement. at 10,678 feet it is by far the the highest either of us have been.
in the evening we visited a few local breweries. marble, tractor & dialogue. we were very impressed with the beer selection at each & even more impressed with the enthusiasm, generosity & kindness the bartenders showed us. instead of treating us like patrons they treated us like new friends.
as i mentioned in my last post, we met a couple of kindred spirits on tuesday night. luke sparked a conversation with sarah & nathan by making a joke that sarah was almost canadian [ she is from alaska ]. & that's all it took. by the time i came back from the food truck they were in full blown conversation. it turned out we had a lot in common, & after an hour they were extending an invitation to spend a night at the casita on their property. they didn't strike us as axe murders so we took them up on it. we followed them home, stayed up until the wee hours looking over maps, regaling each other with travel tales, discussing routes we could take & sharing stories about ourselves & our families [ & drinking japanese whiskey ]. the next morning we [ groggily ] said goodbye & promised to stay in touch. & i know we will. these two are keepers. in fact, we hope to convince them to join us for part of the second leg of our journey.
wednesday morning we made our way out of town. it was difficult to leave albuquerque, but, at the same time, we were excited to be heading to santa fe. it was only a fifty mile drive & it was along the historic turquoise trail. we knew it would be beautiful & we wanted to take our time to do it.
well, the one hour trip took all night. after a few hours we'd only made it as far as madrid [ about 30 miles. because we stopped a half dozen times to take photos ] & decided then & there that we would boondock in the baseball diamond parking lot [ just, just outside of town & with bathrooms ] instead of making our way to santa fe, just to sleep in a walmart parking lot. so, we spent a bit of time exploring the area around madrid [ absolutely breathtaking ] then settled into a spot on a patio overlooking the main road so we could catch up on work [ aka, download documentaries from netflix, charge our phones & write the blog ] & watch the comings & goings of the townies & the tourists. it was relaxing & lovely. by 9 o'clock we were pulling into the parking lot, settling in & watching netflix. by 10 0'clock it was pitch black. & i mean PITCH BLACK. there are no lights in the area except the light coming from the bathroom. we were the only people for a mile. there are rattlesnakes & bunnies & who-knows-what, & we thought of all of this just as we were trying to fall asleep. needless to say neither of us slept. i had ten nightmares, all visions of the horrible things that could happen to us out there.
when we woke though, things were different. though it was 6 o'clock & neither of us had slept, we weren't tired. the view from our van was stunning. the temperature was cool [ i'd even pulled out the blanket in the middle of the night. if i was able to sleep it would have been so cozy ] & we only had a forty minute drive ahead of us. yesterday started better than i'd expected.
we arrived at starbucks on the outskirts of santa fe just after 7 o'clock. we did our normal morning routine - check emails, read the news [ luke does. i just find it depressing ], charge our phones, write the blog, check insta, facebook, etc. ], go to walmart for breakfast [ greek yogurt & granola for me, potato salad for luke ] & went to the gym.
once energized & showered we made our way into santa fe proper. though it was beautiful; it has an historic downtown with a square & a church, which we loved, it felt congested & touristy compared to albuquerque. it had shi-shi restaurants & tourist-trap like shops. we wandered for a while, i admired some hand made bracelets [ i regret not buying one. the woman selling them was lovely & all jewellery is made from scratch. the government requires the artist make everything, including the beads - i may have to convince luke it's worth a quick stop in town on the way out of here today ] then climbed up to cross of the martyrs for views of the city. by then our parking meter was expiring so we made our way back to the car & back to walmart to grab lunch [ pre made salad - $3.50 each ]. after lunch we made our way back to starbucks to finalize today's plans & drink iced tea. it was hot out & our lack of sleep was catching up to us.
but we still managed to visit the three breweries we had on our list - second street brewing [ it was just ok ], new mexico hard cider [ delicious - rhubarb, blueberry, sour cherry & cranberry just to name a few of their flavours ] & santa fe brewing company [this place kicked ass. it was out of the city on a huge property. kids & dogs were running around. it had cornhole ( luke beat me two of three games ). people were cheering other people on. it was a great atmosphere.
by the time we finished the brewery tour it was time to head home [ the walmart parking lot ]. it was 8 o'clock. time for dinner, time for a netflix documentary, time to relax. by the time we finished eating [ home made salad with black beans, peppers, kale, spinach, tomatillo guacamole & salsa ] we were exhausted. we couldn't keep our eyes open long enough to watch the film. we were fast asleep by 9:30.
now it's friday morning, 9:38. i'm writing & posting this in REAL TIME. we're at starbucks [ we had greek yogurt & granola for breakfast ], we're screenshotting the directions to today's destination [ will fill you in later ], charging our phones, sipping our iced coffees & i'm writing this blog post. in a minute i'll go into the bathroom with my backpack full of dishes & i'll wash them. then we'll hit the road. we're heading out of the city & into the desert & we can't wait [ ok, i can't wait. luke's a little nervous about rattlesnakes & black bears ].
talk soon.
follow our journey at www.instagram.com/openheartsopenroad
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
something spiritual.
there's something spiritual about this part of the country. you can sense it as soon as you cross the border. there's room to breathe here. the mountains provide perspective. the expansiveness of the sky a reminder that life can be as tremendous as you want to make it.
though the last ten weeks have been wonderful, i believe this is where our journey begins. this is where the soft moments start. this is where the world will teach us something. this is where we could find what we are looking for. new mexico, colorado, wyoming, montana, utah, idaho, arizona. ideal for contemplation, for soul searching, for learning to live in the moment.
unfortunately, two things have the potential to derail the trip. one, we have to make our way back to canada by 9 august to renew my passport, which could keep us in canada for weeks. & two, we will more than likely be out of funds by the time i receive my passport.
though we've been conscious about our spending, we decided fairly early on that we weren't willing to miss an opportunity simply because it cost money. we've met so many wonderful people over a beer [ just last night we met a couple of kindred spirits at marble brewing in albequerque. they very kindly - & very generously - invited us to spend the night at their home. we shared stories, beers, japanese whiskey & our hearts. it was the best $30USD we've ever spent ]. & we've spent hundreds on a national park pass & state park entry fees. & we wouldn't take any of it back.
needless to say, we've got a plan. once we've crossed the border we hope to find work. we'll scrub toilets. we'll ask customers if they want fries with that. we'll do whatever we have to do to continue. we'll look into a loan. we'll borrow money. we'll make it happen. we've got open hearts & there's always an open road.
follow us on instagram: instagram.com/openheartsopenroad
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