Take off, eh!

Bob and Doug McKenzie once sang, "Take off, to the Great White North!"

Nickie and I have decided to heed that advice.

It's Friday. Only one more week of work left. I gave 3 weeks notice at my job, 2 Mondays ago. Now it's just a waiting game. It's gonna be awesome!! I wanna take off like a bat out of you-know-where. I take comfort in the fact that it is a Friday, so I have some reprieve before another stressful week. Then it's time to pack up and embark on our adventure!

The North American Rail Pass gives you unlimited train travel throughout the US and Canada for 30 days. In the US, all trains lead to Chicago (it's some kind of hub). So first it's off from L.A. to Chicago then east to see my offspring and Niagara Falls in NY. Then north à Montréal, où tout le monde parle français. We'll then head back west through Ottawa (who can resist seeing the capital?) and Toronto (who can resist seeing the largest city? And the CN Tower, the tallest human-made structure in the world?). On westward, possibly stopping in Alberta to visit relatives, my birthplace, or Banff. Then all the way to the coast for the majority of our trip.

We will be scouting for a new place to live, starting in the Greater Vancouver area. Since going to Vancouver without checking out the gardens, butterfly nursery, and provincial parks by Victoria has to be some kind of cardinal sin somewhere, we are committed to a stop on Vancouver Island.

Our scouting will continue down into WA, OR, and northern CA. I like the idea of staying somewhat coastal (i.e. within 100 miles or so) so as to avoid drastic cold in the winter followed by drastic heat in the summer. Although frankly, if I never saw another 80-degree day in my life, that would be just fine, even if it meant dealing with some occasional snow.

We are chomping at the bit. There are some things to wrap up before we go. Maybe I will make a list here later.

Take off! It's a beauty way to go.