Gullible's Travels - Day One

Day One

A short, restless night lead to waking up before both alarms at 5:11 AM. You'd think I was an anxious kid about to take a vacation trip! Dan Keller picked me up and deposited me at the airport at 6:30.  Drove off with his bacon covered sweet roll birthday treat.

TSA

TSA was like jumping in a flimsy raft and being hurtled down a white water canyon.  Everything rushing toward the machines….Hurry, get stuff out and into bins…so many bins.  Excuse me sir you need to put your laptop in a separate bin! Oooops. Get through the big machine which is like getting stuck in some space age revolving door.  Wooosh and I step out only to have an older TSA agent ask if he could pat down my belly in case it actually was the housing for a pressure cooker filled with explosives.  I HAVE to lose those 25 lbs I put on since chemo last year!!!! Then the embarrassing dance at the end of the white water raft ride to get back into my shoes, collect all my items and not be in everybody's way.  KInd of felt like a rock in the middle of a fast running stream with water rushing around me.

Delta to the Coast

I am old enough to remember the fascination with jet planes at O'Hare Airport in Chicago or Billy Mitchell Airport in Milwaukee where we flocked to see these heavier than air marvels.  Stop marveling; it's just miserable being inside one of those flying sardine cans.  The seat I so carefully selected weeks before the flight turned out to be a fraud.  There was little or no leg space even though the seating plan showed no one in front of me.  The free in-flight meal was a ridiculous can of pop and a couple of dry cookies wafers that reminded me of the British terms "biscuit".  Can't complain because I could have had the alternative, a small bag pretzels, not even peanuts with protein!  Then my leg started to cramp badly and I spent most of the flight jumping up and down to the bathroom to gain a little relief.  On the positive side we arrived in Seattle on time.

Seattle

The wait in this mid-sized airport was pleasant because these west coast people know how to relax and eat.  The food court is the main terminal to all intents!  Even found wonderful power charging stations under the chairs in the Air Alaska gate area while waiting for the connecting flight to Victoria, BC.  Couldn't help myself when I checked my watch and discovered that my Internet Advisor radio show was about to start and I called in just to be on the first few minutes of the show and greeting my cohorts and audience.  Had a nice lunch and called Ginny for the last time in the US because you can't use your phone or wireless in Canada over a telco or you they rape you publicly with charges.

Short 25 min. flight from Seattle to Victoria, BC

Vancouver Island

Hilary and Bruce greeting me.

First of all let's be clear Vancouver Island is not the same as the charming BC town of Vancouver which sits on the mainland of Canada about 90 miles from the island. So wonderful to see Hilary again after three years and Bruce, my brother-in-law for the first time in nearly 40 years.  Here is a link to a description of Fanny Bay and the surrounding area. 

You need to understand that Vancouver Island is full of peninsulas, fjord-like inlets, islands and loooong detours.  So instead of backtracking to Victoria at the base of the island, we took a half hour ferry boat almost right away that cut out about 45 min. of driving.  We then drove for over 2 hours slowly up the old coast road and the newer inland highway to Fanny Bay just south of the bigger cities of Courtney and Comox just 10 Km to the north.

Ferry ride from Brentwood Bay to Mill Bay

Cottage Sweet Cottage

The MacInnis homestead is part of a lovely little subdivision built on the wooded hills between the Inland Highway and the old beach road.  The ocean is just three blocks away and, although they are hidden by the trees behind the house,are the mighty snow-capped Beaufort Range of mountains which form the spine of this wild island.  Hilary and Bruce provided me with a lovely little cottage in their yard that used to be home to their oldest son Grahamme who now lives in Victoria, the provincial capitol and main city at the southern tip of the island about three hours away.  

MacInnis homestead

My cottage home

All hooked up to wireless

Snug as a bug

I have all the comforts of home: a snug bed, lots of light, a desk and chair and a good WiFi signal once we got that figured out.  Initially I was feeling pretty cocky about dealing with the jet lag until we ate dinner around 9 PM and I began to ache an hour later.  It was then that I realized my body was working on a day that had started at 5AM EDT and it was now 1AM by my internal clock.  Slept like the dead with the wonderful scent of absolutely pure air and pines; like camping in the UP of Michigan.