Road Trip...

I have always loved travelling, most people do, but I have always loved the adventure part of it. The excitement of taking off, the in between of leaving and arriving, the planes, trains and automobiles of it. So it is no surprise that I love a good road trip.

Road trips are the heart of the adventure, every turn you take, every little town you pass, the good and the bad of it are stamped in your memory because you experienced it wholly, not in a fleeting moment, a road trip is like a good scotch whiskey, enjoyed slowly and thoroughly with good friends.

My first major road trip was with my husband. We were newly weds and with a leap of faith (and probably a few bottles of wine) we sold all our worldly possessions and caught the next flight to England. From there we hitch hiked to Amsterdam and oddly enough found a crazy car lot on a side street, bought a VW Van, found a local carpenter and pimped it out with a raised plywood platform in the back with storage under it for our knapsacks and a foam mattress on top for our sleeping bags. Equipped with a single Coleman stove, a pot and a lantern, we left Amsterdam thinking we would head right to Greece for the sun and sand. Six months later we had meandered through most of Europe, we limped back into Amsterdam and sold the van for pretty much what we paid for it and headed back to Canada with a few dollars left in our pockets and a lifetime of memories. Eventually we moved to Calgary for a few years and drove back and forth to Toronto more than once, it was always a momentous occasion if we were able to catch a glimpse of the northern lights up near Thunder Bay.

Buses have also featured predominately in my travel experiences. Just out of high school my best friend and I decided we would like to check out Vancouver, hey why not, seemed like a pretty cool place to hang out for awhile. We took the train out west, Toronto to Vancouver, but being on a budget (cheap) we didn't splurge for a bunk and sat up for the 4 days it took to get there, definitely not the express but saw Canada at it's best! After 4 months we had had enough of Vancouver and hopped a bus for San Diego, that coastal ride was beautiful, lush, delightful and mysterious. Florida to LA by bus was a buzz as well, those southern states were hot, arid and historical, what a great way to experience them through the sights and sounds of the everyday people, travelling from here to there, with their stories and companionship. Talk about the ultimate hop on and hop off!

These days with family, work and life in general those major road trips have taken a back seat to smaller adventures but no less fun, interesting, full of laughter, love and friendship. Through the years I have somehow been lucky enough to have gathered an awesome group of girlfriends who love a good road trip (sorry guys, just the girls on these ones). We are not ones for buffet holidays (that's code for all-inclusive) we love to drive, cook, shop, walk, dance and dine, we talk into the wee hours of the night, we stop when we want and if we missed the exit... hey, there will be another :)

Anyhoo, after this long and winded editorial I am down to saying 'Why wait for a summer breeze, February is just as good a month for a road trip, and we're off!' Will be sure to keep you posted xo

These two know how to get a road trip started!

These Girls (heart) East Coastal climbs

Ok, maybe a drive down to a few southern shores as well

Yikes... very grainy pic, but living the life in Paris. That's how we do it on the road, best food is bought local, fresh and eaten by hand, finger lick'n good!!

And our VW Van has been replaced by a more comfortable ride on most road trips, so some things have changed, but not the sheer joy of hitting the road with the best of friends xo