Today. was a very tough day. No matter how I look at it this day wasn't one that I would care to do over.
Here it is:
It starts with Mosquito's
It all started with mosquitos! I had to pack everythng the night before our trip so we could get out early in the morning. Unfortunately there was *lots* of mosquitos. I couldn't sleep at all until I found a mosquito coil and after that the room got a little smoky but I was able to get some sleep.
A late night getting prepared to leave and an early morning start. What a horrible way to start a trip! It was a late night because my son didn't help get everything packed up and *Mosquito* suck both figuratively and literally! I tossed and turned listening to the whine of their wings and swatting them dead but it was hopeless until finally I found a mosquito coil and killed them! Not sure that smoke is doing me any good though
A Very Early Start
3:30am was my chosen start time. Now I normally don't enjoy getting up so early. However we have 1350km to travel in a day and that means a lot of time on the road. If I get up this early my son can sleep while I drive. Then I'll be sleepy later and get some rest while he drives. Gets the day done faster.
3:30am. What kind of a sadist gets up that early in the morning? I have a brutally long drive of 1350km ahead of me. My son wants to do it in one day while I'd rather get a hotel in the middle so its two smaller trips. The things I do for my son. I try to wake him up as he's the one who wants to get home so quickly but it takes forever to wake his sleepy butt up. Then we finally start driving and I envy him getting more sleep while I'm driving
Going through Bulkley Valley
Leaving so early in the morning means that there is no traffic to worry about. I make great time and I get to see the beautiful Bulkley Valley. I get to see the majestic mountains, the tall green forests and the powerful Skeena River. It is truly breathtaking! How can I not feel blessed looking at views like the one below?
Leaving so early in the morning means that I have to fight the sunlight in my eyes! I'm surrounded by some of the most beautiful terrain that I can imagine and I have to avert my eyes because the sun keeps blinding me as it come out from behind the mountains! I'll be so glad when I get through this and finally don't have to content with the sunlight. At least I was able to get one photo when the damn sun is behind a mountain.
My Son's Time to Drive
I've made good time so far. With a clear road and a full tank the first 250km go well and I quickly fill up the tank so I can make it halfway without additional stops. Surprise! The gas station I come to is full service so I don't have to pump and as a side bonus they have a clean washroom. I keep on driving for a while longer and I catch a few in pleasant valley of some nice fields and a beautiful river going through. I stop to take a picture and my son wakes up. Could you imagine living in that cabin there surrounded by pasture, river and mountain in the background?
I'm tired from only getting a short sleep the previous night. Hungry because I haven't eaten breakfast. After 250km I just want to take a break and use the washroom so I stop and get some gas. I picked the wrong station because its almost 10 cents a liter more here than it was 50km back but its the only gas station and washroom nearby so I don't have a choice. I pay too much for the gas and continue on just wanting to get to the halfway point so my son can take over the driving. After a while I need to stretch my legs and get an OK view. It's not as nice as the Coastal mountains near Terrace but its what I get. While here my son wakes up so I think I'll ask him to take over the driving for a while.
Get some rest while travelling to Prince George
After waking up my son offers to take over driving. It's not really his turn yet but I'll happily get a chance to sleep. Soon I'm resting and as we near Burns Lake my son wants breakfast. We stop at Subway and get him a sandwich which he seems to enjoy. I just check in on Hive as I'm too cheap to pay Subway prices for a sandwich. Later we get to Prince George where my son wants to use the washroom and I want some food. We stop at Real Canadan Superstore and I get a good deal on a sandwich plus some other munchies for the road. Grab some more gas and continue on our way!
My son takes over driving at pleasant valley so I can get some much needed rest. It's not a very good rest though because my son likes driving so fast. I'm jostled around every turn and I'm always worried about a speeding ticket. As we get to Burns Lake he wants breakfast and asks for Subway. I hate paying the premium they charge to get a sandwich here and I would rather just wait another 90 minutes to get a less expensive sandwich in Prince George. However, he is insistent so I give up an pay the extra money grumbling the whole time. We finally get back on the road and I try again to get some rest but its hard with a son who drives so rough. Finally we get to Prince George and I get my Sandwich at Superstore. If my son had waited we could have saved 50% over Subway prices. Maybe someday he will learn 😓
Quesnel rest area
Mark has done a great job driving and has driven a long way. He needs to use the washroom and stops just outside of Quesnel and I get to take a picture of the rangeland there. Only hills now and just a portion of the Fraser River in the shot. Much drier and less green than before. However, it has a different charm to it so hope you enjoy the picture. I offer to take over driving here and give Mark a rest.
Mark continues driving too fast and I even catch him looking at his phone on occassion. He is texting a lot of girls and just can't keep from looking. Then after a while he needs to use the washroom *again*! It hasn't even been 90min since we left Prince George. We find a rest area and I take a picture but its not nearly as impressive a view as the ones taken earlier in the day. I decide I can'tget any sleep while being tossed around by Mark's driving so I get back in the drivers seat
100 Mile House
I drive as far as 100 Mile House but I feel a migraine coming on. I'm so glad that Mark is here and willing to drive. If not for him I'd hate to have to drive with a migraine! Get some gas and it should be enough to get us back to home. I can feel home getting closer, horray!
Damn. I can feel a migraine coming on. That stabbing feeling behind my eye and the nausea that comes with it. I offer to Mark to stay in 100 Mile House but he really wants to get home. I'm certain he just wants to hang out with some of the girls he has been chatting with. I don't want to drive with him because I'm certain that I'll just get more nauseated by the fast corners and bright lights through the Fraser Canyon, especially since we will have the evening sun in my eyes! What choice do I have though? I can't drive and I can't not let him drive. Just let this day finally end.
The Fraser Canyon
It always amazes me that my ancestors came through this Canyon on their way to find gold! The land here is desertlike and unforgiving. However, God put a wonderful river right through the middle to make is useable land. Amazing! Mark is driving now and my headache is getting worse. I'm so glad he is driving but I wish he would slow down in the corners. Still I count my blessings. I have air conditioning. I have a capable driver. I have food and water in the car. The car has a full tank of gas after my son stopped again to use a gas station washroom. I have a wife waiting for me at home. My head hurts a lot but I'm still so blessed.
God this day sucks. I have a splitting headache. I'm queasy from the road trip. My son is driving way too fast and scaring me. I'm going through a godforsaken desert with nothing interesting to look at. All that crap and I still have 3 hours left. When will this day finally be over?
When will this day finally end?
As we continue we run into roadwork that delays us for 20 minutes. It seems a portion of the road had been washed out and it was unpassable for a while. Now however the government has put up a temporary bridge and is working hard to get the roadway back to normal. There is also a policeman checking the cars in line to make sure no drunk drivers. We finally make it through the roadwork and then my son needs to use the washroom...again....but there are no places available. Luckily we find a pullout and he "goes in the bushes" and my wife is wonderful. There is toilet paper in the vehicle and sanitizer to cleanse hands with. After those delays we meet with a much larger delay. My son hits a rock and the tire is damaged. Won't be getting home tonight.
This day just never ends. I'm whimpering with a bilateral migraine now. I'm wincing with every corner because my son is driving so fast. Then we get stuck in roadwork. Then we get delayed while my son tries to find a place to use the washroom....***AGAIN*** and just when I think we are finally getting close to home... My son hits a damn rock. The sidewall is damaged so I'm not getting home tonight and I'll have to spend more money than I wanted to for damage I didn't cause. Then Mark and I have a fight on how to deal with the tire. I want to call BCAA and he wants to use the fix a flat in the car. It's almost midnight and I'm stuck arguing. Could this day get any worse?
The Tow Truck
Believe it or not this flat tire was an answer to prayer! While we were driving I quietly prayed that my son would have a minor accident to learn the value of going slower. Wow. Prayer answered Even better the tire blew just beside a highway pullout so we could safely wait for help to arrive. I also had BCAA so just one quick phone call and I knew help would be coming! At no charge even! The driver arrived and took right to Kal-Tire so I knew that in the morning they could get a new tire on and get us on our way home. There were snacks in the car. The car has power for my devices. We had sleeping bags and pillows if the tow truck driver took a long time. It's never fun to be stuck at the side of the road at midnight but it could have been so much worse. Side note: The Ibuprofen I took was working and my migraine was finally going away!
I couldn't believe my son hit a rock. I kept telling him to slow take and take precautions but he doesn't listen! Now I'm stuck at the side of the road near midnight. I'm not sleeping in my bed tonight. I have to call BCAA and they have no idea when help will arrive. They say that I will get a text message when help is on the way but after 30 minutes...nothing. The tow truck driver does finally arrive but he is gruff and not very helpful. He gets my car into the nearest town but it's too late to get a tire now. This just sucks so bad.
Late night with a dead car
So. I'm in a town I don't know at almost 1am. I've been up since 3:30am and I'm really tired. I check out Google Maps and it says there are hotels nearby so I go to check them out. My son says that he is going to try again and fix the tire. I admire his initiative. I walk and find 5 different hotels that are all nearby. However, so late at night they are all closed. No hotel for us tonight. I do however find a 7/11 which is open. I can get water there so we can brush our teeth. They have a clean washroom which is so important since we have to wait 7 hours until the tire store opens. We use the washroom, head back to the SUV and setup the back with sleeping bag. The SUV is large enough that my son can stretch out fully and get a good rest in there. I'm glad I'm able to provide him a safe place to sleep for the night even if its not a hotel.
We arrive in town and there is no-where to sleep. All the hotels are closed. I find a 7/11 that is open and my son insists on buying some water to wash his teeth. I'm paying way too much money just so my son can brush his teeth! They can wait until the next day for sure but nooo...he can't wait. Then I'm getting ready to go to sleep in the SUV and my son wants to take the one spot to sleep. My car and he's the one who got us into this mess. I feel I should at least get the slightly better sleeping spot. However, I'm too tired to fight and he takes the best spot. I try to make myself comfortable in the passenger seat. I just hope the police don't come visit us for vagrancy. Of have some homeless people come and make trouble with us.
The Day Finally Ends
In the morning I get into Kal-Tire and hope that I don't have to pay too much money. I only blew one tire but I know they are going to try to sell me 4 tires as that's the safest way to go. I would buy 4 tires as the ones I have are getting older but I doubt they will have the ones I want (Kumho 4 season tires) at the price I want ($200/tire plus install). I set myself to get one tire for now and get the rest later. However, when I get inside I find they are 2 people short. Seems other people are having a tough day too. I feel sorry for them. After a short wait they say just what I thought. They can sell me one tire but recommend 4 or at least 2. I explain my situation and they say the only tires they have are $1200 for a set of Nokian tires. I as shocked. I was expecting the Nokian tires to be much more than the Kumho as they are better tires. If I got the Kumho's and a temporary fix I would spend more than the $1200. I jump at the opportunity and am pleased that I get better tires as a price I'm OK with. I take my son to breakfast at McDonalds--extra time with my son 😁-- and prepare to wait as I know they will be busy. However, when get back from breakfast the SUV is all ready to go! Horray!
I wake up in the morning and its cold with the windows cracked open. I'm tired. I am going to have to fight the tire people to get a single tire when they just want to sell me 4. I go in and they are short staffed so my hopefully short wait turns into a much longer one. They do have some Nokian 4 season tires in stock which is a small mercy but they are going to cost me $200 than the Kumho's I had planned on getting. I leave the SUV with them and the closest food is McDonalds. Not what I was hoping for but it will keep my son happy. Kill some time over breakfast and get back to my car. Almost $1400 for four tires I didn't even need yet! All because my son couldn't slow down and not his a rock. I pay and finally get on the road back home. Thank goodness this trip is almost over!
Now you may wonder how this post has anything to do with the Hive Learners topic of Mental Health.
I'm back safe and sound at my home and I'm actually in a pretty good mood. Sure I had a tough day but I chose a narration of a difficult day in a good light. When I got back to see the Hive learner topic I almost laughed because this post fit so well!
I could choose to view that day and come out miserable. It was not an easy day! I could choose to view that day and come out happy. I got to make new memories and my son learned a few lessons!
I fight to find the positive in every situation. I fight to look for the bright side even when I'm nauseated and in pain wishing to be anywhere but in a car with my son who is driving too fast.
I KNOW that life with throw all sorts of awful things at me. I EXPECT the awful but I will FIGHT not to let it steal my happiness. I'm not always successful but I do win more of those fights than I lose.
To quote my boss.
Life is 5% about the circumstances in your life and 95% about how you deal with them.
That quote, prayer, and a belief that God has things covered for me in the end get me through my days and protect my mental health.
Thanks for reading!
......and I hope your day goes better than mine.
Side note: @jmis101 and @monica-ene I know I promised I would be sending along a post backing up my claim that it is possible to survive on a cheap food budget. I was expecting to work on it last night after my trip...but as you can see I got delayed.
Hope you don't mind waiting.