Note: some of my postings may get out of chronological order because of delays in sending some postings as I update my blog by email and cell service here in Canada is spotty. Sorry about that.
As usual, i was sorry to have to leave Pukaskwa National Park, but the road beckoned, and so we moved on. It rained just about the entire 200-mile drive, which i really did not mind. It's just as cozy for me in the Defender in the rain as it is in a tent at night, which means that for most people, it would be misery. The rain did not detract from the splendor of the serpentine drive along the coastal road, taking us on a roller coaster ride through lakes, boreal forest, small distant towns, and virtually no other traffic on the road. What made it most cozy was the sight of my sweetheart, Erde, sleeping in her front seat, oblivious to everything except whatever dreams she was experiencing.
Before we left Pukaskwa, Gil, the camp host, came by to meet Erde. After a while he said how lucky I was to have such a wonderful travel companion, and i did not disagree. When he said that "L" word, my mind flashed back to May 31, 2001, when i first brought Leben and Erde home, and invited my neighbors, Ben and Rhonda, over to meet them. After only 10 minutes with the pups, Rhonda looked up at me and said, Ed, you are a very lucky person. Looking back over the almost 5000 days that followed, Rhonda was so very right. How lucky i was, indeed, still am.
Before we left Pukashwa, we also took a walk to the nearby beach. On the way back, as we approached our campsite, i said to Erde, who has formidable tracking skills, Let's go home. Instead of taking us to site 35, our site this year, she led me immediately to site 34, where we camped the least two years. Instead of sniffing around, she started looking around, as if she was searching for her brother to see what he was up to. Fortunately, she has not moaned for him for more than two days, which tells me she is over her grieving and resigned to life as it is now. She would be a role model for me, except that i do not give anyone my paw for treats, and so on, at least not so far anyway.
The rain stopped and the sub came out just before we pilled into Sleeping Gaint Provincial Park, where i camped in 2000 with Sonntag, and in 2001, 2011, and 2013 with Leben and Erde. we got our favorite site (140A) where the three of us camped in 2011. I was reluctant to set up the tent in the same location as before since i wanted to keep those memories frozen in time. We were shortly greeted by the sound of a distant loo, 16 ducks, a beautiful skunk, and a bold fed fox, who was not afraid to come within four feet if me until i shooed her away.
I can spend more time on my blog today since we have a day off from driving. During the day driving, i write down or dictate notes that i want to record in my journal. At night, in the tent, i write the days thoughts and activities in my journal. Then i go through the journal to see what i want to put into my blog.
There is no silver lining in our loss of Leben, but there is a joy i am experiencing that i would not otherwise have had, and that is getting to know Erde better and bonding with her. Leben did all the bonding, with me and his sister, but it's like i am now getting to know her for the first time. What a sweetheart she js.
I think i am getting into the stride of this trip. There are three stages that one goes through with the quotidian chores on these trips, joy of doing them just to be on the road again doing them (2 days), thinking of them as terrible burdens(3-5 days), and then finally accepting them as part of life, so get over it. I am at stage three now. One will never love putting up a tent in the rain, but when you accept that as a necessary part of life as it will be, you do it and move on, especially knowing the exquisite joy that these trips with my dogs bring me. I keep a list at home of the "things" that have brought me the most joy in my life, and these trips top the list. How could i ever have been so blind for so many years to have taken any vacation without my dogs?
Part of getting into the stride of these trips is transforming you everyday habits, patterns, routines, distractions, diversions, etc. completely into new ones. There is not a single one that remains the same, even sleep patterns. To do so requires adopting a whole new set of rules, and i think i am at the stage where they are now all in place.
This camp is nearly empty. The first words that come to mind as i think about it are solitude, tranquility, nature at its best, peace and quiet, you can add cold to that list, too, but fortunately there is something i can do about that, like write this posting in the warmth of my tent.
Although my postings skitter among my thoughts about Erde, Leben is never far from my mind. His (and Erde's) very name over these last 13 years became synonymous with joy and i want this trip to burn into my mind that very thought. This is by no means a memorial trip, but a trip of celebration, and i am lucky to have Erde with me to celebrate the lives of those two magnificent creatures. What joy!
Tomorrow we head into Thunder Bay, where i hope to pick up the blower for my AC at Fed Ex. We will spend the night at a new camp tomorrow, and then head west to Jasper, which i hope to make in a week. I need first to buy some additional winter clothes, as i was too optimistic about global warming when i packed.
Some photos...
Erde sleeping on the drive. She actually has about a half dozen positions she can take.
Erde posing in front of The Sleeping Giant, where she has posed three times before.
Ed and Erde, On The Road
P.S. Sorry for any errors in this message or posting. The iPad spellcheck is not known for its attention to detail.
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