Two roads diverged in a wood, and I... I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. - Robert Frost

Our time here in Canada is swiftly coming to an end. Esther leaves next Wednesday for her South American adventure, and I, still unable to fly am planing my journey to Boston.
I am opting to take the train cross country which goes to Toronto from Vancouver. It sweeps north to Jasper and Edmonton via the Rockies before heading across the great plains and lakes for Ontario. From there it will be a 12hour bus trip to Boston, which I am far from excited about.
Although I have been to Canada a few times before, I have never spent as much time here on the west coast, and hope that soon we can come back again and stay longer. But for now we have a car to sell, bikes to pack and the road ahead to look forward to.

We will leave Campbell River on Sunday for Vancouver, ending the many ferry trips that we took over the past 8 weeks. This will also be the last time I see Esther for about 8-9 weeks and already I miss her. She flies into Lima but is still deciding on which tours and trips she will take from there. This will be the first time in over ten years our travels have taken us on different paths to each other. Esther has been looking after me so much over the past few weeks since my accident that I don't know what I'll do without her. She's a real star, no wonder I love her so much..
We will both miss Jim as he has been the perfect host and a great friend. He has shown us what life in this part of the world is really all about.... I know Salmon will never taste the same again unless it is caught here in the Salmon Capital of the World. Like I said before, to come here where he is from and experience life in Campbell River BC, only if it has been for a month or so has been priceless. I could easily stay and get into the groove, and sure enough Jim has a list as long as my arm of chores and things he wants me to do. At the moment though I do feel pretty useless as there is nothing much I can do. But the sooner we leave the sooner we can return.
I'll miss the great biking here, especially now that we know where to look. Pity we never seen more bears though, or elk. Deer have been plentiful as long as they don't shoot them all. Both Jim and his friend Peter are keen hunters, but never more take more than they need and it does feed them for the winter months. Plus by all accounts it's much better and cheaper than buying it from the store. When we went over to Peter's house yesterday he was chopping meat and readying the freezer for some moose.. It's been cool hanging out with him and Jim here..
So looking ahead from here I will be meeting my folks in Boston, can't wait to see them. This will be the first time out of Ireland I have actually meet them on holiday, or any other occasion. It will be good to take them on day trips and spend some quality time for back in Ireland it has always been a flying visit or quick weekend trip to the house.