I have been keeping a low profile lately – not doing much or going too many places, opting instead to stay at home and avoid the flu epidemic going on here in Washington. I usually get sick this time of year so I am really playing it safe and minimizing my exposure before we leave. Of course, I’ll be getting on a plane with 300 other people so the odds are probably against me. At least I’ll get on the plane to leave! At least I have all of my immunizations up to date to help fight off some of the stuff we might encounter.

We have to worry about the weight of our backpacks since the limits are pretty small. The baggage fees to go over and back can be VERY expensive (thanks to having to pay for every damn little thing on a plane these days) so I went out and bought a luggage scale yesterday. I also stopped and picked up some hiking pants and shirts from Cabela’s.  They are lightweight and will dry fast if I have to rinse them in the sink at the hotel and air-dry them. Being lightweight they will also be comfy to travel and walk around in. I was not going to buy more clothes but I thought about it more after I discovered our backpacks are 4 lbs. each. I know I certainly don’t want to carry any more than I have to on my back when we are walking around. When I got home I threw my new clothes in my pack along with the other things I am taking and it came in underweight by about six pounds. Gotta have room to bring back some souvenirs but I may end up having to ship stuff back. I hope not but we’ll see how that ends up.

This will be a learning experience for me especially. Yeah, I’ve been to Canada but it’s essentially the same as the States. I have a list of a few things to see and do, and it’s not the usual touristy things. I just don’t so that kind of stuff usually. We want off-the-beaten-path experiences. We have discussed a few places to see but we are not planning too much as far as specific sites. We have areas and towns/cities we want to check out, but as far as specific “attractions” we are gonna wing it.

Be sure to keep checking back for trip updates!