Thank you for the recommendation to eat at Dinos. I will check it out.

Tothill, it sounds like a wonderful road trip and quilting experience. Safe travels and don’t forget to post photos.

Have a great time and be safe. :)

Wow it is hard to believe this trip is really happening. It has been two months since my first post and tomorrow I leave.

Today is catching up on laundry, double checking my sewing supplies and cleaning my car in the morning.

This afternoon I will be packing my clothes and starting to pack the car. If it is too hot this afternoon, I will do this tomorrow morning before I leave. I have a meeting to attend tomorrow afternoon, then it is onto the ferry, a night with my brother and a very early start on Tuesday to cross the border before the lines are too long.

A few have said to stay safe, I thought I would share part of my safety plan. First and foremost I will only be driving during daylight hours. I have planned my stops to be 5-7 hours apart. Now I know road works, accidents etc can change that, but I will be on the road around 7 am and even with delays should reach my next stop by 4 pm at the latest. And that gives me time to shop along the way.

I follow the rules of the road when driving and do not anticipate and issues on the road. I took my car in for an oil change and check up last week and it is in good working order.

I have been warned that in perhaps one of the states my Canadian license plate may lead to some ire due to local concerns over pipelines or other issues. I will not engage in any political discussion, it is not appropriate for me to comment on local, or national issues as a visitor to the USA. If I feel unwelcome or uncomfortable I will move on, even if I have to lose a hotel reservation. I hope it does not come to that, but I know things can get pretty tense here when people do not agree.

I have booked my motels from Vancouver to Missouri, so I know where I will be staying and not need to look for a place late at night in unfamiliar places.

Two people back home have my itinerary. One, I will be checking in with each morning and night. We are the sort of friends who already talk or text just about daily, so this is not a change or imposition. The other is my son and I will be checking in with him to make sure he is remembering to feed and water the pets and water the plants back home.

Thank you for the good wishes as I embark on this incredible trip.

I will start another thread where I will post photos along the way.