It has been about three weeks since my partner and I took that trek across (most of) the country.
It is still overwhelming to think of everything I have been through over the last month. It is always a good idea to start at the beginning, so here I go.
The last week in Halifax, NS, was incredibly hectic and stressful. We stuffed most of our belongings into our trusty 2001 Ford Sport Windstar, named Carl, and prepared for the long haul. The first day was liberating. We put Bruce Springsteen’s ‘The Rising’ on my MP3 player and pulled out of the driveway for the last time. Finally, we were off to new beginnings.
I wish I could say the weather was beautiful. That the sun shone the entire drive out of the province. But, the truth is that it was typical April weather for the East Coast of Canada. It was overcast, it was foggy, and it rained. The drive out of the Province of Nova Scotia was not a particularly exciting one. I have made that drive a few times in my life. It was a bittersweet in a sense. I was leaving the Province I had called my home for the past four years of my life. That Province had changed me in ways I could never have imagined. I met my partner there, my love. I had also made friendships I knew would last a lifetime.
I was also happy to leave. It was time. There was no more room for me to grow. I was ready for a new place, and new opportunities I needed a drastic change to help me get out of my year-long depression and force me to move forward. That foggy, wet, and grey highway out of town was my path towards a new me.
If you have never been to Nova Scotia I can tell you one thing–it is small. As in geographically. It only took us about 3 hours to get out of the province and into New Brunswick. I asked my partner to pull over so I could take a picture of the ‘Welcome to New Brunswick’ sign. I felt like we had accomplished something.
As we drove on the sky remained grey and wet. Our first destination for that day was Fredericton If you ever find yourself in New Brunswick I do recommend going to Fredericton It is a beautiful little town. One of my favourite brew pubs is there. It is called Picaroons. I have never seen their beer outside of that town. It is delicious.
The reason we were stopping in Fredericton was to see an old friend of mine who was finishing her degree in jewellery design. We had a wonderful lunch, and even a more wonderful conversation. She is onto bigger and brighter things, and I couldn’t be more happy for her. After a short visit, we returned to the car. I should mention at this point we were also travelling with our cat, Fry. He was very unamused for the first portion of our trip that day. We decided to reposition his carrier so it was between our seats. This way he could see both of us, and we could keep a better eye on him incase he became ill or upset. After these minor adjustments we continued our trip.
Beyond Fredericton, towards the Quebec border, the highway remains two lanes lined with trees. Miles and miles of trees. I was about to think our trip would be mind numbing to Quebec, but then a good friend texted me about a town called Grand Falls. About three years ago this friend had biked across Canada for the Heart & Stroke Foundation. He had almost given up when he reached this random town in New Brunswick. Upon entering this town you don’t see much, but as you drive further you stumble upon a large dam. This dam prevents most of New Brunswick from being flooded, including the town of Fredericton. Strange part is, no one seems to know of it exists. I will tell you this much: it was enchanting. The falls are huge and beautiful. After a brief soul-searching stare, my partner and I jumped back into the car and pushed it all the way to the Quebec Border.
It continued to rain as the sun set. The highway on the east end of Quebec is in rough shape, and under construction. It was late, we were tired, I didn’t even notice the ‘Welcome to Quebec’ sign until after we passed it in the wet darkness. We were happy to find our small motel in Rivere-du-Loup, and quickly settled down for the night.
That night I had a dream that will still with me for the rest of my life. But that is a story for another day.
Until Tomorrow.
