The post you have been waiting for.

We have dubbed our journey The Eastwest Tour, as inspired by my mother, with the idea that eastwest is actually a direction likewise to northwest or southeast.  My partner-in-travels is Hannah deKleer, hailing from Surrey, British Columbia and we departed from Vancouver on August 8th...

Aug. 8-13: Vancouver to Kelowna, BC (managed to clock 745 km during this period)
In the early morning of Sunday, August 8th Hannah and I loaded the car with all the items we needed for the next four weeks of road-tripping, drove a measly four hours, and stopped.  There I joined forces with my friends at YWAM Hockey to help instruct at one of their annual Christ-centred hockey camps.  Hannah helped out sporadically with the camp but also enjoyed some beach time and staying with family friends.  I stepped back in time a little as I spent the days with the campers on the ice for hockey skills training and off the ice for fitness training and chapel times.

Aug. 13-14: Kelowna to Calgary, AB (clocked 616 km)
After the camp ended we said goodbye to our old and new friends and picked up my sister Heidi at the Greyhound Station.  She had been on the west coast for a wedding and joined us here to accompany us through the Rockies to Calgary.  We were pretty tired that day, having woken up at 5:45 am but it was enjoyable scenery and beautiful weather.  We stayed with my brother and sister-in-law in Calgary, and our parents had also come down from Lacombe to visit.  My mother presented us with a box full of goodies to be opened in specified locations along the way.  As a result, we are never short on snack food.

Aug. 14-15: Calgary to Saskatoon, SK (clocked 643 km)
The beautiful drive through Eastern Alberta was highlighted by a stop in Hanna, Alberta.  It was a momentous occasion for Hannah, but the fact that it is the hometown of Nickelback truly dampened how beautiful that moment could have been.  We arrived in Saskatoon that night and were greeted by our friends Brenna and Brian, YWAM Hockey Alumni.  We walked along the Saskatchewan River appreciating the night lights and the stray sounds from the Reggae Festival. :)  We also were able to meet up with our friend Alisha, 2010 Project Alumni, for coffee before she headed back to YWAM Montana.

Aug. 15-16: Saskatoon to Regina, SK (clocked 273 km)
Our stop in Regina was solely to see my friend Chelsa, with whom I had traveled to the Czech Republic in the summer of 2007 (Athletes in Action women’s hockey tour).  We had hoped that this month of August would have actually been spent in the Czech Republic again but sadly that did not work out.  Hence the road trip... Anyway, Chelsa and I are scheming on future plans for hockey ministry as we share a similar passion.

Aug. 16-18: Regina to Pinawa, MB (clocked 713 km)
Every two years YWAM Canada gathers together in Pinawa for what is called “The Rendezvous.”  This is the first time I have ever been able to attend and even though it was only for two nights I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Pinawa is a tiny little community about an hour and a half drive northeast of Winnipeg; gorgeous countryside on the edge of Winnipeg River.  Deer would literally walk right onto the lawn of the conference centre and neighbouring houses, simply grazing on the green grass.  Loved it.  It was really cool to meet some more YWAMers from other parts of this country.  The highlights: canoeing on the river and story time by the campfire each night.  As each night went on, it was more difficult to tell which stories were fact or fiction...

Aug. 18-20: Pinawa to Minneapolis, MN (clocked 900 km exactly)
This was the longest drive we had to make thus far in the trip.  We got a little loopy towards the end of it which was evident in the fact that we started making up fake laughs and asking each other the question of “if you could be a cylindrical-shaped structure what would you want to contain?”  Thankfully, we finally arrived at our friend Andrew’s house to save us from our insanity.  Or add to it if you know Andrew at all.  :P   Minneapolis is a charming city with very cute houses and artistic architecture throughout.  We met up with our friend Bobby and toured both of the Twin Cities, enjoying Jucy Lucy burgers (burgers with molten cheese INSIDE the patty) and true American malts along the way.  There may have also been a murder mystery dinner in there followed by a raving board game with a lot of shouting... but that was all somewhat of a blur...  :)

Aug. 20-21: Minneapolis to Eagle, WI (clocked 536 km)
We set out from Minneapolis with the intention of camping somewhere in the lush state of Wisconsin, but severe thunderstorm warnings foiled our plans.  Much of the day was spent in coffee shops using the wi-fi to try and figure out where we could stay, including a stop in Wisconsin Dells.  This town is a resort town and it felt a bit like another world filled only with billboards, amusement parks, water parks, hotels, restaurants... that was about it.  After we contacted a hostel in Kettle-Moraine State Forest Park, we made our dinner using our propane stove at a picnic stop and headed out. We each appreciated some quiet time as introverted individuals, while fighting off the mosquitos (inside and outside the hostel).

Aug. 21-22: Eagle to Chicago, IL (clocked 263 km)
We couldn’t meet up with our friend Adam Giganti, former YWAM Vancouverite, until later in the day so upon our arrival in Chicago, we found the cheapest parking we could downtown and set out exploring on foot.  It was a warm day, a Saturday afternoon, a Chicago Bears game-day, and there were fireworks set to go off of Navy Pier later that night.  Needless to say, it was busy.  We managed to enjoy our time exploring a bit of Navy Pier, historic parts of the city on Michigan Avenue, and the stunning architecture.  We also drove up and down Lakeshore Drive with a view of Lake Michigan.  Later that night we met up with Adam and his girlfriend Janah and enjoyed some of Chicago’s famous deep-dish pizza at Giordano’s.

Thus far in our travels we’ve covered somewhere in the range of 5000 kms across four provinces and six states.  Our car, Babs, seems to be feeling spry and blue as usual and we continue to pray everyday that we will be able to drive safely, that Babs will operate properly, and that no one around us will smash into us.

Please keep praying for us!  We both have strong reasons for this trip... wanting to hear from God about certain visions we each have.  And of course, we want to continue with no vehicle or health problems.  Still to come: Michigan, Ontario, and Quebec... and of course picking up our friend Marie in Montreal who will join us on our return trip.