Goodbye Vancouver xx

It's funny how endings can sometimes be the same as beginnings. Our last weeks in Melbourne, back in September 2008 were a flurry of boxes, packing, planning, documents, family and friends. Eighteen months later the picture was much the same when we left Vancouver.

We bid our farewell to Vancouver at the end of February and moved up the road to Whistler for our last month in Canada. Turned out to be a masterstroke, and all three of us enjoyed the spring powder.



















In late March, we bid Adam farewell for a couple of weeks, and I wrapped up things at work, then Nash and I explored Vancouver for a couple of days, with one final trip via water taxi to Nash's favourite place - Science Word.



















April 2nd saw us head south on the train, not before a 90-minute grilling by US Immigration who wanted to know:

1 - Where was my letter of consent from the child's father permitting me to travel alone with him?
2 - Where was my paper ticket confirming my flight out of the US?
3 - Where was my husband?

...and numerous other officious questions. As always, the absolute low point of travelling to this fascinating country are the preposterous hoops these unfriendly robots expect you to jump through to enter and spend money. They make choosing an alternative very easy.

We made it aboard the train with seconds to spare, and eight hours and six spews later, Nash and I arrived in Portland, Oregon.

We didn't have too much planned - a visit with an old friend, slurping on good coffee, cycling the sites. And then Nash spied this in an ice cream shop.....



















His star struck grin says it all.



















Next stop Chicago to meet Adam and continue the cross continental journey.....