Up Over: 8/10/16 & 8/11/16 R & R : Rest and Reminiscence..

Two days of rest from the road - in paradise!

Salt Spring Island has been one of the most pleasant hosts imaginable. Populated with friendly, laid back residents, this tiny island has such a distinct personality. Tiny touristy shops and all organic food place it on the edge of trendy, but the element of its size and the attitude of the people that live and work here save this island's soul.

We spent the last 48 hours sleeping late, enjoying coffee on our deck, reorganizing our lives and hanging out with dear friends. Our home for this time has been beyond perfect. The owner, a gregarious guy who loves to talk about his work, carves teak and we are surrounded by his creations. Situated in the center of Ganges, the main town on the island, we can walk anywhere. Dani and Miri ride in from the farm in the afternoon and we sit on the deck, drink wine and talk and talk and talk. Usually too late, we make it to dinner, only to close the restaurant. By then, the town has gone to sleep. No cars clog the roads and the four of us are the only pedestrians about!

One day we booked a massage to fix Jules' road weary back and a pedicure for my boot battered feet. I wandered galleries of local artists while Jules was restored and then I sat with an open door to the harbor and my feet in a salt bath and melted. We arrived here in a rainy mist. Within hours, the sky cleared and the weather has been flawless ever since - warm days, cool nights and no humidity.

This break has been therapeutic. Rascal rests in the courtyard, waiting patiently for us to resume our trek home and we wallow in the hours spent off the road, relaxing with easy company. She knows we have not foresaken her and cools her engine along with us. Tomorrow we hit the road again. Gearing up for the long ride home we have begun talking routes and destinations. Dani and Miri also head out to eventually reach the east coast. Again we travel in parallel lines and we wondered last night if they would intersect once more.

Our sojourn in paradise is coming to an end, but every day is a new beginning, so we will start fresh, hit the road and travel with the sun setting at our backs. As miles become days there will be different stories and new exploits, but the kismet that brought us to this point of our journey will be difficult to duplicate. And at the times when the highway dissolves into one point in the distance and the landscape becomes redundant, I will lean back in my seat and pass the hours, reliving our time on Salt Spring Island.