Sunday July 23 - Day 23 Current Location: Vancouver, BC Distance Traveled: 10,980km Today was my last knowingly quiet day before I get back on the train tonight. I've really enjoyed staying in the same place for the last three nights - but I also know there's two more provinces to see before my journey is complete. With that in mind, I took as much time today to rest, clean, and prepare for the final leg of my trip starting tomorrow; taking full advantage of some peace and quiet. And a laundry machine. Sue, Cam and I all went to the early church service this morning, with me being a guest at their home church here in Surrey. This church was gargantuan by any standards, with seating for almost 2,000 people. Being a early service in the summer, it was only half full. But that's still a massive congregation, especially compared to my church services in New Brunswick and Alberta the last few weeks. The guest pastor was an engaging speaker, sharing his ideas about using the holy spirit's power to do dynamic, challenging things and make drastic changes to our lifestyles. This was entirely appropriate as I'm finding myself out of comfort zones nearly everywhere I go. The timeliness and variety between churches is one of the more welcome surprises to my schedule this month, this morning included. Around lunchtime, we went grocery shopping and had lunch outside. I to used the afternoon to have a nap in a real bed (while I had the chance!) and do another load of laundry. With 10 days of clothes, this will hopefully be my last time before returning home. Late in the afternoon, Sue and I were sitting outside in the garden. The sun finally came out again today for the first time since my arrival on Wednesday, so we sat doing puzzles and enjoying a beer. Uncle Cam joked I was bringing all the bad weather, with a sunny forecast the rest of the week. He did like what the rain was doing for his vibrant rose bushes. (He also joked I should take a picture of them for my blog. ^ ) Today's absolute highlight was seeing my other pair of cousins from BC. Cousin Kris's older sister Karen and husband Brad were in Kelowna this week with their kids Lauren and Leo. They rushed back this afternoon for a short visit before I had to leave for the train station, and luckily we got to spend an hour together. I met Leo, only 3 years old, for the first time, and Lauren I've only known as an infant. I enjoyed spending time with Lauren especially, who was interested in knowing all about my trip. She's just started learning about Canada and other countries and school, so she was particularly interested in pointing things out on a map of Canada - and she was in awe of how big the country was. Truth be told, I'm still in awe of the country's size myself. Finally it was time to leave again, and so I packed my things with a basket full of clean clothes, blankets and laundry all set to go. Packing has always been one of the least enjoyable things of the trip, being such a regular, time consuming hassle. And if you think living out of a suitcase for a month is easy, think again. Pictured below is how I have to pack my bags every time I move to a new location. It looks radically different from open and closed. I have to thank my many years as a Boy Scout for learning to pack so efficiently. The hardest (and most tedious) part isn't actually the planning or packing. It's the re-packing every 24 to 36 hours, and sometimes it's two or three times a day. Ugh. After one last drive back into Vancouver, I arrived again at Pacific Central station ready to go. The extensive Canadian train was all packed, and we left right on schedule. I got another picture of the Western end of the train line, and also the length of the platform. According to my phone, the distance from the platform entrance to front train car is nearly half a kilometre long. I'm surprised it's not longer. The train was weirdly quiet once I was on board - it was barely a quarter full, and very different from most of the trains I've been riding on this month. I guess we are at the first train stop going in only one direction. The train will get busier by tomorrow night once we've picked up more passengers on the way. I'm ready to start heading home, with my last few destinations on the list being the most exciting. I've never visited either Saskatchewan or Manitoba before, and I've been looking forward to seeing some long-delayed destinations to finish out the month. But that means I'm also back to moving fast and roughing it city to city...not the leisurely comfort I've enjoyed the last few days.
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