We had several months to think through how we wanted to make this trip from a portion of Mary's mother's inheritance. Thank you, Lillie, for leaving a clean and well-maintained house and for conserving much of the wealth your husband, Glenn, left for you! We dedicated this trip in honor of Lillie Faye Ray and as a second honeymoon celebrating our 9th year of legal marriage.
Originally, Mary wanted to travel by train from Newton up to Chicago and across Canada toward Vancouver, BC. However, we decided (1) it was just too expensive, and (2) we couldn't stop where we wanted to stop.
We finally decided to make a car trip in our new (used) Toyota RAV to Calgary, Alberta. Mary took on the task of deciding our route; how many miles per day; what towns we would stay in; and how many days. We decided on 23 days total.
Another decision was whether to stop on the way to visit anyone. There were two people in Hoxie, KS we could have visited; at least one person in Denver, CO; and then two more people in Grand Junction, CO. We decided on a stop in Grand Junction to visit Sr. Ann Ashwood and Sr. Lorren Harbin.
Another decision was whether to take Buzz with us. Buzz is Mary's mobile vehicle. We eventually decided to take a rolator instead. However, it stayed in the car the entire trip! We never got it out, and Mary did just fine with her cane everywhere we went. There was one exception, but I will tell that tale later in this story.
Today, August 17, 2024, I begin to make reservations.
By Wednesday, August 21, 2024, all reservations are made, and Sr. Ann Ashwood let me know that she has our day in Grand Junction planned out.
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| Stopped in Limon, CO our second day on the road. |
