View From Our Deck
Getting Out
Welcome everyone.
We're getting out. Jennifer, Clint and Maia Porritt have officially hit the road and this is a travel-blog of our family's escape from the big city.
Many of you have asked what’s next in our lives—the answer to which is “currently nothing”. Lately we’ve reflected on how our busy and cluttered lives have been at odds with the way of Jesus—too many distractions and way too much stuff. Therefore, we are planning to take a much needed rest from the busyness of life-in-general.
For an undetermined amount of time we are unplugging our lives here in Edmonton and taking to the open road for a period of Sabbath. We’ve sold our home, paid off our debts and re-tired the van. We plan to meander like hippies across Canada—first east, then west—stopping to site-see and people-watch, to camp in many beautiful places and to catch-up with scattered friends and family along the route. We are not leaving Edmonton permanently—at some point, perhaps in the fall, we will return to Edmonton and prepare for whatever adventure God has next in store for us. Until then, we’ll rest.
We expect that approximately half of you may think we’re completely crazy, while perhaps the other half will be almost convinced that maybe you too need a Sabbath. Whatever you’re thinking on the matter we are confident that your thoughts and prayers will go with us wherever we may wander.
We're getting out. Jennifer, Clint and Maia Porritt have officially hit the road and this is a travel-blog of our family's escape from the big city.
Many of you have asked what’s next in our lives—the answer to which is “currently nothing”. Lately we’ve reflected on how our busy and cluttered lives have been at odds with the way of Jesus—too many distractions and way too much stuff. Therefore, we are planning to take a much needed rest from the busyness of life-in-general.
For an undetermined amount of time we are unplugging our lives here in Edmonton and taking to the open road for a period of Sabbath. We’ve sold our home, paid off our debts and re-tired the van. We plan to meander like hippies across Canada—first east, then west—stopping to site-see and people-watch, to camp in many beautiful places and to catch-up with scattered friends and family along the route. We are not leaving Edmonton permanently—at some point, perhaps in the fall, we will return to Edmonton and prepare for whatever adventure God has next in store for us. Until then, we’ll rest.
We expect that approximately half of you may think we’re completely crazy, while perhaps the other half will be almost convinced that maybe you too need a Sabbath. Whatever you’re thinking on the matter we are confident that your thoughts and prayers will go with us wherever we may wander.
DAY 73 - Life in the Bay
Saturday, July 26th, 2008
Soule Creek Lodge is an amazing experience. We slept last night in Tanglewood Cabin, a quaint cedar cabin with a National Geographic view of the San Juan Bay. Every morning we are treated to a delicious breakfast courtesy of the two world-renowned chefs/ brothers/lodge-owners/operators in the main lodge. The place has such a positive and holistic feeling—the conversation and hospitality are genuine.
I get a chance in the afternoon to hike around Botanical Bay for a few hours. The surf and endless tidal pools are surreal—coral, urchins, starfish, hermit crabs, kelp and countless other sea creatures litter the shoreline. As I sit on a weather-whipped rock, I am blessed with front row seating to the spectacular movements of a north gray whale, perhaps less than 20 meters away. No camera…
DAY 72 - Another Legislature
Friday, July 25th, 2008
This afternoon we visit Victoria’s stunning legislative buildings and are part of an excellent tour. Last night we made the decision to book a cabin in Port Renfrew for three nights. Our mixed reasoning roughly follows these strands of rationale:
- We’re getting just a little weary of camping. Funny how 72 days on the road, setting up a big ol’ tent so you can sleep in a puddle on a gravel pad can wear a body down.
- Jen hasn’t been feeling all that great.
- It’s a great time and place to celebrate the end of our journey. We’ve just spanned a continent in a not-so-souped-up ‘93 mini-van, sampled a whole lot of Canadian culture, dipped our toes in two opposing oceans and lived to tell the tale.
The road to Port Renfrew is a true marvel of human engineering: narrow, bumpy (think the road to Rundle Park in Edmonton), full of ever-changing road warnings and hairpin turns. It’s little wonder that none of us feel too healthy by the time we begin the climb that leads to a breathtaking summit and the Soule Creek Lodge.
DAY 71 - Onto the Island
Thursday, July 24th, 2008
It’s time to complete the final lap… we’ve realized today how Vancouver Island is perhaps our most favourite spot on earth. We catch a ferry to Victoria and try to find downtown parking in the midst of tourist traffic. Jennifer isn’t feeling well, so after a not so memorable meal at The Spaghetti Factory, we set up for the night in an over-priced hotel.
DAY 70 - In Vancouver With Friends
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008
Daytona took the day off today so we could all hangout in Vancouver together. Maia and Kristi made us a very special breakfast. Rufus (the cat) purred for attention and Kenobi (the other cat) kept away from us strangers. We ended up at a not-so-great “Music of Disney” exhibit at the Telus World of Science, before hitting the busy street shops of Grandville Island for an early evening stroll and supper on the pier.
DAY 69 - Pacific Sights and Late Nights
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008
Today we slowly made our way into Cloverdale (just outside of Langley) to visit our close friends Daytona and Kristi Swarbrick. We took a road trip together to see their newly-purchased condo in White Rock and take in some ice-cream on the windy west coast. It’s pretty amazing to think we’ve now made the trip from coast to coast. The evening eventually concluded after lots of laughs and late night conversations.
DAY 68 - The Coast Is Cooler
Monday, July 21st, 2008
After spending some more time this morning/afternoon with my brother’s family (Derek, Sarah & Haye) at their home in Kelowna and a local spray park, we determined it was time to escape the heat wave and make for the coast. Tonight we’ll camp amidst giant ferns and Douglas Firs at Golden Ears Provincial Park, just outside of Langley.
