For most of the flight west across Canada, David Heath alternated between making a series of notes of things to accomplish and snoring.
He arrived in Vancouver at noon, rented a car, drove it to the Tsawassen terminal, up the ramp and onto the ferry. As they pulled away, David strolled to the upper deck. It was a warm day and the view across Georgia Strait was breathtaking. The coastal mountains had lined the edge of the mainland as far north as he could see; their siblings had formed the many small islands they would negotiate in the Strait – and the massive Vancouver Island, his destination. During the two hour journey, he watched the pods of Orca, the killer whales, as they weaved the surface on their way to the Pacific.
They docked at Duke Point, just outside of Nanaimo, the largest city on the eastern coast of the island. David drove off the ferry and headed north up the coast. Checking his map as he neared, he turned west at Parksville for the hour drive through the low mountains in the middle of the island. Nearing the summit, he slowed as the highway skimmed the edge of Cameron Lake and wound through the centre of Cathedral Grove. ‘What a spectacular place this is,’ he thought as he gaped at the giant trees.
David was nearing one of the longest, deep water inlets in Canada. From Barclay Sound on the Pacific coast, the Alberni Inlet had fingered its way through timber filled mountains for 80 kilometres before stopping.
Port Alberni was a beautiful little mill town, built at the tip of the inlet. As David crossed over the summit and dropped down into the town, he spotted a large post and beam structure: Maple Leaf Motel. ‘Good,’ he thought. ‘Good place to stop.’
The manager came out from the small adjoining office to the front desk where David was waiting. “Welcome to the Maple Leaf. My name’s Shayna, can I help you?”
He looked at her and thought, ‘What a beautiful woman, First Nation…maybe…Salish? Haida?’
“Yes, thank you,” he said. “I need a room for about four days preferably one with two beds.”
“Lets see… We have a nice one available – will your wife be joining you?”
“Oh no, no, I’m not married. I just need the space for some of my stuff.”
“Ah, that’s too bad, this is a great place to share with someone.” Shayna was thinking this man would be just right for her cousin, Wilma. As she watched him fill out the motel registry card she made a suggestion. “If you like old fashioned home cooking – you might want to try the New Moon Café, just two blocks north of here.”
“Thanks,” he said. “Oh - do you have internet access?”
“In each room, yes. Everybody wants it now.”
David thanked her and returned to his car. He drove to the end unit, parked in front of the door, unloaded quickly, double locked the door, undressed and laid down. It had been a long day.
****
As David nodded off, Adam and Ted were on the eastern edge of Omaha, Nebraska. They had stopped only for food, fuel and a few hours sleep. They had not yet reached the half-way mark of their journey.
