Month: March 2012

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Google Street View Means No Surprises

When I hit the road back in 2008, Google Street View was in its infancy. The first time that I really remember using it was when I came into Eugene last year. Now, I use it more and more when going to an unknown location so that I have an idea of what landmarks to look for.

While working on my route for my travels next month, the friend I’m going to visit mentioned that, surely, I could stay in her yard. I was able to plug her address into Google maps and get a crystal clear image of her property. It’s very cool, but it’s also creepy. There’s just no way to hide anything anymore and there’s certainly no mystery.

What do my readers think about Google Street View?

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Focus on Departure

I can now say with certainty that I will be leaving Lethbridge on or before the weekend of April 14th, which will mean a Lethbridge stopover of just over a year! Crazy! I have absolutely no regrets about my time in Lethbridge. I do have to admit that having had two separate parts to it and moving locations probably played a part in my not going road crazy. 🙂

I will continue to work full-time in March and then work part-time for two weeks in April. This will give me lots of time to get road ready while still having access to the apartment. This is going to be fantastic; I’ll still be out of the rig and will have plenty of time to wind up a few projects in it. I’ll also be able to take my time moving back in, depending on when I am able to get help to bring furniture back in.

Leaving later in April will increase my chances of leaving in clement weather. I would really like to travel through South rather than North Dakota (having been in North Dakota already) to add a state to my list and to visit Deadwood/ the Black Hills, and Mount Rushmore. There would be no chance of this with an early April departure, but it’s a possibility closer to May.

It’s great that I’m not in any rush to get going. By that, I mean that while I’m eager to start traveling again, it’s nice to have my current situation be pleasant enough that I am fine with extending it a bit longer. But the road’s siren call is getting louder and louder and I can’t wait to heed it. 😀

 

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The Coatless Winter Winds Down

March! How can it be March?!

This morning, a reminder to cancel The Apartment’s internet connection popped up on my calendar, so I promptly called Telus and did just that! This is going to be my last billing cycle on hard wired internet and I’ll be back to using my cellular modem on April 2nd. I can’t believe how quickly the last few months have passed!

An email landed in my inbox an hour ago that 100% firmed up my cross-country itinerary. I need to be in Quebec for May 18th so I will be going straight there by way of visiting a friend in Virginia, leaving exploration of the southwest to next winter.

Going to Virginia might seem like a huge detour, but it’s actually less than 1,500KM. When you’re committed to traveling 3,500KM already, what’s another 1,500KM? 🙂

I will be deviating a little from this route once I figure out the best way to by-pass Chicagoland by RV (I do hope to squeeze in a hop to one of my favourite cities by toad, however!), but for the most part this is a familiar route for me that will still allow me to add a few new states to my visited states list!

As things stand today, I don’t see myself leaving Lethbridge till mid-April, so I will have a solid month to get across the continent, which will leave me with plenty of time for sightseeing, visiting with friends, and working while traveling at a reasonable place. I’m itching to get back on the road, but am glad that I have time to finish up a few projects before I do.

(As for the title of this post, someone was shocked to see me wearing a coat during the day yesterday. That’ll give you an idea of how warm it’s been!)