Well, the countdown begins…

Jackie O’ Soul Searcher Blog Entry

Well, the countdown begins. One week to go!!

August 27th 2009 Jackie oh

Grandma and Fallon I'm going to miss this girl very much!

I’ve got almost everything done and bought except a set of long underwear and I still have to go pick up the Euros I ordered from the bank. Plus I still have to move my clothes from my dresser so Maureen can put hers away. No, I haven’t packed yet. I will wait until the last day to pack. I have to try to keep my back pack to under 14 LBs, so may have to rethink what I’ll be bringing. I will arrive in Paris at 7am Sept. 4. I am staying with a CS girl for 2 nights and then taking the late high speed train to Bordeaux where I will stay for 2 nights again with another CS girl. Then not sure until I get to St. Jean Pied de Port – the start of the Camino!! Yes!! I’m VERY, VERY excited!! I found out that my new friend, Camino Ken, will be arriving at the Camino and starting out the same day as me, so we’ll start out together. This 66 year old gentleman has much more energy than me so I’m sure he’ll lose me in his dust!! Ha ha! I’ve had a really nice guy from Germany, Mark, couch surfing with me the past 2 days. He has given me some great hints and advice about traveling in different parts of Europe and has talked me into adding Germany to my tour. I’ve also put a message out to House sitters on Couch Surfers to let people know that I will watch their houses for them if they want to go away for an extended period of time. This will give me a bit of a break too. Thanks to Grant, I got a name of a guy who owns a condo apartment in Nice, France. It costs $350 Euros a week, so if anyone wants to join me there and split the rent, let me know! It looks like a great place and a really good location! I will try to write on this blog once or twice a month and hopefully will be able to download pictures as well. Be well, everyone! Peace! Jackie Oh!

Thank You

Wild Daisy Soul Searcher Blog Entry

I must say that I’m feeling really grateful today. I’ve received a number of really wonderful emails and comments while out on the road.  I’ve appreciated every single one of them and always enjoy hearing from my friends and blog followers.

I received several comments and notes, in particular, about “The Smile Effect”, all of which left me with a smile as well. I am really grateful for the adventure that I’m on and even more grateful to be able to share it with others for whatever inspiration, community or entertainment it provides.

Writing my blog is a complete joy for me, a way for me to share my journey and a way to encourage others to also follow their hearts in life.  If I ever did wonder whether I made the right decision in selling my house, downsizing my life, buying Miss Daisy and hitting the road, I know the answer each and every time I’ve smiled in response to a comment or note about one of my posts or received some supportive words of encouragement along the way.

I wish to send you a Huge Thank You for sharing the journey. I look at those smiles along the way as nudges of encouragement that I am indeed following my heart, exactly where I need to go.

Thank you.

You know you’re following your heart when you can’t stop smiling about it. Whatever “it” is for you.

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The Smile Effect

Wild Daisy Soul Searcher Blog Entry

Before leaving Canmore this morning I stopped in for a fill-up before hitting the road. Just as I was finishing up a gentleman pulled into the station and walked over to me. He said he saw my RV and pulled in to check it out, adding that he had a good friend who is a florist whose favourite flower is the daisy. We chatted for a few minutes, exchanging names and cross-country driving stories before parting ways. Nothing like sharing some daisy love to get your day off to a good start.

So I hit the highway and popped in one of my new cassette tapes, “The Doobie Brothers Greatest Hits”. Yes, I said cassette tapes. Remember those? Miss Daisy is a 1989 vintage and I am still enjoying the original sound system and equipment (but getting no use out of the cigarette lighter I might add).

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Wild daisies just outside of Lake Louise

When you have a dream, you need a dream catcher

Wild Daisy Soul Searcher Blog Entry

It wasn’t originally part of my plan to visit Manitoulin Island. When I landed at my campsite in Espanola, which is about 50 kms from Manitoulin, I’d intended to stop over for a couple of nights, relax and get out for a short bike ride. The original plan was to get up early on the second morning and continue driving on to Sault Ste. Marie.

But something changed along the way. As I went about my routine on my first day in Espanola, something was tugging at me to go to Manitoulin, even if just for a day. I’d been there a few years back, coming in from Tobermory, and felt drawn to go back a second time. So I decided to wake up early the next morning, pack up Miss Daisy, and drive to Little Current, northernmost access town in Manitoulin and head off on my bicycle from there.

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Wild daisies on Manitoulin

One of these RVs is not like the others….

Wild Daisy Soul Searcher Blog Entry

I have never had a big yearning to be “out there”, to be the centre of attention. I guess I should have realized that driving around in a giant Daisymobile would seriously compromise any thoughts I might have of making it through the summer being inconspicuous. Seems I can’t get too far without being noticed, for one reason or another, while driving Miss Daisy.

People honk at me while I’m driving down the highway which I don’t mind although I can’t tell whether it’s a friendly “hello” honk or a “hey Daisymobile driver, there are flames coming out of your exhaust pipe and we could toast marshmallows back here…..”. So I did have this thought the other day, to put a sign on the back of Miss Daisy to help me with this dilemma. Honk once if you love wild daisies!! Honk repeatedly if any of the following conditions apply:

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Patch of wild daisies at the entrance to the campground

A Wild Daisy smiles even when it rains

Wild Daisy Soul Searcher Blog Entry

Okay, even I have caught myself feeling a bit under the weather about the weather recently!! While driving to Sudbury this morning, under a sky of cloud and single digit temperatures, I began to wonder if I’d ever get to break a sweat this summer.

And then I got a great email to warm my thoughts. One of my blog readers, Tracy, who lives out in Kitchener is an avid photographer. She went outside to her garden on the weekend, during a break in the rain, to pull some weeds. And this is what she saw…….

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A smiling wild daisy

A Sausage, an Apple Fritter and some Faith in St. Jacob’s

Wild Daisy Soul Searcher Blog Entry

I’ve spent the past couple of days visiting with friends in Keswick, Ontario where I was happy to stop off, particularly when I heard of their plans for a road trip to St. Jacob’s in the heart of Mennonite Country.

I hadn’t been there in years. I used to make a regular habit of going to the farmer’s market there every other Saturday. So, when opportunity knocked, I raced to the door with visions of the requisite sausage on a bun dancing through my head.

Vegetable stand in the market

Here are my words of wisdom about a trip to St. Jacob’s. Do not, I repeat, do not have a big breakfast before you leave home. This is not the time to start your day with oatmeal. Save your appetite for the abundance of indulgences that await you at the market. And there are plenty.

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My Journey Back to Daisy Creek

Wild Daisy Soul Searcher Blog Entry

I got an email from a friend yesterday that caused me to lose some sleep last night. And I’ll share with you the story as to why I had my first sleepless night on this trip.

A few years ago I was invited by a new friend, Nancy, to accompany herself and 2 others on a mountain biking event out in Whistler. While on the trip, we decided that we needed nicknames for ourselves. We were driving up the Sea to Sky highway, from Vancouver to Whistler, and jotting down words from the signs en route as a way to give each other our names. There is a small creek that crosses the highway along this route called “Daisy Creek”. That’s where I took my nickname from, and where the daisy seed was initially planted…..

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Life is good

Wild Daisy Soul Searcher Blog Entry

I must admit to leading a pretty sheltered life here with Miss Daisy. Prior to embarking on my RV voyage, I didn’t watch much television nor follow the news much; now, while on the road I don’t even have a television and can’t remember the last time I read the newspaper. I just find it too negative and draining on my energy for the most part and that it can paint a skewed view of the world we live in.

The brief amount of time I’ve been on the road to this point I have heard others talking about stabbings, various accidents, people getting killed, jobs being lost and so on. The types of things we humans seem to like to focus on at times. And oftentimes these conversations are followed by comments such as “some people……” or “I can’t believe it” or “this is terrible” or“who would do such a thing?”

How can we feel good about ourselves or life in general if we spend so much time and energy thinking about these types of events, which in reality likely comprise a fraction of space in the whole of our world? How can we create an awesome life when we spend so much time focussed on the negative?

So, I made a conscious decision prior to leaving on my trip to live with the belief that people come from a place of good, willingness to help and shared destiny. And that is the perspective that I decided to carry with me on my trip.

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All in a day’s bike ride

Wild Daisy Soul Searcher Blog Entry

I’m spending a couple of days at my new friend Doug’s place up in Laurel, Ontario while waiting for my new awning to arrive and get installed in Bolton. Doug has offered me up a great parking spot and warm hospitality.

Here’s my parking spot…….

I pay his kindness back by cooking dinner for him.  Doug lives by himself in this small town, population of maybe a couple of hundred, and I’m a solo traveller so it’s a good match of two people living life on their own.

This morning I ventured out for a 2 hour bike ride. The countryside here is gorgeous. Open roads, strewn with acres and acres of farmfields, fresh air, sightings of horses, sheep and cattle along the way. Here are a few of the other things of note on today’s bike ride:

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