Depending on how well you know me, you may be aware that when I was ten I had Hodgkin’s lymphoma in the third stage. (Actually, I’m pretty open about it to whomever I speak–even to the point of joking about it. So chances are if you’ve met me even in passing you know this about me.) Six months before I was diagnosed, the doctors thought it was mono, and so it spread from my neck to my shoulder, spleen, and the lymph nodes by the spleen. Long story short, the photo below is me at ten after six months of chemo and just before my radiation. (Yes, I kept all my hair. I was not as fortunate as I got older, but it’s hard to complain about such things when statistically I shouldn’t even be alive.)
This was the first extended road trip I had ever taken with my family. For three weeks, my sister, mother, uncle, and I all journeyed from Winnipeg to Disney World in Florida. We travelled in that yellow (or green, depending on whom you asked) VW camper van and stayed in campgrounds. Even then I knew we were on that road trip because there was more than a fifty percent chance it was going to be my last. We were making memories that my sister, mom, and uncle could have of me for the rest of their lives.
I obviously survived, and have remained healthy for the last three and a half decades. After that trip, my uncle took me on many other road trips. New York, Drumheller, and countless camping expeditions. At a time in my life when I had no male role model, he was the one that taught me how to appreciate life. I was pretty lucky to have had an uncle who was that interested in having me with him on his journeys.
That time in my life had a big impact on me. As an adult, I road trip because of the appreciation I was taught as a kid. Up until now, my trips have been day trips or overnight stays in hotels. Now that summer is here, I’m planning on rekindling my fond memories with campgrounds. You’ll notice in my tent, beside my sleeping bag, is a dog bed.
Now that I have Grinfinn, I want to include him in as many trips as I can. So this week as I head to Leavenworth, WA, we’ll be camping for a few nights together. Leavenworth rates well being dog-friendly, so I plan to test this out.
Prior to the trip, I set up the tent in my living room and let Grinfinn jump in and out of it to get used to it. He seems to like it, and I suspect that as long as I’m there beside him he’ll think it’s the time of his life.
If all goes well, we’ll take a further trip to the ghost town Trinidad (Washington) and Quincy for a look. All the while, I’ll keep a blog of the best dog-friendly places to visit!
Hard to believe that this is a tradition I keep up from all those trips my uncle took me on while I was growing up. Uncle Les, thanks for passing that on to me!
My theme song for this post is just a really cool version of John Henley’s “Boys of Summer,” not for the lyrics but for the road-trip worthiness of the tune.
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