Father Daughter Road Trips (16/73)

I can remember the feeling of the warm summer sun shining in the front cab of my dad’s truck as we listened to Tanya Tucker and drove through the mountains. It was so warm and safe on our father daughter road trips. We would take the same trip a couple of years in row. Even today I can close my eyes and think of those moments in the truck and for a second I feel like I am there again. An amazing set of memories and moments and the only ones I hold on to through out those years. Our road trips were my escape, a guarantee. I knew every year I would get a two week break from Jack forcing me to engage with him.

The BC coast was beautiful. We would take our time camping along the way in the camper on the back of the truck. I enjoyed camping a great deal. Being with nature, spending time in the peacefulness and watching the fire crackle. The things in the world that I was scared of were not amongst the great out doors of the Okanagan, but back home in my bedroom. I loved sitting around the fire. My favorite part was the roasted marshmallows…. Yum. I could eat a whole bag of them burnt to a crisp. There were so many interesting places to stop and see along the way.

We would stop in Radium at the hot springs to camp a few days. My dad Brandon would always buy me the orange water wings so that I would feel safer in the water. The springs were so warm and bubbly as I floated around in the pool from side to side flapping my arms about. My dad smiling at me as he mingled and talk with other people in the pool. It was a very large pool but it was full of people in every inch soaking up the healing water of the mountain. We would end our day with a fire. We would roast hot dogs over the flames and burn some marshmallows and tell each other stories until I feel asleep in the top bunk of the camper.

In the morning we would be back on the road to our next destination. Off to Fairy-Tale Land, or at least that’s what I remember it as. It was probably named something else entirely. The were all kinds of story tale characters through out this park. The three Pigs, Hansel and Gretel and A castle that the princess lived in. In her front yard were carousel horses scattered about. The next day we were off to Ogopogo Land and then Flintstone Park. My most anticipated moment of our whole trip. It was Disney land to my eight-year-old mind. I couldn’t wait!