We are on the go this week, making our first long haul as a family of five. A dry run for the voyages of the summer to come. For Russell, the road trip neophyte, we are travelling a scant 800 km’s to our destination. We spent a good deal of time preparing and packing bags last night so that things would come together in the morning and allow us to make a smooth departure. We checked lists, divided and conquered. We managed to pack all that we would need and probably a few extras with some storage room in the truck to spare. The one hiccup to this efficiency was the volume of carry-on sized bags. We had, a shoulder bag, a diaper bag, three backpacks, cooler bag, infant feeding bag and a book bag. Somehow we did not manage to consolidate these travel items very well and they had to be stacked and moved strategically to make room for Blizzard, our loyal hound,who was on his first long distance haul also. Despite the rookie crew, a few seasoned vets (Jules and Dom), travelled like champs and calmed the whole affair. Left to Catherine and I we would have been at loggerheads before breaking Dawson Creek city limits. Perhaps here is the takeaway from this dry run for a cross country odyssey: Commit to your travel adventure as the wheels start to roll, leave it all behind, and focus on the road ahead. You did it, you’re moving!