Although the idea to take six weeks off was a novelty to us, the idea of taking road trips was not. Although not opposed to airline travel, Bret and I have always loved being able to travel by car. There is something intriguing to us about getting off the beaten track. Seeing and doing things that others may never do.
Both of us had spent summers in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area between Minnesota and Canada while growing up. I was a cook’s assistant there for four years during high school at an all boys’ camp. The camp was rugged – we had to travel three miles by boat to reach it and for the first two years I was there, the kitchen had the only electricity on the property. Bathrooms, showers and running water in general were unheard of. I loved every minute of it. The idea of carrying everything I might need in one pack across miles and miles of lakes and rivers has always been intriguing to me, so I guess packing up our truck wasn’t a far stretch.