It's all booked except...

... one little ferry trip from Vancouver to Victoria. And I'll get that done in the next few days.

Man alive we've been stung by the weak Sterling this year. Ended up booking hotels/motels with more character than facilities, hope Sandra can live with that!

I've created a monster. 4 days in Vancouver, 5 days exploring Victoria and Vancouver Island (including whale watching - booked!), ferry to Prince Rupert, train to Jasper, then a week-long manic car journey from Jasper to Vancouver taking in glaciers, mountains and desert (yes desert!)... there will be wine-tasting, there will be gold-rush ghost towns, there will be salmon and no doubt bears, there will be lakes, oceans, forests... British Columbia is such a varied province. Three solid weeks of travel, 14 different hotels (oh dear), two hire cars, a train, and at least three ferries. My friend Dicko, who came from BC, has never heard of half the places we intend to visit.

I can't wait. I want to look out over the Pacific Ocean, the largest ocean on the planet, next stop Japan. I want to see the endless forests that cover two thirds of this enormous province. I want to see Emerald Lake and see if it knocks me for six like Lake Louise did.

I want to see Sandra's face when an Orca breaks the surface in the waters off Telegraph Cove.

So this Icelandic volcano better sort itself out...