---

I had it all planned out. In great detail. Ten days on Vancouver Island. Boutique hotels. Victorian era castles and gardens. Walks through old-growth northwest forests. Sandy Pacific beaches. Fish & chips. Full tour-guide mode engaged. I was so excited that even made a fake travel brochure of our itinerary.

We could hardly wait to spend 10 days showing our good friends around the island.

But, sometimes all the planning in the world can’t outdo chaos theory.

Back in 2022, just before our 3 month trip to Europe, we were involved in a head-on collision that totalled our car and – had we not been incredibly fortunate, and our car incredibly well built – could have derailed more than just travel plans. Episode 276

This week, fate – and a truck pulling an RV – intervened in our travel companions’ plans. Strangely, at almost exactly the same interval before their trip as our accident was before our 2022 travels (and within just days of our 2-year “crash anniversary”) their car is no more. Thankfully, they walked away from the wreckage – while not as unscathed as we were – whole and, most importantly, alive to tell the tale.

My “best laid plans” have certainly “gang agley”, but no matter.

Plans can be re-made as long as those who made them, and those for whom they were made, remain with us. I’ve never been so grateful to be able to put plans aside for a later date.

---

For our friends, some downtime while bones and bruises heal.

For us, a little bit of dis-organizing to do (cancelling reservations, etc), and then some alternate plans to make since we cannot stay in our current VRBO rental, which we always knew was not going to be available during July. The second half of the month was already booked in Ontario. For the first portion, we’ll be gratefully house-sitting son #2’s home while their family (coincidentally) is vacationing on the west coast of Vancouver Island.