Which Way Do We Go George?

Do you know how long it takes to map out a 2000 mile route? I didn't either. All I can say is thank heavens for Google Maps. I thought it would be a simple thing. You look at a map and plan your route. X marks the spot where you start and Z is where you end. Y is all the stuff in the middle. NOT!

I am walking. This should not be news by now, especially to me, but it was when it came to this map. You can not walk on Federal highways. You need permission to walk on state highways. Paper maps don't tell you that. Google maps does. But I of course did not believe them when they said you have to go 3 days walk out of the way to get past Mt. Shasta. Or you can not cross here cuz it's a bridge that doesn't have a way to walk across it. So there will be a select few places that I will have to hitch a ride with the van that is stalking me but in actuality is carrying 2 crew members and all of our equipment.

Paper maps also do not allow for terrain. Google maps does. It not only allows for it, but you can actually view the terrain you would be walking on. I mean actual step by step photographs! Can you imagine? So it tells me when there are routes I can not walk on. It tells of the little inconveniences that may slow you down, like death by avalanche, mud slides or erupting volcanoes.

So the trip begins on April 20th and allowing for Sundays to be days of rest; allowing for an extra day in each of the major cities; and barring any of the above mentioned mishaps, Tijuana should be reached by August 12th. Just shy of four months. Not too bad. A bit more than I thought and quite a bit more than what Google tells me.

You see Google is on it's own time zone and doesn't allow for resting. Goggle maps tells me it should only take 20 days and 4 hours to walk from Vancouver, BC to Tijuana, Mexico. Again, NOT! It doesn't take into consideration little things like eating or sleeping or the most important of all...peeing, which at my age happens a lot! Not so sure I thought that one through very well when I planned this walk, but again, I will have to trust that God has a plan. Even for peeing.