The Travelling Ookpik - Day Fifteen!

Day fifteen- after 7200 kilometres, the travelling ookpik has finally returned home!

The final leg of Chimo's adventures took him from Richland, Washington all the way back to his snug little home in Vancouver, British Columbia.


The day dawned with a view of the Columbia River and plenty of rain- it should be noted that nothing makes Chimo feel more at home than an everlasting overcast rainfall. It's good to be back, West Coast!


Back on the road, Chimo stopped at a rest-stop for free coffee and took advantage of a chance to be photographed with a 1000+ year old tree stump!


In Bellingham, Chimo stopped for delicious pizza at his favourite Washington-based pizza place (and got carded one last time in order to enjoy a local Bellingham beer)!


Walking back to the car after lunch, Chimo decided to hitch a ride on a goatcart. (HA HA, GET IT?)


Back on the road one last time. Home was nearly at hand when "Vancouver" started appearing on road signs!


Welcome back to Canada, Chimo! Immediately after crossing the border Chimo paused to pose beside the welcome sign to his fair province.


However, no return to Canada would be complete without a Tim's run.


Welcome back to the True North Strong and Free, Chimo!

And thus concludes the (first) adventure of the Travelling Ookpik!
Chimo hopes you have enjoyed following along his epic road trip that took him over 7200 kilometres and through seven states! Chimo also thanks you for your comments and compliments (especially the email from Don Cherry- wink wink).

However, this is not the last you will hear from this little ookpik! Surely there are more adventures in Chimo's future! Chimo will keep you posted, and hopes you will be there to follow along the next time he sets out on the open road!

As we say in Canada- thanks a lot, and chimo*!

* author's note: okay, I know saying "chimo" is a thing of the past, but if ookpiks can make a return, so can outdated Canadian expressions from the 60s! C'mon Canada, we can do it!

The Travelling Ookpik - Day Fourteen!

We are on day fourteen of the Travelling Ookpik- which means today was the second-to-last day of Chimo's journey! The day's drive was an adventure that took him from Twin Falls, Idaho, through a portion of the state of Oregon and all the way to Richland, Washington.


Before setting out on the open road, Chimo went to find the Shoshone falls (which the city of Twin Falls is named after). Chimo had to be held tightly for his photoshoot, because balancing on the icy railings above the falls ran too great a risk of him tumbling down into the water, and it's safe to say we'd never see our little ookpik again if that were to happen.


Getting back on the road, Chimo posed next to the 6000th kilometre of his road trip adventure!


Stopping for gas and fresh coffee, Chimo finally decided to sample some American candy bars.


Further down the road Chimo paused to contemplate the Big Blowout Sale on rifles and shotgun shells.


Also: a field of used military vehicles (and tanks!) for sale.


Later, on a slight detour (aka: he got a bit lost), Chimo drifted through Imbler- the grass seed capital of the world.


Instead of stopping for lunch, Chimo merely ate his way through entirely too much angel food cake and delicious California strawberries.


Somewhere in the indistinct (but very picturesque) area that might have been Oregon and might have been Washington, there were a lot of aged grain elevators that made Chimo feel like he was in an episode of Corner Gas.

Tomorrow Chimo will return to the great white north from whence he came (hopefully in time to watch the Canadian men's ice hockey semi-finals) and that will mark the end of the Travelling Ookpik's (first) adventure! Exciting times!