Goodnight from Klahanie Campsite in Squamish, British Columbia. Today, we toured a copper mine and ate poutine (fries with cheese curds and gravy). We went shopping for the next stretch of travel, during which there won’t be many grocery stores and the campgrounds won’t have hookups.
 
We took a nap and handed wrenches to Daryl as he made a few improvements to the bus. It’s lucky to have relatives who understand how to fix things. We said goodbye to Daryl and Maiko then made popcorn and watched a few episodes of Friday Night Lights. Just now, we went outside to take one last look at Howe Sound before.
 
In the morning, we’ll fill up the water tank and roll out. Tomorrow’s drive is long—six hours at least. We have nine days to cover 2,134 miles across BC and the Yukon en route to Anchorage.
 
I’d remain camped by these waters forever, but it time to roll on.  
 
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Last week’s visit to Columbia Elementary school in Wenatchee, Washington brought a swirl of emotions. It was our next-to-last school of the tour—and the only one where we had the fun of handing out the Build-A-Bear reading buddies in person.
 
We visited on a state testing day. Our host Roxana Vanatta and the admin team worked hard to fit everything in. We ended up having a free hour to eat potluck while chatting with teachers—each one a dedicated, hard-working hero.
 
The art teacher was fabulous. His students had done our drawing tutorials, and the walls were lined with wonderful bears and dogs, each bearing the unique personality of its creator.
 
We schemed with Roxana about how to stage the bear reveal for maximum excitement. We hid the boxes in the gym. At the end of our presentation, we thanked First Book and Build-A-Bear and announced every kid would be getting a reading buddy as the teachers handed them out. I wish you could have heard the gleeful shrieking.   
 
As has been the case in every school we’ve visited, it was the first new stuffed animal some of the kids had ever owned. They immediately named and dressed and hugged their bears with no plans of ever letting go.  
 
At the end of the day, we were out by the bus, not wanting the moment to end. It has been a privilege to stand in the middle of such joy—sharing our story and causing a purposeful stir.
 
A little girl came up to us and asked us to sign her bear’s shirt. We did, and it caused an avalanche. Parents arrived to pick up their kids and got swept up in the excitement, taking photos and requesting autographs. The dogs absorbed hundreds of delirious hugs.
 
It was hard to drive away, but every day must end. We prolonged the joy a bit by going out for ice cream with Roxana and her sons. We thanked her for her hard work and patience (19 months (!!) had passed since she’d learned Columbia was chosen for the tour).
 
Then we got back in the bus and kept driving, wondering what we’d left behind. Can a single day of books, bears, laughter, and love create a lasting difference? Will our bus keep on rolling in their memories? We saw the sparks. Where will they land?
 
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Good night from Squamish, British Columbia, where we’re parked in a gorgeous campsite overlooking Howe Sound.
 
We started the day by continuing our tour of in Vancouver. First, we visited the garage Daryl rents for his woodworking projects. He has all manner of alluring tools, including a belt saw and a combination plane.
 
Then we went to tour his office. Daryl is a mechanical engineer with Zaber, a company that designs and manufactures high-precision actuators. Daryl walked us through the various departments—from firmware development to circuit design to fabrication and machining. My favorite stop on the tour was the long-term testing room, where the products Zaber sells are being tested 24/7 to get a sense of their longevity for the sake of troubleshooting.
 
Engineering is a fascinating discipline for which I lack the required skills. But I have so much respect (and gratitude) for the people who do it. Without them, the world would not run smoothly.
 
Then we drove north about an hour and a half to Squamish, a town surrounded by mountains and the waters of Howe Sound. Along the way we stopped to get some poutine—Fries and cheese curds doused in brown gravy. It was, in a word, sublime.
 
Tonight’s campsite has the best view of any we’ve stayed in this year—surrounded by trees and overlooking the water. I put a lasagna in the oven then took a nap while it baked.
 
After dinner, we rode the Sea to Sky gondola up a very tall mountain. At the top, we braved a suspension bridge and got some photos as the sun set. On the way back to our campsite, we stopped to view the stunning Shannon Falls, a preposterously tall cascade of water that is now officially my favorite waterfall.
 
Squamish is a gorgeous spot. There are three ski mountains nearby if you’re into that sort of thing. I used to be, long ago, but then one year on Christmas Eve I crashed into a tree while skiing and my poor mom had to come to the hospital to pick me up. In the process, she forgot about the turkey in the oven, which burned to a crisp. I don’t feel the need to ski anymore.
 
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Many thanks to journalist MeiMei Fox and Forbes for this article that beautifully lays out our mission and partnerships, fills in our backstory and creative philosophy, provides advice to those considering creative careers, and gives much-deserved shout-outs to our friends at Havasupai School, Kipapa School, and North Pike Elementary.
 
As we approach the finish line, it’s fun to look back at where we’ve been—and imagine the adventures ahead. This article provides the perfect lens.  
 
Find the link in our Instagram bio.
 
Please share with anyone you think might be interested in our tour!

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Goodnight from Vancouver, British Columbia, where we spent our day exploring with Robbi’s sister Maiko.
 
We started the day by frantically answering many emails. We’ll be losing our internet soon and suddenly remembered all sorts of business we must complete before hitting the Yukon.
 
Once we’d answered enough (but not all) of the emails, Maiko and her husband Daryl drove us to the University of British Columbia, where they met each other playing roller hockey in a “parkade”—the Canadian term for “parking garage”—many years ago.  
 
Our first stop on the UBC campus was the lovely Japanese gardens where Maiko spent plenty of time as a graduate student in Asian studies. The gardens have a stunning tea house where Maiko occasionally does public demonstrations and brings her student for lessons.
 
After that, we strolled the long, central vein of the UBC campus. Apparently, it’s been featured in quite a few movies. As we walked, Maiko and Darryl pointed things out and told stories. It’s clear how much the place means to them.
 
Then we drove down to Granville Island, a huge outdoor market under the highway, where we got lunch and tried our hardest to not buy a hammock hand-woven by weavers in the Yukatan. But the two guys who work at Hamuhk were so friendly and the story of the hammock so compelling that we might have bought one even if it hadn’t been so comfortable. Which is to say, we utterly failed to not buy the hammock while accepting that failure is often part of life.
 
After shopping, we headed to SaBi Tea Arts, a business Maiko started to teach traditional Japanese tea ceremony. We knealt on tatami mats in Maiko’s tea room while first she, then Alden, carefully prepared and served us tea. Tea ceremony is an ancient and venerated artform in Japan—its rituals and traditions dating back to samurai times. Case in point—you must crouch when entering a tea room, putting yours in a highly vulnerable position, ensuring you don’t have tea with someone you don’t trust.
 
Each of the kids had a chance to try making tea. I’m happy to report, we all survived.
 
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Good night from Vancouver, British Columbia, which I can finally check off my bucket list.
 
We started the day on Saltspring Island. After breakfast, we packed up  and drove a bit and took a hike through a lush green forest to the sea.
 
Trees are my happy place, my sanctuary, my point of return. I took so many photos of trees today, and I’m tempted to post them all, but there are other parts of the day to share with you as well. For example, the low cliff by the water where we scrambled on the rocks and found purple starfish.
 
Also, the cheese shop where we admired the goats and learned how soft cheese gets made. Basically, it’s lovingly spoiled to the point of deliciousness. That’s a simplification, perhaps, but not much of one. We bought some beautiful cheese then drove to town and ate some fish and chips. And then we boarded the ferry to Vancouver.
 
It was our fourth ferry in as many days. This one stopped several times along the way, at various Gulf islands. It was fun to watch from the top deck as the ferry docked and cars and pedestrians and bicycles streamed in and out.
 
Because of all the stops, we got to stand and watch the world go by for several hours. It was all water and wind and sunshine and pine trees. It was wonderful.
 
Then we landed in Tswassen and drove to a Chinese restaurant in Richmond, a suburb of Vancouver. It had huge tanks full of crabs, fish, and lobster in the lobby. The food was amazing—salt squid, chow fun, sauteed pea shoots, and sweet and sour pork.
 
I was dismayed to discover I’ve been using chop sticks incorrectly for years. Robbi and her sister Maiko shook their heads and gave me some pointers. My children mocked me with no mercy.
I managed to get my meal down.
 
Now we’re parked in the lot behind the building where Maiko works. She teaches Japanese tea ceremony and created an exquisite tea house where she conducts her lessons and demonstrations.
 
For now, we must sleep. Tomorrow promises such adventures as showers, laundry, and a driving tour of Vancouver. Some of these things will be photographed for your enjoyment. Others will not.
 
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Our day at McKinley Elementary in Beaverton, Oregon was special in so many ways. It was the day of the end-of-year Fun Run, which meant kids arriving at our assemblies sweaty and excited. It meant Dumbles and Goji got twice as many pets as usual as kids crossed the finish line and rushed over to the bus, which was parked right next to the playground.
 
Halfway through our group lunch, two kindergartners came in to show us the books they’d made. During our assembly, we’d told them they had everything they needed to be authors and illustrators—hearts and minds full of experience and wonder. They’d rushed back to class and gotten to work. The result? Book of Love and I See a Bird. Sometimes, all it takes is a nudge.  
 
The kids were full of great ideas for a better world. Henry wants to get rid of inflation. Helen opined that, “I don’t want robots.” Amen, Helen. Dusty’s idea might have been my favorite: “Make cats have wings with tape and paper.” What a lovely sequence of syllables. She’s a writer, for sure.  
 
I can’t say enough about our host, Jessica O’Donel. The day ran like clockwork in spite of the joyful chaos of the Fun Run. All day, Jessica’s fellow educators kept telling us how hard she works, how much she cares, and how vital she is to the McKinley community. We feel so lucky to have had a chance to work with her.  
 
A few days after our visit, the students’ Build-A-Bears arrived. Jessica made use of the unopened cartons to teach math concepts. This is what outstanding educators do—take advantage of every opportunity for learning, enrichment, and fun.
 
A few of our Portland friends were surprised to learn we were visiting a school in Beaverton, which is often thought of as an affluent community. But McKinley serves a less fortunate subset of Beaverton families.
 
This is one of the points we hope to make with the tour. Appearances and assumptions can belie important realties. Need often exists where you’d least expect it—unseen and overlooked.
 
We all must try a bit harder to find the hardship and address it. We’re so grateful to Jessica and her colleagues for doing so every single day.
 
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Good night from Ruckle Provincial Park in Saltspring Island, Canada, where I’m rapidly adjusting to the metric system.
 
This morning, we said goodbye to the lush green paradise of Sol Duc and retraced our steps to Port Angeles, where we boarded a ferry to Victoria. The day was windy and the ocean was rough. Some of us sat, green-faced and miserable as the rest of us marveled at the beauty of the passage.
 
As the ferry neared the shore and we were climbing back into the bus, a fellow passenger flagged us down and told us her son loves Everywhere, Wonder so much he renewed it four times from their local library. She recognized our names from the back of the bus and wanted to say hi. We gave her a signed copy for her son then rolled off the boat into Canada.
 
Our customs agent was great. He carefully interviewed us to make sure we had no alcohol, firearms, or apples on board. We had spent the morning preemptively plowing through our apple supply, so we were good to go.
 
We drove through Victoria to the port for our second ferry of the day, which took us to Saltspring Island. This trip was shorter and much calmer. The boat was smaller and had an open deck. We climbed to the observation platform and watched as the ferry weaved through the gulf islands.
 
Once we landed, we bought a few things from the tiny grocery store and drove across the island to Ruckle Provincial Park. We had spaghetti and garlic bread for dinner then walked over to the tent sites where Robbi’s sister Maiko and her husband Daryl are camping on the edge of a lake.
 
We explored the tidepools and found more anemones—plus barnacles, mussels, and tiny black crabs. The barnacles were open and feeding, their filament arms flailing longingly in search of something to nibble.
 
We walked by the lake until the sun ran out of steam. Now we’re back in the bus, tucked into our sleeping bags, preparing to dream.
 
Tomorrow afternoon we head to Vancouver, where Maiko and Daryl live. We’ve been meaning to visit forever and finally have the perfect excuse. One more ferry lies ahead. But first, we must sleep.
 
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Good night from Sol Duc campground in Olympic National Park.
 
It’s been a lovely few days in a stunning part of the country.
 
Monday, we said goodbye to our friends John and Berdi and drove southwest to Coupeville, where we boarded a ferry to Port Townsend. If you’ve never taken your vehicle on a ferry, it’s surprisingly straightforward.
 
You wait in long rows of cars, and when the time comes, they open up one end of the ship and a person methodically fills the ferry, drawing vehicles from each row like a kid choosing candy from a series of bins. Distributing weight perhaps?
 
Once the bus was parked and the short voyage began, we climbed to the observation deck and enjoyed the winds blowing off Puget Sound. We talked with a former school librarian who’d seen our bus and had lots of questions.
 
In Port Townsend, we met up with Cindy and Susan Brittian, old friends who used to live in Chestertown. We got hugs, signed books, and received a marionberry pie. Our visit was too short, but we had several hours to go.
 
We drove through deep green forests, past Sequim and Port Angeles, until we came to Olympic National Park, where we drove along the banks of Crescent Lake.  
 
Eventually, we left the lake and plunged into deep forest, driving until we came to Sol Duc campground. There, we were greeted by Robbi’s sister Maiko and her husband Daryl, with whom we’ll be camping and traveling for the next few days. We cooked bratwurst and steamed veggies over the campfire. I went to bed early.
 
Today we did some bus maintenance. Daryl is extremely handy, so removed our leaky wiper fluid container and patched it with Flex Seal (fingers crossed). Jasper and I painted a replacement cap for our awning.
 
We hiked through the woods to Sol Duc Falls. The falls were spectacular but they couldn’t compete with the forest of towering, ancient-seeming trees, their branches coated with moss. It feels like something out of a fantasy epic, too gorgeous to be real.
 
Tomorrow, we catch a ferry to Victoria Canada. In order to get to our final state, we must leave the country for a few weeks.
 
I finally get to say Yukon ho.
 
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