A Tribute to Chester and What He Taught Me About Travel

A guest post by Ryan

Chester had to be dragged and coerced into our car in the day we brought him home. Towards the end, we had to coerce him out.

Chester loved traveling more than I think Vanessa or I did. After the first day, he was always the first in the car, and every destination was an adventure. It didn't matter if it was a five minute drive for me to grab a coffee, or a 5,000 km round trip journey. Chester was game. For him, just like it is for me, the journey can be just as fun as the destination.

Together as a family, we have covered thousands upon thousands of kilometres in the car, ferried on lakes and oceans, climbed mountains, and have driven through valleys. In the broiling heat of summer, in the pounding rain, and in the frigid, cruel cold, Chester loved the road.

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He brought such joy with him where ever we traveled, an innocent and infectious optimism about everything. Whether it was pouncing on waves as they rolled into shore, discovering that just a few more minutes exploring a trail would bring something wonderful and new, or collapsing on his bed in the tent after a long day playing fetch in a campground, Chester was in his element when we were away from home.

Sadly, over the last few months, a brain tumor slowly robbed him of these simple joys and Chester could no longer run or pounce like he used to. 

I will miss my dog with every fiber of my being. He was, and is, loved. I'll try to remember the love he had for the simplest of pleasures on the road. And I'll take him with me on every journey for as long as I live. 

Rest well, Chester.

Under the apple tree at Seagull Pewter in Pugwash, Nova Scotia

Embracing Canadian single malt at Glenora Distillery

A successful ferry crossing from Portland, Maine to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia

There's nothing like a day at the beach!

Aaaannnndddd..... ATTACK! Another wave pounced, but none captured.

A tired boy hits the road, sand still on his nose.