Gabe- Master Driver of Dominica

Some may think it is pathetic over how excited I was to drive in a truck today. (It wasn't a transport!) It truly is the small things here that bring a smile to my face. Sam tried to prepare me the best he could about living here. Being away from all your comforts is hard. Not being able to drive in a car, whenever and where ever you want takes getting used to.

I was hanging out at the CAC today. Gabe walked in and announced that he rented a truck today to pick up a friend from the airport. We talked of going somewhere, anywhere. Jacki suggested we check out some cabins her parents may stay in. It was agreed- ROAD TRIP! (Note it is just one town over, but hey... WE GET TO GO RIDE IN A TRUCK!)

Analeah approves of this trip! (Note: We are still in the parking lot of the CAC. The engine wasn't even on at this point.)


Excited Jacki.


The Master of Driving in Dominica- Gabe!


On the way to our destination, we picked up Emily and drove her to the next town.


She was excited too! She was having to go to Portsmouth to catch a transport to Roseau (an hour away) for groceries. The cooler is a necessity to keep groceries cold between destinations.

Dominica is the opposite of Lubbock. Wikipedia has a quote Christopher Columbus used to describe the land- "he crumpled a piece of parchment roughly and threw it on the table. 'This', Columbus explained, 'is what Dominica looks like—completely covered with mountains with nary a flat spot.' " Now that you can picture the terrain, let me describe the roads. They are very narrow. Often times there are French gutters on the side- an open trench (you can drive off into and get stuck). There are a ton of potholes that don't ever get fixed (kinda like home in this way). Also, some are not paved. Oh! Let us remember to that you are driving on the opposite side as well. Gabe drove us up a huge hill to get to the cabins. It was extremely steep! I don't know if this translates well based on the picture I took....


After some struggles with the 4x4 shift thingy, we got to the cabins. They were absolutely gorgeous! The views stunning! Here are some views from the deck of the house (furthest up).



With the beautiful view, we had no choice... group shot!


Gabe, me, Analeah, and Jacki