August 4, 2006 - Duncan, BC

We left home on Monday, so this is Day 5 on the road. We got off to a rocky start as the fanbelt on the air conditioner broke before we got out of the driveway. So much for the new part! It had been cool and a lot of rain up north so we were fine but Art was a little concerned what it would be like in interior BC. We were about 10 minutes out of town when I realized I had forgotten my sandals. I only had flip flops and for 2 weeks that wasn't going to cut it. I had only come west with those flip flops as I'd forgotten the rest of my shoes at home. I had to buy a pair of sandals when I got out here (Art says that was on purpose) so we turned around and went back. Art was afraid I'd have to buy another pair of shoes! So now we'd broken the golden rule of not turning around and going back once you are on the road. I don't think we've ever gone on a trip where didn't go back for something.

The drive from The Fort to Edmonton is pretty boring. There just isn't that much to see. It seemed like an awfully long drive and we had so far to go. It got hot. Art tried sticking the baby sun shield up on his window but it wouldn't stay. Manfred called us just outside of Edmonton, you remember him, Junkyard Dog #2, and he said he had another part for us if we could swing into Edmonton and pick it up. The part wasn't what cost us all the money, it was installation. We decided to keep going. After all, our parents didn't have air conditioning in their cars when we were kids travelling all over the place, we could do it too! We spent our first night at the Pembina Motor Inn in Entwistle, Alberta. A bit of fleabag motel but Josiah was getting tired so we had little choice. Threadbare face cloths and towels and I had to wipe away a thick film of dust from everything but the shower had great water pressure and lots of hot water. We watched Canadian Idol and then slept hard.

The next morning we got our first glimpse of the mountains from Hinton, Alberta. A distant shadow on the horizon but Hannah was excited. We looked for things to do and interesting places to stop along the way but mostly it was a lot of driving. The scenery has been beautiful! The landscape changes so much as you move through the mountains. We passed through Jasper National Park which was majestic mountains and lots of wildlife along the road. There always seemed to be a river running alongside of us. It was stunning, so much to take in. Just shortly after we got into the park we saw what looked like a moose swimming across a lake. It turned out to be a caribou. It was incredible to watch as he swam ashore and casually climbed the bank and began munching away. He soon drew a pretty big crowd though and things got dangerous. A car load of Asian tourists stopped and one woman began making her way down the embankment toward the animal to get her picture taken with it. Some guy yelled at her to stop because she didn't seem to be aware of the danger. Very large antlers!! Between that and the people stopping suddenly to take pictures it felt like someone was going to get hurt so we got back in the van and moved on. We spent our second night somewhere in the Rocky Mountains across from a heli skiing resort. In the winter months they take people up into the mountains by helicopter, drop you off on virgin snow and you ski back down. Not being a skiier that just seemed dangerous and a lot of work to me but I'd say it is the creme de la creme of skiing. Art wanted to splurge for a room at the resort but I didn't see the point as it was late and we wouldn't be able to enjoy it anyway. We chose the place across the road which is where the staff who work at the resort stay in the winter. It was nice and very quiet. I could hear the train go by in the night though which is a nice sound echoing off the mountains.

As we passed out of the parks we moved more into farming country nestled in the valley of the mountains. It began to get very dry. It had been quite cool in the parks but it was getting hot, definitely summer weather now. We did a lot of driving but we stopped when the kids got restless and let them run around and blow off some steam. We pointed out everything we could to keep Josiah busy, he learned to sign 'cow' and 'horse' a lot and now instead of signing 'grampy' all the time he signs 'cow'. Maybe he has them mixed up. We stopped in Kamloops for lunch at an Irish pub, Kelly O'Bryan's, and then did some sightseeing. We did a little shopping, or should I say Hannah did a little shopping. It was hot, hot, hot and I dreaded getting back in the van but we kept the windows down for a bit and it wasn't so bad. It became desert-like, little green scrub brush trees everywhere growing in the driest of soil. Then on the other side of us there would be a deep green lake with a surface like glass. We saw huge fields of ginseng covered with black cloth. We spent our third night in a little town called Cache Creek. We found a great little motel with highspeed internet access and an outdoor heated pool. Hannah couldn't decided if she wanted to swim first or email Nanny. She opted for swimming and even Josiah got in and splashed about until he was shivering. It was after 6:00 but it was still quite warm so it was a nice way to cool down before bed. We ordered Chinese from across the street (no MSG) and had a delicious meal in our room. We emailed Nanny and then watched "Under the Tuscan Sun" before falling asleep.

On Day 4, we drove through barren dry mountains peppered with lush green pastures which were being watered by these elaborate mile long sprinker systems rotating on wheels around the fields and drawing water up from the river, or so we assumed. It was as if someone had painted these lush areas with a giant paintbrush on a dull canvas. We drove west from Cache Creek to Lillooet. It was some of the most beautiful countryside I have ever seen. Areas of dry brown grass for miles along roads winding through the mountains and then fertile green pastures, steep drop offs thousands of feet down. Spectacular views, we curved around hairpin turns that took us higher and higher into the mountains until Hannah said she felt like you could touch the clouds. This is reservation land, Xaxli'p First Nations, and that these people have lived on this land for thousands of years is definitely acknowledged by me. It's a very beautiful namesake. We stopped up there and took some pictures of the mountains and the river below and it felt like you were at the top of the world. We watched a train snaking around the tracks below us, barely clinging to the cliffs it seemed. Lillooet is a small town which appears to be built on the edge of a cliff overhanging the Fraser River. It is supposed to be the oldest town in BC and the first stop, or Mile 0, along the Cariboo Wagon road constructed in 1859. I pictured myself travelling by horse and wagon, covered or not, and I was grateful to be in our hot little van with the windows rolled down, wind blowing in my face. It's beautiful country out there but the elements are harsh. I can only imagine the frigid cold wind coming down off the mountains in the winter. As you leave Lillooet on the road to Whistler, the climb into the mountains is reminiscient of the Cabot Trail, dizzying heights and breathtaking views. The land becomes lush and fertile again and soon we were seeing snow capped peaks in the distance. Hannah had to pee and couldn't make it to the next town so we found a rest stop at a place I think was called Joffre Park. We were getting hungry but had a quick snack and hiked into the woods to a beautiful lake which was sitting in the middle of snow covered mountains. It was pretty busy so we traded favours with the other tourists and got some family pics with the mountains in the background. A short hike out again and we were hungry and on the road to Pemberton, a small resort town 25 minutes outside of Whistler. BC Hydro had the whole town shut down for some unknown reason though and we couldn't find a restaurant to serve us. The woman at the local PetroCan gave us a free rice krispy square and sent us on our way. 25 minutes later we were in Whistler, hungry and cranky. We quickly found parking and looked for a restaurant with a highchair. We spent a fortune on lunch and then passed a couple of hours at Whistler Kids. Everything seemed too dangerous for little ones in my opinion but Hannah was eager to have some fun. She wanted to bungee jump and although it looked like there were children her age being bounced to dangerous heights I refused to let her do it. Art didn't argue with me so I figured I wasn't over reacting on that one. There was a 'luge-like' ride that came down the side of the mountain that allowed kids her age accompanied by an adult so Art bought tickets for them while I went to find a restroom and a place to spend a small fortune on some tshirts. Hannah had a blast and was excited to drag me up the mountain next. Art had bought an extra ticket for $1 so after much reassurance that it wasn't scary she and I went next. I don't like 'rides' but they promised me it wasn't like that. We climbed on the sled and as it slowly pulled us up the mountain I kept thinking it couldn't be too bad because there were no seatbelts or headgear and they let parents take 4 year olds. Hannah kept telling me I wasn't supposed to touch the break while on the track which was like a gear shift in the middle of the sled, and when we got to the top the guy told me to make sure the brake was released all the way so I assumed she knew what she was talking about. Well...it took me until the second turn to actually process that the signs were saying to BREAK!!! on the turns. We were careening down the hill at bone shattering speed with me remembering the only words of instruction which were to 'lean into the turns'. I was terrified and must have been screaming because Hannah kept saying, "I've got you mama, I've got you, it's O.K." and laughing like a hyeena. I was shaking when I got off, I have no idea what kept me from flying off the sled and crashing head first into a tree, maybe just a sheer will to live. Everyone got a good tongue lashing and needless to say I no longer trust my family. Art says I have no sense of adventure. I beg to differ. I would love to go to China and walk along the Great Wall, or ride a camel into the desert to see the pyramids in Egypt and I've even dreamed of walking Il Campino in Spain but I have no desire to perform death defying stunts with or without protective gear!

We left Whistler and headed for Sqamish and more reasonably-priced accommodations. We found a hotel with a pool and a giant waterslide for Hannah. The next morning we were on the road to Horseshoebay and the ferry crossing to Nanaimo. We had to wait about an hour for the ferry which wasn't too bad considering it was a long weekend. The ferry crossing was just plain busy with Josiah wanting to run all over the place so it went by quickly. They had a playspace onboard for kids but those places are dangerous for toddlers and Josiah ended up with another bruise on his head. We had called Rick and April from Squamish and called them again when we got settled into a hotel in Duncan. They came in to our hotel for an hour last evening and tomorrow we will head out to their place for a visit and a swim at the lake.