Day 44 - Salmon Arm, BC to HInton, AB

Days on the road: 44.
Miles today: 369.
Miles to date: 9139.

My oh my. Day 44 was filled with automotive adventure, animal encounters, and the Rocky Mountains.

It started off rather early and a little mundane as I had to do some laundry at the gas station in Salmon Arm. That's right. Laundry at the gas station. Stay classy, Salmon Arm:


And a word of advice for all you future road-trippers out there. Do not stay at the Best Western when visiting wild and exotic Salmon Arm, BC. It is rather close to the train tracks. Noise wasn't the issue, but my bed swayed in a most disconcerting way as the trains passed. I thought it was an earthquake at first. Not pleasant.

Once laundered, folded, and rammed into the trunk of the little blue Audi, I set to navigating a short cut that would prove most adventuresome. I skirted by a glass smooth Shuswap Lake (I find it very difficult to pronounce once yet alone 3 times quickly), and having not noticed the broken lines marking the shortcut on my map, elected to take some back roads near Adams Lake. A turn or three later, and the little blue Audi was suddenly on a rough but passable logging road. Logging truck drivers are friendly and enjoy waving at oncoming traffic. As the road wound up the West side of Adams Lake, I came upon the mill to which all those trucks were headed to (tres Beachcomber-esque, n'est pas???):


After about 20 miles, I was back on paved roads and headed through a picturesque valley filled with happy cows grazing away in peace near crystal clear lakes:




On the way to and once in Jasper, the drive turned into Matthew of Omaha's Wild Kingdom:

Tasty, free range deer snacking peacefully by the side of the road:


A family of steaky-goodness:



A Gaggle of Meese:


Some happy little Bighorn sheep:




And Jasper means the Rockies, so here's a shot of Mt. Robson:

Day 43 - Vancouver to Chilliwack to Penticton to Vernon to Salmon Arm, BC

Days on the road: 43.
Miles today: 391.
Miles to date: 8770.



What?!?!?! Rain??? In Vancouver??? Ugh. Tuesday morning brought a Vancouver drizzle to the start of my day. Fortunately, I was well-rested and heading away from slacker city. As I came into Chilliwack, the rains ceased low clouds lifted some. I finally got to see some mountains!!! And of course, they were spectacular and energizing. It was a good boost to my mood and I got some good shots as well.



And then my climb up to the Okanagan Valley began. Fortunately the 110 km/h speed limit seemed nothing more than a suggestion as BC plated vehicles zoomed past me. By the way, Canadian drivers excel at lane changing, signaling, merging, and overtaking. It made the drive a pleasure.



The Okanagan Valley is an idyllic place of and has a multitude of uses - vineyards and wineries, fruit framing, lumber, recreation, and a whack-load of coffee shops. I lucked in and got an email from a former business associate prior to heading North of Peachland and was able to re-direct to Penticton to meet him for a coffee and to catch up.

The my day took me from the bottom of the valley to the top and the temperatures were in the high 60's/low 70's which meant the top was down and my mood was up. The next few days should be exciting but tiring as there are many miles to cover.