I wrote this yesterday and this morning woke up to that amazing hanging mist again. It is cool…what a relief. I am told that the Island doesn’t have much in the way of internet or cell phone accessibility. I will be getting back here Thursday night fairly late…so you may not hear from me again til Friday or Sat. That is, if I make it on this ferry. Cross your fingers.
Evening August 1
It is amazing how soothing a day of driving can be. Uplifting and inspirational too. I left Smithers today after getting Vincent and oil change and check up. He checked up fine. Better than I would I think. We got on the road heading for Terrace and a couch surfing location. The quality of the light was amazing. Something about the mountains, the hot air, the blue sky and the sunshine. Things were almost white. There was a haze over everything and the leaves on the trees shone silver. It almost seemed like an altered space as I followed the road west.
Leaving Smithers
The road was excellent, fast and in good repair. The speed limit was 100 and in many places, I managed to quit rubbernecking long enough to actaully get up to speed. Of course there were many times that I pulled off for pictures too. The mountains became more rugged but the road seemed to maintain it’s ease. Out there you get a tremendous feeling of space. I saw very few other cars and not much to show that the land was inhabited except for the ribbon of pavement. There were a few small communities and in some areas a bit of farming or a few driveways but most of the time it seemed just like me and the sky.
The trans Canada. An old friend
I found myself wondering about the people who made this road, back before there were front end loaders and heavy equipment to help. It must have been grueling. It is easy to forget those workers when you are whizzing along at 100k but their stamp has changed the land forever. I guess historically the train track went in first but still.
When I got to Terrace, my contact was apologetic but, it was a long weekend. She had expected me Friday night (oh that is what happens when you lose a whole day) and she hoped i would be OK. I looked around and decided that I would see more of Terrace on the way back from Prince Rupert. I decided to try to catch the Sunday 11am ferry instead of the Monday 9pm. It is a 12 hour ride and I didn’t want to arrive at the literal crack of dawn. I was so intent on not spending any more camping money but there is an RV site just above the ferry terminal so I grabbed a spot.
Carved eagle at Terrace Info Centre
A good deal of the road from Terrace to Prince Rupert follows the Skeena River. I had the water on one side of me and the railroad on the other. I kept waiting for a train but I was not on the right schedule. The river kept me entranced though. It seemed to be very high and moving an incredible speed. I wondered when I started to get close to Prince Rupert, if the tide was flowing in because all of a sudden it was very rough and almost seemed to be trying to flow the wrong way. I wished I had a local with me to tell me what I was seeing. There were many viewing points and they all seemed to be very busy with cars, trucks and campers. Something to do with the weekend? Fish? Something else? Who knows.
One of many hydro towers in the Skeena River
I am nervous about this whole enterprise. I want to see the Queen Charlottes and can’t leave without doing that but I will have to leave Vincent in an unprotected parking lot while I am gone and he will be guarding most of my stuff. I am only taking a very minimal amount. I hope some of you will join me in wrapping Vincent, Karma and the gang in a beautiful white light of protection so that he feels loved and safe while I am gone.
I think that I will be able to post some pictures from there. My host has a computer so…talk soon.
Recent Comments