Posted Sept 3 from Williams Lake Visitor Center
Today I drove another 610 km and treated myself by staying in a private campground so I could take a hot shower. Vincent and I are parked on the shores of 10 mile lake just outside of Quesnel and we are enjoying listening to the lapping of the lake just a few meters from our tires. A few minutes ago I took a picture of ducks sleeping on the shore. Nice spot.
Campsite buddies
This morning we left our campground in the sunshine. By the time we reached Fort St. John it was over cast and when I left Austin at the road side in Dawson Creek it was pouring rain. I felt bad for him but maybe someone picked him up because they hated to see the rain steaming off of him. I missed him when I started driving again. He was very soft spoken but was nice company.
I crossed over the mighty Peace River in Taylor on the way to Dawson Creek. I have had a thing for the Peace River and Peace River Valley ever since I was a kid and drove through it on my way to Yellowknife. The mere mention of the words can make my heart fibrillates in a way that can’t be good to ignore. It felt like an impulse I should follow…but not today. Next year.
Chetwynd dragon (Chetwynd calls itself the chain saw carving capital and the carvings line the street. This one caught my eye)
Names are great aren’t they. I passed over a stream called Wildmare Creek. Next to it was the Wildmare resort and I wondered how a name like that would come about. There is probably a great story there.
I drove in the rain hoping that Vincent would enjoy the shower and watching the clouds doing a revealing dance around the shoulders of the low mountains. The sun was finally making an attempt to break out when I stopped for lunch on a narrow winding road through the Pine Pass where the mountains started to really show themselves again. Now that I have reached “civilization” again the roads are too busy for me to stop in the middle and take pictures. The shoulders of the road are too narrow to stop and so I have mainly memories of the great views that I had today.
At lunch I could smell the damp earth and some fall flowers. The air was heavy and beautiful. By the time I got to Prince George it was hot and humid. The news says that many areas are still under fire alert. It still looks very dry even with the rain. The campsite is still under an absolute fire ban.
I had hoped to get to Williams Lake tonight but ran out of steam. It was dark just after 8 and I was glad that I had taken some time to sit in the sun by the lake instead of sitting in the car driving til after dark.
Pine Pass
Today, going through the Pine Pass I saw a mama black bear and her baby skitter across the road and leap a cement barricade in front of me. I stopped the car and pulled out my camera as they both turned and peeked back over the edge at me. They were too low for a chance at a good shot. Oh I longed to get out of the car and go over to their shiny black heads a scritch. I resisted the urge. Too bad. I can shut my eyes now though and see those eyes staring at me. Ahhh!
I talked to Fred tonight and he is really ready for me to be home. To be honest, I am ready to be there too. I need to rethink and begin to work on what next summer will look like. My son-in-law Dave has given me some intriguing suggestions and I can picture myself working hard all winter to make them happen. When I am clear about what I need I will open that up for a discussion and suggestions from you too.
I am wondering now if anything has changed. Will I arrive home to find that I am the same me who left in May or that I have cracked open parts of me that weren’t accessible before? What about those who care about me? Will they need to rework their ideas of who I am in order to fit the new me or will I simply fold convieniently back into the spaces I vacated. Hummmm? Lots to think about but probably not until Vincent’s front wheels hit the border of Ontario.
Enough about that? Rika tells me it is about a 10 hour drive from where I am to where she is in Vancouver. I will probably spend one more night on the road. The lady at the campsite here told me that she is already booked up tomorrow night because of the long weekend. If I can’t find a place to stay close to the big city, I may just do that 10 hour drive….ooo my poor cheeks.
Off to get a good night sleep. I will send this from Williams Lake in the morning. Talk soon.
Recent Comments