As expected, the crack of dawn occurs later out West, today, it was almost 10 am!
Driving past Big Rock, I found my way to highway #22 and headed South. Driving along the foothills when it's not snowing is a lot of fun: the views are generous, the mountains ever changing, and the traffic is from light to non-existent. Today was such a day: sunny, high-twenties Celsius, just glorious. Most of the snow had melted off the mountain-tops a few days ago, but they were still most dramatic.
There weren't many cattle along the foothills but the few I noticed had lots of room to roam; quite nice actually. I'd hate to have to round them up!
The fields were much drier than in Okotoks, just an hour or so away. This field was just peppered with these huge bales, seemingly all the way to the actual mountains.
As I drove South, I decided to go through the Crownest Pass, one of the oldest ways of crossing the Rocky Mountains. I'd never been that way before, so there was no better time to do it. The roads are so good that you're hardly aware of crossing mountain ranges; it all went extremely smoothly. There are quite a few villages along the pass, mostly remnants of old mining towns. I stopped for lunch in Sparwood, a small mining town still busy digging coal. Thought the grandkids would get a kick seeing what is billed as the worlds biggest truck! Maybe at some point in time it was, but I suspect the 200 ton specials in Fort McMurray are bigger. At any rate, can you see the guy near the front? His head lines up with the center of the front wheel. That's big!
I then drove on to Creston BC and crossed over into the USA at a little used border crossing. It's even closed from late evening until 7 am! The single [visible] border guard asked the usual questions then asked why I had chosen that particular crossing since it really wasn't on a very direct route to Palouse. I stumbled a bit and said I was taking the scenic route. He agreed that I'd see some pretty awesome scenery and so far he's ben right. I ended up retracing my steps a bit in search of a motel for the night. First of all, nigh happened quickly; it was dark by 7:30 mountain time. The hotel I found was a Casino [in Idaho] that had one suite left [$400 / night]. Ema gave me two choices within 20 miles; the first was now a bar of questionable repute, the second was sleezy but already full, so I drove back northward until I got to Coeur d"Alene in Idaho. I was already halfway to Palouse and drove back most of the way North, but in the neighbour state! Tomorrow should be interesting...
I'm sure some of you might be wondering how the car turned out. Here's a close-up of the rear deck. Note that the car is now essentially two-toned, with a sunset-over-water design on the trunk. The darker colour is offset by a thin blue line along the length of the car. Those with sharp eyes will note the word 'Soleil' behind the gas cap, just above the beginning of the tail light, and those with extreme vision might make out the three symbols above the license plate.... ... or maybe not.
The whole package is done in vinyl and looks really sharp. Nick was the guy that foot the bill and made the time available, his cohort in crime, Mark Larsen, designed and installed the project. All manner of frustrations were overcome and the final look is great! It really changes the look of the car. I also have horse decals for Joan's car...
Thanks Mark and Nick, you make a very good team!
Ok, I'll reveal all: the three symbols are the Landscape, Macro, and Portrait photographic symbols. How cool is that?
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