On Canada Day I did absolutely nothing. Didn’t see fireworks. Didn’t have pancake breakfasts. It was wonderful.
The previous day I did do a lot of something; I drove from Vancouver back to Alberta. I had barely driven my car in the last nine months, never needing to fill it up with gas, and suddenly I do a road trip where I need to fill it up twice. I did a half day at work and then began driving at around noon.
I started out nervous as I was worried I wouldn’t have enough gas to get out of Vancouver proper and to where gas is cheaper (they have some added gas tax in the city.) But I got to Abbotsford successfully and my stress dropped.
I knew I would be having a difficult drive with the long weekend traffic, but I forgot about how bad Vancouver drivers are at driving. They have a great mass-transit system and wonderful bike trails, so they never have any experience when they actually have to get behind the wheel of a vehicle. This was never more evident than on the road to Hope.
It took about three hours to get the 153 km there. I kept getting stopped in traffic jams. And every time, the road was completely clear. Usually there was a single car, pulled off to the side, representing the initial cause of the jam, and fast movement afterwards. I’m guessing that a car not moving scares the Vancouver people and they slow down in panic.
The last jam had a camper trailer upside down on the side of the road. That didn’t look healthy, but there were people removing furniture from the inside, so I guess no one got hurt. But after the long jam that led to it, there was clear sailing for the rest of the trip.
I was able to get all the way to Revelstoke before I stopped. I have a mixed relationship with that town. I know, from experience, that it has the highest gas prices on the route, but it is also conveniently located for stopping for a meal and gas.
The rest of the way to Priddis was without incident, except that my iPhone ran out of power and I couldn’t listen to my stories anymore. That also causes additional worry; I know the route to drive, but if you are unsure there is no way to check. Do you think I have a paper map in my car anymore?