Day started off beautifully. Got on the road my earliest, 8:30, because of long drive.
At Vermillion, Erde continued her trick of pretending to want to meet a new dog, but immediately went for the picnic table trying to get a better deal than she thinks she get. If she only knew the truth.
Vermillion was a wonderful Provincial Park. The kind of oasis you would want to find in a desert. Two lakes, great camp sites, and all the conveniences of home, more or less.
On the road, I don't have the interest i did over the lsst three trips of listening to music, with the exception of Rachmaninov's piano concerto number 2, Leben and Erde's music. I am doing a lot of thinking, though, something aided by the long stretches if beautiful highway.
I am amassing a lot of photos of Erde with her new dog friends. Often we take photos not to look at them later but because we think somehow the act of taking the photo burns it into our memories. There's probably some truth to that, though, since if we take a photo, we think the scene must be important, and we usually recall things that we have deemed important when we experience them. My guess us that Erde does not think these scenes important, just something dogs do.
Erde is beginning to show her old excitement at arriving at new camp sites and rest stops. I still findher moaning from time to time, but who can blame her? I am still "moaning" myself and she has more of a right to do so.
I wish the departments of transportation up here would post how far it is to the next gas station or rest stops. In places you can go more than 100 miles without any. My new rule, gas up at every opportunity. Fortunately, i have five extra gallons of gas on my roof rack and up here you can simply stop and pull over for a rest stop.
I needed the newly repaired AC today for Erde crossing the hot plains and prairies, but now it blows hot air after a while. My guess is that the Land Rover service guy either under or overcharged it with Freon. I will get the tech specs for it and have it repaired when i get to the lower 48. No big deal as Erde can move around to find the coolest spot in the Defender.
As I hit Edmonton, i decided to take 216, the periphery road, instead of 16 through Edmonton. Big mistake. As soon as i got on 216, road construction, and delays. Be advised that i told you in case you happen to wander up here yourself.
Leaves have already turned up here and fallen. It makes a long trip more colorful, literally.
The day turned ugly as we hit Edmonton, smog or haze of some sort.
As we hit Hinton, just before Jasper Park, i could not believe what i saw. In 2001, when Leben and Erde and i took the road, it was empty and Hinton was a sleepy town a mile in from the highway. Now it is a strip about a mike long thick with every kind of commercial outfit you could imagine, even a Walmart, which says it all. Is this progress?
4pm...hit the Rockies and Jasper Park. Wow. The 30-mile drive to the town of Jasper was worth the entire 3700-mile, 19-day drive here.
Arrived at camp at Whistlers at 5pm, promptly on target. Again, i admire my ability to plan and execute on these trips.
At the camp site, 1L, i am with all tenters. No RVs here. While everyone i meet, RVers, tenters, etc. are great, it is special to be among like-minded, or like-equipped, people. We all share something in common others do not, like the cold and rain. But i respect those who can enjoy the great outdoors anyway they can because i cannot imagine not wanting to enjoy it. Of course, the best way to really enjoy it is on backcountry backpacking trips, the memories of my own of which are burned deep into my mind and soul.
A light sprinkle was falling most of the time after i arrived, but we avoided the rain.
My next door neighbors are a lovely young couple from Winnipeg, Ian and Steph, who are taking a similar trek to mine, they for the first time.
I hope to include one photo that represents the day highlight of the day, if i can find one, i have so many.
Sorry, no time to edit this posting now.
For days 20-22, i will probably post a single combined posting for our stay at Jasper.
4pm, ah, the Rockies at last.
The little objects you see in the photo are not UFOs but spots on my windshield.
Ed and Erde, On The Road
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