Woke up at 0630 which was really 0730 and these time changes are annoying. Checked out, put petrol in the car and set off for Vancouver. There were 2 routes, one direct and one scenic which added an hour onto the journey but we had plenty of time so chose the scenic.
Once again, it was beautiful. The sun was shining, the temperature about 20, and we followed the Fraser River. Sometimes it was just along side, other times we were high above it. We drove along the valley, snow capped mountains off in the distance, sheer rocky cliffs one side of the road, the river on the other and hills beside the river.
We stopped a few times to take photos, and sat by the river and had a drink, very tranquil.
Carried on, still through amazing scenery, green hills all around covered in pine trees. At one stage we saw the Rocky Mountaineer train, and still thought we’d made the right decision to drive – we could stop when we wanted, and went to Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper, Kamloops and Vancouver – the train has 2 separate routes and doesn’t visit these places in one trip.
Stopped at a place called Hope about 2 hours outside Vancouver for lunch. Song had a caesar salad and I had fish and chips. Mine was huge, but Song helped by stealing some chips.
After a while the scenery changed from the spectacular to the mundane – and as we approached Vancouver the traffic started to build and the industrial area appeared. The last hour and a half was spent in heavy traffic, and a bit of a let down after all the amazing views of the last few days.
Dropped the car off and were picked up by a friend of Song’s who took us to her home, then we went for a walk along the beach, then for dinner – Chinese hot pot – and then on to the hotel where we collapsed after the long day.
Tomorrow we get on the cruise ship for 7 nights and sail around bits of Alaska. I’m not sure what the internet status is, so if the blog isn’t updated it means we don’t have the internet, or the boat has sunk.
