The Cassiar Highway took us through Meziadan Crossing into Smithers - this road is filled with 'shimmering trees' beautiful colors, unreal green ponds, lakes and absolutely awesome mountains. The yellows were especially stunning, at times only a few leaves on a tree being a brilliant yellow and other trees were an enormous splash of the most incredible shimmering yellow screaming for attention........ the camera clicked away happily. We pulled into Smithers with plenty time to spare and took the opportunity to get most of the mud off the Skilpads. It was good to see all the colors on the RV appearing again and the bakkie turned from gray-brown to white again. Once in the campground, we spent most of the time passing the time till Wendy left - funny how goodbyes are - they either come too soon, or take too long to get there. And then thats too soon again.
From Smithers, BC, down south was very different from the roads to the north. We had lost the wild and open views and vistas and were now caught in increasing traffic and there were unending spiderwebs of power and telephone lines everywhere. Before now, the trees had stolen many good photographs, now it was the powerlines. Even editing cannot always get rid of those lines. Now there were mostly farmlands, cattle, lamas and even Alpaca farms along the way. A few good lakes and ponds sprung up and the camera jumped again. There are an astounding number of acres of pine trees that have been decimated by the pine beetle. Everywhere the hills looked brown and the lumber yards bulging at the seams with harvested trees. This is very obviously an enormous problem up here and very sad too. I had to think though, that without all the trees in the way, one would be able to see the lakes better!
We did one of our many many gas stops along the way and a gentleman who was having a yard sale nearby ambled across to talk to us, slowly reading the rv while he dug into his pocket and put $5 into the collection jar. The next night when we stayed in the rest stop, another gentleman walked up and handed us two pennies before he went off to get all the cans out of the dumpsters..........he had read the PenniesforCancer.com sign on the rv and was apologetic that that was all he had on him! This is what its all about - people caring and giving what they can - and its really very touching and lovely when someone does this.
At around Quisnell, BC the traffic really picked up. We were both a bit shocked at how quickly that had happened, and it was a quiet ride for most of the day while we got used to being passed by vehicles of all shapes and sizes - mostly screaming along at a much higher speed than I was comfortable with, sometimes passing in the most dangerous of situations. More cars honked their horns and waved at us - giving the thumbs up sign as they raced by.
We ate the grapes and fruit that we had, aware that at the border coming back into the USA they would probably confiscate all fresh fruit and veges. I was hoping to keep my biltong (jerky). We passed through 100 Mile House, heading south and everything was a most beautiful green with sprinklers thowing water through the sunshine creating incredible multicolored sparkles in the air. It was really lovely. Then into Cache Creek where the hills turned barren and brown with little knobbly round brush-bushes and the taller trees grew in sparse little bundles in the oddest of places. The river rushed through the gorge with its white water swirling around rocks, creating eddies that went on forever. There were a million clicks of the camera as I wound its strap firmly around my arm and leaned way out of the window to get the best views and photos that I could. There were about 15 rafters bobbing downstream, all with different color lifejackets on and paddles paddling like mad to keep them straight in line for the exciting parts of whitewaters rushing up at them. We stopped to watch them for a while and through the camera lens, they looked like colorful toothy smiles bouncing along this incredibly beautiful river. Strange description, but I keep going back to it. The road we were traveling on was listed at the Gold Rush Trail and had many interesting stop offs along the way, goodly climbs up many hills, and screaming downhills with very low barriers. Just my type of road - not! I found that by leaning into the views with the camera to my eye, I could save a bit of the carpet where the brake pedal should be on my side............. more relaxing for Frank too.
We got to the border at 5.15pm on Sunday evening. It was a sad moment in many ways, but also exciting as we still have so much time ahead of us. I mentally kissed the rest of the fruit and veges and biltong goodbye as we pulled up to the window. He SMILED at us! This is really a big deal for me. For almost 13 years I battled the immigration department of the USA and it was truely sad to see how few had any sense of humor at all - now this man smiled. What a wonderful moment. He looked at the RV, asked us about it, took the card I gave him telling about the trip and he wished us a good day........... we got to keep the fruit and veges! Good day. A really good day.
And we then drove the tiny, winding little side roads for miles before hitting the Interstate 5 south; found a campground and ended the day with a good nights rest.
Monday rolled around and we headed further south, closer to Seattle and Debbie. It was so good to see her again after meeting in Fairbanks. Strange how things worked out so well. Frank and I went for dinner with them - what a wonderful family. Deb and Tom's girls, Laura and Sarah, are beautiful! We felt so at home there and a wonderful evening passed way too quickly. Debs had called the local newspaper and Julie was going to interview us all the next day, Tuesday. That worked wonderfully and the article will be in the Herald in Seattle on Sunday. Laura was wonderful at the interview - she really is a lovely young lady in personality and looks too. It has been so important to me to have someone that is in the same position as I am. This said with all due respect to Frank and the many others that I know care tremendously, but Debbie and I are both moms with relatively young kids fighting this cancer. Her friendship, understanding and support is simply priceless. Thanks Debs.
We did not do much of anything on Tuesday as it rained. Tom and Debbie came around to us for the evening and on Wednesday morning we headed south to face that aweful Seattle traffic. When I am nervous, my palms sweat - quite normal, I believe. But my feet sweat too! And we both get very quiet while I look for stuff to photograph while sucking in my breath, not always quietly, as the trucks come within inches of us. Last trips we faced broken tires almost every 4 days - this time the rain. I have to admit that I prefer the rain, even if it always seems to happen when there is a lot of traffic around. We survived the Seattle traffic, are now parked at a rest stop along the Interstate 5 and will go into the campground tomorrow. We will use this camp as a base to explore other places while we wait for Steven and Laura to arrive on the 6th Sept for his appointment with Dr Druker the next day. Then we take them to the coast for two days before they fly back home again.
Last, but definately not least in any way at all. We received a wonderful email from a friend and customer of ours from Tennessee, pledging 2c per mile we travel on this trip! This is f-a-n-t-a-s-t-i-c......... Thank you Tom! Our aim is to do 15 000 miles and we are already at the halfway mark. Tom G, I promise we won't do 30 000 miles as I joked in my email! If anyone knows of someone, or a business that wants to pledge per mile, equal Tom's pledge or even better it - let me know. Again, ALL monies collected will go to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
Thanks for everyone for riding with us, thanks for the emails and your stories too - I love reading them all...
Love and Light Especially to U3 Annie & Frank XXXxxxxx ps. New photos posted to website.
www.RoadrunnersUSA.com www.livingwithcml.blogspot.com www.PenniesforCancer.com
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