6th August. Heavy Hearts and Open Roads

I have been wondering for days how to put into words what it meant to meet and spend some time with Penny.  I cannot.  She knows and I know.  She is one really strong and wonderful lady and I have really  been blessed to spend time with her.  Penny, It was SO difficult to leave on Saturday evening and then Sunday morning - I wanted to drive to your house for one last wave.....It was a very quiet and tearful drive for the first day after we left you.  You are riding with us, every mile of the way, my friend!  You and Michael are really wonderful people........ many thanks for a really good few days, I will always treasure them..and you.

 

So by the time the Sunday afternoon rolled around, I was totally exhausted.  I could hardly keep my eyes open and just wanted the day to end.  Leaving Penny had been very difficult and I heard that another CML'er had lost the battle...very sad.    We tried to cheer up by eating McVites Digestive biscuits with chocolate covering - they were good.  Then we tried some other candies, some chips and some biltong.  I REALLY needed to lie down after all of that!  There are many 'turn-outs' along the road here - these are places that are mostly wonderfully level and normally have the most wonderful views around, or are at least well off the road.  We pulled off into many of these with the camera ready and clicking.  One lady passed us on the road and when she was faced with the humongous rv coming towards her, or us next to her - she opted to try and push us off the road.. we obliged and kissed the gravel unt il she had passed, very thankful that that stretch of road had a little bit extra on the side.  Its never quiet in the rv - there is a lot of noise that happens each bump in the road - and there are many of them!  The cutlery jumps around the cups and mugs and plates joustle together and anything else that can move, does - with as much noise as possible.  When we stop for the day - we both tend to just sit for a minute and savor the silence.  And these are not even bad roads yet!  Yesterday evening I let Frank deal with opening the fridge and cupboards first.... quite a time he had too with everything jumping out at him.  Slowly we are managing to get things settled, but there is always a renegade can of peas or something.

 

We did not stop at Dawson Creek this time again - saw the official start of the Alcan Highway and took photos as we passed by - we stopped and took those photos last time we came up this way.  There are the most glorious hills around.  We head up these hills with the motor screaming at full tilt at times only to start downhill way too soon.  I get the 'heebie geebies' going downhill fast.  This is when the floor carpet on the passenger side of the rv gets worn thinner where the spare brake pedal should be!  Now I have learned to look at the view and not try to hold my breath for the whole downhill stretch.  So far, this way works much better.

 

Driving down the Alcan Highway is really really pretty.  The flowers on the side of the road are pink, red, white, blue, yellow and then a good few whispy dandelions sprinkled in - the colors change with the light and shadows and its an everchanging scene with towering mountains on all sides and the different shades of green are just glorious!  Sometimes the sun seems to pick out a particular spot and highlight it with an extra strong ray of light - I cannot resist trying to capture these sunspots on camera.  We saw a bear running across the road waaaaay in front of us - does that count? We have seen many young moose (meese?) and goat and bison.  Those bison stink, are ugly and seem to carry a serious attitude with them!  We treat them with plenty caution and give them all the space they need, gently nudging through the herd if they stay too long on the roads.

 

On Sunday night we stopped in a pull-off just south of Fort Nelson for the night - it was well off the road and already had another motorhome in it but was plenty big enough for a good few of us.  I was exhausted and headed straight for the bed, kicking off my socks as I went and was asleep before my head hit the pillow, not hearing a thing, until midnight. 

 

We had no cell phone signal from early on Sunday, so there has been no way to send emails or phone anyone.  I had forgotten about the 'black holes' up here where a cell signal is not something that is easily come by. I believe that we should be getting one again in Whitehorse and you will get a few 'catch-up' emails from there.

 

I am going to end this email and start a different one - much more to tell - and if I dont split them - they become waaaaay too long!

 

A really sincere Thank You to Penny and Michael
and love to you all
Annie and Frank
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