Rain to SNOW

Saturday, May 30, 2009

.It was a long night. I’m not sure if it is sitting in the car for hours on end, or laying in bed longer than we are used to because there is nothing to do but go to bed. At any rate, the morning started off rough. We forged ahead, packed our gear into the car and had a little breakfast. We had to wait until 8:30 for the restaurant to open, but managed to be on the road by 9:00.

We had made a pact that we were going to put some miles on today. If things went the way we planned, we would make it to Dawson Creek, about 500 miles. We weren’t on the road for 30 minutes when we can across the one thing we hoped we would not encounter; snow. Yes, the steady drizzle had gone and turned itself into snow, then back to drizzle, and then back to snow. So it continued all the way to Fort Nelson and beyond. Boy, were we glad we didn’t buy all that camping equipment.

The sights between Laird Hotsprings and Fort Nelson consisted of rock, rivers, and ‘folded’ mountains. Muncho Lake was one exception. Even though it was partly frozen, the teal blue waters were enchanting. I fell in love with that color. The rest of the ride was uneventful and even a little despairing as the foliage of the trees has reverted back to nothing but buds. The only thing more I could take was a nap. So I tried while Rick weaved around the winding road.

At 1:00, we arrived at Fort Nelson. It was a bigger town with everything one would need. We stopped at the local IGA for supplies, gassed up, and found a parking lot to have a picnic in the car. Then we headed out for Dawson Creek, 283 miles further down the road. Gradually the rain increased from a drizzle to an all out rain. Again, I am glad we are not camping.