Thursday, January 30, 2014

Over the Mountains and Back Again



It was a very short trip, made shorter by not getting off the ground due to fog, and then by cutting it short on the other end by a "need-to-attend-meeting." We flew into Calgary Monday night, drove to Red Deer the next morning, and visited with family. Tuesday was lovely - chilly, yes, but sunny, and the air is dry. We didn't feel any colder than on our damp island.


Things looked a little different the next morning as we headed south to Calgary, homeward bound once again. Slippery roads with light snow falling. We wondered what awaited us in the mountains.
 

Lovely views with bare, dry roads, that's what. For all of these photos I rolled down the window and stuck my camera out. The wind blew in and as Tim said, "it was refreshing."


We stopped for the night in a little town in a valley beside a lake. This morning (Thursday) we were on our way once again. I learned that if I want to take photos from the window of a car going 100 km per hour, it's best to focus on something ahead or behind me, not beside me. 
 

Up and over another mountain range - this time the snow was heavier, the roads not bare and dry. Treacherous beauty.
 

Down again over the mountain to below the snow line, clearly delineated here. A quick stop for soup at my parents' place in Chilliwack, then on to the ferry. Alas, the three o'clock ferry was full so we waited for the five o'clock one. Home again now, and thankful. 

The reason for our trip - we bought a new-to-us-vehicle in Alberta - one capable of towing the boat Tim found last spring. There will be more about that in the future.

Meanwhile, I want to catch up with what's been happening in your lives. I'm tucked up on the couch in my robe, planning to do nothing else for an hour but read blogs. 

23 comments:

  1. Beautiful photos.

    We were in Utah for a ski trip and had snow on the mountains, but did not drive through any blizzards. Your drive looks a little riskier than ours.

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  2. We just had a snow storm in a region where snow never happens. Our entire region has been paralyzed with ice and thousands of stranded motorist. And our scenery is nothing as beautiful as what you were able to enjoy. Well it's back to work today and im looking forward to it!!

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  3. Lorrie,
    love your photos ~ wish I could have been there with you. We did trips like that too a few times and it was amazing!
    Hugs,
    Karen B ~ Todolwen

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  4. A cosy day of reading sounds like such a treat! I'm glad to read that you are safely home.

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  5. And here I was longing for the beach, and you were sight seeing the mountain ranges....beautiful shots.

    Jen

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  6. Such variety in your country from the stark plains to the mountains to the island. Beautiful photos! I even liked the one of the disappearing tree...first thought it was smoke!

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  7. Welcome home. Your pictures, as always, are beautiful and I'm glad you had a safe drive.

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  8. Glad you made it home with a new vehicle! Judging by those road shots your new vehicle is snow worthy! Blessings...

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  9. Welcome home, also glad you made it safely through the travels.
    That first mountain shot was especially gorgeous. What beautiful
    country you live in.

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  10. It's odd that somehow I thought you were flying and your plane was delayed for the fog! The scenery is beautiful--even whizzing by!

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  11. Beautiful scenes of the prairie and the mountains! Wow. I can't wait to hit Canmore in February and see the mountains in winter. Of course, I'll see the prairie too. It's nice that you found a new vehicle to haul your boat. You'll have lots of great boating days to come. Enjoy your weekend.

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  12. You had me guessing about the nature of your trip. I knew you were flying out and then you had mentioned crossing the mountains by road on FB. Glad you made it safely home. Love the pictures, too.

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  13. You covered a lot of ground (and air) during your whirlwind trip, Lorrie.

    -Karen

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  14. What an exciting trip! I love the mountain views but I'd be so nervous driving on mountain roads filled with snow and ice. We often have the same here. It was nice you were able to visit with family while taking the trip to buy a new vehicle. It sounds like this summer will be full fun on the lake for your family!

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  15. What an exciting trip! I love the mountain views but I'd be so nervous driving on mountain roads filled with snow and ice. We often have the same here. It was nice you were able to visit with family while taking the trip to buy a new vehicle. It sounds like this summer will be full fun on the lake for your family!

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  16. Welcome back - we ordered this sunshine just for your welcome home gift. We went to LaConner this afternoon - fabulous clouds - and lots of snow down on the mountains.

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  17. What a whirlwind trip! So suddenly it made sense why you were driving! I thought it was kind of funny that you bought a truck out there while friends of ours in Chilliwack had their son fly in from the Prairies to pick up a truck he bought in Chilliwack.
    Kind of like the two logging trucks that pass on the highway going in opposite directions...
    I always think of what a comedian had to say about that, "You HAD logs?

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  18. Anonymous6:29 AM

    Good Morning, Thanks for sharing these pretty pictures. Hope you enjoy the weekend.

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  19. Lovely trip with gorgeous scenery, despite frustrations due to that darned old winter weather!
    Glad you got back safely - look forward to seeing your boat come spring.

    Hugs - Mary

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  20. Beautiful! I'd be nervous of driving that, quite honestly, but sounds as if all went well and you got a hit of sunshine, if accompanied by frigid temperatures. . .

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  21. That scenic highway through the mountains is gorgeous! I would have been white knuckling it through the snowy parts, LOL. Thanks for sharing! I sure do miss the Canadian Rockies.

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  22. Soooo beautiful.

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  23. Makes a good photo though, it looks like a whirlwind!

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