Mountains to Prairies

Sunday, December 22:  I haven’t been on a road trip for a long time. It started out in the dark. Only Vancouver’s street lights lighting the beginning of the trip. Traffic is light at 5 a.m. in the city and especially outside of the city. Most people are still asleep or just getting started. For the first couple of hours it was just quiet and dark. Quiet except for Stuart McLean telling us Christmas stories. There were three of us in the truck. A truck was packed tight for to be a long trip. I was one of the passengers. After the weather warnings, road closures and heavy snows of Friday and Saturday the morning was still and quiet. The sun not yet up so the level of cloud was uncertain. The most traffic we encountered was a semitrailer or two. Trying to get photos of the amazing snow covered trees was almost impossible. Once over the summit, coming down into the valleys toward Kamloops the sky began to lighten showing us the textures of hills and trees and layered with snow.

All the cautions we entertained and received to wait out the weather became very real. As we entered Jasper National Park, we were advised of a very tragic and horrendous traffic accident occurred several kilometres ahead, stopping traffic. Hundreds of us were stopped with several of us getting out of our vehicles. A thin layer of ice covered the highway. Brief chats ensued about what may have happened and how long we’d be stopped. Several travellers farther up the line of cars, ultimately turned their cars around to retrace some of their miles. After about 3 hours, traffic started to move slowly forward with other brief stops as vehicles from the other direction were let through. As we passed the scene of the accident, the devastation was brought into stark relief. Saddened by this accidental tragedy, we were also grateful for heeding all cautions, safety preparations and, ultimately, our own safety.

Christmas for some will never, ever be the same. The danger of the heavy snows is far too easily dismissed on our highways. The beauty of the mountains and snow covered trees surrounded us distracting us with its magnificence. 

Monday, December 23:  Last evening I visited with my sister Kate in St. Albert and at this writing, arriving in darkness, my son and I are in Regina for our much anticipated Christmas visits with family and friends. 

“I may not have gone where I intended to go but 

I think I have ended up where I intended to be.”

~ Douglas Adams