(My solo road trip of western Canada – Sunday 27th September)

Ok, so here is part 2 of this wonderful drive.  The first forest fire danger sign I saw when I arrived in Banff, and the several I saw after, the danger level was low, very reassuring let me tell you.  As you speak to people who have good local knowledge, you come to the realisation, very quickly, that forest fires are no joke, and as you may have seen on a previous post, can be truly and utterly destructive.  Anyway, on this particular drive, I saw the first sign where the danger level had moved low to moderate, a step in the wrong direction, I hope the danger level does not go any higher?

Lillooet was a very special place, beautiful mountain peaks, lovely, dramatic green coloured water and very interesting facts (see photo below).  The steep, rough and rugged mountains contrasted so beautifully with the mountains that were covered by pine and fir trees.  I love the fact that some rivers have a railway line running alongside them, makes the whole environment more dramatic.

I like the fact that some road signs instruct winter tyres between certain dates, it highlights the point that these roads can be dangerous, actually, the fact that some of these roads are closed from mid-October make it real.  The switch backs on the mountain pass were unbelievably exhilarating, on some of the bends, my heart was thumping as I was so close to the edge, and from the 12th and 13th photos below, you can get some idea of the drop!  It wasn’t the best way to conduct my thoughts while driving these mountain passes, but I could not help myself from thinking that if  I did make a small mistake, the car would plummet very, very quickly to the bottom, I thank the Lord above, with all sincerity, that all went well.

As I look back through these photos, I am reminded how lucky I was to take this trip and see such magnificence and mind blowing beauty.  The last nine photos are the photos I am most proud of, they are mega fantastic, I was so lucky to be there on that day, at that time of day, to capture such flawless and mind boggling scenery, so much so that you really cannot believe your eyes, it almost looks fake.  Its like a dream where reality is questioned with the sheer clinical imagery in front of you, I absolutely loved this place, the colours, the air, the contrast, the fallen trees that had gathered together, the sheer perfection and reflections that surrounded me.   I honestly found it very hard to leave, but time was of the essence, and I had to move on as I still had to get to Whistler and there was Joffre Lakes that I was told was worth visiting along the way…