The Purple Penguin

Otherwise known as the Trans-Canadian Hwy. Though we didn’t get on it until nearly past Vancouver, even though it starts in Victoria, we went up to Sidney and took the ferry across from there, rather than the ferry from further north on Vancouver Island. Got to the ferry too early, again, and so were put on the one an hour earlier, which was good! Also discovered a local artist, Sue Coleman, as one of the little shops was selling cards and prints. Lovely work.

Had breakfast on the ferry on our way over. Watched a whale watching rib head out – they headed across our stern and pulled up with people pointing, so I had a look and saw a bald eagle in a tree. Get across and am focusing on driving off the ferry when Joe says ‘oh, it’s a bald eagle sitting there!’ I missed it as he waited to point it out. He thought they’d put a fake one up on a lamppost the way it was sitting there, but nope, real eagle. Then as we were driving along we saw another one flying over head. There was another possible siting further into the mountains, but only the three confirmed.

Took 17 around Richmond until it hooked up with Hwy 1, then off to the Rockies. We stopped for petrol once we were well clear of Vancouver – and couldn’t figure out how to open the petrol cap! Took us ages to work out where the lever was (next to the driver’s seat, on the floor). Got that all sorted and back on the road. Beautiful scenery and interesting watching the trains go by far below us, then we’d work our way down to the river, and the trains were above us. Saw loads of ‘watch out for deer, elk, big horn sheep’ signs. The first sheep sign we passed I said ‘Oh, I’d love to see a big horn sheep! But probably no chance . . .  why are they stopping right in the middle of the . . .  oh look! Sheep! Right by the road! Nifty!’ Joe said the sign should say ‘beware of tourists stopping for animals!’ But the sheep were all we saw. Not a single elk. 

We got just outside of Kamloops and came to a complete stop. Eventually found out there was a pole down across the road. A policeman pulled up beside us, asked if we were local, and when I said ‘erm, no’ he said well to go back down that way toward Logan Lake and just follow the traffic! So Joe had already checked the maps and picked out a route, so off we went. Only there was no traffic to follow, so it was a good thing Joe found a route. It was a tiny little local road (pretty sure what the police meant us to take, but wasn’t sure how to tell us which one it was) with cattle grids and ‘watch for livestock next 5km’ signs every five kilometers. We figured the only sign they had was 5kms so they had to buy up a bunch and put them every 5kms! And, just like the wildlife signs, there was no sign at all of any livestock. Not a critter to be seen!

So we went something like an hour out of our way to get around a pole in the road and finally came to Salmon Arm after 8pm. By that time it was just slogging along – the scenery is still wonderful but we were getting a bit tired! Checked into the hotel and asked the best place within walking distance (I was tired of driving) and ended up at a ‘local pub’ which was nothing like any local pub we have at home! But it had very good food and very good service. Now to sleep, up tomorrow to carry on to Calgary!