Betty Foidart

After driving 28 hours and nearly 2000 km, we arrived safely in Winnipeg. Our first day of driving was the most interesting but most challenging as we travelled from Sun Peaks to Calgary. The scenery was beautiful despite scattered rain showers all day. At Sicamous we encountered an accident scene where a vehicle and semi had collided. On the short detour we passed the first responders rushing to the scene. That’s always a bit unnerving! We made a brief stop here to buy fresh peaches, apricots and locally produced products to take home. There was a stretch of highway construction with no guard rails so I had a strong grip on the steering wheel! Because of the winding mountain roads we arrived in Calgary feeling strangely woozy, almost as if we had been sailing the seas!

We carried on from Calgary to Regina, then Regina to home. When we left Calgary the temperature was 16 but when we arrived in Medicine Hat, just two hours away, the temperature was 33 degrees! This time we were thankful for ac in the car. We saw a scrawny fox walking alongside the road obviously suffering from the heat…so sad. The fields in Alberta were parched but when we drove through Saskatchewan the crops were green and some harvesting had been done. The drive was uneventful….it was the prairies after all.

In total we travelled about 4400 km. Gas prices were cheapest in Medicine Hat at $1.36/litre and most expensive in Kamloops at $1.86/litre. We prepared most of our meals, usually fish or vegetarian, so Linda will likely be craving beef this week! I brought books and games but they never left the car as our days were full of activity. We were lucky to see so much wildlife, but no bears or cougars fortunately. There was even a floppy eared rabbit near our car at the Calgary hotel! We wore our masks when we felt there was a higher Covid risk…grocery stores, Costco, some public bathrooms and the mall in Kamloops. The worst was the crowded breakfast room at the Wingate in Calgary. Overall we would see maybe 2 or 3 other people wearing masks! We didn’t care and we have stayed healthy.

It was a great road trip and such a nice break from Covid that has ruled our lives for the past 2+ years!Read more