Escaping the Big Smoke

Near Lillooet

Got to go on a road trip, one brief summer escape; drove up to 70 Mile House in the Cariboo to visit my previously estranged sister Donna. Despite my trepidation there was little to no awkwardness, as if nearly 20 years hadn’t passed. Well, we went through hell together, which creates an unbreakable bond. Both Donna and her partner Gord were kindly hospitable. She doted on us and he made several repairs to my vehicle. Also, escaped the Internet, caught up on some reading; relaxing.

Got my dog fix as well! Went on a walk along Watch and Green Lakes with sweet border collie Davis and my sister’s friend Sonja, owner of an  exuberant beagle/lab cross named Ridley; thrilled to hear the call of the loon,  the area dotted with wetlands. Donna carried an air horn, in case of bear encounters, though we weren’t exactly in the wilderness.

Enjoyed driving in wide open spaces! Visiting parts of the province I haven’t seen in a long time reminds me how epic this place is, how fortunate I am to live here. My new 2002 Camry performed well. I need to add oil more consistently, she got somewhat overheated in those mountain passes. We travelled Hwy 1 up and returned via the 99 south. Felt so good to get out of the Big Smoke. Lyle had another scooter stolen recently! Nothing to be done about it apparently, certainly not by the VPD. I will always love Vancouver but I don’t need to reside here. I’m a small town girl at heart. These days, all I want to do is get the hell out of the city, permanently. We’re discussing the possibility which might even become Plan A.

One thought on “Escaping the Big Smoke

  1. 70 Mile House! I lived on a ranch east of there about 15 miles, on the south side of Green Lake. It was called the VT Ranch then. I spent from 1951-53 there before we went belly up broke–saddest day of my life, Nov 28, when we drove down to the coast and stayed six months with my great uncle Bill in Burquitlam. The ranch is now a buffalo ranch owned by the Karlen family. You might like to see my two chapbooks about growing up there: Ranch Days – the McIntosh, and Ranch Days – for Ed Dorn. A volume called The Cariboo Poems is in the works.

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