Just as I was settling into a few quiet weeks at home, my sister arrived to visit, sort through our mother’s diaries and writings, and then take me away on a road trip to deliver a vehicle to her son,  1100 km away in Chetwynd BC.

My role is fairly simple – sit in the passenger seat, pass her cigarettes, look up in the vehicle owner’s manual how to operate the AC and windshield wipers, fetch peanuts out of a bag in the back seat, settle arguments of fact by googling on my phone, try to find local radio reception, listen to her rant about the topics discussed on the radio, wash the windshield when we stop to get gas, etc.

This morning we packed the car with food, drink, other necessities.I was feeling vaguely bad about deserting my husband again. Until I passed by while he was making plans on the phone to go to a tennis tournament with friends on Saturday. He didn’t seem sad to wave goodbye to us in the driveway!

We started up Highway 1 in the smog that has blanketed the entire Vancouver area (this photo make the sky look blue, when in fact it is a smoggy grey).

The smoke gets worse as you head up the Fraser Valley and to the interior.

The countryside is dramatic with mountains, rivers, trees, burnt trees. Even the smoky haze is part of the drama.

The fastest route to our destination, Highway 97, is closed south of Cache Creek. We had to drive north of Kamloops to Little Fork, where Highway 24 goes west to rejoin Highway 97 and Highway 5 goes on to Clearwater and Jasper. We have stopped for the night in Little Fork, which consists mainly of a gas station, store, restaurant and a couple of motels, at the highway junction. Definitely a truck stop!

Our motel is rather quaint, located on a strip of land between the Thompson River and the highway. There is no shortage of truck traffic, somewhat increased at the moment due to road closures, and there is a train along the other side of the river. It fascinates me to see how much movement of goods takes place across the country.

We got the last room here, so the No Vacancy sign was somewhat satisfying. In the morning we’ll decide which route to take next.