Day 22 Last Road Day- to Home

Driving along the canyon

245 miles today-Red Hill Rest Area to home. Am I happy to be home? Yes...and no. Coming into Hope B.C. and the freeway traffic was difficult. So much frenzy and it continued all the way home. That's why I came home today and took Monday off to give myself two days to transition back from the wilderness.

It was strange to have the luxury of time today. I wasn't up late reading about where I was headed and what areas I should stop at, including gas. My routine will be drastically changing now.

It appears to be hunting season in British Columbia. I've noticed several vehicles with the same ORVs in their pick up truck beds or towed along behind them that I saw in Alaska. And yesterday I saw the covered head and antlers of an elk in the back of one as it went by. I've been pondering the hunting frenzy in Alaska. I don't know that all of them respect the wildlife they kill or if they are trophy hunting for wolves. I do know that that is a good reason to reinstate the buffer around Denali National Park to protect the wolves and other wildlife there.

Alexandra Bridge

Alexandra Bridge trail

Looking downstream from the bridge

I stopped at the Alexandra Provincial Park in B.C. A short 10 minute forested walk leads to the 1926 Alexandra Bridge over the Fraser Canyon. It's got such character, unlike most of today's bridges. My photos are a little off because I was holding Templeton. The metal grate of the bridge deck had large holes which he couldn't walk on. As I drove over the new higher bridge over the river I came near eye-to-eye with a soaring turkey vulture. Such cool birds.

A small group of grazing bighorn sheep surprised me. They were behind a guardrail in the little community of Spence's Bridge. There had been several warning signs and lots of craggy cliffs for them to hang out on. I'm glad I was finally able to see a couple.

My time at the border took 5 minutes. Apparently I'm not the targeted demographic for the American border patrol. Five questions and off I go. I am not likely to go through the Sumas/Abbotsford border again. This time I got lost trying to get back to I-5. Did you know that downtown Lynden looks a lot like downtown Snohomish? Yeah, now I know because I couldn't figure out where I was and how to get out!! Fortunately, google can be helpful although I still got turned around a couple more times. Geez, I drove all the way to Alaska and back and then get lost this close to home... I did see a male peacock wandering around because of my "lostness."

Home! Let me in.

Parked and done

The house was still here and so is Twig however, he keeps running off. I think he got used to my son taking care of him and gave up on me and Templeton coming back. Feeding him in the morning may change his mind.

Wildlife- several bighorn sheep, magpies, kestrels, red-tail hawks, turkey vulture, peacock.

Lesson #22 You can find your way out of "lostness".