I made it in time for a short, informative meeting, enjoyed a fabulous
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| Centre console is wide, but it needs to be, considering it's chalked full of stuff. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
meal at Ric's Grille (made all that much better after a little adventure) conveniently located in the hotel I would stay at that night, the Four Points Sheraton, and took part in some great conversation that rarely touched on the business I'd come to discuss, which ironically is always better for business in the end. After a good night's rest it was off to their office once again, for more in-depth discussions, a spirited lunch of brainstorming and good fun, and then back on the highway.
The road home, despite only being twenty-four hours past, was as clear and dry as the sky overhead. I made quick time, and due to this was able to pull off the highway to investigate a back road I'd always wanted to explore. A Range Rover is the ideal exploratory vehicle after all, so how could I pass up such an opportune off-road adventure? First I went north, as the road crossed under the highway in two directions. It was, as expected, farmland surrounded by trees, and the road, while gravel, was well groomed and a walk in the park for the Sport. I stopped to take a
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| Rear stereo controls; not a bad thing if you don't mind your kids' music choices - although that headphone jack could solve a lot of problems. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
few photos, traveled up a little-used road that quickly became a goat trail, engaged low gear and raised the suspension, an easy combination of processes that included rotating the previously mentioned dial one click to the right and then pushing the switch with the mountain pictograph on it that resided next door. I took a few more photos, circled back to the road, hardly phasing what I already knew was a much more competent 4x4 than I would ever have use of on this trip, and then returned the suspension and gearing settings to those previously chosen, before continuing on up the road. On the way I passed by a lovely homestead and, a hundred meters down the road, some dilapidated shacks that hardly looked habitable, turning around only because the southern road had always been of most interest anyway.
That's a faint clue to the core of my personality, if you were ever interested, as I'm almost always willing to put off something good now in order to get something better later. Unfortunately, I'm also just as willing to put off doing something that seems less than favourable at any time, unwittingly
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| The southern road was much more picturesque. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
allowing it to mushroom into something much worse. As hoped, the southern road was much more picturesque, following a fast-paced river at first, only to hug closer to the mountainside as it continued, winding and undulating at the whim of the landscape. A sign at its beginning noted a town was ahead, but in my experience such backcountry towns are rarely as worthy of attention as the route getting there, so I enjoyed my drive, catching glimpses of rushing rivulets and still ponds, rocky crags and rambling valleys, and finally noting that shade was covering my gravel path more often than sunshine, I turned around and headed back.
Having added a little adventure to my road trip, and knowing that you would have grilled me relentlessly if I hadn't bothered to take the Sport off-road (I do read your emails and most often respond if you care to click on the writing credit at the top of this page to find the hidden address), I settled in for the long, somewhat dull trip home. Again, with scenery as spectacular as that which lay before me, only a desire to be home with my wife and children, plus the monotony of traveling this route over and over again through the years, causes me to use the term "dull" as a descriptor. If you're from the prairies, or even a couple of hours away in the city of Vancouver, a trip up the Coquihalla Highway will floor you. I'm just jaded, I suppose.
