“Passing through unconscious states.
When I awoke I was on the highway.”
~ Death Cab for Cutie

Jonathan is so awesome. he let me take his car all the way to Saskatchewan even though i haven’t been behind a wheel for over 5 weeks. i haven’t even been in a country where they drive on the right side of the road. i’m a huge fan of highway driving and it really felt good to be on the open road.  on my way to pick up Maddy.

my brain is a jumble. driving has always been an ideal time for me to sort out unresolved thoughts and emotions. but my time in Zambia is remaining an enigma. every time i start thinking about it, my mind recoils as if from a hot stove. so i’ve backed off to let the stove cool down a little more. i listened to old favourite music and 17 chapters of an audiobook.

as i paid the Coquihalla toll, i realized Jonathan’s Mazda 3 is the 6th vehicle i have driven in at least a dozen road trips from Vancouver to southern Saskatchewan in the 8 years since i moved to the west coast. the first trip was in a friend’s brand new Pontiac Grand Am. all of my belongings made the relocation move in a 1984 VW Jetta. i borrowed both a Corolla and a Jeep from my good friend Rob. then, of course, the beloved 1987 Nissan truck. and finally, the Mazda.

i’ve had a few breakdowns and more than my fair share of windshield chips and cracks. in fact, i would say my windshield karma is definitely out of whack. i drove my Nissan truck with a crack along the bottom for almost the entire time i owned it. i replaced the windshield in Rob’s Jeep when i got back from the long haul route to Dease Lake two years ago. and it looks like i’ll be buying Jonathan a windshield for his birthday in a couple of weeks. : //

safe to say, Highway 1 East-to-5 North-back-to-1 East is a pretty familiar route to me. i love driving it in the summer and sharing the road with packs of cyclists and long haul touring motorbikes. unfortunately, in the summer you also have to share the road with huge RVs and camper trailers.

today’s drive was sunny, dry, warm, fast, and simply gorgeous. i love rolling from the smelly Chilliwack valley into the jagged peaks that get sharper and higher over the hours. suddenly there are summit and elevation sign posts all over the place. then you’re past Golden and into 15 kilometers of windy curves with SLOW warnings, hugging the shoulder to make room for wide semi trailers. hours drop like minutes and the sharp triangles are behind you. you’re looking at hills rolling into repetitive suburban developments. then, Calgary.

everything after Calgary is always a blur to me. the horizon stays flat in every direction, stretching into the curve of the Earth. the repetition is meditative and there is more sky than land in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan. if you’re lucky, you might be treated to a lightning storm show in the distance, seen for miles even if you’re not getting rained on yet.

in my younger days, i’ve done the 20-odd hour haul in one complete fully caffeinated stretch. tonight i’m crashing in a Ramada Inn in Medicine Hat, less than 5 hours from my final destination. i can’t wait to see Maddy tomorrow. i have a feeling she’ll be sad to leave summer camp with my mom behind. : (

i wonder… since the price of a WestJet plane ticket is comparable to the number of tanks of gas it takes to get out here and back, which is more environmentally damaging?

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