[A/S] Fwd: TWIMC _ BC; Too Beautiful to be true.

["Sandy Noyes" <boojum@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Folks, whatever you have heard read or been told about BC is not true. 
It is more beautiful than that.  How have we let the Canadians away
with this?  How did they get all this gorgeous land?  I am amazed by
the grandeur and beauty.  Mind boggling, to coin a phrase.

The ride west out of Banff (Canmore) was another mental short circuit. 
Each bend of the road was a fresh view of grand beauty.  If John Muir
had seen this first he would not have been impressed at all with
Yosemite.  The road from Banff to Lake Louise is a drive through a huge
open air cathedral on the order of Chartres except that this is not man
made.  I have driven all over the US and been through the Rockies from
Denver, to Aspen to Telluride and all through Utah, the Dakotas and so
on and nothing comes close to this show.  I truly cannot describe it. 
All I can say is that it is the most grand scenery I have ever seen. 
What a drive!

And as I am driving along in Alberta the next thing I see is a welcome
to BC sign.  Wow, just that quick.  And so was the descent.  The rise
from the Canadian prairies to Calgary is gradual.  The descent into BC
is not. 
I am very happy about the exhaust brake I have.  Without it I would
have
toasted the brakes or been worried sick that I would.  Lots of long and
steep descents.  And huge long lines of cars, truck and campers coming
in the
other direction.  When I was descending past these guys while I was
wondering how they were going to make it up the grade.  In the next few
miles I found out when I climbed similar
grades: very slowly.  Because after  my descent I had plenty climbing
to do. 
The old diesel is just humming along.  And I am getting better mileage
up and down these mountains
(14.nn) than across the prairies  (10 - 13).  I figure that I had the 
long gradual incline and persistent headwinds to lower mileage.  Even
when I slowed down to just 60 mph the mileage was in the 12 mpg range. 
Go figure.

So, today has been a highway seesaw ride through a firry paradise.  The
endless mountains, rugged stony peaks some capped with snow and some
with wisps of snow just blur.   Stendahl described an occurrence in
Florence of people collapsing mentally under the weight of the beauty
contained in Florence and its museums.  It is still known today as
Stendahl's syndrome.  Folks just have a mental collapse after wandering
through all the art of Florence.  Not everybody, but those who are
there for a time can and some do experience this.  A week or two in a
local hospital, I suppose staring at beige walls, cures them and they
are
released into the general population.  If they pursue another art quest
like salmon migrating upstream I do not know.  I have never read about
Stendahl syndrome recidivisms.  Could be interesting?  Yes?  No? 
Maybe?

Anyway, lottsa beauty.  Canada from Calgary west is spectacular.  Trust
me.  It is also very mountainous.  Trust me.  It took me almost two
hours to drive a little better than 40 miles because part of it was a
connection
between two lakes.  Now these lakes are long and narrow.  What does
that tell you?  Yes, they are like fiords.  There are mountains between
these suckers.    Mountains with steep roads across them.  And towing
that 30' trailer behind a truck over a mountain is something of an
effort even when you are not pedalling.  I took it very slow up and
down the mountain.  I am, after all, towing my truck and home.  And if
those folks behind me have a problem with that; no problem, I pull over
and let them pass.  Interestingly the folks up here are not in the same
hurry the Bay Area folks are.  Of course they are not rushing to six
figure income jobs and contemplating stock options, what the
competition is doing, whether they are really bound by their previous
employers non-comp agreement and so on.  They are just living their
lives amid huge grandeur.  That seems to have a palliative effect.  Not
having to compete in the rat race helps, too.

There is a ferry connection I had to make to get to Kalso.  The ferry
is free; yea!  But I feared I would be there to late and have to wait
hours for the next one.  Not so.  When I got to the ferry landing the
last two or three vehicles were driving off and in five minutes I was
aboard and walking the dogs on the steel deck.  They loved the ride
over, and loved it even more from the truck where they could nap.  BG
seems
curious, more than Edie and looks out the window like he is really
looking at what is out there.  Is he?  I don't know.  But he is
convincing me that he has some sense of curiosity.  Edie just needs
attention.  When she is outside the truck she is different.  Then she
is interested, curious, barking, jumping, lunging and carrying on.  In
the truck she is napping.

Hey, folks, it is 8:30 here.  There is only 15 amp service so no heat
pump to keep the trailer snug.  If I want heat it has to be the furnace
which runs on propane. 
I will turn it on in the morning and not until, because I am cheap. 
Off to bed, I am exhausted.  As for my friends here in BC.  The line
has been busy for three hours.  Oh, well. I will try in the morning.

Night all.

L8R