Road Trip during the Salmon Run

Every road trip seems like the best road trip ever.

Bonnie and I drove back to Calgary last weekend.

Our first stop was at the Health Unit in Sicamous so that she could finish a report.

That took two hours, but it was two hours well spent where she had a photocopy machine, the power to fax reports and plenty of space to lay out papers. A six hour job (if done without all of that equipment) done in two hours. Then we were on our way, around the local traffic circle and to Askews for a case of Coke for our trip and our share of sugary treats in a bag.

Not out of town yet, but we still have the feeling we were on the road.

My favourite street on the perimeter of town is Paradise Avenue.

I told Bonnie that if our trip was more leisurely, I would have like a selfie in front of that sign.

We stopped to see the Salmon running on Yard Creek again. And then just because we could we stopped by the local café for ice-cream. Rona Martin runs the shop.

The shop is well worth visiting, just to see the tea pots that she has collected and that now line the walls of her cafe.

She is the district councillor for District E, Sicamous and while she was piling the ice cream high in the cone, she also asked where I was from, and then keeping the conversation going by saying that lately she met Calgary’s mayor.

I had to laugh – always on the campaign trail. Good for her. She did tell us that the salmon were also running under the foot bridge which is just two block down the road, past the school, across the railroad track, and then go straight to the foot bridge for one of the roads less travelled.

This is how directions are given in these small hamlets.

No naming of streets.

Just turn at the pink house, etc.

Bonnie and I turned left when we should have gone straight ahead, so we also saw the salmon running on the local bridge under which the Eagle River flows.

How can a person get lost in such a small town?

Eventually we did make it to the footbridge, admiring, not only the smoky swirl of the salmon, now travelling upstream in calmer waters, but remarking on the incredible cleanliness of the sandbar that is at the side of the river. A teepee built out of drift wood on it, but no litter of any kind.

Truly, our time swept by in the car. I told Bonnie I had a story for her, and that I didn’t want her to comment until I said, “the end.” It wasn’t until long after Golden that I had said the last word and finally said the magic words – the end.

And then the time continued to fly by.

We stopped at the Spray Lakes for a selfie and then I told her I have always wanted to stop in at the Stoney Nakoda Casino.

She told me it was my lucky day. I am looking for a small gift for Pouria, since he will become a Canadian citizen on September 19th. When we entered the Casino Bonnie went straight to ask for the gift shop, which closed two months ago. I still wanted to look around. But I am not a gambler. I just walk up and down the isles of machines or listen to the cheers of some people at a table with poker chips and feel like I have been to the Casino. As well, the air quality reminded me of the air in BC for most of the summer – smokey.

I love road trips.