3rd Leg Begins with Hope!

Today we left the Island aboard the BC Ferry from Duke Point in Nanaimo to Tsawwassen, just south of Vancouver City on mainland Canada. We park in the front of the ferry on the lower level and as the boat arrives, we are the first off. I say boat but it is really more of a ship. The ship was packed because Toronto Blue Jays are playing in Seattle Washington for a series with the Seattle Mariners. It is easier for Vancouver Island people to ferry to the mainland and drive down to Seattle. There are at least four packed tour buses on board as well as countless vehicles. This is a big deal to Canadians as the Blue Jays are the only Canadian team in MLB. I can't fathom that some people will cross the street to see an MLB game, let alone an International Border! (Sorry Dave!)

We set off on Highway 17 to Highway 1, the Trans-Canada Highway.

There are mountains on all sides of us as we follow the Fraser River to our stop for the night in Hope.

We saw quite a few waterfalls as the snow melt off continues. They are hard for Rita to capture as we are speeding down Highway 1 at 110 KPH (70 MPH).

I love the saying on the exit at our destination City for the night: Experience Hope. I believe we all need this!

As we check in to our Motel for the night, I take a few pictures to show the mountains that surround us on all four sides. If you look at a map that shows topography, you will see what I mean. Average elevation of mountains surrounding us are 6000 feet! We are in the Fraser Valley, elevation 135'. Tomorrow, we pass through Coquihalla Pass, elevation about 4000'.

We choose Hope to stay for the night as it is near the start of the Coquihalla Highway (Highway 5). For anyone familiar with the Coq (pronounced coke), this is where the National Geographic show, Highway Through Hell is filmed. It is labeled as an engineering wonder. Rest assured that this will not be a highway through hell for us. The show is about big rigs off the road in winter. We are merely going to have a look see. We all need to experience more Hope! Thanks for riding along!

Till Tomorrow!