Road Trip from Calgary to Vancouver

Mr. Frostbite and I took a road trip to Vancouver a couple of weeks ago.  We were taking Daughter Number One out there to go to School, so we hired a van and filled it with her random but essential belongings - like her bed, mattress, bookcase, a small sofa and numerous boxes of books! Due to an unusually early and unwelcome dump of snow in Calgary on October 2nd, we had been fretting about winter road conditions and lack of winter tyres on a rental vehicle, and how long it would take to drive just over 1000km across about four mountain ranges.

There was no need to worry in the end.  We somehow managed to pick THE most beautiful week of weather and had an amazing drive through spectacular country which was smack bang in the middle of an autumn colour frenzy.  I literally gasped about five times.

We were taking her car out there too, and while the three of us were supposed to swap around driving duties, she promptly fell asleep for many hours (nervous energy finally catching up I think) and my husband ended up doing the whole van journey on his own, while I drove her car and tried to listen to my music over her snoring!

The Alberta-British Columbia routes are simply stunning.

The central Shushwap Lake areas of BC were clear and gorgeous, and although it was October, you could almost be tempted to go for a swim.  Almost.

Vancouver was also showing off.  We had anticipated some of those grey west coast skies, but nope, we were served up more beautiful blue skies and lots of warm late Fall sunshine. 

And we popped down to a small coastal town called White Rock, which I suppose is really a suburb of the greater Vancouver area.

And all in all it was a gorgeous few days, which was good because it distracted me from bursting into tears as it finally became apparent that my baby has all grown up.

These photos are - all in all - very blue!