Down to the sea.

But first, more icy mountain passes!
I'm not overly pleased with my photography across this country. I rationalize that on my return trip I'll have better weather and more time. But the truth is and I'm a little ashamed to say it.
From Ottawa to Banff there is very little of interest to photograph, at least in winter. Prairie dwellers may object but to my sensibilities, it's largely a wasteland. There, I said it.
Then there's the Rockies....
I have about a hundred photos that look pretty much exactly like this one. While driving, every new pass, ridge or valley looks spectacular, but once captured in a photo, the magic fades.
Now don't get me wrong, there are fabulous photos of the Rockies and I took very little effort if my photography as I was mostly trying to stay on the road. Sight seeing pull offs were simply not an option as very few were plowed and those that were, were full of trucks fixing their chains.
So I really didn't get any decent photos.

Kamloops to Hope was an eye opener, although the new southern route is a divided highway I was overwhelmed by the grades. Leaving Kamloops is a very long steep grade that I barely had enough traction for. Thank God for four wheel drive and my locking rear differential or I simply wouldn't have made it. Uphill was treacherous but downhill simply terrifying. Braking with the engine or the truck only resulted in instant fishtailing so I had to rely on manually applying the coach brakes.
Normally on long hills I like to conserve the coach brakes in case of emergency, but I had no choice.
As a result I took the downgrades very slowly to ensure I didn't overheat the coach brakes.

I was so glad to roll into snow and Ice free Abbotsford, an hour from the Vancouver Island ferry!