DAY EIGHT: Again God had a different idea of how our trip should work out…

Thank you, Piper, for forwarding yesterday's horoscope to us: " You will be tempted to wonder 'where did I go wrong?', but you're much better off because things did't work out as planned". It was perfectly apropos and made us laugh out loud. 

This morning we woke to a sunny sunrise peeking out from under the heavy cloud cover spreading over the area. And, as we got on the road we saw that our Hwy 2 route was washed out and barred from entry due to the flooding that is pouring forth from Calgary south. The road is intermittantly gone south of Calgary to Ft Macleod. We mulled over a few options and decided to go north on 23, dart to the east around Calgary and head for Edmonton via county roads. Talk about back road driving. What beautiful, but soggy land. 

So far the roads are dry, but the rivers are a-risin'. The first bridge we crossed had a policeman stationed there watching the water rise. Then we went over another bridge that put fear in our hearts as the water was racing towards the east and was well over the  banks. Giant tree trunks and logs, like white water rafters, were hastening to their final destination. Tho there was no white water, only muddiness.

Eight Hours Later:  The balance of our day has been, thankfully, uneventful. Rain followed us for a while in the morning, but the landscape and the storm clouds were dramatic and made for pleasant riding. Around noon the rain stopped, and the puffy white clouds and brilliant blue sky added to the pleasantness of the day. The winds were quite strong all day, until we got east of Edmonton. Our circumventing Calgary took us about 50 miles to the east and then turned back toward to Edmonton. We passed east of the city, went north above it, and then turned west. And, west is where we're headed to Whitecourt AB. It's the farthest north we have been in Canada thus far in our lifetime. 

Of all the animals we saw today, cows, horses, horses, horses, cows, 1 deer, 4 prairie dogs, the coyote among the horses  was the most interesting. The horses didn't care. And, the coyote didn't like having his picture taken.

The roads have been quite smooth until this afternoon, and now they are slightly 'lumpy' which I suppose is a foretaste of the permafrost damaged roads we'll experience on the Alaska Highway. Will stop now as it's difficult to write with the occasional bouncing. 

See you tomorrow.