ROAD TRIP

Last Wednesday evening we were graced with yet another snowstorm. We only got a couple of inches which melted away by noon, but it was a good reminder that winter was still upon us.
I had to take Thursday and Friday off work as I had a nasty stomach upset. Word of advice.... Salmon cream cheese does not appreciate being taken back and forth to work all week! By Friday, i was still yucky but no longer tossing my cookies. The storm clouds had blown away and we awoke to blue skies. This clear morning inspired me to pick up the camera to shoot this gorgeous scene from my kitchen window, of our mountains with fresh snow.
That same evening, the skies remained clear and we had this lovely night sky.

Gladly, on Saturday, I was almost feeling my usual self and decided to make the road trip I had planned for the weekend to the OUTHOUSE CAPITAL aka my parents place. I checked the road report prior to leaving and it seemed like the roads were fine. Which they were, except for a few areas of compact snow, but it was fine.

Heidi and I enjoy the 400kms of winding mountain road. I was amazed at how little snow there was at the side of the road. Allison Pass usually has over 10 feet snow walls along the road, but there was very little.

Once we left the mountains and entered the Okanagen, there was a little snow in the fields but nothing on the road. It looks so pretty with all the dried grasses poking through.

The river running along the highway in Princeton usually is completely iced over at this time of year and it is quite open already. So in spite of our extreme winter out here on the coast, it would seem that inland they have had it a little milder than usual! We saw a huge bald eagle sat on the edge of this ice today but not at a place where I could pull over to shoot it.
I had to wonder if the cattle out this way, should be considered fresh or frozen beef? Isnt this a handsome creature? What a gorgeous colour hide, and what a cute pink nose!

It was Saturday when I took this picture, but it looked to me like these beasts were heading off to church! This is just outside of Headly. The older building on the left was the original church, probably where the great grandparents of these cattle would have congregated!

And taken this morning from my folks doorstep, Dad (Mr Outhouse), Heidi, Myself, Aunt Gail and Uncle Larry. The two dear people on the right were our prime reason for making this visit. Though its always great to get up to visit my family. My Aunt and Uncle were up visiting from Washington for a few days, so I was eager to catch up with them. Here we were all ready for the mass exodus. Dad was in his short pants as he likes to keep the wood fire in the house at a roaring blaze.

Our drive home was almost uneventful, as the little snow that was on the roads on Saturday had completely disappeared. We did have a near miss with a deer though. Fortunately, I had already geared down as I was travelling a winding steep road. So I was able to cram my brakes on to miss Bambi by a mere hairs width as he ambled casually across the road. I was just praying that the semi which I knew was not far behind me would not barrel around the bend and cream me! I live to tell!