third level

my friends, love is better than anger. hope is better than fear. optimism is better than despair. so let us  be loving, hopeful and optimistic. and we’ll change the world.

jack layton

i was bracing myself for the truly mindless part of the descent. crossing the alberta border there would be nothing but divided highways back below the 49th and beyond. bypassing all but the most commercial of areas. slowing down to pass through grande prairie, edmonton, lloydminster and saskatoon but outside of that "relief" all the towns would be tastefully off to the side and out of sight.

i remembered an option on the way up that i didn't take as i didn't know how long it would take to get to the klondike, as i was in no hurry to get back, i looked up the route again and  seeing that it stayed northish a bit longer and went through towns. it was the northern woods and water route. decided to take it. 

divided highways are marginally  faster as passing can be done at any time but speed wise there is only a 10 km/h difference between the super highways and the back roads - less when you realise that they are not patrolled.

it could be the wish to delay re-entry is making the return as profitable as the wander up. again it is the roads but am stopping more because there is more to see. when i need food or fuel i have to determine which street to choose aiding in exploration. found not only the town of joussard and lesser slave lake what looked like a resort community that served as a break from the rolling hills of alberta.

still not keen on alberta. there are too many clean white pick-ups. they didn't look like they were being used as pick-ups but bought instead of a range rover as that would look pretentious. cannot understand why they were so clean as most range roads were gravel with gravel the size of rocks. 

while there were farms and ranches and grass fed beef, again this being oil country the cattle were making their way around an oil well or beside a pipeline.

was eaten alive by mosquitos in wanham along the spirit river highway. a mosquito version of the birds as i was photographing a fair ground. it was to the point where some were waiting around patiently on my shirt for the others to finish.

my working method as i did find myself sometimes in a driving stupor was.

-that looks interesting.

wonder if it is worthy of a stop

yeah it has promise

i would then turn around.

the longest delay in my mind clicking in was 20 clicks.

but hey, the other option.

other days i would have been driven mad. a train passing with at least 200 wagons.

but the inevitable came in edmonton, i rejoined the yellowhead highway turned on the cruise control and radio one.

another misplaced newfoundlander spotted heading in the opposite direction toward dawson creek. there has been at least one a day since i started the wander.