I returned home after a wonderful, hectic and tiring Christmas. The trip home was another ‘road trip’. As my husband had a load going to that city I love so much – and as it meant I could spend time with my family, young and old alike, I went with him.
Both going and coming back we had some good and bad luck as we crossed Roger’s Pass in British Columbia. Winter is not the best time to travel through the mountains and especially through passes. We have to cross three passes to go to Calgary, but Roger’s Pass is the most unpredictable.
It was daylight when we went to Calgary. The pass was snow packed and slushy or ice in parts. My husband, an extremely experienced driver, went through very easily. But behind us a major fatal accident happened. When we reached Golden around dinner time we heard that the pass was closed until 4:00 a.m. the following morning. We were very fortunate we were through.
Coming back as we climbed ever upwards it started snowing. It was late at night and we drove about 100 miles in heavy snowfall and nothing but dark, ominous mountains surrounding us in the darkness. I couldn’t see anything. Again fortunately George managed to get across with no incident to worry about. But, behind us, we heard about another accident. It was almost 1 in the morning when we arrived in Sicamous – a tiny town on the Shuswap Lake. This time the pass was closed until 4:00 p.m. the following afternoon. Again we were fortunate – we made it through.
There were two other incidents that were scary and somewhat sad. A large number of train cars derailed in Golden before the pass. Then we heard a driver frantically telling everyone he passed that there was a baby moose on the road and gave the location. We saw the flashing lights of a rescue vehicle and then noticed the small form on the ground. I imagine it was hit by a car as all the truck-drivers seem to communicate all problems on the road especially in the winter. The truckers would have slowed down, stopped and avoided the little creature knowing he was there.
I felt sad as moose are a rare sight even in the mountains. It was still snowing heavily and the poor thing was probably trying to find his mother in the snow. The following morning the snow had turned to rain. The roads were clear, but wet. We made it home safe and sound after a wonderful Christmas with my family.
Mary M. Forbes - Author 