I was given this opportunity to write a test in Lower Mainland for a position that I had applied last week. I will write about the job separately but I decided to drive all the way there because there were stuff that I had to take with me. I woke up early and drove to Highway # 1 but before leaving the city, I stopped at the last McDonald's to get a cup of coffee. It was a little bit cold and foggy as well. I got the coffee and filled up the tank and then hit the road. Shortly after the start of the drive almost near Morely, which is a small Native community and part of Stony Reserve, there's a downhill and from there you could see that the whole valley was covered in fog. The first few hours of the drive was similar to the last trips I had earlier last month. Then I got to Sicomous and instead of taking Highway # 97 and heading south, I continued to east, parallel to Shuswap Lake until I reached Salmon Arms. Then a little north and again east to Kamloops where we had been earlier a few years ago.
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| Kamloops Lake and Highway No. 1 in the rainy day of my drive |
That was where the damn GPS got confused. I tried to update before the trip it but it failed and there upon leaving Kamloops it directed me to Highway # 5, heading south to Merit while I wanted to continue to Highway # 1. I eventually listened to the damn machine but after a few kilometers, maybe 3 or so, I regretted that and turned back, got myself on Number 1 again! Then the rain started and by the time I reached the end of Kamloops Lake, it was heavily pouring down. From there I drove to Cache Creek and then Spenses Bridge. When I saw Hope I realized that I could still be hopeful to make it to Surrey before it's too late and dark. The rain was heavy and the road was busy being weekend and all but the traffic was continuously moving. Having an eye on the road and another one on the GPS, I noticed Toll Bridge on a number of big giant signs on the highway! That was when I realized that the bastards had turned all of the bridges in Lower Mainland area to toll bridge. I reached my destination without much difficulty though because I had a reservation in Days Inn in Surrey. I didn't have to cross Fraser River at the time.
I then contacted The Lady as she was supposed to meet with me there. She got on the Skytrain somewhere in Vancouver but because it had been a long time since she had ridden the damn train, she got on the wrong one and headed to Coquitlam instead of Surrey! I had to wait a little longer in a nearby station for her to arrive. From there I we had to go back to Vancouver and that was when I realized Patullo Bridge, the old bridge which connects Surrey to Coquitlam was closed! We instead had to cross over Port Mann Bridge which is a Toll Bridge now but the hotel receptionist told us that a non-provincial plate wouldn't be charged! We'll see about that. So that basically was it. The hotel was not bad but my room was just in front of the Skytrain elevated railroad! The good thing was the train only operates until 01:00 AM or so and I was able to sleep after that.
(Photo, top: Just a minute or so after I left the city, I entered a foggy road with limited visibility. This later was gone)
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