On the Road Again 2012 #19

There are three main passes from Alberta through the Rockies to the West Coast: rows Nest to the south, Rogers Pass and The Yellowhead. I had gone through the first two and was looking forward to doing the third by car. ( I had been through it by train). But first I needed to get to Jasper.

I  walked a couple of hundred yards down the entrance ramp to catch the traffic heading west to Jasper. There were a lot of cars on the four lane highway, but between the light rain and what felt like near hurricane force winds it did not feel like a great spot to stand. I pulled my waterproof neon orange jacket out of my pack and struggled to put it on. It was more difficult than it sounds as the wind kept on catching the ends making it difficult to do up the zipper. It was far too windy to hold up a sign.

I was delighted when a small SUV type of vehicle with a an and woman stopped. As readers from previous years will remember, I don't get a lot of vehicles containing a male and female stopping to pick me up.This particular ride had seen me and had decided for a couple of reasons to turn around and pick me up. Andrew and Sandy were off for a day of hiking in what I assumed were the foothills. They too were first time hitchhike picker-uppers. I told them how surprised I was that a couple had stopped. I then went on to say (which was a mistake) that almost the only couples who pick me up are Evangelical Christians who try to convert. They both gave a little giggle and confessed that were both Fundamental Christians. For the next hour or so Andrew and I had a heated discussion. Andrew, who was very bright tried to prove that there must be a God using terminology that he didn't  understand. For example he consistently misused the terms "socialism", "communism" or "critical thought". He had that patronizing tone that some Christians have. He knew he was right. All he needed to do was to convince me that it was right. From his perspective, it was my denseness that was preventing me from grasping his self-evident truth. I would have been happier if he was just a believer as opposed someone who used pseudo intellectualism to try to convince me and I wondered, himself.

After a quick break at a gas station, we changed the topic to something less heated. I asked them why they picked me up. Her comments was interesting. " I wanted to pick you up because I felt sorry for you in the rain, Andrew picked you up because he wanted someone to talk to". I guess that Sandy was not intellectual enough for Andrew.

They let me out the other side of Hinton and I, one more time that day stuck out my thumb. I was glad for the ride. It had gotten me out of the lousy weather into some sunshine. The discussion was fine but I think I would have preferred to chat with Sandy about her life. She struck me as the more interesting one of the two.

I was not very long at the corner when a taxi stopped and offered a ride. It was the first time that that has every  happened. My driver owned the taxi company and didn't mind picking up someone when he was driving back empty.  My driver, whose name I don't remember was both a very helpful guy in terms of giving me information about the area and perhaps most negative boss I have met. He did not have a single good word to say about anyone who worked for him,or for that matter anyone else he had to deal with. His language was foul, his distrust of most people was disheartening and I would have accused him as being a racist except he was equally as judgmental about young people. I don't think he was a very happy man.

I was some what disappointed to hear from him that the hostel was seven kilometers from town. That meant that I would need to buy some food before I took a taxi ride to the hostel. I would not have minded making supper but it sort of felt as if I had earned a real meal. I could not remember when I had eaten last. I think it must have been in Yellowknife 48 hours earlier. However when I went to the tourist center and used their free phone, I found out that the hostel was full. I was a bit disappointed in part because I suspected that there would be no cheap hotels available.  This was Jasper and it was high tourist season.

There was a list attached to the wall beside the phone of people who had rooms to rent in their own houses. I looked at  the list, found the cheapest room ($50.00), called the person, got directions and started to head in what I hoped was the right direction. I had to ask a few people before I found the right street. One person even went into her house and looked up the address on a town map to guide me on my way.

It was a bit of a hike and when I got there the lady was perhaps less than thrilled with me sleeping in her very pretty home. The walls had cute sayings on them, the bed had more pillows on it than I knew what to do with and the lady of the house gave me very clear instructions on how to use the shared bathroom.That scared me the most..... I was worried that she would inspect the bathroom after every time I used it. But they were nice people and I was happy to pay the money to her. If I could have stayed in the hostel, by the time I had paid the taxi fare back and forth, it would have probably of not been cheaper and not as convenient..

I went back to downtown Jasper to eat. It was difficult to find an affordable restaurant that served food that I could eat and I ended up walking around a fair bit. I finally found a place  that served a veggie burger. It was OK, not the best but it was food and I needed to eat. I walked back to my room, talked to my landlords about the area and a short cut to the highway and went to bed.  It had been a good day or two. I had travelled just over a 1500 kilometer in two days, some of those miles through pretty barren landscape.I was well satisfied. I was on the last leg of my outward bound trip.