I don't mean to sound as if I was not grateful - because I
am always grateful when anyone stops to offer a ride. But those motels in Cache
Creek looked awfully tempting. I really just wanted to get warm and dry. None-the-less
I ran towards the large but very dirty stopped Toyota SUV, opened the back door
to throw in my pack, realized that there were two in the front seat and pushed
my pack over so I could squeeze in. I could have just as easily put my stuff in the third row
of soft leather seating. The first thing that the passenger said to me was
-" you have got ahead of us three times today - we decided it was time to
pick you up". A strange comment - I could not figure out how I had passed
them three times, or how they knew that.
The two were journalist, one was an American from the mid-west
and contributed to an on-line hunting magazine and the other was a Canadian who
knew the general area. He never said who he wrote for. Toyota had given them
(and 9 other pairs of journalist from around Canada and the USA) a vehicle in
Vancouver that morning. They had to get to Kamloops by 9:00PM. How they got
there and what they did with the vehicle in the 12 hours was up to them. So the
two young journalists had done some off-roading and some exploring, which
explained why it was so dirty. They would
pass me and then go off to try some back roads. I would get a ride and then get
ahead of them.
It was a pretty luxurious
vehicle - they said that it along with all of the bells and whistles (including
a pretty high end music system from Sony) was worth about $58,000. They also
said that there was a piece or two of plastic missing from the front end - they
had bottomed out a few times. They told me that after they returned the vehicle
in Kamloops, it would be passed on to other drivers and eventually the SUVs
would end up in New Mexico. Toyota paid all of the expenses including
hotel/food and flying the various drivers in and then back home again. I think
one local journalist was always paired with someone who knew the area. Apparently
none of the drivers were automobile writers, some of them (and the guys spoke disparagingly about them) were from home maker magazines whose idea of excitement
"was day without the kids". None of writers were obliged to write
about their experiences or to praise the vehicle. As the American write
explained - he usually writes about $15 or $20 items. He was not sure how he
would ever figure out how to even mention his ride for the day.
It was a fun ride. I was fascinated by this process of self advertisement
on the part of Toyota. No wonder cars are so expensive - although to be fair it
was very nice and very large. One could have put my little Toyota in the back
half of the SUV. I had lots of questions about the process and what it was like
to get to drive a brand new car. It sounded like a lot of fun. It was, I should
note, noisier in the middle seat than I would have thought. But perhaps that
was related to the missing pieces.
But the guys were running out of time, didn't know Kamloops
at all and had no sense that where they let me out was a terrible and dangerous
spot. It was dark by this time, there were a number of over-passes to cross
that had small shoulders and very low barriers. In some places it felt as if I
could almost touch the vehicles passing me. The barriers might have stopped a car from
going over but they were no higher than my hips. If for some reason I tripped
or fell - I would be flipped over on to the pavement below the overpass in a
heartbeat. I would not have survived.
There were motels in Kamloops - but they were on the other
side of town - at least a half hour drive at full speed. I didn't want to be walking
along side the highway, but it was far too dangerous to hitch and so the only
answer was to walk. It wasn't cold, the wind had died down and it would have
been quite pleasant if I had not being carrying a pack and if cars were not zipping
by five feet from me. I think I walked faster than I have ever before. I was
determined to get somewhere safe, and preferable warm and dry that night. Every
time I thought I was making some progress, I would go around a long curve and
see more lights. It felt as if the end of the town were moving away from me. It
was going to be a long walk.
Then, in a widening of the road, an older model of a Jeep Cherokee
slowed and pulled over. It was a fair distance a head of me and I assumed that
a driver had just pulled over to make a phone call or something. When I saw his
back-up lights come on - I could not believe it. Someone was offering me a
ride. Maybe to the end of town. I went up to his side window and said hi. I am
a bit more cautious getting into a car a night. He said - " I'm going to
Banff - do you need a ride?"
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