Hope, B. C.
On the way to Ashcroft, British Columbia, my daughter stopped the van in a quaint little town where we could take a break before continuing our drive through the mountains.
We were about an hour away from our final destination and had driven some two-hundred kilometers from her apartment in Vancouver. Although the drive was intriguing for a B. C. newbie like myself, I needed a rest more than the driver. During the drive I did not close my eyes for fear I might miss something, even though I felt myself dozing off a couple of times. 'Wait'll ya' see this, Ma ... you'll just love this place.' And she was right - just the name of the place would have made me stop, had I been driving through the wonders surrounding this quaint little community. Before my daughter had parked the van on 3rd Avenue, I could see it was the kind of place that would tempt me to check into the Windsor Hotel across the road. It looked like such a clean, quiet and restful place that I had a vision of Jeff, my better half, coming there to collect me after having been on the missing persons list for weeks on end. Poor man; he'd just have to pack his things and join me there, I suppose. But I doubt he'd complain much; I'm sure he'd agree on Hope being just the kind of place to set down awhile and take in the mountain air. Being the realistic, responsible person I am, I knew our late October visit in Hope would have to be for no more than 40 minutes; plans had been made and we didn't want to descend on my daughter's friends at the farm at too late an hour. The kids were sleeping in the van; that was a plus. It's always nice when kids are sleeping. We two adults could take turns going into the stores, picking up snacks for ourselves and the kids, as well as more film to feed my camera, which had already eaten the five rolls I'd brought to B. C. with me. And there's nothing like leaning up against your vehicle, taking in the ambiance of a small mountain town while enjoying a peaceful cup of coffee. I think of the place now and know that the next time I visit the Province of British Columbia, I will arrange for at least one weekend there.
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