16 April 2005

Beautiful Revelstoke reached

Nice day of driving today, though by the end my spine had begun to press my internal organs against my ribcage. Apparently this is the car version of "Trans-Canada Butt," which I experienced on the GS850 last time round. We are now in Revelstoke; as I type, the CPR is chugging past the window, headed for Roger's Pass.


[Driving into Revelstoke]

The scenery here is utterly beautiful. We had the feeling of rising into the clouds as the altitude increased and the clouds stayed put. Everything is pine and cedar, seemingly, and the air is fresh (though wet). We had some fine sun in Kamloops (we went up that way by the Coquihalla, the finest highway in Canada), but up til Hope it rained and then again once we hit the mountains.


[Dave in car; kids, don't take pictures while you drive]

We do a lot of wondering about geography / climatology as we drive. Dave was speculating that the valley-oriented topography of the Interior of BC would definitely have made for a lot of quarrelling princedoms if, for some reason, Renaissance Italy had been transported hither. I guess that's why Europeans, like my friend Lidewijde, like taking trains through the Rockies: they're amazed there aren't dilapidated castles on every ridge. And there are a lot of ridges.


[The glorious Coquihalla highway]


True to my vow to note the music we've been listening to, I give the list of songs we had on Repeat (alphabetical like iTunes likes it - we're broadcasting from the iPod to the car radio):
  • A Whiter Shade of Pale - Procul Harum
  • Anarchy in the UK - Sex Pistols
  • Angel Baby - Rosie and the Originals
  • Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen - as we crossed the summit of the Coquihalla
  • Clocks - Coldplay
  • Come Together - The Beatles
  • Comes a Time - Neil Young
  • Copacabana - Barry Manilow - as we drove down into Kamloops
  • Creep - Radiohead
  • Enter Sandman - Metallica
  • Farewell to Nova Scotia - Various Artists
  • Four Strong Winds - Ian & Sylvia Tyson
  • Four Strong Winds - Neil Young (live)
  • God Save the Queen - Sex Pistols - we've been talking Charles, too . . . will he change his name?
  • Happy Together - Simple Plan - a great cover
  • Happy Together - The Turtles
  • Hey Hey My My - Neil Young & Crazy Horse
  • Hey Joe - Jimi Hendrix
  • Hey Jude - The Beatles
  • Home for a Rest - Spirit of the West
  • Hotel California - The Eagles
  • I Am a Child - Neil Young
  • I Love Rock & Roll - Joan Jett
  • Imagine - John Lennon - not very bloodthirsty
  • Marseillaise - Edith Piaf - quite bloodthirsty indeed
  • Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien - Edith Piaf
  • Northwest Passage - Stan Rogers - Dave and I sang along; we're sort of seeking a Southeast passage
  • Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison - made me think this is the ultimate rock and roll song
  • Roxanne - The Police - no Guinness to go with it, but heck
  • Soviet National Anthem - Russian Red Army Choir
  • Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin
  • Steel Guitar - Fred Eaglesmith
  • Sunglasses at Night - Cory Heart - Dave and I agreed the man is a genius
  • White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane - several times, driving up into the mountains
  • Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald - Gordon Lightfoot - we know the words to this guy too

[The miracle of iTrip with iPod: easy iListening for iTravelers]

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