12/11/07 – The Old Fire Hall, Rossland, BC

We were stopped by some police officers today as we drove through a small town. Lucky for them there was a four-way stop controlling the hectic streets, and this is where they set up shop. Now Darren and I are both remarkably “lame”; we have no vices to sparkle up our arresting allure. And the only time Darren’s had a run-in with the law, even the cop handing over the speeding ticket told him to contest it!

I have NEVER been pulled over. Technically we weren’t even pulled over; our departure from the stop sign was merely delayed by a few seconds. In any case, it was quite an adventure for me, especially since I (the non-driver) was the one addressed. “What are you doing?” he asked me. Apparently it’s very curious for a passenger to be typing on a laptop. If it was a ploy, asking a trivial question to elicit any kind of mouth-opening response in order to assess sobriety, why wouldn’t he direct it to the one in charge of operating the machinery?

I’m just surprised they weren’t pissed that our gear nearly blocked out our panoramic view of the road.

And as if I needed more excitement, we discovered the merits of winter tires on a very slippery hill this afternoon. Who would have thought it wasn’t a great idea to traipse halfway around Canada for the fifth time in a year on the same set of tires… During the winter… Enjie put up a good fight but I’m sure it was only a slight nudge from our Lord God above that prevented us from snowballing back down that hill. I think we were going .5km/hr when we crested the rise; that was slow enough to allow time to contemplate what the best course of action would be, but not enough time to implement it.

The struggle against the elements was well worth the evening I found waiting for me at The Old Fire Hall, though. It was great food, great people and a great atmosphere. It was a good safe environment to be in when I said goodbye to my pioneer handbag. The experience was bittersweet. I know she went on to a good home but you never forget your first…