Road Trip

In July 2009 my husband and I went on a 12-day road trip around our home province of British Columbia in Canada. We drove 4300 kilometers in a large circle route and briefly visited 33 small villages and towns along the way.

I thought it would be interesting to record this trip in sketches to compliment the holiday snaps that I usually take. For this project I chose my largest 24-page 11" x 14" watercolour sketchbook and painted on one side of each page only. The format of each sketch varies, many of them long panoramic views best seen through the windshield of a car. Unfortunately there was little time to stop and sketch because we were always on the move, so most of my sketches were completed once I returned home.

Gulf Islands, Fraser Valley and highway tunnel and Hell's Gate.

The wild animals sited on the trip and some of the road crossing signs.

Fraser Canyon, Ashcroft on the Thompson River and railway yard.

Chasm, Horsefly River and a street in the historic town of Barkerville.

More scenes of Barkerville.

Wells, Jack o'Clubs Lake near Wells, and the Peace River.

Aspen poplar trees in northern B.C., view through a screen door at Swan Lake and a pile of elk and moose antlers.

Canola fields in bloom at Grand Prairie, lake at Hinton Alberta, Icefields Parkway, Jasper

Athabaska Falls, Columbia River, Fort Steele barracks and street scene.

Nelson bicycle shop, Willow Point Lodge, Kaslo street scene.

Silver mining ghost town of Sandon, old house in Grand Forks and Manning Park.