As I descended from Allison Pass in the Cascade Mountains down towards Hope, B.C., the snow on the ground became thinner and thinner until it disappeared altogether.
Much of the early part of my drive from Osoyoos to Vancouver yesterday was through a thick, pea-soup fog. In the higher mountain passes I climbed above it into blue sky.
From Hope onward, I have been in a Vancouver spring. I left my car in storage in Surrey and took the Skytrain to a hotel downtown on Granville for my last night in Canada before the flight.
Tokyo may even be cooler, with temperatures at night dipping below freezing. India should be pleasant, with temperatures in the high teens and 20s. This is the best season to visit India, before the sweltering heat of May-June and the subsequent monsoon.
When I arrive back, it will be March in Osoyoos and spring will have begun. I may still see a bit of snow here and there, but for the most part, my winter should be over.
Vancouver has been a chance to get last-minute things for my trip — a money belt, less conspicuous walk-around bag for my camera, compression socks for the long flights, Japanese yen, Indian rupees.
This afternoon I catch the first leg of my flight to Japan. It will be a VERY long day before I reach my bed in Tokyo.