Today, the lovely weather of the past few days appears to have .. well .. passed. It was, however, especially nice yesterday. Even as I was driving home from BCIT after 5:00 pm, I was impressed by the view of the mountains.
It's probably not very politically correct to say, but I greatly enjoy my drive to school and back. I could make use of transit as it'd be fairly easy to commute by SkyTrain and then ride down Willingdon on one of the frequent buses. I don't do that though. I don't mind the fifteen mile, round trip commute. As I teach just four-hour courses, I never have more than one direction during a rush hour. The time spent can be quite relaxing.
There are many days of the year, around these parts, when the mountains hide behind the mist and gray clouds. Ugly days are the cause of car accidents in many places. Poor conditions can result in loss of property and lives. For example, fog prevents people from seeing far enough ahead, or slippery roads keep a car from stopping in time.
I didn't actually see any fender benders yesterday, but I became aware of another reason for poor driving here. When the mountains are out, it's sometimes a little hard to keep one's eyes on the road. Even if only to themselves, I know many drivers are thinking, "Wow. That's quite a view." They are admiring the scenery rather than paying attention to their driving. I have decided to call this situation the gawk factor.