WHERE IS EVERYBODY?

The only person I've heard from on the blog is Ann who I have actually never met but feel like I've know my entire life. HI ANN! It's so nice to know you're out there. Thank you for your kind comments. :)

You guys don't have to give me that much solitude. Feel free to make comments!

I think I'll backpack in Jasper for two or three nights then have a nice counterpoint by ending it at either the Fairmont or the Four Seasons...good culture shock.

Mom, don't worry. I have to get a permit to camp in the backcountry here, so they will know where I am. I also have a satellite phone which I can use as long as a bear doesn't eat BOTH of my hands...sorry for the sick joke. Besides, there are lots of Europeans here (these people actually go more than 500 feet from the road) I am very likely to see other people where I am going. Love you!

This picture was taken about 45 seconds after Rain and I had a war over who was sleeping on the thermarest. She was very dissatified with her choice of bedding, but hey, I'm the one carrying everything.

I LOVE THIS COUNTRY!

Instead of using scare tactics that work on small children like "where your seatbelt or pay the price", this country actually attempts to empower its citizens. It works! These people are great drivers. They all seem to actually know what it going on around them and their actions seem aimed at making the whole system work better. They let one another pass if a driver is going slower than the rest, they don't tailgate and they're happy. Even the road construction guys who hold the "Slow" sign smiles and wave as you pass.

Border Crossing. Let the profiling begin!

OK, so I thought that I went through the standard proceedure for passing through the border. After talking to a lady later that night (who was coincidentally from Crested Butte) I found out that, aside from having my car torn apart, I got to have the more deluxe experience. A nice gentleman (border guard) grilled me with questions for 15-20 minutes. When I told him of my final destination he asked me if I had yet realized that I am crazy. As the questioning went on and I told him what I did for a living we ended up having a great discussion about medical paradigms in the US and Canada. By the end of it we were exchanging email addresses! Yes, I made friends with a Canadian border guard.

Look close

This was taken around 22:45 as i was pulling into Canmore, Alberta looking west. The light in the sky is residue from sunset which had occured around 21:30 It was still quite light at 22:15.
When you watch the sun hesitantly set over several hours and then watch the source of the light move further and further into the northern sky, you really get a awesome sense our place in our solar system.

I hadn't slept enough the night before because the sunrise wakes you up around 5:30. You would think a 10-hour drive from Yellowstone through Montana and into Canmore would be exhausting...but no. As each day of this trip passes I feel more and more awake and alive. It's as if I'm merging into the beingness of the universe and every little moment I experience becomes more and more full of life.

Yellowstone in Spring

One more Yellowstone photo. Northern Yellowstone is amazing. It's off the path of all the tourista marvels and so gives rise to true nature and wildlife enthusiasts. There was hardly a soul in site...as in, you could stop your car in the middle of the road for ten minutes without obstructing any traffic. some of the pullouts had people who had brought scopes and spent time looking for wildlife. That is how I got to see the bears. Where ever there was a scope there were usually a few people gathered around having a scope party. A lot of the people knew one another. It was a great little community of photo-sharing, birding discussions, where people had seen the alpha female wolf of this or that pack, etc. Yes, these people actually know all the individual wolves and which packs they belong to!
It was like Bright Kite but in a much more beautiful, experiential setting. This is the way to experience an interactive community!

This is at the top of Dead Indian Pass in Shoshone National Forest approaching Yellowstone. I had camped out a few miles up the road the previous night where I heard no fewer than 5 different owl calls. WOW!!!! This is THE most beautiful place I have seen in America...and it's not even in Yellowstone. I saw only 3 cars the entire drive! This place is truly amazing and since it's in the national forest there are very few regulations...heaven. You can have guns, you can camp almost anywhere you want, the dog doesn't need to be on a leash and it's legal to beat your children :)

Petroglyph site

This was so cool! I stopped in Thermopolis, WY after my two nights of camping to soak in the hot springs and, more importantly, take a shower. When I was leaving I asked the the lady at the front desk if she knew a good place to have a picnic and let the dog run amuck. There was an off-duty forest ranger there. He told me about this petroglyph site (in the middle of nowhere) and told me, if I promised not to vandalize it, he would give me the gate keys to access it...it's not really open to the public. I know, I know, best not to take keys from strangers but check it out! There were hundreds of these drawings all along this cliff that faced a lazy creek. If I were an indian, I would have sat with my back against those warm cliffs, taken in the view, shot arrows at passing game and would have drawn on the walls to pass the time. :)