I had some problems with my camera yesterday after I cleaned the lens with Purell and some got stuck between the lens and the cover; it's working today, although I discovered it doesn't like the cold. So far I've missed out on two pictures I wish I'd gotten: the first was the Coast Guard Zodiac with a mounted machine gun on the bow that accompanied the Edmonds ferry; the second was a billboard near Vancouver for Spandex shorts, that read, "Your balls and your legs need some time apart." You couldn't put up a billboard like that in the US.
Today I just shot pictures as I drove, so nothing spectacular; I went through Glacier, Yoho, and Banff National Parks, and drove through Calgary. There has been a lot of snow to drive through, and my truck was filthy by the time I got out of the mountains. I took it through a car wash, which scared the dogs pretty badly; hopefully I won't need to do that again, but it was so bad that I couldn't close the door from the outside without getting my hand dirty. The roads are pretty clear out on the plains, at least for now, so here's hoping they stay that way. This is my first time in Alberta, and it reminds me of Wyoming, except Calgary is a lot bigger than Cheyenne. I'd like to see Edmonton, but it's too far out of my way, and I'm more interested in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia; if I'm going to take an extra day on the road, I'd rather it be there than here. Honestly, besides the metric system, the bilingual road signs, different brands of gasoline, and the Tim Horton's every 100 yards (sorry, meters), this feels like middle America, but with minorities. It's not the worst place to be, but I wouldn't want to be here too much longer. get me to an ocean, any ocean, and I'll probably be in a more favorable frame of mind. I did decide to stop early tonight, though, just in case there is actually something worth seeing as I drive; tomorrow morning I'll go through Medicine Hat; I don't know anything about it, but I like the name. Any name that's obviously Native American seems to be thought provoking and have a good ring to it, but especially the Anglicized ones. Of course, nothing beats Bucket of Blood Street in Holbrook, Arizona -- that's another picture I wish I'd gotten. Maybe I'll pass through there on this trip.
