Stewart, Hyder, and Insomnia

It turns out that they filmed part of the movie Insomnia in the area where I've been stranded. Here's a link for Stewart, BC, and Hyder, Alaska.

Now, Insomnia may not mean too much to you, but it's actually the movie that brought me to Alaska.

Tim Horton's donuts, local police

I did finally eat at a Tim Horton's donut place in Canada -- I can't remember which city -- but they were good. Very light and fluffy, I ended up wishing I bought another one or two because they weren't as filling as I'd hoped.

In a note that's only slightly related, I've started to notice a trend: most of the policemen I've seen here wear bullet-proof vests, even when they're standing in line at Tim Horton's. Including the two policemen at the donut shop, I've seen six total, and five of them had the vests on, one did not.

Stewart, BC (Glaciers, bears, and wolves)

Wow, here are some of the pictures from this incredible area. (I actually took 198 pictures today -- wow!)

First, the estuary where I saw the bald eagle:

The owner of the hotel and liquor store says it's pretty funny to watch the bald eagles try to catch the salmon and lift them out of the water. Usually the salmon are way too heavy, but the eagles don't give up, and they end up getting dunked in the water.

Stranded in "I'm Going to Bleeping Die, BC"

This is insane! I'm deep in the heart of a town named "I'm Going to Freaking Die, British Columbia", and they have high-speed internet access at the "hotel and liquor store" I'm stranded at.

(Actually, the town is named Stewart, BC, and it's right on the border of southeastern Alaska, and it is incredibly, incredibly beautiful, with a glacier and plenty of wildlife included.)

First 24 hours in Canada

Notes from my first 24 hours in Canada:

Although all the signs here show things like "$10", they really mean "ten Canadian dollars". In short, some people look at you very unhappily when you start giving them U.S. currency, so I just use my credit card now. (Then there are a few others who gladly take your American money and give you Canadian change without saying anything. Only later do you realize you've been short-changed ~10%.)

Across the border and into Quesnel, BC

Coming to you live from a bar in Quesnel, BC (Canada), the first town that has really scared me on this whole trip. I actually turned around and came back a little to the south after seeing the downtown area -- yikes!

Here's a picture where I'm approaching the border into Canada.

The Continental Divide

(Excerpt from an email with a friend)

Hah, I don't know what the heck the Continental Divide is. I know I drove past it, just don't know what it's supposed to be. (Okay, I just looked it up on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_divide). That's cool, but I can tell you firsthand that a guy can drive right past it without knowing it.)

Here's a funny stat: I've driven about 2,500 miles so far, and taken an average of one picture every five miles.

Inside "The Brick"

Here's a little video footage from inside The Brick, a saloon in Roslyn, Washington, made famous by the television show Northern Exposure. The video isn't great, but if you're a fan of the show, you might appreciate seeing the differences between the real Brick and the one in the show:

Video from inside The Brick

Roslyn, WA (aka, Cicely, Alaska)

Wow, for a Northern Exposure fan like myself, Roslyn, Washington is pretty awesome, just like walking into the middle of the tv show. I had lunch at The Brick, then walked over to Dr. Fleischman's office.

Tomorrow: The Brick and the Great Northern

Traveling in Washington now, I just finished looking at a map, and it looks like I'll be having lunch or dinner at "The Brick" (the bar/pub from Northern Exposure) in Roslyn, Washington tomorrow. After that I'll stop at the Salish Lodge (aka, the "Great Northern Hotel" from Twin Peaks).

Wyoming to Washington

Everything has been incredibly beautiful so far, including a long day in Yellowstone yesterday. Amazingly (to me) there's still snow on some parts of the ground in Yellowstone.

I took some crazy route to get to Yellowstone Park; not sure I would recommend it. From I-90, traveling west, I got off at the first exit to Yellowstone in Laurel. I took that road south, going through Cody (where I got my oil changed), and eventually getting to a road that is alternately labeled 16, 20, and 14 as you head into the east entrance of Yellowstone Park.

Yellowstone Park

There's a lot to be said about Yellowstone Park, and I hope to get it all in here over time. One thing to be careful about is the construction at the east entrance. There's a lot of dirt and unpaved road out there, and you're car is going to get dirty and beat up. But then again, if you're going in from that direction, there isn't much choice, is there?

Devil's Tower

Continuing west on I-90 I made it to the Devil's Tower by early afternoon, and took a ton of pictures, and made a few audio recordings.

Whoever makes the roads set this one up well, because first you see the tower and go "cool", and next thing you know there's a nice pull-off spot where you can take some initial pictures.

The Badlands

On my journey to Alaska I've stopped at The Badlands to see if they're really bad. Turns out, they are. Bad as in "way cool".