We're in Canmore, Alberta, Canada, Aye?

Today was a little bit more testing of our patience as a whole. Riding in the car is making us all a little gamy. We started off with little sleep and drove through the high winds of Montana to cross the border into Canada. Customs is an intimidating experience the Canadian Border Patrol make you think you're a terrorist trying to bring in nukes and meth. Luckily they did not make us unload the trailer or even ask us to open it up so they could peer inside. So if we were trying to sneak in paraphernalia we would have been successful. We tracked north on the 4 getting lost in Calgary. Who new that city was so big? Thanks to two very nice Harley riders we made it back on track and outside the booming metropolis. Thank you whomever you are! We entered into Banff National Forest this afternoon which is beautiful. We're staying in Canmore, Alberta in the heart of the forest, surrounded by the Canadian Rockies. This city has old world charm, built around the railroad its has a 1980's feel with a modern look. Pics to be posted soon.

Pics

Pronghorn Deer in the Black Hills
Buffalo in Custer, SD
Snow outside of Deadwood even though it was 80 degree today.
The Rocky Mountains coming into view somewhere along I-90 in Wyoming.

Greetings from Montana

Hi everyone, today we drove through Black Hills National Park and stopped at the Crazy Horse monument which is still in the process of being carved (history in the making!). We stopped in Deadwood, SD for lunch. I love Deadwood! It's this cute little town in the middle of the Black Hills nestled in a valley surrounded by pine trees. I must reiterate, I love Deadwood! After that we headed west on I-90 thru Wyoming into Montana. When we crossed over into Montana we started loooking for gas, the first place we came to was this little town a few miles from Custer's Last Stand. I've never seen a level of poverty like that outside of the inner city. The population was mostly Native American (reservation maybe?) but the desparity in that area is overwhelming.

The land changed as we progressed from dry windy barren to mountain views and thick pine trees. We finally finished what seemed like a never ending journey down I-90 a few short hours ago just before Butte, Montana (we started in Ohio). We're in Helana for the night. Pictures to be posted next.

Pictures from South Dakota

Jeep and trailer parked outside Mt. Rushmore.

Somewhere in South DakotaMt. Rushmore
The entryway at Mt. Rushmore

Rock Formation near Rushmore

Big Sky Country

As of 4pm Mountain Time we have safely arrived in Keystone, SD which is near Mt. Rushmore. We left yesterday about 4pm and hit Chicago by 10pm. In Indiana, they have they great little warning devices to let you know there are animals in the area. We saw the lights flashing and began looking for deer. A field next to I-90 had atleast 30 deer just hanging out. Dad wished he had a gun with him. Chicago was crazy even at 10pm the traffic there is insane. We stopped throughout the night for gas and to switch out drivers. We've spent today driving across Big Sky Country. If I had to sum up South Dakota its brown green grass and bright blue skys. You drive forever seeing the same thing in the distance. It feels as though you're going to drive straight off the face of the earth. There are places here with snow still melting even though the air temperature is 82. The last couple hundred miles have been difficult due to the high winds, the jeep is guzzling gas like its her job. We've travelled 1300 miles and were ready for hot showers and sleep. I'll post a few pictures later.

All packed up.

Less then a week to go!

Just six more days before we set off for Alaska!

Map of my Trip

Last Ohio Outing

Hey Everyone, we're heading out to David B's Saturday May 10th for a little get together before I leave. About 830-9ish in the upstairs room. Any questions give me a ring. Thanks!


http://maps.google.com/maps?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=DMUS,DMUS:2006-33,DMUS:en&q=David%20B's%20barberton&um=1&sa=N&tab=wl

The trailer is ready!

Premove Jitters

So it's finally hit me and the whirlwind of emotions is in full swing. I feel like I'm bipolar! One minute, I'm excited and happy about the move and the next I'm nervous and terrified. While I'm sure this emotional rollercoaster is to be expected and is completely appropriate given the situation, it's making me a little mental. Jill assures me this will continue until I get settled in my new town. I sure as hell hope not! My mood swings are bordering on out of control. I whole heartedly apologize to everyone because I've had even shorter fuse then normal and have snapped several times within the past few days. So sorry!

In case you haven't heard I will be moving from the hustle and bustle of Northeastern Ohio to the somewhat remote Ketchikan, Alaska. I've accepted a Flight Medic position with Guardian Flight (one of the two major medevac companies in Alaska). Guardian is CAMTs certified meaning they have to meet safety standards above and beyond those imposed by state and national levels. They are based in Fairbanks but operate bases in Ketchikan, Sitka, Dutch Harbor, and Anchorage. They operate both Fixed and Rotor wing programs. While I am extremely excited about this once in a lifetime opportunity it is a bit scary to be moving so far away. I hope this blog will be a way to share my trip with all of you (my family and friends) and enable me to stay connected to everyone at home.

http://www.guardianflight.com/

http://www.city.ketchikan.ak.us/