There is a certain respect among the people who have made it this far north. Wherever I go people acknowledge my existence. Some smile, others say hello, some people even start conversations, or at least participate when I attempt to start them. This is much different than in Boston, and I have been enjoying it.
Today I started out from Helena. It was very early and no one was outside at the time, but I took some photos at the state capitol and around the town. I even noticed a Ron Paul 2008 bumper sticker (just like mine). This was a pleasant surprise.
From there I drove to Glacier National Park. Several trails that I wanted to take were closed due to grizzly bears in the area, but I was able to get some nice photos anyway.
Glacier National Park is just a few miles from the US/Canada border. I drove up to the border checkpoint thinking I would have a few questions and then be sent on my way, just like all the other times I've been through Canada. This time was different. I'm not sure why, but the border agents searched every inch of my car, even taking apart the upholstery in the trunk. The border agents were puzzled by my vegetable oil filtration setup and accompanying wiring. They were also curious about my previous visit to Egypt and my reasons for never doing drugs.
I suppose they're accustomed to speaking with people who are less suspicious (and interesting), because they kept asking me questions and searching through my stuff (including my two laptop computers) for more than an hour. Anyway I was very nice to them so hopefully I won't have to repeat this.
From there I drove through Calgary to Edmonton. I didn't think that such large cities existed this far north, but both cities seemed to be booming. Ongoing construction of new housing was seen in several places. I arrived in downtown Edmonton to find a very pleasant atmosphere. There were no bums. The people walking around the state capitol were young and fit. Some were playing music just for fun without asking for money or attention. Others were break dancing again just for fun. There were no imposing police. Instead the one police car I saw was labelled "peace officer." I like it here.
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