It has been a bit since we have had good access to the internet. Here in McBride, we were pleasantly surprised to find internet readily available at the library--quite a surprise for the sleeply, quaint town 168 km west of Jasper.

Canada has been treating us quite well. Despite wind the first day or two, we have escaped rain, which was our constant companion throughout Montana. The Canadians we have met have been very friendly, too.

Yesterday was a hard day for me. I had planned to ride home on a train from Jasper to meet back up with my lovely wife, and the plan changed. I was talking to her with my train in eyesight, which was really tough, as I miss her so. The trip is bittersweet for me, getting to see so many people and so much land, but missing my wife terribly. Four weeks from today, at 1319 hours, I touch down in Austin and get to see Gretchen again.

As far as Canada goes, I highly recommend anyone visit Banff/Jasper, if they are able. The Canadian Rockies have been breathtaking. While the peaks are lower than the Rockies in the US, the passes are lower still, making the mountains more striking. Spending an entire day in the 80F sun with snow-capped mountains in view the entire time really raised spirits on the team.

Tonight, we are staying in a church, which will be the first non-camping night in some time. We have lots of camping ahead in the next 25 days -- probably 20, by my guess -- and the Anglican church in town is a welcome break.

Yesterday, while running out of white camp fuel, we converted two of the burners over to unleaded gasoline. We just have to be a bit careful to avoid explosions, but we'll save a bundle on fuel, as we are boiling around 10 gallons of water a day for meals, on average.

Time is expiring, and our first major storm in Canada looks like it is ready to blow in, so Bredt, Martina, and I need to head out while the weather will permitl The roads here are dusty, and rain will make them muddy...and the bikes don't like that much.

We should have good internet access in Prince George, which is a mere 2 days away, and I'll try to give a more comprehensive update there. In the meantime, thanks to Vishv Jeet and Ankur P. Gupta for checking in on me with my wife, and Dr. Jensen for bringing in "The Informer" with news of my summer trip. For all of you back home, everything is going well!

--Andy